Steelers’ defense gets workout
PITTSBURGH – On the plus side, the Steelers starting defense got plenty of snaps under its belt in Saturday’s second exhibition game against the Minnesota Vikings. That’s also the negative in Pittsburgh’s first appearance at Heinz Field since Jan. 1. Brad Johnson and the Vikings starting offense rang up 116 yards on two scoring possessions and ran 24 plays.
That’s a good deal of work for the starters considering they didn’t play very far into the second quarter. Johnson completed nine of 11 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown before giving way to rookie Tarvaris Jackson.
Those are the kind of numbers we’ve come to expect from a seasoned vet like Johnson, but it was eye-opening from a Steelers perspective.
There were some positives for Pittsburgh’s defense, such as the return of linebacker Joey Porter. It was important for him to just play, but he played big, as though he’d been holding it all in during his rehabilitation from knee surgery.
Coming off a Super Bowl win, the Steelers came into the game feeling somewhat invincible. At this stage, almost three weeks before they will play a game that counts in the standings, such a performance is perhaps understandable.
After all, coach Bill Cowher has been preaching since training camp started that last season doesn’t count a lick anymore. This is a new team, even if it does return nine of 11 defensive starters. Like the league’s other 31 teams, the Steelers are still feeling their way around.
Last week, the Steelers’ defense struggled on third downs. This week, it came down to letting the Vikings off the mat early and not recovering in time to keep them off the scoreboard.
Minnesota’s first possession was a quick three-and-out and its second looked like more of the same when the defense sniffed out an end around to Travis Taylor for a loss of nine yards. But Ike Taylor hit Travis Taylor out of bounds for an unnecessary roughness penalty that turned a third-and-12 into a first down.
For sure, it was a foolish play, but its much better to get those over with now than when games start to count.
And in a larger sense, the defense in general may lose a bit of that chip on its collective shoulder. If this game serves to bring the defense back to earth a bit, it would be a good thing.
There is nothing wrong with feeling good about yourself, about pumping your chest and flexing your muscles and proving you are solid. In fact, that is a must every season.
But it’s not a bad thing to be somewhat humbled, either. Not only does it give the team something to work on during the last few days of training camp, but also it can give them a new edge heading into the regular season.
Minnesota converted five of nine third-down opportunities in the first half, so that aspect still needs work. Now, they have the fact that they couldn’t stop the Vikings to work on, too.
And they have a short week leading to Friday’s third exhibition game in Philadelphia.
Sports editor Mike Ciarochi may be reached at mciarochi@heraldstandard.com