Our defense lacks presence. Our offense lacks identity. End of story

I feel this further confirms my Troy Polamalu thesis. He’s the thing that makes our 3 minute defense excellent.

But on another note I think a couple things bothered me most about the game. Limas Sweed’s horrid play for one, would have helped a ton.

But the other had to be some of the officiating in the second half. The hold call on Colon was god awful, his man just fell down basically. That negated a long run IIRC, and the bullshit PI on Ward took away a crucial 1st down.

Some of those were just wrong. And it seemed the LT was able to put his hands on Harrisons facemask quite a bit without a call.

Good job analyzing each drive Blizburgh. Since I couldn’t sleep, I took a look back at the play-by-play list and here are some key things that stand out to me (in chronological order)….

1. (The 1st O series of the game) You have to go for the TD when your are 4th and less than 1 and on the road. They did it last week and scored…had to do it again this week to set the tone. As I said in my earlier post, not going for it can make the other team question your toughness. Minimal risk if you don’t make it, you have Cincy on their goal-line and if our D is of elite caliber you should be able to pressure them into either a mistake or a 3-and-out.

2. Play-calling after the 51-yd. pass to Wallace at the start of the 2nd QTR. Ball is at the Cincy 10 and we’re up 10-0. Why run the ball there on 1st down. The CB just got beat on the long pass to Wallace. Go right back after him with a pass into the endzone, while he may still be thinking of the last play. The Parker run gained 4 and it’s 2nd-6, so again you throw to the endzone. Instead, Ben passed to Heath for no gain making it 3rd-6. Maybe the other receivers were covered and Heath was the dumpoff, but why not send him to the goal line instead. Heath’s great but he’s not a YAC guy so why make him the short receiver? Let Moore run short and send Heath to the goal line…they ended up doing that on the 3rd-6 but Ben missed Heath and they had to settle for the FG.

3. The 4th-4 with 1:06 left at the Cincy 35. They take a time out and decide to go for it. Ok, so you don’t for for the TD on 4th and less than 1 at the goal line, but you go for it now? It seems inconsistent to me, even though I do agree that going for it wasn’t necessarily a bad idea. I don’t recall the exact play they ran, but I remember it looked sloppy. At that point, if you are going to take a chance, go for something like a hook-and-go with Wallace or Holmes where you might catch the DBs biting on a short pass around 5-yds for a first down. Ben does one of his famous pump fakes and you may get a big play there.

4. The ensuing Cincy drive after the failed 4th down. The D gives up 3 straight passes then a penalty (think it was D holding on Townsend maybe? can’t remember) to put them in FG range at the 27. Still would be a 44yd FG at that point, but the D gives up a 4th pass in a row putting them at the 16 for a good shot at the endzone. Cincy missed on the TD, but got a FG. Where was the pressure on Palmer at that point, I don’t recall any creative blitzes, just Harrison getting double teamed.

5. The Steelers opening drive of 2nd half. It’s 13-3 and they have a 2nd-5 from their 34. Pass to Holmes for a 1st down was called back because of a O-interference call on Hines. It was a bad call by the refs as he was headed out to block on the quick screen. Then next play, Ben throws a pic-6 as Holmes fails to cut his route short as the hot route on a blitz. Even so, I’m wondering why Ben couldn’t have audibled into another play if he read blitz. That kind of throw in that place on the field is risky even if Holmes cuts the route off…I’ve seen way too many pic-6’s there.

6. Play calling on the Steelers ensuing series. Logan gets a big return to give us the ball at the Cincy 40 and a chance to make up for the pic-6. Why run the ball there on 1st down? It gained 0 yds. btw. Why not got for the big play to Wallace again? Or go deep against CB Joseph who just scored the TD? He may still be thinking about that play and not ready for the deep ball. They end up with a 3rd-4 at the 34. NOW, they do what I suggested and go for the big play, and get it! But, Sweed drops the ball! He has to make that catch..no excuse! So now they’re faced with 4th-4 again, but again, inconsistency. They decide to try the 52yd FG this time. I’m not saying they should have went for it, but they should have punted. If you didn’t go for Reed the first time (for what would have been a 53yd.) why now? Especially the way he’s been kicking, why take that chance? punt it and try to pin Cincy deep and play some D. Otherwise, even if they make the FG it’s 16-9…still a 1 TD game.

7. Play calling to start the 4th QTR. Steelers survived the Sweed drop and the Reed missed FG got the ball back and scored their own. TD on a nice drive. It’s 20-9 and they get the ball back after the Bengals fake punt and missed FG. So, now it’s time to put them away. But, they start the drive with 2 runs and are faced with 3rd-7. Why run twice there on 1st and 2nd down? at least try a play-action pass with one of those plays. The on the 3rd-7, I think the refs gave Wallace a bad spot, it was closer to a 1st down but I think he was still short. The only good thing from this series is that they made Cincy have to go a long field by pinning them down at their 15 on the punt.

8. Steelers D on the ensuing Cincy drive. Having them pinned at the 15 with an 11pt. lead with under 13min. to play, no excuse for letting them drive for a TD. 2 passes and a penalty and Cincy is at our 40. Harrison finally gets a sack to force 3rd -2, but they allow a pass for a 1st down. Then, Benson breaks the run for the TD. I think there was a missed holding call on that play that will come back to haunt the refs. But, now it’s 20-15 after the missed 2pt. and we have a game again.

9. Play calling on ensuing Steelers drive. On their own 27 with 9 min. to go, they start conservative with a run on 1st down for no gain. They end up with a first down after a pass to Wallace and Ben’s sneak, but then they go run, run again. Why? Playing not to lose is not the way to win. Now faced with 3rd-6, you’re giving the advantage to Cincy. So, Ben ends up getting sacked…go figure!

10. The D on the Cincy’s final drive. With just over 5 min. to go, Cincy got the ball back on their own 29. In this situation, no way should a team drive for the winning TD while eating up the entire clock against our D if we are elite. That’s not acceptable. In 6 plays they moved from their 29 to our 29 and it’s now the 2 min warning. At this point, the D should have a chance to regroup and refocus. They did for a moment, forcing a 4th-2 at the 20, but then they let Cincy convert to stay alive with 1 min. to go. Then they buckle up again and force a 4th-10. On that play Leonard came out of the backfield…that can’t happen. He has to be covered by the LB (Farrior I think was his man). Then they give up the TD. Where was the blitzing and the pressure? This was not the play of an elite D, and really highlighted why Troy is so valuable in these situations.

So there it is. Top 10 things that really stood out. The theme here was play calling and questionable D (might be play calling on D too). That coupled with some poor execution by players at key moments made a game that should have been an realitively easy victory into a heart-breaking loss.

Whats the deal with running out the clock and not running up the score. Forget putting the game on the defenses shoulders, the offense is suppose to score. They have a hall of fame super bowl MVP wide receiver, the last super bowl MVP receiver, a hungry speedster rookie wide receiver, one of the best receiving tight ends in the league, and a quarterback with a strong arm why put the ball in an aging halfbacks hands, especially when everyone knows that’s the play. That running out the clock scheme worked when they had a big power back that had been bludgeoning the defense all day. Looks to me like the coaches are tightening up toward the end of the games(choking).

- Wallace runs out of bounds instead of into the endzone. Result is a FG instead of a TD. I love this kid and I think he has a ton of potential, but this was a bonehead play. Lewis should have challenged the catch because I don’t think he had 2 feet in.

- Tone misreads the play and doesn’t break off his route. Result is a pick 6. 10 has been playing like complete shit since the opener. Insert marijuana-reference-laden joke here

- Sweed is worthless. If this dude doesn’t turn into the second coming of Lynn Swann, he’s going to be history.

Great analysis of the game, but I think you are missing one big point, this defense is not anywhere as good as last years D. Even with Troy I think we lose this one. When was the last time the defense gave up the game in the last minute of a game in back to back weeks? The team looked tired out there in the 4th. the Bengals looked like they were playing touch and even with a couple of iffy calls this is not the Steel Curtain anymore, hell they aint even the same as the last couple of years. Where is the in your face attitude that we are all used to? Big Ben is a winner, but he cant play defense too. This is going to be a longgggggg season if the O has to carry the team EVERY week. By the way, I heard from my Brother in Law who went to the game that some steelers fans were talking smack until the 4th and then you couldnt hear a pin drop on the Black and gold side after the game even when some Bungle fans were taunting them back. What kind of pussy takes shit from a Bungle fan, oh thats right, someone who jjust saw there team lose for the second week in a row in the final minute, well at least the Brownies are keeping the team from being in the basement. I am embarrassed to say this is the SB cha(u)mps!

First, I think the loss of Troy Polamalu is more than just the player not being there. Defenses for the most part are more emotionally driven than offenses. A defense can turn it up after a big play, and can retreat a little bit after a few miscues. Not having Troy means that someone else has to step up and make that play. One person does not make a defense, but can certainly break it. Without the tide turning play, the interception, the tackle for a loss, the play we need, our defense does not have the same attitude. This has become very evident in the last two weeks.

We can not cover the lesser known WR’s. Why? It seems when we need it most the defense allows the catch to the to the third/ fourth WR. Kenny Britt, Johnny Knox, Andre Caldwell. What do these players have in common? They’re all their teams third or fourth option. What else? They have all beat us when none of them should have. This needs to stop.

This is a dose of reality. To all those talking about 14-2, 15-1, even undefeated seasons take note. This is the NFL, and nothing is just given to us. Even if it looks that way on paper, this is why they play the games. Hubris gets us nowhere. Even if we thought they were W’s, you just never know. I look forward the renewed focus these two losses will bring this team, and expect to see much, much more from them in the weeks to come.

Unlike Chicago, this was a BAD loss. Only 2 teams are going to the playoffs from our division, and it might not be the Steelers. They are already behind Baltimore and the Bengals, and both might have a better all-around team. If that doesn’t make you choke on your cheeriors, nothing will.

Some other quick thoughts:

- Lamarr Woodley, anytime you want to join the party, feel free to do so. Harrison is seeing all kinds of chips and double-teams and extra tackles on his side, Woodley has to beat his man one-on-one to get pressure. The same goes for the rest of the DL.

 - I think LeBeau has to find a way to keep Big Snack on the field, especially when the team goes to nickel. This team is very vulnerable against the run when it goes to its 4-man line with Woodley, A. Smith, Keisel and Deebo. This line usually gets gashed. You have to figure out a way to keep one of your best players on the field, especially one is playing for a new deal.

- Should K. Colbert just take a mulligan for last year’s draft? Mendenhall not knowing his assignments and then gets benched. Limas Sweed doing what he does, dropping passes at crucial moments. Bruce Davis not hitting anyone in two years. That draft is looking pretty bad right now. Still, the time to sit down Mendenhall when he doesn’t know his assignments is before the game. Put someone else in a hat on game day that does. Still, there is more here than what has been reported thus far.

 - I remember a time during preseason when I said that M. Wallace is a better WR as a rookie than Sweed is as a second-year player, and someone on this board told me that assessment was idiotic. Their thinking was the WR is so complex that any rookie is going to struggle and that Sweed has a year in the system and has worked hard on his hands. Well folks, that’s why you don’t buy all the hype during the preseason and all of those stories coming from Wex and others about players showing all of this improvement. It’s what they do between the white lines on Sunday. The game isn’t too big for Wallace right now. It is for Sweed.

 - Is it me or does Farrior seem to be getting burnt a lot in pass coverage? The first TD in Chicago was actually his fault, and not Ty Carter’s. Farrior was late coming over. His coverage in the 4th Q was a step late as well. Has this proud veteran lost the proverbial step that all players do with age? Just asking.

 - Time to really make a commitment to the running game? Why? Because when you are a passing team, the QB has to be pretty much perfect to win that way. The WR’s have to be precise in their patterns and the OL has to keep the QB clean. In other words, everything has to be on point to function. I don’t think Ben is that type of QB, our OL is that good and our WR’s are at that point. I just think this places too much on the shoulders on Ben to try and do everything. Kind of like giving the ball to a Kobe and Lebron in the 4th Q and telling them to go win the game. Even the great ones need some help to get over the hump. And Big Ben needs an effective running game.

 - Wow, this D can’t get off the field when it matters. Never thought I’d be saying that this early or this year, for that matter. Two leads going into the 4th Q for two consecutive weeks and two losses. And don’t forget this team could easily be 0 and 3 right now.

- On th positive side, the OL is improving weekly. M. Starks did a pretty good job against Antwan Odom, the team has found a 3rd WR that could be a game-breaker for this O, and Willie Gay and Ike played really good games at corner yesterday. That’s all the positives you get from me with a loss.

 - I’ve read probably the most negatives posts from Tomlin after a game that I can remember in recent history. That decision to go for it on 4th and 4 with about a minute left was one of those decisions where he’d look like a genuis if they scored a TD and a fool if Cincy gets points. I think I would have punted, to try and pin them deep and make them go a long ways for any points right before the half. The fake punt really hurt this team. Anyone who watched Hard Knocks would know that the Bengals did this a few times in the preseason. My biggest knock for Tomlin was the way Mendy was handled. If he isn’t doing it in practice, just don’t give him a hat for the game. I actually think you hurt the team by having him available but then not using him to try and send a message. What message does that really send? The Steelers need a RB that can get them the tough yards when they need to, and I don’t think that RB is on the 53-man roster right now. Where is Gary Russell when you need him?

- A lot of people are saying its early, but I’m seeing quite a few disturbing trends with this team that you hope doesn’t become bad habits. I really believe that a team is pretty much what it is and will be by week 8 of the season. It has pretty much cemented its personality by then. Right now, the Steelers are a passing team that makes mistakes, can’t run the ball when it needs to, can’t stop anyone when it needs to and is living off of what it done this past year. Might be time for Tomlin to go to the bullpen for some help. Don’t be surprised to see one or 2 roster decisions this week. Take care.

With all the money that some of these other defenders are making, if I was ownership, it’d be pretty disturbing to me.

Sorry.

I would like to voice my sincere displeasure with the general conduct of Steelers fans at the game yesterday. Never in my life (season tik holder since PBS) have I ever witnessed so many classless, distasteful, & outright rude sprots fans. A row of sqeelers sat is in front of us and unfolded a 8 ft towel and help it up blocking our game view for the entire game, when they were asked to lower the towel they started mooning & flipping the bird. I know all of you coalminer’s daughters dont know any better, but think how you would react if we came into your house and behaved like Steelers fans ALWAYS do.
PS-I was a Steeler fan my entire life, until I relocated to Cincy and witnessed my 1st Bengals game as a steeler fan in PBS. At halftime I threw my terrible towel away and instantly became a Bengals fan, I was ashamed to be associated with such distasteful and classless fans!

Quite a bit of sentiment/flip-flopping sports allegiances there.

Anyways, coal miner’s daughters, really? Who are you Loretta Lynn, modernize your rantings please.

Last year Coach Tomlin aptly defined Steeler football as being “60 minutes.” Both the offense and defense have shown moments of excellence, but as a team there has been nothing close to a 60 minute effort. Its hard to point the finger because offense, defense, special teams and kicking game have all had major ups and downs so far. With a few minor adjustments we could easily be 3 – 0; then again we also could easily be 0 – 3.

The O has scored enough to win all 3 games if the D plays up to potential, but the O has left a bunch of points on the field. Then again, with the exception of Ben’s wrong-way touchdown pass, the O has not been putting the D in a really bad position by turning it over deep in their own territory. The D has played decent for most of all 3 games, but as we all know the last 2 weeks has got the ball shoved down their throats on long time consuming drives when one stop would have put the game away. Regardless of all that , we still could have won or been in good position to win both games if Reed hits a few FG’s we all know he is capable of making.

Well, those are my frustrations of the day. I dont have any good suggestions on how to fix it – these have truly been team losses. I do think I might move Sweed down a couple more notches on the depth chart – with the whole team having their lethargic moments we do need to keep dropped passes to a minimum.

Maybe he meant more to what the LB’s were accomplishing than the team realized. Granted, he’s playing with the Lions but he’s got 28 tackles and a sack to lead that team.

I know the team felt Timmons was ready to replace him but Harrison and Woodley may be lacking in production because of his absence.

…let them score early, with about 2 minutes remaining on the clock instead of wasting the whole 5 minutes. At this point I trust BB and his offense to drive down the field for the winning FG or TD.

P.S. New poster here – just joined. I had been a silent observer for over a year now. By far the best Steelers blog/ message board ever!

were did the linebackers go on the last scoring drives by the bears and the bengals