Mike Tomlin Is Not Pleased With Your Incompetency...

“No. 1 across the board won’t get you a cup of coffee.”
- Dick LeBeau

"Stats are for after the season to enjoy. We’re not into stats right now; we’re into winning games...You know, there’s a fine line between 1-8 and 8-1. In this league, there’s really not much difference. We’ve already lost two games on the road, so we’ve got to be wary of these guys."
- Aaron Smith

"When you do those things -- you don't stop the run, you can't run the ball effectively, you can't protect your quarterback -- you have a high probability of losing."
- Mike Tomlin

Yet again I find myself disappointed and confused. A third loss for the Steelers predicated on the same shit as our other two losses, and what's most frustrating is that we could've (might have even) seen this coming. A special feature starring Big Ben on Sunday Morning Countdown, an 8.5 point favor from Vegas, and more hype than Peyton Manning and Tony Romo combined (ok maybe that's an exaggeration...)? Nothing like the kiss of death. It's like I told a boisterous, misguided Jet fan at the game this afternoon - "there is no such thing as an easy win." (Though one could be led to believe otherwise...¹). And this just proves it.

So why did we lose this game?

1. Defensive Inadequacy In Crunch Time ~ As I talked about on Friday, just like against Denver and Cleveland, when we were given the chance to close out the game, our defense completely shit the bed. The last Jets drive before OT began at their 14 yard line with 2 minutes and 23 seconds left in what was at that point a 16-13 Steelers win. And yet 14 plays and 76 yards later, the Jets capped off a nice little drive with three points to send the game into OT. Hey guys, here's a tip from Boiler Room - "Always be closing." Always, not just 58 out of 60 minutes...

2. Inability To Establish The Run ~ Does anyone know why Willie Parker was on the sidelines for like half the game? As far as I could tell he wasn't injured. Plus, we were up against the WORST rush defense in the entire NFL. So all we could muster was 112 yards and 3.3 per carry (33 attempts)? Willie himself had 21 carries and only gained 52 yards. Those are numbers to forget. If you can't run on a team that hasn't been able to stop the run all year long, what does that say about you? Nothing good, I know that much...

3. Costly Turnovers ~ Ah yes, the old turnover routine. Big Ben was quite a success this afternoon, fumbling one ball away and throwing another to a guy with the wrong color jersey. Every turnover is costly, but ones that turn into points are especially costly in a game where points are at a premium. You just can't give teams the opportunity to beat you like that...

Of course, this is all not to mention the stupid penalties³, an embarrassing and untimely Leon Washington punt return⁴ and ZERO protection for Big Ben⁵. But who's counting.

All in all, this was a very discouraging loss. And not just because I was sandwiched among some of the most obnoxious sports fans on the face of the earth, screaming about how the Jets just pulled off an impossible feat⁶. But mostly because the Steelers failed to show any progress towards remedying the problems we've had all season. At least those which are capable of remedy. One of these days I'd just like to see us win one relatively flawlessly. Is that too much to ask?

What say you all? What were the biggest disappointments? Silverback only registering 10 tackles instead of like 25? Losing two coin tosses in one game? Curtis Martin's choice of attire? Let's have 'em...

FOOTNOTES:
¹ - See here
² - See Box Score - Disclaimer: if you choose to review this, please be sure to eliminate all sharp objects from your immediate surroundings. It may cause you to exhibit uncontrollable aggression and anger...
³ - 8 for 100 yards (including one pass interference call for 41 yards, courtesy of "Face Me" Ike Taylor...)
⁴ - When you kick away from a guy all game, why would you then all of a sudden decide overtime is a good time to kick it to him? Someone help me understand this...
⁵ - 7 sacks? You assholes let Ben get sacked 7 times by the league's worst defense? Miserable...
⁶ - It would appear some NY Jet fans believe that the Lombardi trophy is handed when a team wins 2 out of 10 games...no other explanation for the display of bravado I was forced to bear witness to after today's game...

GAME RECAPS:
[Behind the Steel Curtain]
[DC Steeler Nation]
[Die Hard Steel]
[Doubt About It]
[Fanhouse]
[Joey Porter's Pit Bulls]
[NonStop Steelers]
[Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies]

[Associated Press]
[ESPN]
[Fox Sports]
[Post-Gazette]
[SteelCityInsider]
[Steelers.com]

Beware The Mangina...I Mean Mangenius...

1-8 or not, the New York Jets are not to be taken lightly. While they have not found much success this season, it's not like they're getting blown out or anything...at least not by anyone not named Bill Belichick¹. So there's absolutely no reason why they can't turn that frown upside down against the league's #1 defense² and Big Ben Godsend come Sunday. I sort of get the feeling this isn't the last time I'm going to say that this season...nor is it the first time...by a long shot.

Just so everyone knows, I will be attending the game this Sunday along with a number of other rowdy Steeler fans from the greater New York/North Jersey area. The last time I showed up to a Steeler game? November 12, 2006 - Steelers v. Saints, the game in which FWP amassed a team record 213 yards, Big Ben threw 3 TDs and the Steelers edged the Saints 38-31. Despite the fact that the Saints made it a little TOO interesting, twas a good day for Steeler fans. And I fully expect Sunday to be the same way. Nonetheless, one can never been too confident...

Let me just say I'd like to make this game preview moderately interesting, but really there's only so much I can do. The keys here aren't going to be all that novel or diverse. But you will love them nonetheless, I hath decreed it...so be prepared.

Anyways, let's review what the Steelers will have to do against the J-E-T-S, JETS, JETS, JETS, from a 360 degree perspective...starting...NOW.

OFFENSE

• Heavy Does of Fast Willie Parker ~ Listen, the Jets have the worst run defense in the league³. They've let opponents trample them for 1370 yards and 10 TDs. On the flipside, we just happen to have the league's #2 rusher...and of course Dump Davenport. You do the math. FWP 22+ carries = great success. I would hope.


• Heath. Miller. Touchdown. ~ Unless the Jets plan on sticking Revis on Heath, they'll have a hell of a time stopping one of the leagues best, albeit understated, tight ends⁴. Who do you put on him, David Harris? I'm not trying to take anything away from Harris, I mean he is the Jets leading tackler, but really. David Harris, dude? Let's hit Heath at least 6 times on Sunday. Maybe even 7 for good luck...preferably in the red zone...


• Float Like A Butterfly, Sting Like A Bee ~ And by that I mean Float with Hines Ward, Sting with San Antonio Holmes. Just like a heavyweight bout, football games are won by setting up your knock out blows. Play the possession game with Hines, and hit the home run over the top with Santonio. We've done it over the past few games, so no reason to stop now. As far as I can tell the Jets have but two things standing in the way of a big day for our wide out tandem - Darelle Revis and Kerry Rhodes. So be weary of them, but let's hit 'em till it hurts...

DEFENSE

• Sort Kellen Clemens Out ~ I'm still not positive which marginal QB⁵ will be starting for the Jets this Sunday, but for the sake of argument I'll assume it's the 2^nd year Clemens over the veteran, Chad Pennington. Really it doesn't much matter. Whomever shall take the field for the Jets Sunday, the Steelers should be sure to keep them on their toes, and if all goes well, on the ground. Bring the heat, bring the pain, bring the ruckus.


• Shut 'Em Down ~ Thomas Jones, Leon Washington, Laveranues Coles, Jericho Cotchery. Thomas Jones - 160 Carries, 660 yards, NO TDs. Leon Washington - 38 Carries, 127 yards, 1 TD. Laveranues Coles - 42 catches, 473 yards, 6 TDs. Jericho Cotchery - 51 catches, 681 yards, 1 TD. Who else is there? If our front 7 can contain Thomas Jones and Leon Washington (mostly Jones), and Face Me Ike and DeShea can shut down Coles and Cotchery, what's left? The rest is manageable...though I do fear a Brad Smith trick play...keep yer eyes peeled fer that...


• Get Off The Field on 3^rd Down In Crunch Time ~ One of the negatives I felt we needed to address last week was the Browns final drive. Just like the Denver game, we gave them the ball back with just enough time to mount a field goal drive⁶, should we let them...and we rolled out the red carpet. Thank god for the Pittsburgh morass they call turf or chances are we'd have seen that game go into OT. SO, that's at least two games this year where we needed to step up on Defense in the clutch and we did not. Or at least didn't do a good enough job. This week, god forbid we get into a similar situation, we need to be able to stop them when it counts. If we make the playoffs and run up against teams like Indy and New England (who we'll also see Week 14), they're not going to be so easy to stop, especially late in the game. So we just need to hold tight. I know by then the Defense is getting tired, but all we ask is just 1,2,3 more solid minutes. That's all...

"SPECIAL" TEAMS
Just one thing to say ~ Beware Leon Washington.
In 9 games this season, Washington has returned a league high three kicks for TDs. He averages 33.5 yards per return, and his long was 98 yards, but one of the three TD runs. Considering the Steelers "Special" Teams woes of late, this is probably the most challenging aspect of our game this Sunday. Hopefully this Grant Mason character will add some value and maybe we'll even see some of our starters taking care of business on the kickoff and punt coverage. One way or another, Mike Tomlin has given us his word - the buck stops here. He's taking care of it...and Keisel reinforced the point⁷. So one can only hope they made an impression. My fingers are crossed...

Oh yeah, and the Jets, like the Steelers, suffer from no-cheerleader syndrome. Someday there will be boobies for all...we feel your pain Mangina.

And there you have it. 29 minutes later after reading this whole thing, hopefully you don't feel dumber than you did when you first sat down at your PC. Overall, I just want to see us win and win clean. Not necessarily blow them out, but do everything right. Minimize the mistakes. Play disciplined. Remind us all why it's great to be a Steeler fan.

So friends, enjoy the weekend...and if you're going to this game on Sunday, keep an eye out for me and come funnel a beer or two. Who ride?

FOOTNOTES:
¹ ~ In all games not involving the Patriots, the Jets have only lost by an average margin of 5.6 points...
² ~ #1 in all categories - points, yards, ass kicking, hot dog eating, etc. etc.
³ ~ In terms of yards given up that is...and being any good...
⁴ ~ See Monday's post...
⁵ ~ QB Ratings for Jets = Clemens-59.3 | Pennington-87.5...
⁶ ~ With 1:04 left Horse Balls marched the Browns 32 yards on 4 plays (not counting the spikes to stop the clock)
⁷ ~ Quoth Keisel "The Diesel" - "I just told them that special teams are all about desire and that you have to have desire to go down and make plays...I just felt like there wasn't the sense of urgency that needs to be there for us to be a great team."

REFERENCES AND/OR CONTEXTUAL DOCUMENTS:
New York Jets Stats [Pro-Footbal-Reference]
New York Jets Stats [ESPN]
Clemens Next Class In School of Rock [NewYorkJets.com]
Coles To Play vs. Steelers After Recovering From Concussion [ESPN]
Jets Ready For Smashmouth Steelers [The Journal News]
Steelers-Jets Features Matchup Between Two Of League's Kiddie Coaches [USA Today]
Keisel Addresses Steelers Special Teams [Tribune-Review]