MVN - Most Valuable Network

Define Sunday’s Performance As You Will

The Pittsburgh Steelers performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon can take on a few definitions.  The first that comes to mind is unprepared, the second is unmotivated, and the third is uninspired.  Use whatever negative term you can think of that might best define this mystery team.

For the fourth consecutive game the Steelers started the game out flat, and had to wait until they were down by 15 points before they could get fired up to move the ball down the field.  It took an Anthony Smith interception in the third quarter to spark the offense to score a touchdown that got the defense and the crowd back in the game.   

On the defensive side of the ball, they couldn’t control the line of scrimmage, and Fred Taylor’s 147 yard performance was proof of it.  Taylor dropped the highest rushing total in the city of Pittsburgh since the 2000 season when he dropped 234 yards in Three Rivers Stadium on the Steelers defense.  For the first time in a long time the Steelers defensive line was manhandled and it was done by Jack Del Rio’s playoff bound team.  Also the absence of Aaron Smith was noticed as the line couldn’t quite match the strength that the Jacksonville offensive line threw at them.

On Sunday afternoon the Steelers were dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball.  The offensive line which is now amongst the worst in the NFL in the allowed sack category couldn’t give Ben Roethlisberger the time to make decisions.  In the past two games they have allowed eight sacks and with Marvel Smith injuring his back, things don’t appear to be improving.

The offensive lines inefficiencies have been the primary reason why the offense has severely sputtered over the last month.  Roethlisberger hasn’t been getting time and the teams momentum has suffered because of it.  Allowing bad sacks on first and second downs has really put them in the hole on third down.  Instead of 2nd and 7 or 2nd and 5, they are faced with 2nd and 17’s.  This just isn’t acceptable and until these issues get fixed the offense will continue you sputter. 

The offensive line isn’t the only offensive problem that needs corrected, the other is the play of the wide receivers.  Against the Jaguars, it seemed that no one wanted to make a big play for Roethlisberger.  Hines Ward let a wide open pass go right through his hands on a key third and long, then Santonio Holmes ran a wrong route on another important third down.  These are problems that shouldn’t happen in December and leaders on this team need to be more focussed. 

In all the Steelers scored three touchdowns on Sunday, but if it wasn’t for a shanked punt and a key interception it’s a wonder if they would have been able to mount a key drive when it was needed. 

Over the last two games the secondary has been severely picked apart, and it must improve as the Steelers approach these final two games of the season.  Anthony Smith hasn’t performed good enough in his time filling in for the injured Ryan Clark.  Smith’s play has to improve soon as this month of December rolls on.  Others that must improve quickly are Ike Taylor and DeShea Townsend. 

There are too many areas that need improved at the wrong time.  This is the time when this team with nine wins should be making their march towards the playoffs with a great bit of intensity.  The intensity level has been flat and the team hasn’t been setting the tone in the first five minutes of games.   The time to fix these issues is now, because the next game is only four days away.  The St. Louis Rams may have a losing record, but they are coming off of a loss and would love to hurt the Steelers while they are stuck in their worst tailspin of the season. 

In the next few weeks Mike Tomlin must find a way to inspire his team, otherwise his team will suffer bitter failure when the playoffs roll around.

I am officially back writing on the Steel Tradition and hope you all will check back daily to follow the latest on the Black and Gold.  - Mike Boyko

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 16th, 2007 at 10:47 pm and is filed under Steelers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.