birtikidis
10-27-2008, 07:49 AM
Miscue on punt proves costly to Steelers
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Steelers had weathered injuries all season.
Against the defending Super Bowl champion and in front of the largest crowd to see a regular-season game at Heinz Field, the Steelers couldn't overcome the loss of the player at perhaps the most overlooked and least appreciated position in football.
Veteran long snapper Greg Warren went down in the third quarter Sunday, and his season-ending knee injury loomed large in the Steelers' 21-14 loss to the New York Giants.
The Steelers were clinging to a 14-12 lead midway through the fourth quarter when emergency long snapper James Harrison sailed a snap over the head of punter Mitch Berger.
The ball rolled out of the end zone, giving the Giants the game-tying safety. Following Berger's free kick, quarterback Eli Manning marched the Giants 53 yards and capped the seven-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Boss.
Unlike a couple of weeks ago in Jacksonville, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger couldn't summon any late-game heroics. And with a minute-and-a-half left in the game, he threw his fourth interception of the game, ending any chance of the Steelers remaining undefeated at home.
Roethlisberger (13 of 29 for 189 yards) had tossed just three interceptions through the first six games. The Giants also sacked him five times.
The Steelers, who fell to 5-2, visit the Washington Redskins next Monday night.
"That's a championship-caliber football team," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of the Giants. "The bottom line is they made more plays than we did, and I don't want to sugarcoat it."
The Steelers' defense turned in a valiant effort and kept the Giants out of the end zone for most of the game. The Steelers made a goal-line stand in the second quarter as they stopped 264-pound running back Brandon Jacobs three times from the 1-yard line, including on fourth down.
The Steelers were not nearly as inspiring on offense.
They hit the Giants (6-1) with a couple of big plays -- Mewelde Moore had a 32-yard touchdown run and Nate Washington caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger -- but they could not put together any sustained drives.
The Steelers were not able to consistently move the ball in large part because they converted just 1 of 10 third-down attempts.
"Disappointing offensively from top to bottom," Roethlisberger said. "It starts with me."
It also includes players who committed costly penalties, such as right tackle Willie Colon, whose hold negated a 53-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Washington with four minutes left in the third quarter.
The Steelers were leading, 14-9, at the time. Had the play counted, they would have had what amounted to a commanding lead, given the way the teams' defenses slugged it out in front of an announced crowd of 64,991.
"They didn't beat us," Washington said. "We beat ourselves."
Warren's loss contributed to the defeat as well, even if Tomlin tried to downplay it.
The Steelers had a chance to take a 17-9 lead early in the fourth quarter, but with Warren out Tomlin opted to go for it from the Giants' 34 instead of attempt a long field goal by Jeff Reed. The Steelers did not convert on fourth down and turned the ball over on downs.
Tomlin said he had no choice but to use Harrison later in the quarter, and the result was disastrous.
The starting outside linebacker made a snap that Berger might have had a better chance of catching had he been sitting in the front row behind the south end zone at Heinz Field.
Harrison said the snap sailed because of adrenaline. His plan was to snap it long rather than short since a safety only tied the score at that point.
Oh, and there is the small matter that Harrison had never long-snapped in a game before yesterday.
"I take my hat off to James Harrison for stepping up and volunteering," Tomlin said. "We just weren't able to get it done."
and lasvegasguy or whatever, right there in print is what i was talking about with the 4 and 4 field goal in the other thread.
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Steelers had weathered injuries all season.
Against the defending Super Bowl champion and in front of the largest crowd to see a regular-season game at Heinz Field, the Steelers couldn't overcome the loss of the player at perhaps the most overlooked and least appreciated position in football.
Veteran long snapper Greg Warren went down in the third quarter Sunday, and his season-ending knee injury loomed large in the Steelers' 21-14 loss to the New York Giants.
The Steelers were clinging to a 14-12 lead midway through the fourth quarter when emergency long snapper James Harrison sailed a snap over the head of punter Mitch Berger.
The ball rolled out of the end zone, giving the Giants the game-tying safety. Following Berger's free kick, quarterback Eli Manning marched the Giants 53 yards and capped the seven-play drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Boss.
Unlike a couple of weeks ago in Jacksonville, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger couldn't summon any late-game heroics. And with a minute-and-a-half left in the game, he threw his fourth interception of the game, ending any chance of the Steelers remaining undefeated at home.
Roethlisberger (13 of 29 for 189 yards) had tossed just three interceptions through the first six games. The Giants also sacked him five times.
The Steelers, who fell to 5-2, visit the Washington Redskins next Monday night.
"That's a championship-caliber football team," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of the Giants. "The bottom line is they made more plays than we did, and I don't want to sugarcoat it."
The Steelers' defense turned in a valiant effort and kept the Giants out of the end zone for most of the game. The Steelers made a goal-line stand in the second quarter as they stopped 264-pound running back Brandon Jacobs three times from the 1-yard line, including on fourth down.
The Steelers were not nearly as inspiring on offense.
They hit the Giants (6-1) with a couple of big plays -- Mewelde Moore had a 32-yard touchdown run and Nate Washington caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger -- but they could not put together any sustained drives.
The Steelers were not able to consistently move the ball in large part because they converted just 1 of 10 third-down attempts.
"Disappointing offensively from top to bottom," Roethlisberger said. "It starts with me."
It also includes players who committed costly penalties, such as right tackle Willie Colon, whose hold negated a 53-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Washington with four minutes left in the third quarter.
The Steelers were leading, 14-9, at the time. Had the play counted, they would have had what amounted to a commanding lead, given the way the teams' defenses slugged it out in front of an announced crowd of 64,991.
"They didn't beat us," Washington said. "We beat ourselves."
Warren's loss contributed to the defeat as well, even if Tomlin tried to downplay it.
The Steelers had a chance to take a 17-9 lead early in the fourth quarter, but with Warren out Tomlin opted to go for it from the Giants' 34 instead of attempt a long field goal by Jeff Reed. The Steelers did not convert on fourth down and turned the ball over on downs.
Tomlin said he had no choice but to use Harrison later in the quarter, and the result was disastrous.
The starting outside linebacker made a snap that Berger might have had a better chance of catching had he been sitting in the front row behind the south end zone at Heinz Field.
Harrison said the snap sailed because of adrenaline. His plan was to snap it long rather than short since a safety only tied the score at that point.
Oh, and there is the small matter that Harrison had never long-snapped in a game before yesterday.
"I take my hat off to James Harrison for stepping up and volunteering," Tomlin said. "We just weren't able to get it done."
and lasvegasguy or whatever, right there in print is what i was talking about with the 4 and 4 field goal in the other thread.