Ironically, this season may come down to one failed drive

[brothervad]

On defense...

The final Baltimore drive at home may be the one thing that determines how the Steelers fare in the playoff hunt.

Steeers really needed that bye to heal. While they don't need everyone to be healthy to beat Denver, they are going to come out of that matchup worse for wear as that Defense is no slouch.

Dealing with a run predominant offense is more likely to wear us down as well.

#1 seed
Home field advantage...nothing to say further

first game would be either against, Denver, Baltimore, or Cincy. I would much rather have faced a Baltimore at home than on the road.

Odd how a season may really come down to one blown drive but it could utlimately come to that.

brothervad

[Eddie Spaghetti]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

well, yeah.

that's the nfl.

[SteelCrazy]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

On defense...

The final Baltimore drive at home may be the one thing that determines how the Steelers fare in the playoff hunt.

Steeers really needed that bye to heal. While they don't need everyone to be healthy to beat Denver, they are going to come out of that matchup worse for wear as that Defense is no slouch.

Dealing with a run predominant offense is more likely to wear us down as well.

#1 seed
Home field advantage...nothing to say further

first game would be either against, Denver, Baltimore, or Cincy. I would much rather have faced a Baltimore at home than on the road.

Odd how a season may really come down to one blown drive but it could utlimately come to that.

brothervad

that game shouldnt have come down to that last drive. The O needs to be able to score a little more. But it was the D that let us down at the end.

[pittpete]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv


2:24 4th Bal 1st & 10 at Bal8 Joe Flacco incomplete pass to the right intended for Ed Dickson.
2:16 4th Bal 2nd & 10 at Bal8 Joe Flacco pass to the middle to Anquan Boldin for 21 yards to the Bal29. Tackled by William Gay.
2:00 4th Bal 1st & 10 at Bal29 Two Minute Warning.
2:00 4th Bal 1st & 10 at Bal29 Joe Flacco pass to the left to LaQuan Williams for 13 yards to the Bal42. Tackled by Keenan Lewis.
1:35 4th Bal 1st & 10 at Bal42 Joe Flacco incomplete pass to the left intended for Ray Rice.
1:30 4th Bal 2nd & 10 at Bal42 Joe Flacco pass to the right to Anquan Boldin for 9 yards to the Pit49. Tackled by Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu.
1:09 4th Bal 3rd & 1 at Pit49 Joe Flacco incomplete pass to the right intended for LaQuan Williams defensed by Larry Foote.
1:06 4th Bal 4th & 1 at Pit49 Joe Flacco pass to the middle to Anquan Boldin for 10 yards to the Pit39. Tackled by William Gay.
0:48 4th Bal 1st & 10 at Pit39 Joe Flacco pass to the right to Ed Dickson for 2 yards to the Pit37. Tackled by Ryan Clark.
0:42 4th Bal 2nd & 8 at Pit37 Joe Flacco incomplete pass to the left intended for Torrey Smith.
0:35 4th Bal 3rd & 8 at Pit37 Joe Flacco pass to the left to Anquan Boldin for 11 yards to the Pit26.
0:28 4th Bal 1st & 10 at Pit26 Pittsburgh Steelers timeout.
0:28 4th Bal 1st & 10 at Pit26 Joe Flacco incomplete pass to the right intended for David Reed.
0:23 4th Bal 2nd & 10 at Pit26 Joe Flacco incomplete pass to the middle intended for Anquan Boldin.
0:14 4th Bal 3rd & 10 at Pit26 Joe Flacco pass to the right to Torrey Smith for 26 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. Penalty: Pass Interference on Pittsburgh (William Gay) 0 yards.
0:08 4th Bal -- Billy Cundiff extra point is good.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

Where was our supposed high powered offense vs. Houston or SF? We have been told since training camp how close they are to getting it together. We win either of those two games & we are at home.

With the offensive production we got this year our defense is the lone reason we even made the playoffs.

[brothervad]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

Mr. Pittsburgh,

I think that's what I mean by Irony...

#1 rated defense...

1 drive

may determine utlimately the season. Sure you can pick a game any game that we lost. I just look at that drive and the time and the distance (from their own 8 yard line).

And while there are many moments...that one drive determined a whole lot of things.

When you think about it...the first Raven game and the 49er game we were beaten badly. Never really a shot.

The Texan game was a bad no doubt.

But that Raven game...at home...with the lead and 92 yards with 2:24 left...that wasn't Montana they were facing.

Hell when you get down to it...a single play. Stop them on 4-1 there and we win the game.

But that lone drive really sticks out to me as a potential defining moment of our playoff season.

Heck hope I am wrong, but this team is coming in really beaten up.

brothervad

[aggiebones]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

season's not over.

We have lost from the first seed and won the Super Bowl from the 6th seed. One drive, does not a season make...unless it is the last one of the Super Bowl.
50/50 on those.

[fordfixer]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

Steelers defensive stars prepping for final stand
[url="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-steelers-onelastrun"]http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=a ... onelastrun[/url]
By WILL GRAVES, AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP)—James Farrior stood in front of the whiteboard at the entrance of the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room and grabbed a marker.

Just in case some of his younger teammates don’t understand what’s at stake over the next month, the linebacker—who turns 37 on Friday—decided it was time for his colorful annual reminder.

“Don’t (expletive) mess with my money,” Farrior wrote, then outlined the bonus each player receives depending on how far his team goes in the playoffs, including the $88,000 that comes with getting to the Super Bowl.

Posting the note has become routine for Farrior at the start of each playoff run, though this message was a little more impassioned than most.

The defending AFC champions begin their quest for a seventh Lombardi trophy on Sunday at Denver in the wild card round, perhaps the last time the core group of the league’s top-ranked defense will make a playoff push together.

Farrior is in his 15th season. Linebackers James Harrison and Larry Foote, defensive linemen Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel and defensive backs Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark and Bryant McFadden are all in their 30s and closer to the end of their careers than the beginning.

They’ve been the backbone of a decade-long run that rivals the four championships the franchise captured in the 1970s, winning two titles and narrowly missing a third in a 31-25 loss to Green Bay in last year’s Super Bowl.

And they all understand their window getting another ring is closing quickly. For some, it maybe already has.

“It has to come to an end soon,” said defensive end Aaron Smith, who is out for the year with a herniated disc and unsure whether he’ll return for a 14th season next fall. “We’re all getting older. We can’t play forever although we’d like to.”

The signs of age are starting to show. Harrison missed a month in the middle of the season with a fractured right orbital bone and missed practice on Thursday due to a problematic toe injury. So did Keisel, who is nursing a strained groin and Polamalu, who is dealing with a tender calf.

All three are expected to play against the Broncos (8-, though the defense will be without Clark, who was taken out of the lineup by coach Mike Tomlin because of a sickle-cell trait that becomes aggravated when playing at altitude.

It’s been that way most of the season for the Steelers, who finished No. 1 in the league yards allowed, points allowed and pass defense despite spending most of the year going with a patchwork lineup.

Harrison and LaMarr Woodley have only played alongside each other for a quarter since Oct. 2, when Harrison injured his eye in a loss at Houston. He returned a month later, a week after Woodley went down with a strained left hamstring that’s dogged him ever since.

They should be reunited in Denver, turning the huddle into a defensive version of “Ocean’s Eleven,” with the gang reunited for one more big score.

“I hope it’s going to be like that,” Farrior said. “Having those two guys out there definitely gives us a boost of confidence. Those guys, when they’re healthy they’re tough to stop.”

Yet the Steelers have thrived even without their two Pro Bowlers. Lawrence Timmons has filled in the gaps, playing all four linebacker positions at some point. Jason Worilds and Stevenson Sylvester have grown up on the job while defensive ends Ziggy Hood and Cam Heyward have become solid contributors following season-ending injuries to Smith and Chris Hoke.

The changing of the guard is coming soon. Really soon.

“Those (young) guys have really stepped up because they’ve been in a lot of tough situations and they’ve rose to the occasion most of the time,” Farrior said. “I’m really proud of those guys, how they managed being a young NFL player, they definitely stepped up to the plate.”

Hall of Fame defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau tries not to think of things in terms of the big picture. There is only Sunday and—hopefully—the week after that. He’s not sure there’s a higher sense of urgency among the veterans this year than any other year. It’s really not for him to say.

“I’ll leave that to the poets and the philosophers,” LeBeau said. “We don’t talk about it. We don’t think about it. We go with what we got. That’s one of the reasons we can handle adversity. We do a good job of taking a punch right in the jaw and coming back and playing the next down.”

It’s something the defense has done this season, though with a little less flash than usual. While Pittsburgh’s yardage numbers were outstanding, the Steelers finished last in the league in takeaways.

Youth at certain positions due to injuries may have something to do it, though Farrior has another theory.

“I always blame it on our outside backers, LaMarr and Harrison,” Farrior said. “When they’re not out there together they’re not wreaking havoc.”

They’ll be flanked opposite each other on Sunday, though who knows how much longer it will last. Harrison turns 34 in the offseason and has a balky back that requires regular acupuncture treatment. He continues to play with singular tenacity yet also acknowledges the pain never really goes away.

It’s what Smith is wrestling with as he weighs whether to go through rehab and give it another shot next season. Yet, like Farrior, he remains confident the Steelers will be fine long after they’ve gone.

“It’s more than just one guy,” Smith said. “That’s part of what makes the defense so great, it’s not just one guy. It’s not built around one player and one technique. It’s the entire team. It’s what we believe in. Everybody gets a piece of it.”

[TallyStiller]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

You say one failed drive... I'll do you one better and say one PLAY.

10:42 3rd Pit 1st & 10 at Bal29 Ben Roethlisberger pass intended for Mike Wallace INTERCEPTED by Terrell Suggs and returned for 9 yards. Tackled by Marcus Gilbert.

This one not only killed a half opening drive that looked almost certain to produce at minimum a game tying field goal for us, it led directly to a 13 play, 71 yard, 6 minute TD drive that put them up 10. Absolute killer.

[feltdizz]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

You say one failed drive... I'll do you one better and say one PLAY.

10:42 3rd Pit 1st & 10 at Bal29 Ben Roethlisberger pass intended for Mike Wallace INTERCEPTED by Terrell Suggs and returned for 9 yards. Tackled by Marcus Gilbert.

This one not only killed a half opening drive that looked almost certain to produce at minimum a game tying field goal for us, it led directly to a 13 play, 71 yard, 6 minute TD drive that put them up 10. Absolute killer.

what made it worse was Suggs was right at the LOS and it was a no look pass.

[Steelers>NFL]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

All of this has nothing to do with Ben's gimpy/hobbled ankle. His ankle injury is the sole reason why Steelers WILL NOT make the Super Bowl this year. They won't go down without a fight. But it is what it is...

[MaxAMillion]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

On defense...

The final Baltimore drive at home may be the one thing that determines how the Steelers fare in the playoff hunt.

Steeers really needed that bye to heal. While they don't need everyone to be healthy to beat Denver, they are going to come out of that matchup worse for wear as that Defense is no slouch.

Dealing with a run predominant offense is more likely to wear us down as well.

#1 seed
Home field advantage...nothing to say further

first game would be either against, Denver, Baltimore, or Cincy. I would much rather have faced a Baltimore at home than on the road.

Odd how a season may really come down to one blown drive but it could utlimately come to that.

brothervad

I think it comes down to a rash of injuries. I have been waiting all season for a healthy Harrison and Woodley to play together. Not sure that will even happen.

[feltdizz]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

All of this has nothing to do with Ben's gimpy/hobbled ankle. His ankle injury is the sole reason why Steelers WILL NOT make the Super Bowl this year. They won't go down without a fight. But it is what it is...

If Ben respects his ankle we can make the SB. If he tries to be a hero and make throws down field when guys are open underneath it could be a long day unless he is on fire.

Protect the ball, take what's there.. live for another down and we can make a run. Especially if we have to go to NE.

[Steelers>NFL]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

All of this has nothing to do with Ben's gimpy/hobbled ankle. His ankle injury is the sole reason why Steelers WILL NOT make the Super Bowl this year. They won't go down without a fight. But it is what it is...

If Ben respects his ankle we can make the SB. If he tries to be a hero and make throws down field when guys are open underneath it could be a long day unless he is on fire.

Protect the ball, take what's there.. live for another down and we can make a run. Especially if we have to go to NE.

I hear you Felt. And agree with you 100%. Problem is there are too many "ifs", to go along with Ben & BA. Oh, by the way - I want the Ravens. Even if the Steelers do not make the SB, I want the Steelers to be the one to knock them out of the playoffs.
Would definately put a postive spin to end of the season.

[feltdizz]

Re: Ironically, this season may come down to one failed driv

[quote=Steelers>NFL]

All of this has nothing to do with Ben's gimpy/hobbled ankle. His ankle injury is the sole reason why Steelers WILL NOT make the Super Bowl this year. They won't go down without a fight. But it is what it is...

If Ben respects his ankle we can make the SB. If he tries to be a hero and make throws down field when guys are open underneath it could be a long day unless he is on fire.

Protect the ball, take what's there.. live for another down and we can make a run. Especially if we have to go to NE.

I hear you Felt. And agree with you 100%. Problem is there are too many "ifs", to go along with Ben & BA. Oh, by the way - I want the Ravens. Even if the Steelers do not make the SB, I want the Steelers to be the one to knock them out of the playoffs.
Would definately put a postive spin to end of the season.[/quote:21hmxc7x]

Suggs will be all over Ben... no thanks. We lost twice for a reason. Baltimore is built to beat us...