Jerome Bettis, you may remember him, writes a weekly article for Sports Illustrated. This is a little of what he had to say, “I don’t think they’ve reached a panic situation yet because the Titans don’t allow anyone to run the football on them,” Bettis wrote. “But there are serious problems. Willie Parker: I haven’t seen much from him. Rashard Mendenhall: I haven’t really seen him, period. ... The running back I like least on the team is Frank Summers, the rookie fullback. He doesn’t seem to understand what’s going on. He’s missing plenty of blocks and that’s affecting everything. This definitely has to be addressed off the field this week.”
Summers is a fifth-round draft pick from UNLV who was outplayed during training camp and in the exhibition games by non-drafted rookie Isaac Redman, who is currently on the practice squad. Summers did not have any carries against Tennessee.
What Bettis said is basically true. The Steelers faced one of the tougher defenses against the run that they will see all year. (Obvious exceptions are Minnesota and Baltimore) For the majority of the game the Titans employed eight men at the line of scrimmage, and even without perennial probowl tackle Albert Haynesworth, proved to be able to stymie the Steelers run offense again and again. The Titans eight man front was a big reason why the Steelers pass offense was so prolific.
Pittsburgh switched to more three and four receiver formations to try and open up some running lanes for Parker. That probably would have worked had it not been for the plethora of missed blocks by fullback Frank Summers, and the lack of confidence Parker had in the line. As a veteran runningback, Parker knows that if he waits just a fraction of a second, a hole will open up in the defense, or a cutback lane will open up. However, as soon as Parker touched the ball he was slamming into the line. Not all of that is his fault, because on plenty of occasions the defensive line caught Parker in the backfield. That fault would fall onto the "offensive" line.
Head coach Mike Tomlin said during his press conference after the game about the run offense,
“I believe particularly, in September football, people make a commitment to stopping the run,” said Tomlin. “It’s easier to make that commitment in September when everybody feels good and you have all the horses in the stable. I think over the course of the long haul, you see who’s good at it week in and week out. It’s usually tough sledding (running the ball) early in the football season, and that’s been my experience. That was my intent when I was a defensive play-caller. In order to be a good defense, it starts there, making people somewhat one-dimensional, making people struggle if they’re running the football.”
I'll say it again, iced tea gets cooler when it is placed in Mike Tomlin's hand.
Here are some things that should be pointed out:
1. The pass protection was terrific. Sure Roethlisberger was sacked four times on 43 attempts, but everybody in Pittsburgh knows that his sack numbers are elevated because he holds the ball for at least 35 minutes on every pass play.
2. Sunday the Steelers square off against a Bears team that has just lost their star linebacker in Brian Urlacher for the season. That's bad news for da Bears considering the defense was already aging and is said to have lost a step.
3. The play of Tyrone Carter was serviceable in place of all-universe strong safety Troy Polamalu. Tennessee QB Kerry Collins (GO PENN STATE!!) had more success in the passing game during the second half when Polamalu was sidelined, but don't expect the same result in Chicago. With the possible debut of full-time starter Lawrence Timmons, LeBeau will have another playmaker on the field to scheme around. Additionally, expect Carter to employ The Crane, as shown, more effectively.
That's all for now. Be sure to check back on Friday when StillerJack makes his official pick for the game.
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