Steelers keep celebration to a minimum
PITTSBURGH – His team had just amassed 424 yards of offense in a very lopsided 34-7 win over the Tennessee Titans. An offense that couldn’t produce more than a field goal through four exhibition games had just scored four touchdowns, split evenly through the air and on the ground.
And the defense, the one that led the league last season, produced three turnovers and overcame a rocky start to help make the score so lopsided.
Yet here’s how Steelers coach Bill Cowher responded before a question was asked in his post-game press conference:
“I don’t think the score is any indication of this game. I don’t think we played a very crisp game, to be honest with you. We didn’t start off very fast at all. We missed some blocks on offense and gave up some big passes and plays on defense. We didn’t tackle real well in the beginning of the game.”
Apparently, low key is the key for this year’s Steelers.
“We played hard,” Cowher said. “It was a solid effort, but we have a long way to go.”
Asked about his passing game, which seemed to struggle so much in the preseason that there was genuine anxiety among even the most loyal of Steelers fans, Cowher offered the following:
“The difference is we completed some passes,” Cowher said. “Ben (Roethlisberger) made some good decisions; he threw the ball pretty accurately. We had some guys make some plays, but we still have to get better and continue to grow. We still have along way to go and it was a good start from that standpoint. It was the first time we looked like a professional team throwing the ball.”
That’s probably not what you’d expect from a so-called player’s coach like Cowher. But that’s how the Pittsburgh Steelers handled this season-opening win. Coming off a 15-1 regular season that wasn’t good enough because the post season ended before Super Bowl XXXIX, expectations are high.
The Steelers know it and their fans know it. That’s why there wasn’t any bravado, false or otherwise. Instead, it was businesslike.
“We know what we can do,” wide receiver Hines Ward said. “You guys in the media were more worried about the preseason games than we were. We looked good out on the practice field. It was just a matter of us transferring it over to game-type situations.”
But even Ward, who was held to two catches for 25 yards as the Steelers attempted only 11 passes in the game, wasn’t getting carried away with the opening day success.
“We do have to get better,” he said. “It was a good win and it felt good to get off to such a good start. We already have confidence in ourselves, but the expectations are higher and they should be. You don’t go from 15-1 to being sorry within a year.”
What impressed Ward the most was how the Steelers came out in the second half, already holding a 20-7 lead and took it right at the Titans. The Steelers put together drives covering 74 and 80 yards and scored touchdowns on both of them to put the game away.
“That’s the sign of a good offense,” he said. “We’re happy about where we are, but we still have a long way to go. The season is still long.”
And still very promising. The Steelers won a game Sunday and it’s very telling that they chose to treat it as such. One-sixteenth of a very long, very arduous regular-season puzzle.
Sports editor Mike Ciarochi may be reached at mciarochi@heraldstandard.com