Check Yourself

During this bye week the Steelers had an opportunity to take a close look at two important rivals – the Baltimore Ravens and the San Diego Chargers – as they played each other this Sunday. However, neither of these teams is the most important team that the Steelers need to examine. The Steelers seriously need to examine themselves.

The Steelers have many strengths, from an athletic and mobile quarterback to the best pass-catching and linebacker-blocking wide receiver in football to an up-and-coming speed-burner at wide out and a defense that could almost hoist the Lombardi trophy by itself. Ken Whisenhunt’s play-calling is the envy of the league while Dick LeBeau invented the Zone Blitz and is yet improving upon his own creation. The kicking game is fairly reliable with Reed and Gardocki both earning their keep and the running game is steadily improving.

But the Steelers have also exhibited many weaknesses. The Steelers ought to be 3-0 during this bye week, but they have lost two games due to failures on offense and special teams. The defense did its job in holding Jacksonville to 9 points and limiting Cincinnati to 14 points prior to the special teams and offensive meltdowns in the second half of that game. Big Ben has been erratic with his passes, and many of his passes that have been close to the mark were dropped – everyone from the sure-handed veteran Hines Ward to the up-and-coming rookie Santonio Holmes. There has been an undeniable failure to execute on offense and the name “Colclough” has become an obscenity in some quarters of the Steeler Nation – he should never be seen fielding a punt for the Black and Gold again.

The Steelers have a golden opportunity this year to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. The Bengals have been exposed as paper tigers and the Ravens are one injury away from mediocrity. The Browns have the most potential to become a threat, but they have not yet realized their potential. The Steelers need to steel themselves for the fight ahead in order to take advantage of these opportunities before they dig a hole so deep that they cannot reach the playoffs.

The biggest threat to the Steelers’ success this year is the Steelers themselves. Dropped passes, missed blocks, and overthrown passes are the hallmarks of an unprepared team – you execute that which you practice – and the responsibility for that falls squarely on the shoulders of Coach Bill Cowher. Coach Cowher is responsible for getting the team ready to play on Sundays. Coach Cowher is responsible for selecting the personnel for special teams, offense, and defense. Coach Cowher is responsible for the performance of the Pittsburg Steelers, and to-date that performance has been pretty poor. Coach Cowher would be wise to remember the P⁶ axiom and insist upon perfect practice from his players – we are all witnesses to Pittsburgh’s poor performances.