So now what?

[fordfixer]

Will the Steelers come out to play like we know they can next week, or fold up like a cheap lawn chair?

[hawaiiansteel]

the Steelers will dominate next week for two main reasons:

1) the Steelers are a proud team and are winners.

2) the Seahawks suck.

[fordfixer]

the Steelers will dominate next week for two main reasons:

1) the Steelers are a proud team and are winners.

2) the Seahawks suck.


uuuuuuuuuuummmm I don't mean to be a stick in the mud ,,,but thats what we said about the Ravens :HeadBanger :HeadBanger

However I do agree :lol: :lol:

[Shoe]

The perennial, contending Steelers would dominate the Bags next week.

However, we have the occasional year where we aren't that team. And in those years, we struggle to find that identity (i.e. suffocating D) and have a rocky, rollercoaster-like season. I think even in those years, we beat a team like the Bags 8 of 10 times. But we don't shut them down, like we know our '08 team would've, or last year's team would've.

I think this next week will say a lot about what kind of season we can expect.

[papillon]

"So now what?"

In my opinion, the Steelers of 2011 are going to have to rely on the offense to win games of any importance. The defense will be fine against the bottom feeders, but against playoff teams the offense has to come to the forefront and take over. If you win the toss, you take the ball and try to put points on the board, do not defer and put your defense out there hoping for a three and out, it isn't happening against a good offense.

It's time for the Steelers to transform from relying on its defense to relying on its offense. The offense is younger and needs to take this season by the horns starting next weekend.

IMO, that's "what now"

Pappy

[Steeler Shades]

In my opinion, the Steelers of 2011 are going to have to rely on the offense to win games of any importance.
The offense turned the ball over 7 times yesterday against a quality defense. I didn't see anything better from them than I did the defense yesterday.

The defense will be fine against the bottom feeders..
IMHO..the same could/can be said for the offense. 8)

[papillon]

In my opinion, the Steelers of 2011 are going to have to rely on the offense to win games of any importance.
The offense turned the ball over 7 times yesterday against a quality defense. I didn't see anything better from them than I did the defense yesterday.

The defense will be fine against the bottom feeders..
IMHO..the same could/can be said for the offense. 8)

That may be true, but, with the rules the way they are and the younger squad being the offense they are the unit that is going to have to win games. Can they do it against the good teams? I have no idea, but the question was "Now What?" and I don't believe the Steelers can rely on the defense to win games or keep them in games. I don't believe the "Now What?" is to rely on the defense as in the past. The offense needs to score points and hope the defense can get a few stops per game. The days of completely shutting down offenses may be over.

You may be right about the offense and not being able to do it, in my mind, they need to do it or it will be a long season. The NFL is going to be one big fast break this year and if you aren't averaging 25+ points per game you're going to be left behind. That's my take, there's no use trying to buck that trend, it's here, it's real and it's what will be necessary to win, IMO.

Pappy

[Steeler Shades]

The NFL is going to be one big fast break this year and if you aren't averaging 25+ points per game you're going to be left behind. That's my take, there's no use trying to buck that trend, it's here, it's real and it's what will be necessary to win, IMO.
Agreed. That has been trend. However, I haven't seen many signs from this offense over the last few years (and certainly NOT yesterday) that would suggest they are a big time scoring machine. They just haven't put up a lot of points and definitely not enough to compensate for a defense that gives up 24+ a game. I think we're are going to have to count on both the offense and defense racking up wins against weak sister teams and hope for some miraculous transformation before gaining a wild card entry into the playoffs. Just my opinion.... 8)

[feltdizz]

we don't win most shoot outs... the only way we win is if the D shows up. This could be 2009 all over again if our D continues down this path.

[Oviedo]

"So now what?"

In my opinion, the Steelers of 2011 are going to have to rely on the offense to win games of any importance. The defense will be fine against the bottom feeders, but against playoff teams the offense has to come to the forefront and take over. If you win the toss, you take the ball and try to put points on the board, do not defer and put your defense out there hoping for a three and out, it isn't happening against a good offense.

It's time for the Steelers to transform from relying on its defense to relying on its offense. The offense is younger and needs to take this season by the horns starting next weekend.

IMO, that's "what now"

Pappy

Pappy--Totally agree. It is exactly what I have been saying all of the off season since it was obvious to anyone who wanted to see what the Pats did to us, the Jets comeback that fell short and the Packers. Our defense has been figured out and our DC is the last one to figure out that we have been figured out. That is what happens when you are too in love with your own creation.

IMO our only chance for a good season relies on the offense not being abysmal like they were yesterday. We are going to have to score lots of points because we sure look like we are going to give up lots to any play off caliber team.

[Shoe]

"So now what?"

In my opinion, the Steelers of 2011 are going to have to rely on the offense to win games of any importance. The defense will be fine against the bottom feeders, but against playoff teams the offense has to come to the forefront and take over. If you win the toss, you take the ball and try to put points on the board, do not defer and put your defense out there hoping for a three and out, it isn't happening against a good offense.

It's time for the Steelers to transform from relying on its defense to relying on its offense. The offense is younger and needs to take this season by the horns starting next weekend.

IMO, that's "what now"

Pappy

Agreed.
In the preseason, I basically said Harrison's back will probably prevent him from being "Silverback". And sadly, I stand by that. The effect will be, that our pass-rush won't be as dynamic as it had been. Not to say he won't probably put up solid numbers... because basically, his effort is so good that he'lleffort his way into some sacks, etc.

But he's not going to be able to physically overwhelm guys like he normally did (Especially, the way he could knock 300+ lb guys back like he used to... amazing).

The effect is tha we won't get the pressure we want/are accustomed to. Woodley's pretty much established himself as a "Number two" kinda guy. He's not a guy you want to have to hang your hat on.

[Steeler Shades]

IMO our only chance for a good season relies on the offense not being abysmal like they were yesterday. We are going to have to score lots of points because we sure look like we are going to give up lots to any play off caliber team.
Do you have ANY reason to believe that our offense can "score lots of points" against play off caliber teams? 8)

[papillon]

"So now what?"

In my opinion, the Steelers of 2011 are going to have to rely on the offense to win games of any importance. The defense will be fine against the bottom feeders, but against playoff teams the offense has to come to the forefront and take over. If you win the toss, you take the ball and try to put points on the board, do not defer and put your defense out there hoping for a three and out, it isn't happening against a good offense.

It's time for the Steelers to transform from relying on its defense to relying on its offense. The offense is younger and needs to take this season by the horns starting next weekend.

IMO, that's "what now"

Pappy

Pappy--Totally agree. It is exactly what I have been saying all of the off season since it was obvious to anyone who wanted to see what the Pats did to us, the Jets comeback that fell short and the Packers. Our defense has been figured out and our DC is the last one to figure out that we have been figured out. That is what happens when you are too in love with your own creation.

IMO our only chance for a good season relies on the offense not being abysmal like they were yesterday. We are going to have to score lots of points because we sure look like we are going to give up lots to any play off caliber team.

I don't know that it's the defensive scheme being figured out as much as it is the rules handcuffing defenses. Good quarterbacks and WRs are going to make a lot of defenses look bad. You are going to have to be able to score points to win in the NFL and you're going to need more than 24 against good offensive teams.

Just my Opinion

Pappy

[hawaiiansteel]

Kovacevic: Calm is right course for Steelers

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, September 12, 2011

http://files.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2011-09-12/FBNsteelers-a.jpg


BALTIMORE — A stone-faced Mike Tomlin stood outside the Steelers' locker room in the bowels of M&T Bank Stadium, his arm extended to shake the hand of every sweaty, sullen player passing by. The coach's chin was up, his eyes wider than the gaps in his secondary, and he greeted each of his "men," as he calls them, with a firm grip.

But not a word.

And, really, what was he going to say after the all-encompassing, stomach-turning, seven-turnover 35-7 thrashing by the Baltimore Ravens?

Nice effort, fellas!

No, there's not much to be said about this one. And, by all accounts, not much was said after the coach pulled that door closed. No paint was peeled, no fingers pointed.

As Tomlin succinctly opened his postgame news conference, "That's pretty easy to assess, ladies and gentlemen: We got handled in all three phases today."

More like man-handled.

Troy Polamalu couldn't keep pace with a tight end on a touchdown. Bryant McFadden couldn't cover a baby with a blanket. Brett Keisel and the defensive line were revolving doors for Ray Rice. James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley and the rest of the megabucks linebackers barely made Joe Flacco flinch. And James Farrior was, in a striking move, kept on the sideline much of the first half in favor of Larry Foote.

Tomlin and Farrior explained that the plan all along had been to use Foote regularly. Anyone who watched Foote yesterday would have a hard time digesting that.

On offense, Ben Roethlisberger flung the ball about the field with the recklessness of a rookie. Jonathan Scott was so mismatched against Terrell Suggs, they might as well have switched sides at the line of scrimmage. Maurkice Pouncey guessed wrong on a Suggs stunt to allow a sack. Doug Legursky practically invited another.

And that's to say nothing of four fumbles, three interceptions, a two-point conversion run by the punter and, yes, Tomlin clearly not having his players as ready as John Harbaugh did.

"We got our tails whupped," receiver Hines Ward said. "Players, coaches, all of us."

They sure did.

So, that's it, right?

The Steelers will never block anyone again, their quarterback will turn into a turnover machine, their talented receivers will never be a factor, the defense will allow every back 100-plus yards, Harrison and Woodley will never penetrate another backfield, the secondary will never cover anyone, and the team will finish 0-16. Maybe even get relegated to the CFL.

Or, it's not all that bad.

Sure, there are legitimate lessons to learn: Scott needs a challenger at left tackle, if not an immediate replacement. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians needs to be updated on a) the pedigree of his receivers and b) teams being allowed to put more than one body on a force like Suggs. And one of those young corners would do well to crash-course the position and steal it from McFadden. Like yesterday.

But the rest of it, really, felt more like a snowball than some sudden dropoff in status.

They're still the Steelers.

They still have a terrific skill set on both sides of the ball, still have the experience and drive of proven champions. And I'll repeat this: The nonsense about the defense being too old doesn't jibe with a calendar that shows they were the NFL's best just eight months ago.

At least not yet.

I asked Tomlin if the Steelers' defense looked slow, and he came back, "You know, we just didn't make enough plays. I'm not ready to judge it from a speed standpoint. We didn't turn around enough ball-carriers. We didn't get off on third down. We didn't create turnovers. Usually, speed is part of that equation, but I'm not ready to say that."

Overall, I'll stick with this: They just had a really, really bad day.

That's why I liked the reaction afterward, including Tomlin's handshake line. Most everyone stunk except Mike Wallace and Ike Taylor. Noses are held, and noses get put to the grindstone. No point in pouting or panicking. Get ready for Seattle in the home opener.

Some players embraced the negative.

"It's incredibly humbling, which obviously we needed at this point," Polamalu said.

Some were defiant.

"I know people are going to try to define our season with this one game," Woodley said. "We're not going to let that happen."

Mostly, though, the Steelers seemed to take solace in knowing they're dramatically better than this.

And they surely are.

"I think we'll be fine," Ward said, managing a small smile. "It's a prideful group of guys. It's not the end of our season or anything like that. But we definitely can't play another game like that."

That will be the time to start pounding fists rather than shaking hands.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1Xkimy1JL (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/s_756308.html#ixzz1Xkimy1JL)

[Northern_Blitz]

Will the Steelers come out to play like we know they can next week, or fold up like a cheap lawn chair?


We'll get a chance to see the character of this team next week.

[hawaiiansteel]

Will the Steelers come out to play like we know they can next week, or fold up like a cheap lawn chair?


We'll get a chance to see the character of this team next week.


this team has character, I don't need to wait until next week to find that out.

but what worries me more is that this team also has a very poor OL that is going to get Ben killed one day, and I'm not sure how far we can go with Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon.

[Sugar]

Will the Steelers come out to play like we know they can next week, or fold up like a cheap lawn chair?


We'll get a chance to see the character of this team next week.


this team has character, I don't need to wait until next week to find that out.

but what worries me more is that this team also has a very poor OL that is going to get Ben killed one day, and I'm not sure how far we can go with Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon.

If the poor OL gets a survivor like Ben killed, Batch and Dixon are screwed!

[fordfixer]

Steelers regrouping after meltdown in Baltimore

By WILL GRAVES, AP Sports Writer – 6 hours ago
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... be247a6721 (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hCAtqVy3dgQQCy6zJxeNcl3LR81g?docId=0d64a74fa d134c6190d9f2be247a6721)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Go ahead, pick your adjective. The Pittsburgh Steelers probably used it following a stunning 35-7 loss to Baltimore on Sunday.

Safety Ryan Clark called it "a whipping." Several players went with "humbling." Linebacker James Harrison considers it "a reality check" while offensive tackle Willie Colon labeled it "embarrassing."

Whatever it was, it wasn't nearly good enough for a team that spent training camp talking about taking the next step after a crushing Super Bowl defeat.

The offense, the one considered the team's most potent since quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took over eight years ago, turned it over seven times. The defense, the one that's shouted down any suggestion that it's starting to get too old, allowed Baltimore running back Ray Rice to go over 100 yards and failed to take the ball away once.

The best team in the AFC a year ago didn't look like the best team — or even the second-best team — in the AFC North.

Wide receiver Antonio Brown spent Monday dutifully going through tape highlighting the ugly details.

"A lot of guys would have never expected us to come out with a game like that," Brown said.

Particularly the Steelers.

Though coach Mike Tomlin did his best to try and calm his team, shaking hands with his players afterward and reminded them it was just three miserable hours in a four-month marathon.

Still, for a team playing against the usual high expectations, to fall woefully short of them even for a week was disheartening.

"We knew going into the game that we were going to face a lot of adversity, but we normally stay positive and respond to it," Brown said. "But I think everything we did, as far as responding to it, wasn't in the right way."

It's hardly time to panic. Yet it has been so long since the Steelers were manhandled so completely even the team's most even-keeled guys lost their cool. Safety Troy Polamalu, a day after signing a contract extension that will keep in with the team through 2014, found himself mixing it up with several Ravens out of frustration.

"I may have lost it a little bit, which is not a good example," Polamalu said. "You know what, that's also part of this game. The truth of it is we got our butts kicked."

There's plenty to work on heading into Sunday's home opener against Seattle.

The somewhat patchwork offensive line failed to open any holes for running back Rashard Mendenhall, who managed just 45 yards on 12 carries as the Steelers spent most of the second half trying to get back in the game. The Ravens also sacked Roethlisberger four times and harassed him into three interceptions.

The defense, which returned all 11 starters from a unit that led the league in points against a year ago, let Baltimore do whatever it wanted whenever it wanted.

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who'd never beaten the Steelers when Roethlisberger was in the lineup, threw for 224 yards and three touchdowns. Rice, who managed a total of 84 yards in three games against Pittsburgh last year, ripped off a 36-yard on Baltimore's first snap and never looked back.

Harrison, who left the game with a knee contusion, posted on his Facebook page "That's what you call getting beat like you stole something!!!!"

The Steelers are hoping to steal back momentum next week against the Seahawks, who hardly looked like world beaters in a loss to San Francisco yesterday.

They may have to do it without Colon, who is dealing with a triceps injury and could be out the rest of the season. The team re-signed Colon to a five-year, $29 million deal in July and Colon had a solid camp before apparently suffering the injury late in the second half against the Ravens.

If Colon misses the entire season, it could throw the line into more upheaval. The team cut veterans Flozell Adams and Max Starks before camp started to save money against the salary cap before signing Trai Essex a few weeks ago. Colon was supposed to be a calming presence on a unit that has struggled at times. It's uncertain how the group would look.

The defense, save for a leg contusion suffered by Harrison, is healthy and Tomlin brushed off any suggestion that his group of 30-something defenders have lost a step.

"I'm not ready to judge it from a speed standpoint," he said. "We didn't turn around enough ball carriers. We didn't get off well enough on third down. We didn't create turnovers ... Usually speed is a part of that equation but I'm not ready to say that at this juncture."

What he is ready to say is that his team needs to get better quickly. The Ravens sent a loud message that they're not going anywhere anytime soon. The Steelers can't let their rivals become a distant speck on the horizon.

The benefit of being a veteran team, however, is that panic doesn't come easy. Sure, Pittsburgh knows it needed to play better and yes, the team hardly looked like the one that dominated the Ravens so thoroughly a year ago.

It was still just one week. There are 15 more to come.

"Coming into this game, we thought our offense was better than what it was," Roethlisberger said. "This gives us a chance to regroup and get ready for next week. I just think this was a bump in the road."

[fordfixer]

Don't write off season just yet
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11256/1174286-87-0.stm

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a brief chat with linebacker James Farrior near the end of their 35-7 smackdown Sunday by the Baltimore Ravens. It was a man-to-man talk. It was a captain-to-captain talk. And it wasn't anything like you might imagine.

Roethlisberger did not say: "I'm so sorry I played like this. Throwing three interceptions and losing two fumbles is so unlike me. I never do that against those guys."

Although he could have said just that.

Farrior did not say: "I apologize for our defense. We couldn't stop the run. We couldn't stop the pass. We couldn't stop anything."

Although he, too, could have said it.

No, the conversation was a little more upbeat. At least Roethlisberger meant it to be upbeat. This is his recollection of what he told Farrior:

"There's not much we can do about this game. Let's just make sure we stay together and keep fighting as an offense and a defense. Let's don't let anything come between us. I know we won't."

On the surface, that might not seem like such a good thing.

The star quarterback is worried that a team that went to two of the past three Super Bowls and three of the past six is capable of crumbling after just one loss, awful as it was?

But I don't believe that was Roethlisberger's message to Farrior, their teammates or you. I think he was trying to say the Steelers' leadership is so strong that it will be able to bring the team back from the massive kick to the ego delivered by the Ravens.

"I know [Farrior] will take care of the defensive guys," Roethlisberger said. "We'll take care of the offense. We'll come back from this better and stronger as a team."

I have no reason to doubt the man.

I'm certainly not willing to write off the season after one ridiculously lopsided defeat.

I know what a leader Roethlisberger has become. He played a miserable game Sunday against a team he had owned and had beaten seven consecutive times. But his body language never betrayed him. He knew he couldn't afford to sulk. He knew teammates were watching him.

"I grabbed the offense and told the guys, 'The season isn't won or lost today. The division isn't won or lost today. We just have to regroup,' " Roethlisberger said.

Presumably, Farrior said the same thing to his defense. I know what a leader he is, as well. He's the Steelers' unquestioned leader. The defense was terrible Sunday, allowing Ravens running back Ray Rice to rush for 107 yards and quarterback Joe Flacco to throw for three touchdowns. It didn't force a turnover and had just one sack.

The talk that the defense is getting too old to be effective has started. That's inevitable after this sort of lame performance, especially with eight starters in their 30s. But Farrior won't allow doubt to creep into the minds of the defensive players. I don't suspect there's much chance of that, anyway.

"You guys have been saying we're too old for years," Farrior said of the media. "You keep saying it enough, one of these days you'll be right. I just don't think it's now."

Most of all, I know what a leader coach Mike Tomlin is. His record is 48-24, including postseason games. This was, by far, his worst defeat. Only four other times did he have double-digit losses -- against New England (34-13) in 2007, Tennessee (31-14) in '08 and New Orleans (20-10) and New England (39-26) last season. After each of those games, it was as if it were The Mourning After around here. It seemed like the end of the world. But Tomlin made certain his men regrouped, and they made the playoffs in '07, won the Super Bowl in '08 and got to the Super Bowl last season.

That's why Tomlin won't panic after this loss. He won't allow his players to shrug it off as "just one game," which is a real temptation after this kind of beating. He made them aware of their mistakes Monday afternoon when they gathered at their South Side complex. He'll go about correcting those mistakes this week before the game Sunday at Heinz Field against the Seattle Seahawks.

Is it really that much of a stretch to think Tomlin will bring the Steelers back again?

Not for me.

Not for Ravens coach John Harbaugh. "That's a heck of a football team. I guarantee you, they'll be back."

Certainly, not for Roethlisberger. "I just think this was a bump in the road."

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11256/11 ... z1Xo7IdYca (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11256/1174286-87-0.stm#ixzz1Xo7IdYca)