Commentary
Monday’s game erases notion that loss in AFC title game was a fluke PITTSBURGH – Well, that was ugly, wasn’t it?
The Steelers were an opening night flop of mammoth proportions in New England.
If nothing else, their 30-14 loss to the Patriots erased the notion that January’s loss in the AFC Championship game was some sort of fluke that could be pinned solely on erratic special teams play.
The Steelers didn’t do much of anything right in any facet of the game. ABC sideline reporter Melissa Stark passed that word that coach Bill Cowher gathered his defense after one Patriots scoring drive and told them their effort was pathetic.
At that point the game was lost so Cowher was probably narrowing his focus to winning a quarter or even a series to get ready for this Sunday night’s home opener against Oakland.
There isn’t anything the Steelers can’t do better than they did Monday night. Kordell Stewart started the game looking as confused as he did in 2000. He wasn’t close to the efficient, patient leader he was for most of last season. That’s a concern, given the Steelers’ stated desire to be more of a passing team this year.
Maybe what’s most disturbing is the way the defense couldn’t handle New England.
There was never a significant rush on quarterback Tom Brady, who consistently found open receivers. The Steelers missed tackles that allowed the Patriots to turn short gains into long ones.
Even though the final score wound up being lopsided, don’t dismiss the fact that the Steelers missed a field goal when three more points could have made a difference in the direction the game was taking.
If there’s a positive – and you’ll look deep to find one – it’s that it was only the first game. There’s plenty of time to correct the problems. If you stuck around until the 12:36 a.m. finish, you saw there are plenty of problems to correct, too.
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If you can stand it, another point on last year’s Conference Championship game:
It’s become fashionable to pin the blame entirely on special teams that leaked two touchdowns – a punt that was returned for a score and a blocked field goal that was run back.
Ex-Steeler Edmund Nelson was crying about that on Sunday night’s Shoutfest on KDKA-TV. But is it really that simple? How about this concept: If the Steelers offense had been effective and scored a couple of touchdowns, the team could have survived its special team mistakes.
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Sometimes Pitt coach Walt Harris is too tricky for his own good.
He spent a good portion of last season forcing a complex offensive scheme that his players couldn’t execute.
The staff eventually simplified things and salvaged something, although Pitt wound up having a disappointing season.
Saturday’s two-point loss at home to Texas A & M swung on a couple of missed extra points. The culprit was something called the “swinging gate,” a formation the Panthers use to confuse opponents on extra points.
Pitt was called for an illegal shift twice and wound up attempting – and missing – a 30-yard extra point.
The shift was illegal for the thinnest of technicalities. Space limitations and writer apathy prevent a detailed explanation here. The overview is that Pitt’s long snapper wasn’t wearing the right number to be a legal receiver under college football rules.
Someone on the Texas A & M staff was watching film closely enough and was alert enough to spot the violation that went uncalled in the Panthers’ opener.
The Aggies’ coaches apparently tipped off the officials before the game and Pitt was flagged for the infraction.
Someone on the Texas A & M staff is either a genius or a very scary guy.
John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehno@lycos.com