Steelers in right frame of mind heading into postseason
PITTSBURGH – Tommy Maddox peeked. So did several other Pittsburgh Steelers, who honestly believed they were peeking at the right time. “I peeked up every once in awhile to see what Houston was doing,” said defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen. “They were in it. You want to have home field advantage.”
Alas, the Houston Texans eventually succumbed to the Tennessee Titans about 1,000 miles away from Heinz Field, where the Steelers rallied to beat the Baltimore Ravens. There will be no bye, but the come-from-behind win certainly put the Steelers in the right frame of mind to begin the playoffs this weekend against the Cleveland Browns.
“I thought this was an important game with the way it unfolded and the way those guys came back at the end,” said Steelers Coach Bill Cowher. “There is a lot to be said. There is no give up on this team. There is a lot to be said about that mentality every time you walk out on the field.”
The Steelers rallied from an 11-point deficit to defeat the Ravens in a sloppy game that in most instances would make the Steelers a question mark going into the playoffs. But Maddox, the quarterback who engineered the comeback, doesn’t look at it that way.
“I feel good,” he said. “To come off the game we came off of Monday night, the emotional win we had there, and come out of a short week and maybe not play the prettiest game, but it was a game where everybody showed what they are made of. I can’t say enough about the guys in this locker room.”
Those in the locker room also believe in Maddox, even though he threw two interceptions that led to Ravens touchdowns. In the last three home games, Maddox’s six interceptions have led to six opponents’ touchdowns. Still, his big plays are making believers out of the Steelers.
“We’re ready to go with him,” said offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey. “I have confidence in him and the players have confidence in him. I’ll leave it at that.”
“There was no bigger play than that play Tommy Maddox made when he scrambled,” said linebacker Joey Porter. “You hate to see him run, but he got a big first down for us. You know how many strange things have happened this year. Finally we got some type of luck. We’ll take it heading into the playoffs.”
The comeback obviously helped the offense’s confidence. The defense, though, allowed 422 yards against the Ravens. Ironically, it was the exact amount of yardage the Steelers produced in their loss to Houston four Sundays ago.
“Overall, we’re playing some decent football,” said free safety Brent Alexander. “We let some big plays get us, and if you go by what happened today you may not agree that we’re playing well, but it’s all correctable. Next week we should be healthy and have some guys up. I think we’re in pretty good shape right now.”
Against the Browns, the Steelers should have inside linebackers James Farrior and Kendrell Bell back in the defensive lineup and halfback Jerome Bettis back on the offensive side. Another week off would’ve been beneficial, but as Cowher said, “It is the hand we are dealt, and I like it.”
“A bye, obviously, would’ve helped us physically,” said center Jeff Hartings. “We’ve had two physical games in a row. Mentally it’s good because you can keep your focus, but physically it would’ve been nice to get a bye. We’ve just got to work a little harder on getting our bodies ready.”
Is this team better prepared to enter these playoffs than it was a year ago?
“I can’t say that,” Hartings said. “When you look at how we played our first playoff game last year, we played really well, even after a bye. Obviously we didn’t play well at all the next week.
“I think most importantly the experience last year taught us there’s no way you can take any game lightly. Personally, I feel we took the Patriots lightly last year and that’s why you make little mistakes like that. So what we’ve learned from that is to not take anyone lightly, especially in the playoffs.”