No surprise … LeBeau getting the job done
I am not afraid to admit that back when the Steelers were mired in the quagmire of mediocrity in the first quarter of the season, I was wondering (not aloud) if it was time for Dick LeBeau to dial up former Allegheny County chief executive Jim Roddey and get some info about the retirement village at St. Barnabas.
I was just getting the feeling that LeBeau had the pre-game Xs & Os down, but was lacking in mid-game adjustments and transformations that seemed to be, at least partially, at the root of a series of disappointing losses, all late in the game.
Sure, LeBeau didn’t have the versatile Troy Polamalu at his disposal. (Rewinding the tape in my mind, and mindful of how Peyton Manning picked his running plays when Polamalu was playing “wayback” safety, I’m not so sure he wasn’t injured at that point. I suffered a calf injury earlier this spring, and barely could push down on the gas pedal. Stairs, oh what a nightmare.)
Nor did he have James Harrison at full speed, and LaMarr Woodley’s hamstrings were fighting back, so the main cogs were missing. Yes, I know the team mantra is everyone is a starter, but I wasn’t so easily convinced from my side of the field.
Then, LeBeau showed the flash of brilliance that proved the voters got it right when they properly gave him his place in the Hall of Fame.
Sitting at 2-3 with the Cincinnati Bengals on the horizon, I wrote a column that the season started with that AFC North road game.
I’m guessing out of respect (and probably a little fear), LeBeau and his hardworking staff devised a game plan that shut down prolific receiver A.J. Green, taking out the over-the-top passes.
The hits kept coming, literally, with successive victories over Washington and the N.Y. Giants. (I’m not going to get into the Giants’ fiasco. You watched it, so you’ve formed your opinions, especially if Facebook mirrors the public perception.)
The Steelers’ defense held the Giants, with the game in the balance and in the hands of the reigning Super Bowl quarterback, to negative yards in the final quarter. That harkens back to the dominance of the 1970s squads.
Word out of the Tuesday press conference is Polamalu, as well as Marcus Gilbert, might return for the Sunday night home game against the Baltimore Ravens. Brown is out with his ankle issues, but his void was filled wonderfully by Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery, who couldn’t even get on the field the previous week.
Honestly, I think the most important game of the near future is Monday night’s game against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs. They put up some pretty good fantasy numbers (Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles), but, as a whole, woeful is an apt description. A lot of empty seats show up at home games in Kansas City, a venue once known for its hostility and fierce allegiance.
Do what they should do against the Chiefs, and Baltimore won’t be looking over its shoulder anymore. Then, if Joe Flacco would only play like he does against the rest of the NFL and the Steeler defense plays like it has been, there could be a new order in the AFC North by Thanksgiving.
Not bad for a bunch of guys most everyone had written off three weeks ago.
Jim Downey is a sports writer at HeraldStandard.com and can be reached at jdowney@heraldstandard.com.