So, how was YOUR Thanksgiving weekend? Did you spend it watching the Penguins lose on Friday, or did you opt to watch their Saturday loss instead? Did you manage to catch the pathetic excuse for big-time college football on display Saturday night, when Pitt dropped their fifth straight game? Or how about Sunday, when the Steelers were finally put out of their 2006 misery by the Baltimore Ravens?
Yes, this was a tough couple of days for local sports fans. But looking back, the Penguins had a perfectly legitimate excuse for their losses (Sidney Crosby's injured groin), and did anyone honestly give Pitt a chance in their game? So that left us at the doorstep of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
We're always told how the Steelers thrive when "their backs are up against the wall". You'd think a team that just took the most difficult route to a Super Bowl victory in NFL history would have learned a few lessons from their 2005 season. But time and time, after crushing losses, we were told to "not count out the Steelers". So we sat back and enjoyed a two-game winning streak at the expense of New Orleans and Cleveland. Fans talked as if a 10-6 season was not such a ridiculous proposition.
Today's game was supposed to be the day the Steelers officially "turned it on": the Ravens had a cushy three-game division lead, the Steelers were riding consecutive wins for the first time since January, and with downtrodden Tampa Bay coming in next week, there was a legitimate chance to climb back to .500 in just seven more days.
For the team that loves to be the underdog, they decided to play that angle right off the bat. The Steelers win the toss, which is usually a good thing; I was thinking they should kick off, put the defense on the field, and try to take the crowd out of the game, especially since the Steeler offense has been less-than-stellar this season. So of course, the Steelers do the complete opposite, electing to receive and sending the offense out for their death sentence rather than wait for the inevitable.
After a rousing 15-yard return from Dump Davenport, Ken Whisenhunt called for a "three and out" offensive series, which the Steelers executed flawlessly. The Ravens were playing right into their hands. The next move was to send the UP (Unblockable Punter) out for one of his patented "short but not blocked" punts. 37 yard punt, 39 yard return. Perfect. But the return was negated by an illegal block. Nice job, Mughelli. Six plays later, Steve McNair is dropping the Omega sign and the Ravens are up, 7-0. But the Steelers could then say that their backs were against the wall. To quote Apollo Creed before his tragic demise at the hands of Ivan Drago, "It's showtime!"
Much like J-Peezy, Apollo did a lot of talking moments before his annihilation
We fast forward through the rest of the first half: Gardocki punts four more times, including one with a friendly bounce, and three others that travelled 27, 32, and 43 yards. Of course, none of them were blocked. Jamal Lewis looked like his pre-drug trafficking self, gashing the Steelers defense like a hypothetical O.J. Simpson victim. And then there's Ben. Poor, poor Ben. I don't know if Roethlisberger did something to simultaneously disrespect the entire offensive line, but they were playing like they wanted him to leave on a stretcher. That was the only thing they managed to achieve, as #7 was destroyed by an especially violent Bart Scott sack late in the first half. I felt like I was watching a Raider game and someone disguised Andrew Walter in a "ROETHLISBERGER" jersey. The half closes with a Roethlisberger kneel, one of the few plays in which he managed to not get hurried, knocked down, or sacked. 17-0, Ravens. But I was sure the Steelers were just a few plays from turning it on.
The oft-discussed but never before seen "switch" the Steelers use to "turn it on", or even worse, "turn it off"
The half opened with the ball kicked to Baltimore. The Ravens, after watching a half of inept Steeler offense, open with a three-and-out of their own, moving the ball just six yards. Not to be one-upped, the Steelers answer with a three-play, one-yard drive, resulting in a booming 41-yard punt by the UP. Touche, Billick.
The Ravens would move the ball 15 yards on their next series, but it was just a matter of time until the Steelers lit it up. The black and gold regain possession, and they start moving the ball consistently, in chunks: 11 to Ward. 11 to Captain Tiffin. 27 more to Captain Tiffin. The Steelers are in business, down to the Baltimore 30. Whisenhunt sends in the play: Parker misses a block, Roethlisberger is unprotected, fumbles, and Adalius Thomas rumbles 57 yards for the insurance TD. Once again, the Steelers execute their execution brilliantly. 24-0, Ravens. Game, set, match, season.
I can sarcastically bore you with more details, but I'll spare everyone the frustration. The Steelers' day netted 9 sacks, 20 incompletions, 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles (1 lost), 7 punts, 21 yards rushing, 0 points, and an injured Troy Polamalu.
Want some eerie similarities? The last time this team looked so inept, I would wager many of you would answer "The Jacksonville Game". Here are the same categories as noted above, but the numbers from the Jags MNF matchup: 2 sacks, 15 incompletions, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble (0 lost), 8 punts, 26 yards rushing, and 0 points.
Hopefully, we can finally close the door on the absolutely absurd playoff talk that has persisted throughout the season. To quote myself, on October 29 I issued this proclamation:
"...when you lose to Oakland, who can't even crack 100 yards of offense, your season is over. Do not keep kidding yourself with playoff talk. This team can't even beat Oakland. This team can't even beat Oakland. This team can't even beat Oakland. Has it sunk in yet? OK, let me repeat it one more time: This team can't even beat Oakland."
Yet the fans still persisted. They still believed. On November 14, I predicted the Steelers would be "lucky to split with Baltimore". So what do I get in the comments? Reactions like this:
"...way to drink the baltimore kool-aid. they needed a miraculous come-back last weekend to beat tennesee. the ravens are chumps and are just as likely to lose out as we are to win out."
I think that comment speaks for itself. The only chumps I've seen all year are the ones pretending to be Pittsburgh Steelers. They lead the league in one category: turnovers. This is a team that's won four games out of 11. Playoffs? Must I conjure up video of Jim Mora?
Why do we even bother talking about this team? From today's effort, as well as six others this year, it doesn't appear they care very much. So why do we care? Why do we watch, we write, we comment, we discuss?
I realize that we're about 9 months removed from the first Super Bowl victory this town had seen in 26 years, so it's hard to feel sorry for the Steeler fan base. But honestly, shouldn't we at least get a few games to enjoy and relish in the glory of NFL superiority? The team and their followers had exactly 11 days to enjoy a winning record this season, and that was a mere1-0.
A fan base always reacts based on preseason expectations. Look around town at the other teams...the Penguins bought a bevy of veteran free agents last year, had Crosby coming in and Lemieux coming back. Visions of Stanley Cups danced in fans' heads. But the team stumbled out of the gate and never recovered. The fans were greatly disappointed. This season, expectations were lowered, since it is a much younger team built around a promising nucleus. And to this point, the team has surpassed expectations. Thus, a happy fan base.
Look at Pitt football. They finished 5-6 last year, had a great season of recruiting, and hyped a core of Palko, Blades, and Revis. No one expected anything less than 7-8 wins. And yet the Panthers managed just a 6-6 record, improving upon last year's 5-6 mark by adding a matchup with the Citadel. Combine that with a 5-game losing streak to close the season, career high days allowed left and right, and a defense that is better comedy than Family Guy, and now Wanny is getting some heat.
The Steelers were picked either first or second by every football expert from coast-to-coast. They endured some roster changes, but returned the vast majority of their team, including the entire offensive line, quarterback, and linebacking core. They added two young, exciting wide receivers and a safety who nearly decapitated a Philadelphia Eagle in the preseason (video link, for those who've forgotten). They had every chance in the world to at least contend.
The cruel reality is that the year is 2006, and complaceny will slap you in the face in the NFL. Want to get fat looking at your Super Bowl rings in the mirror? By all means, proceed. But don't be surprised when teams refuse to roll over and die at the mere sight of you as an opponent. This is a league that gets turned upside down every few weeks. Rex Grossman and Eli Manning were the quarterbacks du jour after two weeks; now, the discussion in Chicago is shifting to "should we start Brian Griese", while New Yorkers are talking about the long-term health of the franchise if Eli continues to struggle. The league was Michael Vick's a few weeks ago...now it is owned by Tony Romo and Joey Harrington. Go ahead, make sense of it...I dare you.
Yes, 2006 was a rather grim sports holiday for most of the readers of this site, but there are some bright spots for the near future: the continued development of the Penguins, a Pitt basketball team that will be ranked top-three, and that always-exciting Pirates Hot Stove League season. Hey, two outta three ain't bad.
