Oakland 20, Pittsburgh 13
Oh, the horror.
For a lesson on the death of hope, please review my writings on the first seven games of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2006 season. Game one, against Miami, promised a season of great things: the Steelers won, after all, without the quarterback who had led them to the Super Bowl with such passion and bravery only months before. Game two seemed a blip, a grinding effort against an impenetrable defense, and a much-needed refresher course in the demands of the NFL for the returning QB. Game three, against the Bengals, was disappointing, but, to feel all right, Steelers fans had only to look to a similarly disappointing loss to Cinci in 2005. Game four, a loss to San Diego, was another disappointment, but again we could point to a few key plays, and to a Charger defense that seemed unsolvable.
Game five, though, seemed to validate all of our faith: an absolute stomping of a team that, while not elite, is also certainly no bottom-feeder. Hurrah, we said. Big Ben is back. And he was back in game six, too, until he was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Still, only an astonishing performance by an astonishing player kept the Steelers from winning. We were tempted to call it an almost-win.
But hope died yesterday when Big Ben's fourth-down pass to Santonio Holmes was tipped away in the end zone by some no-name Raider. Or maybe it died with the second Roethlisberger interception, or the third, or the touchdown scored on the fourth. Or maybe it died when Nate Washington vainly and weakly tossed the ball over his head as he was being tackled on the 4 as time expired. But it died, and it is dead, and it will not be resurrected until August 2007.
The Raiders managed 98 total yards of offense. 98! Andrew Walter completed a total of five passes. (As ESPN's Len Pasquarelli points out, Raiders players caught only one fewer pass thrown by Big Ben.) Since 1978, only one other team has won a game despite gaining fewer than 100 yards. That team? The Houston Texans. Their opponent? The Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rather than run down of what went wrong, let me look forward to that time when hope will rise again. Here are three positions that the Steelers must fill next year:
1. Right tackle. Max Starks would make a good Houston Texan. He's decent, and he's huge, but he got abused by Derek Burgess yesterday. It's unlikely that the Steelers will fill this position via the draft; a rookie RT would be no upgrade. And, unfortunately, the free agency pool is awfully shallow at the position. Paging Mr. Trai Essex?
2. Outside Linebacker: Certainly, this is no knock on Joey Porter and Clark Haggans, who had between them 7 tackles, 4 sacks, and an interception. But Porter is approaching free agency, and his productivity isn't consistent. Further, the depth chart at the position is filled primarily with undrafted free agents; it's time to draft the player tht Alonzo Jackson never became.
3. Power Running Back: Willie Parker is proving that he can carry the load, but the Steelers have yet to find a hammer to replace Bettis. Davenport is a great back-up, but he runs too tall to get much push at the goal line. Verron Haynes has provided no evidence that he's ready for the role, and Staley will be gone after this year. Many are predicting that the Steelers will draft Michael Bush, the massive-yet-fleet back from Louisville who, if not for a broken leg, would almost surely be in the Heisman conversation. It seems unlikely, though, because Bush wouldn't be the featured back in Pittsburgh. But it does seem likely that the Steelers will target a power back in the middle rounds of the draft.
For a lesson on the death of hope, please review my writings on the first seven games of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2006 season. Game one, against Miami, promised a season of great things: the Steelers won, after all, without the quarterback who had led them to the Super Bowl with such passion and bravery only months before. Game two seemed a blip, a grinding effort against an impenetrable defense, and a much-needed refresher course in the demands of the NFL for the returning QB. Game three, against the Bengals, was disappointing, but, to feel all right, Steelers fans had only to look to a similarly disappointing loss to Cinci in 2005. Game four, a loss to San Diego, was another disappointment, but again we could point to a few key plays, and to a Charger defense that seemed unsolvable.
Game five, though, seemed to validate all of our faith: an absolute stomping of a team that, while not elite, is also certainly no bottom-feeder. Hurrah, we said. Big Ben is back. And he was back in game six, too, until he was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Still, only an astonishing performance by an astonishing player kept the Steelers from winning. We were tempted to call it an almost-win.
But hope died yesterday when Big Ben's fourth-down pass to Santonio Holmes was tipped away in the end zone by some no-name Raider. Or maybe it died with the second Roethlisberger interception, or the third, or the touchdown scored on the fourth. Or maybe it died when Nate Washington vainly and weakly tossed the ball over his head as he was being tackled on the 4 as time expired. But it died, and it is dead, and it will not be resurrected until August 2007.
The Raiders managed 98 total yards of offense. 98! Andrew Walter completed a total of five passes. (As ESPN's Len Pasquarelli points out, Raiders players caught only one fewer pass thrown by Big Ben.) Since 1978, only one other team has won a game despite gaining fewer than 100 yards. That team? The Houston Texans. Their opponent? The Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rather than run down of what went wrong, let me look forward to that time when hope will rise again. Here are three positions that the Steelers must fill next year:
1. Right tackle. Max Starks would make a good Houston Texan. He's decent, and he's huge, but he got abused by Derek Burgess yesterday. It's unlikely that the Steelers will fill this position via the draft; a rookie RT would be no upgrade. And, unfortunately, the free agency pool is awfully shallow at the position. Paging Mr. Trai Essex?
2. Outside Linebacker: Certainly, this is no knock on Joey Porter and Clark Haggans, who had between them 7 tackles, 4 sacks, and an interception. But Porter is approaching free agency, and his productivity isn't consistent. Further, the depth chart at the position is filled primarily with undrafted free agents; it's time to draft the player tht Alonzo Jackson never became.
3. Power Running Back: Willie Parker is proving that he can carry the load, but the Steelers have yet to find a hammer to replace Bettis. Davenport is a great back-up, but he runs too tall to get much push at the goal line. Verron Haynes has provided no evidence that he's ready for the role, and Staley will be gone after this year. Many are predicting that the Steelers will draft Michael Bush, the massive-yet-fleet back from Louisville who, if not for a broken leg, would almost surely be in the Heisman conversation. It seems unlikely, though, because Bush wouldn't be the featured back in Pittsburgh. But it does seem likely that the Steelers will target a power back in the middle rounds of the draft.
posted by Shane at 11:52 AM
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