Steel City Jim

I am a day late as I was on the road to Sarasota since Saturday, having dropped off in Tallahassee for a visit to Steel City Joan's high school friend. But to their great credit, our hosts provided me with a beautiful 46 inch flat screen TV and they served dinner on Sunday night in the den right in front of the TV. So, I didn't miss anything.

Where do you start with this game? It was a tale of two halves. The first was almost all Steelers. Everything clicked on offense and defense as the Steelers built up a 24-0 lead before the Jets got a field goal at the end of the half. But the second half was a different story. The Steelers did not score, and the Jets were able to get 19 points, including the dreaded safety. But guys like Mendenhall, Gay, Taylor, and the offensive line and the whole defense held together.

The Jets were outplayed in the first half. Cowher said at halftime that having played Peyton Manning and Tom Brady on the road in the previous two weeks, they were a tired ballclub. Coming into Heinz Field for their third road game in as many weeks, with 68,000+ screaming fans waving Terrible Towels, was no joy either. And the bitter cold had to be a factor. Truly, they looked lousy in the first half. But if they were so fatigued going into the first half, after playing a tough first half in the cold, wouldn't you think they would have been even more pooped coming out for the second half? Well, you might have thought so. But something at halftime invigorated them and they came out like a house on fire for the second half.

I have to tip my hat to Rex Ryan and his coaching staff. First they devised a plan that soundly defeated the heavily favored Patriots in Foxborough the week before. Who would have thought this was possible? In Sunday's game hey never let their guys quit. They played until the end. I saw the HBO show about the Jets' training camp in the motel on Saturday night. While he can be pretty foul-mouthed, you can easily see that Rex Ryan is a man's man. His coaches and players like the guy. They will run through a wall for him. His personality, his knowledge of the game, and his ability to game plan make him one of the best coaches in the game. For two years running he has taken his team to the AFC championship game, and there's no reason to think that he won't be back again next year knocking on the door, as they say. Don't forget, Mark Sanchez will be a year older and much wiser next year, too.

The Steelers, on the other hand, were a team with attitude. For one thing, they were determined to get to the Super Bowl. For another, the Jets embarrassed them just a month earlier in their own ball yard, and they were just not gong to let that happen again. There is something intangible about this team. You can't break it down by comparing running backs to running backs, corner to corners, etc. Having been denied the playoffs in 2009, after winning the Super Bowl the previous season, they came to camp with a chip on their shoulders. The memory of the five-game losing streak in 2009 provided a sour taste in their mouths.

When their franchise quarterback was suspended for the first four games of 2010 and they were without their best wide receiver who had been dispatched to the Jets, they reached a pact among themselves that they would win without these guys. When two of their starting offensive linemen went down with season ending injuries, they rallied behind their replacements. They ended the first four games with a 3-1 record, and only a last minute pass by the Ravens on blown coverage prevented them from going 4-0. This set the tone for the rest of the season. Yes, they lost another 3 games, and they scraped by with a hair raising win in Miami and escaped with a win in Buffalo when Johnston dropped a perfect pass in the end zone that would have won the game for Buffalo. But they got the AFC North trophy and the bye, which helped to set them up...so far.

I think the whole story starts with the Rooneys who keep a low profile, but gently nudge the other executives and coaching staff. Art Rooney, Jr. opined that they could use rookies more effectively and three became standouts this season, Pouncey, Sanders, and Brown. Others, like Sylvester Stevenson contributed mightily on special teams. This also demonstrated a pretty good ability to identify youngsters and draft them. They also picked an outsanding person as a head coach in Mike Tomlin. At first there might have been some grumbling about him being an African American. But Mike is their man now, no question about it. They believe in him and they love to play for him, all 53 players. Tomlin was also smart enough to retain coachs like LeBeau and Arians, and despite his unfamiliarity with the 3-4, he was flexible enough to allow it to continue under LeBeau. The fact that LeBeau, at 72, has already announced that he will return in 2012 shows that he enjoys working with Tomlin.

Then, there are the players, a pretty good mix of veterans and youngsters. This is a team in which the youngsters look up the vets like Ward and Farrior. So, it's not as if the coaches do all the exhorting. The guys in the locker room do it, too.

Then, what can you say about Ben? He's certainly not the slickest of quarterbacks. He's not Manning, Brady or Brees. But his third and fourth quarter stats are amazing. He takes sacks, he underthrows (like when Reavis intercepted a pass when Wallace would have had a touchdown except that Wallace was about four steps beyond the ball), and he does all kinds of things that drives fans crazy. But he also plays against a header hunting team like the Ravens with a broken foot and a broken and bleeding nose. Do you think Cutler would have done that? He also takes off when he can't find a receiver and more times than not will not take a slide, but will charge in head first. Do you think Brady would do that? He plays ugly, but somehow he seems to win.

Now, does all that mean that the Steelers are guaranteed a win in the Super Bowl? Certainly not. The Packers are a fantastic team, both on offense and defense. They have weapons everywhere and they are healthy. But the Steelers wll be in there with their game plan and their grit and resolve and a bit more history in games like this, so we'll see what transpires. But win or lose, this has been a very satisfying season for the Pittsburgh faithful.

Even in the Bad Old Days of the Steelers, lasting more than 40 hapless years under "The Chief," Art Rooney, Sr., when they were perennial losers and the joke of professional football, they had a reputation for being a mean group of characters. Stocking his team with mainly local "talent," many of whose names ended with ski, these were the bruisers from the Western Pennsylvania mill and mining towns. While they didn't have an abundance of athletic ability, they were big and mean. So, despite never winning, they got their kicks out of putting a hurt on whatever team they faced on any given Sunday. Teams left town battered and bleeding.

When The Chief gave over the operations to his son, Dan Rooney, in 1969, Dan hired Chuck Noll away from the Baltimore Colts to be his head coach. You know what happened after that. Noll kept up, and even enhanced, the tough play that the Steelers were known for, adding guys like Mean Joe Greene (who was a super football player, but not that mean), Jack Lambert and Mel Blount. Heck, the NFL had to change rules to counteract the effectiveness of this crew. Bill Cowher followed Noll and the tradition continued.

Now, with Mike Tomlin, if anything, they are meaner and rougher than ever. While it's reminiscent of the old steel-making days of Western Pennsylvania, featuring the blue collar mentality that people still cling to, there hasn't been any serious steel manufacturing in these parts since the 1970's and 1980's. Blue collar jobs are hard to find as the economy has switched to medicine, education and high tech. But the image lives on, and I'm afraid it will continue for years to come. In the meantime, the only real blue collar jobs around here belong to members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they wear them as badges of honor.

I don't recall the old Baltimore Colts as being much of a smash-mouth team. Led by ex-Pittsburgher, Johnny Unitas, they were a fine team, featuring finesse over physicality. After the Colts left town, and after a couple of years of having no NFL franchise, Art Modell moved his Cleveland team to Baltimore where they changed the name from Browns to Ravens. I would have to think that the new era of Ravens football began when Ray Lewis got there. He became the epitome of rock 'em-sock'em football, and the Ravens' current philosophy and image is a result of his presence. Seemingly ageless, though unable to move from side to side as he used to, Lewis is still a major force. And he inspires his teammates to play his brand of football.

All of this was in ample evidence Sunday night, as it always is when these two teams square off. Frankly, I didn't give the Steelers much of a chance. They almost always lose in Baltimore and their secondary is highly suspect. True, Ben dominates the Ravens, but Ben was entering this game on essentially one foot. Then, in the first series someone got a fist under Ben's face guard and redesigned his nose. (Note: No penalty was called for this.) If you saw it, it was hanging there at about a 30 degree angle. Blood was dripping down onto his shirt and he had to be in pain. But with one foot and a busted nose, he somehow was able to hang in there, throwing for 234 yards and managing the game. On one play -- many think it was the play of the game, Ben fought off a sacker enough to toss the ball out of bounds. Where do you get that kind of physical courage?

Face it, this game could have gone either way. The Steelers won the toss to start the game and elected to defer. One reason is that they know that Ravens-Steelers games are won in the last few minutes and they wanted the ball more in the second half. So, it came down to the last four minutes. Troy Polamalu smacked the ball out of Flacco's hand, forcing a fumble. He was actually run blitzing, certain that the Ravens would hand off to Ray Rice. But when he saw he had a clear shot at Flacco, he changed in an instant and had the presence of mind to go after Flacco's arm rather than the sack. That's quick football thinking. That set up the winning TD when, without Heath Miller and Flozell Adams, Ben hit Isaac Redman on a slant. Redman, who was not having a particularly good game, was not to be denied and somehow bulled his way into the end zone.

Now, the Steelers have to come home, lick their wounds, which abound, and prepare for the Bengals who would like nothing more than to be spoilers. And, the Bengals almost defeated the Saints on Sunday. Talking about almosts and upsets, how about the Raiders beating the Chargers. The Chargers looked practically unbeatable a week ago. The Cowboys eked out a win over Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. Manning just doesn't have the weapons anymore and it shows you can't do it alone. The Rams killed the Cardinals. Whiz isn't the whiz without a franchise quarterback that he was thought to be. Kurt Warner made the difference for him. The Bears keep rolling along, as do the Chiefs. And the Packers beat a good 49er team. Mike McCarthy, the local kid, is a good coach.

** Have to point out that the Penguins have won ten in a row. Sidney Crosby is in a groove. This week he had a natural hat trick. I had never heard that term before. But I think it means that he scored three goals without anyone on either team scoring in between. Fleury has come back, too.

** The Yankees signed Jeter to a three-year deal, taking him to his 40th birthday. By that time he'll be using a walker to get to his position. You didn't think they weren't going to sign him, did you? But on Monday morning I read where the Pirates, who should not be mentioned in the same paragraph with the Yankees, are actively seeking free agents again. Haven't they learned that this is a fool's policy for a team like this? Baseball sucks.

** P.S. Maybe I should change my moniker to High Tech City Jim.

In the spring of 1963, I found myself at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, completing my six-month military obligation. There was a guy in the unit who was huge, probably 6-foot-3 and about 250 pounds. He was quite a physical specimen, but he was always doing stupid things. I recall thinking that he was a 22-year-old with a 14-year-old mind. One night he went berserk and put a fist through a barracks wall. They summoned the MPs. The first twosome couldn't budge him. So, they sent for two other guys, each of whom was larger than the subject. I wasn't in that barracks, but I was told that these two literally picked him up by his elbows and escorted him out of the building and into custody. The next morning I saw him sitting forlornly on a prison bus. I never saw him again.

Somehow, Ben Roethlisberger reminds of this overgrown, but desperately immature guy at Ft. Sam Houston. Certainly, he is a talented football player, and when he puts on a Steeler uniform we Steeler fans root like crazy for him. But he has a couple of Achilles' heels off the field that is hurtful to himself and the team. As the DA in Georgia said, "Grow up, Ben." He couldn't have said it better. But from the motorcycle incident to the civil suit in Lake Tahoe and now the sexual assault allegation in Georgia, it's quite obvious that he has a lot of problems. One of which is that he doesn't seem to listen to solid advice from peers, coaches and friends. I understand that Art Rooney II, the president of the Steelers is "furious" with him. My guess is that if the league doesn't suspend him for some games, the Steelers will. And, if the slightest behavioral glitch occurs in the future, someone will be able to pick up Big Ben mighty cheaply.

Trying not to sound like a broken record, but Santonio Holmes is another superb athlete with a scattered mind. Shortly after the Steelers drafted him in 2006 everybody knew that he had fathered three kids, two in Florida and one in Ohio. This should have been a clue to his persona to those who were responsible for the 2006 draft. But I suppose they thought that with an NFL contract he would settle down and become a force in the NFL. As a fan I was willing to give him a pass (no pun intended) for past indiscretions. And I have to say that he did become a force in the league. But the off-field leopard never changed his spots, and with all that coin now in his pocket, one could argue that it got worse. What he did outside the locker room was pretty bad, but he wasn't at all respected in the locker room either. He was considered to be a "bad teammate." So, the Steelers did what they had to do and got rid of him. Now it is coming to light that this was in the plans all along. That's why they brought in two wide receivers, Arnaz Battle and Antwaan Randle El. Some people think they practically gave him away for a fifth-round draft pick. But the truth is that they were about to release him outright when the Jets offered "something." Goodbye, Santonio, and I hope things work out for you. But, given all the distraction possibilities in New York which dwarf Pittsburgh's, can you imagine what he'll encounter in New York?

Now the Steelers have to regroup. They will keep Ben. You just don't part ways with a franchise quarterback in which you have so much invested. But Ben will have an enormous task to regain the confidence of his teammates who are well aware of his frailties. He will also have to endure at least a one-game suspension and possibly more. In the meantime, Tomlin will have to operate with a crippled team, both mentally and physically (Holmes will be hard to replace on the field). They also have to adjust their draft plans ... must they draft a wide receiver or a quarterback? Neither were probably in their plans in their early planning.

The good thing about the Steelers is that they have what is arguably one of the best organizations in football. It may take some time and some more moves, but most Steeler fans are confident that they will come out ahead.

We live in interesting times in Steeler history.

Years ago I heard Dan Rooney, then President of the Steelers, say that the purpose of the regular NFL season is to get into the playoffs. From then on, there are no sure things.

Now, who among you would have predicted the emergence of the Jets as a team that would vie for the AFC Championship? I certainly wasn't one of those. I figured that the Jets had danced their way into the playoffs in the first place. Their regular season record was identical to the Steelers'. With a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback there was no way of winning any playoff games. But here they are, and as Rex Ryan said yesterday, "Here we come."

All afternoon I watched Revis making play after play yesterday. I see how great he is. But I didn't know much about him when he was at Pitt. He must have been something because the Jets made him their No. 1 draft pick. Revis hails from Allequippa, PA, a former steel town along the Ohio river about 10 miles west of downtown Pittsburgh. Do you know any other NFL stars from Allequippa? How about Tony Dorsett and Mike Ditka?

Norv Turner will go down in as one of the best regular-season coaches and worst playoff coaches in history. San Diego had been averaging 30 points/game. Yesterday they got 14. The goat of the game is the place kicker, Kaeding. I couldn't believe he missed those three field goals. It reminded me of the Steelers-Colts playoff game in which the Steelers upset the Colts. It was remarkable because of the saving tackle Ben made and because Vinatieri missed a crucial field goal. That's playoff football, fans.

Favre looked great yesterday. But more amazing was the Minnesota defense. They pounded Romo who had no answers.

So, here's the Watch But Don't Bet department: Bet your house on the Colts. The Jets' mystique will vanish in the Wabash River next Sunday. Also, look for Brees and the Saints to finish the Vikings. Brees has too many weapons. But if the Vikings' defense plays next Sunday like it did yesterday ...

-- Unlike last year when the Steelers were up to their ears in the playoffs, today's front sports page in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was filled with Pitt basketball. On Saturday the Panthers defeated Louisville in a miraculous comeback. With 37 seconds left they were behind by five points. But they got a three-pointer to pull within two, held Louisville on its next trip up the court and got two foul shots to tie with no time left on the clock. They won by five points in overtime. Pitino said it was his worst loss since the Laettner shot to beat them in the NCAA some years ago.

-- I enjoy this time of the year when the Steelers make plans for 2010. There are three coaching changes, and now they will plan for free agency and the draft. Art Rooney II, who is really taking over the club as his father, Dan Rooney, who spends most of his time in Ireland as US Ambassador, said that he wants two changes for next year.

One, he wants to bring younger players along more quickly. The other is that he wants a greater emphasis on the running game. I heard Jerome Bettis last week bemoaning the lack of a running game. He said that the Steelers failed to hold leads this year in part because they couldn't move the ball on the ground and eat clock. Bruce Arians, the offensive coordinator, who has emphasized passing over running, was rumored to be fired. But, reading between the lines, he apparently agreed to bring back the run, thereby saving his job. Look for some important fullback work next year. The fullback will lead the runner into the line, thereby creating more space for the runner to squeeze into. I watched yesterday as the Jets iced the game, when, with a fourth and one and but some 50 seconds on the cock, they ran the ball off right tackle and made three yards.

-- The Pirates signed a couple of relievers whom no one else wanted. They are putting out the word that they are looking for better play from Milledge, McCutcheon, Jones, et al, which will catapult them out of the cellar. Well, if all that happens, maybe they will. It's almost spring. Hope springs eternal ... then reality sets in. Baseball sucks.