For the second week in a row
I had to watch the Stiller�s preseason game from the other team�s perspective.
Went down to the folks beach house in Delaware (which just happens to be in the
local Philly market) and got to see the Steelers play, what a coincidence. For
my troubles I got to sit through three hours of Ron Jaworski, though that
bothers me less than a lot of people.
The first thing that stood
out to me was Dewayne Washington and Chad Scott playing 7-10 yards off the line
of scrimmage. As my esteemed colleague Still Mill put it,� �For all the blather from Cowher about how
the Stillers have upgraded their �scheme� on pass defense, you�ll know exactly
if this is bullshit or reality by watching one simple, obvious, on-field maneuver:
if Scott and Washington play 11 yards off the LOS on each and every down, then
absolutely nothing worthwhile has been upgraded in terms of scheme on the Tin
Can defense.� This is precisely what happened, on the third possession the Eagles
caught on to the Stillers� PASSIVE scheme and exploited it. They used hitch
passes and slants to nickle and dime the Stillers to death. Worse, Lewis did
nothing about it until the Eagles got into the red zone. Then the CB�s finally
had to be moved up but the Eagles were close and still went in for the
touchdown.
The Eagles used this
approach to control the clock and DICTATE to the Stillers what they were going
to do on offense. The Steelers looked on their heals and the Iggles had a huge
TOP advantage while the regulars were in. I would rather see the Stillers have
their corners up in the receiver�s faces challenging them close to the line of
scrimmage. The B&G need to be more aggressive on defense. Play more press
coverage and take away the QB�s first option. Fluster the QB and don�t let him
get into a rhythm. Yes, you may get beat once or twice deep with our corners,
but you also may force the QB into a couple of errant throws that can change a
game. The one thing I hate to see is playing a soft zone that allows the other
team to control the clock with a short passing game, nothing is more
frustrating. The Stiller�s can afford to take chances. They have an offense
that can put more than 14 points a game on the board. Force your will on the
offense and make them adjust to what the Stillers are doing.
One reason Lewis probably
feels the CB�s need to give that big of a cushion is inadequate safety help.
Well, if that is the case what were the B&G doing in the offseason. Oh
yeah, they gave up a 3rd and a 6th rounder to draft Troy
Polamula so he can compete with the next best safety on the B&G�s rost8er.
Now, if the B&G were not sure about Logan�s health so they could not just
give Burnt Alexander�s job without seeing him play, OK. Then why did the front
office not bring in some kind of competition for Burnt�s job. For the same
reason they are choosing to rot Chris Hope over sitting one of Cowher�s most
�cerebral� veterans. Now that Logan has proven he has recovered from the
surgery, I believe Cowher should move Logan to free safety ahead of Alexander
and move Hope over to strong safety behind Polamula. Phantom adroitly commented
that Hope has straight line speed more in tune to a strong safety than a free
safety. I also would like to see either Hope or Ike Taylor replace Alexander in
the dime and nickel packages. A few years ago when the old AFC central was a
smash mouth, run first division, and you were playing ten games within the
division, Alexander was an OK low cost choice at FS. However, passing is up and
Alexander has lost a step, which means he no longer has use as a player for the
B&G.
On the offensive side of the
ball I am not quite as worried. T-Max looked bad and needs to get into a rhythm
and on� the same page with his
receivers. Although he was 0 for 6 in his first three series, the refs
definitely blew it when they overturned ARE�s touchdown. Even Jaworski
commented that he thought the touchdown should have been upheld. The play that
bothered me the most with Maddox was when he missed an open Plex on a slant.
Had Maddox been on the money, Plex would have gone a long way on that one. That
play would have set a different tone to the game while the starters were in,
but it�s only preseason. Charlie Batch looked sharp at the end of the first half,
and yes I would have liked to have seen him go for it with 3 seconds left in
the first half of a preseason game. Verron Haynes has looked very good this
preseason, as a runner and a receiver out of the backfield. He will be #3 on
the depth chart when the season begins and should get some meaningful PT. Fu
pulled his hamstring the first play of the game and definitely should be given
a pink slip. It is unfortunate because when healthy Fu is a very effective
player. However, I believe the Stillers should keep Haynes and Dante Brown
along with Kreider, Bettis and Zereoue. Haynes can play FB in a pinch and JT
Wall is much more likely to clear waivers than is Brown. For me, the choice
comes down to Brown or Fu. Here I am choosing potential and less cap space over
a more proven commodity that will only be healthy 8 games a year.
As long as Simmons can come
back healthy and the OT�s stay injury free, I believe this o-line has
potential. It was nice to see Simmons out there in live action. He and Fordham
seemed to play well together, although the Iggles had started substituting by
then. I would like to see Simmons and Fordham start together against the
Cowboys. Hartings should effectively be able to play in most games and we don�t
lose too much when Okobi has to fill in. The problem here is depth, or lack
thereof, at the tackle position. If Smith goes down the B&G are in trouble.
While Mathias Nkwienti has been playing better this year, he is still very green.
I believe Nkwienti should get some PT at RT. Although Fordham definitely
outplayed Ross at RT and probably will win the job, I would just like to see
what Nkwienti can do. After seeing Ross� performance against the Ravens in 2001
when Gandy went down, he has been a major disappointment. He should only be
played in an injury situation, and this year should be his last with the B&G.
He has basically been given a job on the o-line two years in a row and has not
been able to keep it. Now last year he was playing out of position and in front
of a first rounder, we all knew how that would end up. This year he has been
given a chance at his best position and has played terribly. The bottom line,
Fordham should start at RT and Nkwienti should be the #3 tackle.
My main reason for optimism
on the o-side IS THE COMPETENCY OF THE COACHES. Cowher, who is more of a
defensive minded coach, and Lewis are responsible for the d-side. Their lack of
meaningful adjustments are disturbing and could end up screwing the B&G
this year, especially if they insist on starting Alexander. I realize Cowher is
the head coach and has a hand in everything the Stillers do. It is just that
from an X�s and O�s standpoint, I believe he involves himself in game planning
much more on the d-side. Russ Grimm and Mike Mularkey are two very competent
o-side coaches. Russ Grimm will get the o-line playing well. Mularkey will find
a way to hide the B&G�s weaknesses on offense and play to their strengths.
Hopefully Cowher and Lewis will do the same, but if the game against the Eagles
is any indication then they are doomed to repeat their 2002 performance.