Now Wait for Last Year

With Monday�s debacle in the books, Coach Cowher�s opening day mark has fallen to 4-7.� The good news is that in the (7) years that the Cowher-led Rooneymen has made the playoffs, they won exactly 2 of 7 openers.� That .286 winning percentage contrasts sharply with their 2-1 (.667) mark over the playoff-free period from �98-�00.� Imagining that those numbers don�t lie, we have to conclude that, in going down at Foxboro, the Steelers have all but wrapped up their slot in the �02 post-season.

The bad news is that this Steeler brain trust has shown no more ability to prepare for championships than for openers.� A typical Cowher season features a terrible stomping on opening day, some set of split, inartistic scrums, a balls-to-the-wall sprint down the stretch to conclude with a baffled Head spewing spittle as his troops vainly seek some game-day direction in the course of what inevitably is a premature denouement.� I just can�t wait.

This year was going to be different and you�ve got to give the Head credit for trying something new.� Having granted game-day dispensations to the starters for so many pre-season finales, this year, they were forced to go for a full half against the Vikes.� The Big 22 looked good too, about as solid as in last season�s exhibition close against the Bills.� Of course, the �01 Bills drafted 4^th overall last spring and the Vikes 7^th.� NE was slotted last, that being the burden the best must ship.� Obviously, playing the league bottom-feeders was poor preparation for contending with the champions of the world.

While the Head focused on getting the players honed, that was clearly insufficient.� You know, while it is lore is that there shall be no game planning in pre-season, maybe next year the staff ought to give it a shot.� After all, pre-Vikes the last cuts were all but made; player evaluation couldn�t have been a real issue and so you�ve got to wonder how the staff was occupied.� While game planning the Vikes would have produced no template for the Pats, hindsight suggests that the staff might have benefited from the exercise.� For sure, they weren�t sharp for the opener; to plant that bruising solely on the players� execution (or lack thereof) would be like the circa �30�s war marshals of France finding fault with the concrete specification or excavation contractors after the Maginot had failed to slow the Panzers.

I�ll give Mike Mularkey a pass; whatever strategy he may have had sunk under the weight of Steeler (5) turnovers.� Execution did figure on the O-side whether Kordell early-on hitting Vrabel within a swarm of Pats, Oliver Ross forcing our memories of Rich Tylski towards union with those of, say, John Hannah or Bigfoot Spike Burress failing to negotiate the end-line.� Besides, it couldn�t have been that tough to figure the Pat defense.� Coach Belichick has run-blitzed the Steeler offense since �96; you�d think Coach Cowher, or any of the (4) O-heads in his charge over that period, could work out a counter.� Others have, last year the Pats were 19^th in run defense and 24^th�� both overall and against the pass.�

In fact, the Steelers have been confronted with run blitzing since �96 and, at least last season, did just fine.� Probably, they�ll do so again; they�d better because in the copycat NFL this defense will be seeing quite a lot of the multi-wide, empty set, huddle-less scheme that so baffled them on Monday.� Off that performance, who�ve got to believe the Steelers best defense has to be a clock-chewing run game.

Then again, the no rush, soft dime that Coach Lewis employed for most of the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters was doomed from the jump.� You know, last year the Steelers had 55 sacks or so; they had none in the opener against Jacksonville exactly because they did, that day, employ the same worthless 3 or 4 man rush schemes so evident on Monday night.� Doom-struck in the Bay State, the Steelers made no consequential adjustments.� Here are some that may be worth considering if not now then over the bye week:

1. Dump the Dime:� This package requires (3) safeties.� The Steelers don�t have even one player who could break into the Pats top three at the position.� The dime ineffectually features the weakest unit on the D-side.�

2. The LB are the elite group, keep them on the field.� Monday we saw that Porter can press and, from all reports, Farrior is a cover lord.� Those men are your package backers; it could be argued that neither match up with WR but NE never had (5) WR on the field.� In the empty set, their 5^th was always a TE; often, they ran (3) WR and (2) TE.�

3. Let the Eagle Soar:� Years ago when K. Greene was with the Rams, they developed a gadget that put this man over center in some passing situations.� This move scrambled up protection schemes, at least temporarily.� The Steeler safeties don�t cover anyway, if they�re stuck in the dime they might as well assign a safety to soaking up an interior blocker.� Admittedly, this is a weak set against the run but when Brady was in the shotgun, there was no rush threat.��

4. Ty Law blitzed on successive plays; I don�t remember Scott or DW ever blitzing.� Hard to figure since the Stillers select CB for their ability to function in run support.� You�ve got to figure that they�re rugged enough to rush the passer.�

5. Pick Tom Knight off the waiver wire.� The Steelers were interested in Knight in �97 but the Cards took him early in the 1st.� Knight is a �tweener CB/FS type, hampered by injuries but a willing worker and IMO still a prospect.� The Steelers have only (8) DB; at most (5) have coverage skills.� The Steelers have (6) roster spots distributed for (2) FB and (4) TE, offensive players who may get (30) touches total.� IMO, they need a DB more than a 4^th TE; adios Matt.

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