Before you even read this, just remember this is about as angry as I'll ever get in a posting...and I wrote it a couple hours after our loss, before I had time to accept things...not that I really have "accepted" it per se. Anyways...just remember that, and read on!
Alright, so maybe I should've taken Pittsburgh West a little more seriously. But honestly, I had very little faith that Ken Whisenhunt would be ready for what NEW Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his replacement, Offensive Gangsta' Bruce Arians, would throw at him. I actually thought we'd try and show them things they'd have never seen...so much for that thought.
What happened on the field today made me feel a lot less confident about the rest of our season, not to mention that it made me sick...
I guess there's something to be said for knowing our PLAYERS, just as much as there is for knowing our schemes. Preying on the weaknesses of Big Ben and Willie Parker was a slick move Whis, slick indeed. Obviously the man knows how to shut Willie down and most importantly, how to get the best of Big Ben.
First and foremost, throwing a pick with double coverage on Heath Miller is NOT good Quarterbacking, BEN! I'm sure we all saw that he didn't even look down any other options or consider just going down before forcing this ball into double coverage (NOTE: the player who picked Ben's pass was Cardinals stud Safety Adrian Wilson). At that point, all we needed was a field goal...ok, so a touchdown would've been nice, but we only NEEDED a field goal, and we were well poised to get those three points before Ben made what could arguably be his worst decision yet this season. That kind of shit isn't going to help you win games, that's for sure. Quoth Ben himself: "This loss is on me, I can't throw a pick in the end zone. The defense gives you an opportunity, and you throw it away. It's disappointing. It's frustrating. You feel like you let guys down."
Ok, well I wouldn't go so far as to say the loss was entirely on Ben but as a good leader, he knows he is the one that must bear the brunt of this.
Still, to essentially lose on a punt return that should never have been? I hate to make excuses, but if Carey Davis doesn't get a penalty on the initial punt, we don't have to re-punt and Steve Breaston doesn't get a touchdown on the re-punt return.
Ah hell, this was just a bad showing. All around. What else can you say? We need to work on kick return coverage, that's for sure. Otherwise, it's one loss. Worse things could happen. You take it and hope that next week you fare better. I don't even want to talk about it anymore. Time to regroup and go out hard against Seattle next weekend in a Super Bowl XL rematch, then hopefully get some steam going into the bye week. Either way, not an ideal situation losing to Arizona...to say the least.
Any thoughts????
More traditional game coverage (you know, if you like that sort of thing...):
Cardinals Upset Steelers, 21-14 [Post-Gazette]
Arizona - 21, Pittsburgh - 14 [Associated Press]
Steelers Fall to Cardinals 21-14 [SteelCityInsider]
Cards' QB Carousel Continues, But Whisenhunt Gets Win Over Former Team [CBSSportsline]
September 30, 2007
Karma - 1, Steelers - 0
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3 comments:
The whole thing was hard to stomach. Our Stillers didn't seem very highly motivated. They never resorted to anything unusual. In fact, they were reminiscent of the predictable, drab offense displayed by WVU Friday night in South Florida. Both my teams threw away wins this weekend. I'm still sad.
Ben made a horrible decision in the redzone as you pointed out. He really never did look at either guy in the flats on his left. Both were wide open, and would have been easy TD's.
I never saw a more disappointing Steeler loss. All the ingredients were there, they just failed to mix them up properly.
It all started with those 2 or 3 missed deep balls to Nate. I think this game is fairly well Ben's fault: he could, should have made those deep throws. Maybe if Hines had been in it would have happened.
That's the problem with B.A.'s long-ball game: if you miss on a couple deep throws the defense will key on the run exclusively. By the time Ben got his groove back it was too late in the game.
It seems the entire team took Arizona for granted. I knew we were facing a solid team there, and we will see them again this season I suspect. Hopefully the rematch will go better for us.
The 'Cards are contenders, I think. Especially in the NFC West. Being that they are an "under-the-radar" type team they could very well pull off a playoff appearence and run. Keep in mind who's running the show...
In all, on a more positive note, I think this loss willl wake the Steelers up to the fact that they can NEVER underestimate anyone in this league. My hope is that this loss willl lead to a lot more wins. They have everything they need. This loss could help cement their will and pride, maybe create a more competitive enviroment.
Coach Tomlin, for his part, did well in staying even-keeled. I think, however, this was a game where The Chin's fire would have helped a lot. I kept waiting to see Tomlin react but never saw it. Maybe he should consider that his players were lackadaisical because he was detached. Too detached.
Everybody loses in the League. Even the Clots and Prats. In my opinion, the earlier a powerful team struggles and overcomes a loss like this the better off they are. It's all about how they respond now.
Great blog, keep at it.
Thanks for the encouragement!
I'm not sure what the implications are for the Cards aka Pittsburgh West, but one thing is for sure: they just flat out-played us. They got into Ben's head and forced him to make decisions like it was 2006.
Perhaps we should have been more prepared for this game. Should have treated it like a division game even.
But alas, hindsight is 20/20 and it is after all, just one game. Put it behind us and move on to the Seahawks on Sunday.
Thanks again for the comment love!!!
Any injury updates on Polamalu?? I still cant swallow allowing the combination of KURT WARNER and Lienart to throw all over us (without boldin!!!!) Our defense really let the steelers down. A defense is truly measured when the offense is going three and out or continuously has short drives. The steelers' d did not look good without Polamalu. The Cards moved the ball at will, whether through the air or with Edge. My biggest fear is that the strategy Whiz and Grimm used against the Steelers can provide other, less talented, nfl teams with the blueprint for slowing the steelers offense and exploiting the steelers' d. Lets hope not because seatlle's d is much better than the cards.
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