I’m turning over a new leaf.

After stewing over Sunday’s embarrassing loss to the Indianapolis Colts, I’ve decided to stop dwelling on the negative. There’s no point in rehashing the past. What’s done is done and we must march onward toward the future.

I think I’ve watched one too many Mike Tomlin press conferences.

Anyway, instead of criticizing what’s gone horribly wrong with the Pittsburgh Steelers, I’m going to try and help them. From now on, this blog will be solutions oriented. Obviously, Tomlin and Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians need all the help they can get. I may have never coached one down of football at any level but I kick all kinds of ass when it comes to designing plays on Madden ’09 so I feel qualified to offer my advice. Arians probably blows at video games.

With that in mind, I’ve devised four easy-to-implement solutions which can’t help but drastically improve our offensive play.

1 – Establish Identity

The Steelers have been a running team going all the way back to the Dynasty teams of the 70’s. Ball control, grind-it-out offenses which throw the ball only as a complement to the ground game. There was a brief period when Jerome Bettis was hurt and our backups stunk where we became a high-powered run-and-gun offense under Tommy Maddox but that didn’t last long. And it wasn’t too successful either.

Over half way through this season and does anybody know what kind of offense we are?

We currently rank 24^th in rushing offense. Think about that. We’re currently behind the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks if both total yards and average/game.  Clearly we’re not a running team.

Maybe we’re a passing team. Hmmm… Well what do you know? We’re ranked a stunning 24^th in that category, too. Right behind the high-powered attacks of the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers. Guess we’re not much of a passing team either.

I’m sure some people will point to our injury situation this year. Those people are idiots. Every team has injuries and unless you’re ineptly coached or poorly managed, you should be able to work through them. Sometimes that means finding new players. Sometimes that means finding new strategies.  Blaming poor play on injuries is just the ultimate in excuse making for homers in denial.

The Patriots were a high-powered aerial attack under Tom Brady. He was lost for the season, then they lost not only their starting running back but his backup as well. Guess what? They’re 7^th in rushing offense this season using an undrafted free agent who was 4^th on their depth chart at the start of the year. Yet they’re winning using a primarily running based offense because that’s what works best with their current personnel.

Mewelde Moore is a more than capable back. Gary Russell has looked decent when given a chance. Our line doesn’t always excel at run blocking but that’s the kind of thing which tends to improve with repetition. There is no reason we shouldn’t be able to go back to old fashioned Steeler football. For that to happen, however, a commitment has to be made to the run. That means no more of this one carry and then two passes crap. You have to keep feeding the backs even if the first few carries don’t net many yards.

2 – Throw It Away

Ben Roethlisberger is a magician. He has escaped sure doom to make a big play more often than any QB not named Flutie. However, he has to be smarter when it comes to time and place.

The Steelers only had 2 sacks on Peyton Manning last week. One reason is when he felt the heat bearing down on him, he’d throw the ball away. Does anybody remember the last time they’ve seen Big Ben do this? I honestly can’t.

He tries to save EVERY play. That’s either extremely confident or stupidly cocky. In any case, it’s hurting the team more than helping. When it’s the first half and you’re facing a 2^nd and 10, there is no harm in throwing the ball away so you may live to fight another play. How many times this season has Ben faced this situation and while twisting and turning like Urkel on the dance floor, he ends up taking a seven yard sack? If he learned to throw the ball away, we’d have a lot more 3^rd and 6’s instead of 3^rd and 14’s.

Obviously, if the team is down by 10 in the 4^th quarter, sure you try to make something happen. If it’s 3^rd down at midfield, sure you try to make something happen. But if you’re nursing a 3 point lead deep in your territory, that is not the time to take chances. Be smart.

3 – Start The QB Who Can Make All The Throws

The Tiffin Thunderbolt Nate Washington caught a bomb to break the game open against the Bengals. He caught another one to break it open against the Redskins. Last week? Nada. Know why?

The answer can be found in the Post-Gazette’s Notebook item on Ben:

The quarterback threw with limited effectiveness in drills and had ice applied to his right shoulder before leaving the practice field.

He didn’t hit Nate deep because he couldn’t throw deep. Why the hell would you start a QB if you know he can’t make all the throws? That’s ridiculous. If they want a guy who can’t get the ball more than 20 yards down the field under center, they should’ve signed Chad Pennington instead of Byron Leftwich.

Determine exactly what Ben’s injury situation will allow him to do. If he can play up to his normal level or reasonably close, start him. If he can’t, he sits. Simple as that.

4 – Simplify Schemes

Let’s be honest, athletes are not the brightest bulbs on the tree. One of the reasons given for Ben’s tremendous season last year was the fact Arians supposedly simplified a lot of the playbook he inherited from Ken Whisenhunt.

The terminology might be easier to remember but the schemes appear to be more complex than ever. There’s always an occasional miscommunication between receiver and QB. We all know it when it happens but only a douche like Neil O’Donnell throws their teammate under the bus publicly.

This year, however, there seems to be a degree of confusion which extends beyond the occasional. I often see two receivers running oddly similar routes. Other times I see them making complicated dekes, bobs, and curls which would make Sidney Crosby jealous. And there have been a lot of times where throws have gone to one spot while the wide out has gone to another.

Our line takes a lot of heat and they are definitely weak. But anybody who knows the basics of football knows a QB only has an average of 3-4 seconds to drop back and let the ball go.  Provided you can count that high, time them yourself the next time you see them play and you’ll realize except for on all-out blitzes, the line usually provides that much time.

They have given Ben a chance to step up and throw the ball on a fairly consistent basis.  The problem has been the 3 seconds of time they allot the QB hasn’t been enough to allow the complicated routes to develop. By the time the WR is in position and Ben has spotted them, he’s got a guy in his face.

The reason the offense tends to look much better in No Huddle situations is because that’s when you’re dealing with a very simple and limited set of plays. They are just basic formations and routes and everything is quick hits. That’s what we need to see more of, not just in Two Minute Drills, but in any passing situation.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to draw up a few tricky Wildcat type plays for the sadly unused Dennis Dixon.

History.

Last night, our country finally embraced the Rooney Rule on a national level when they elected Barack Obama the 44^th President of United States. As you can tell by the picture above, Dan Rooney is probably pretty happy about the result. Regardless of your political leanings, everyone should feel at least a little pride in the historic event which took place yesterday. When a man of mixed heritage, a man raised by his mother and grandmother, a man with such a diverse cultural background can rise to the level of President, it really says a lot about how far we’ve come as a society.

Of course, we all know who President-elect Obama has to thank for his victory.

The Pittsburgh Steelers.

By defeating the Washington Redskins on Monday night, Obama’s victory was all but guaranteed. Forget the polls. Forget Zogby. Forget CNN. The best indicator of who will win a Presidential election is the Redskins. For the last 30 years, with only one exception, the Redskin Rule has been 100% accurate in predicting the outcome. If the Skins win their last game before Election Day, the party in office stays in office. If they lose, the opposing party takes control. Therefore, by pulling out the win, the Steelers made it a lock for Barry O.

Speaking of history, those who don’t learn from it are doomed to repeat it. Two seasons ago, the Steelers were defending Super Bowl champs but QB Ben Roethlisberger ran afoul of a Gray Hair on the Seventh Street Bridge while on his motorbike. Then, the last week of preseason, he was felled by an emergency appendectomy. Replaced by Charlie Batch for the season opener against Miami, the Steelers won easily while Batch had an outstanding game. It was his last action of the season as Ben came back the following week against Jacksonville. He muddled through a terrible performance where neither team scored a TD, ending with a 9-0 loss. He played pretty poorly for several weeks, including in a loss to the hapless Raiders, a team which would only win 2 games all year.

After the loss to the Jags, disturbing rumors surfaced. Some said Ben played the game with a 100 degree temperature. Others said his stitches were so fresh that one of the sacks had caused them to pop. There were other rumblings that the head trauma from the accident had caused a sort of punch drunk effect where Ben was unable to think and react as quickly as before. The question became why was Coach Bill Cowher starting him?

I’m not privy to behind the scenes info so I don’t know exactly what was true and what wasn’t. But I do know Ben didn’t seem right. And not being right cost us at least one probably two games. You know how many games we missed the playoffs by that year? ONE.

That brings us to this year. The press is reporting the MRI on Ben’s injured right shoulder showed no significant change from past weeks. If that’s true, how was he playing before yet couldn’t on Monday night? Are they saying that he’s constantly playing through this excruciating pain, except that one time when it became a little more excruciating? Why would you take a valuable player like Roethlisberger, a player you invested close to $100 million in, and potentially threaten his health and longevity by allowing him to play when he’s seriously hurt?

Not to mention the fact that current coach Mike Tomlin can spin things however he likes but the injury IS affecting Ben’s play. Our offense wasn’t this bad last year under the same set of coaches so you can’t lay the blame entirely on them. I applaud Big Ben’s toughness and desire to help his team but if you’re playing with a crippling injury and it’s affecting your game, you’re actually hindering more than helping.

That’s why I’m hoping Tomlin learns from history and starts Byron Leftwich this Sunday in Indianapolis. The Steeler might get a bye (if they make the playoffs) but otherwise there are no more breaks from here to the end of the season. Ben clearly needs some time off and rest to get his body somewhat back together and this week is just as good as any. You want him ready to go for important games like division match-ups or against Dallas. This week is the perfect week to give him some rest as it’s at home against a rather mediocre Indy team that Leftwich knows very well after playing them twice every year when he was in Jacksonville.

I don’t want to lose games we should easily win because our quarterback is a functioning cripple. I also don’t want him to prove his toughness by playing through a nagging injury that eventually turns into a big huge season ending injury. We need Ben for the stretch run and we need him for the playoffs. But for this week, he needs to ride the bench.

(Image courtesy of One From The Other Thumb)

Today, at approximately four o’clock in the afternoon, football season officially begins in western Pennsylvania. No longer will Pittsburgh have to suffer through yet another season of pitiful baseball, lousy management, and idiotic trades by our inept Pirates. Tucked safely along the rolling hills of Westmoreland County, the Pittsburgh Steelers will convene their 42nd training camp as the eyes of the Burgh’s true sports fans turn to their one true major league franchise. Until the Penguins drop the puck in Sweden at least.

Sure, the preseason is more or less a sham. A cheap ploy designed to give greedy owners four more games with which to line their pockets. And yes, the first real meaningful game won’t take place for more than a month. But that doesn’t matter to the members of Steeler Nation. We take our football seriously.

How serious, you may ask? Seriously enough that not dozens, not hundreds, but thousands of people will make a pilgrimage to Latrobe in order to stand around in 90 degree heat and watch sweaty behemoths do sit-ups. The preseason is usually a long-winded way of deciding who is going to be a team’s 5th receiver or what undrafted rookie will make it as a special teamer. The crazy thing about Steeler fans is we actually care about such things.

This will be Mike Tomlin’s second training camp as head coach. Let’s hope his decision making process has improved this year as he made several choices last year which turned out badly as the year played out. He decided that FB Carey Davis would supplant Dan Kreider, long considered one of the best blocking fullbacks in the league. His reasoning was Davis was more athletic and could catch the ball out of the backfield, which is great except Davis went on to catch a whopping total of 12 passes. Tomlin also claimed that good special teams would be one of his priorities and he’d work tirelessly to make sure we were solid in that area, even going so far as trading a draft pick for KR Allen “Fair Catch” Rossum. This resulted in the Steelers having one of the worst special teams units in the NFL.

The major undercurrent to this season is, of course, the very real possibility it will be the last under the ownership of the Rooney family. The Post-Gazette recently published an embarrassing article agreeing with Tomlin’s statement that the ownership situation might be “a distraction” to the players. Are they serious? That is the most laughable bit of excuse making I’ve ever heard. We all know the Pittsburgh media is in bed with the Steelers but at least try to be reasonable. If Big Ben launches a bomb down the sideline to a streaking Santonio Holmes, I very much doubt the ball will slip through his arms because he’s worried about who’ll sign his checks next year. I don’t think Mike Tomlin’s ability to analyze game tape on Tuesday morning will suffer because he’s depressed over strife in the Rooney family.

A few other notes of interest:

–Diane Battiste Zinkham passed away at the age of 62. She was a major part of our cheerleading team, the Steelerettes, from 1961-70. Take note, Cowboy fans, the Steelers and the Cleveland Browns were the first two NFL teams with cheerleading squads. Which I guess means we were the first NFL team with attractive cheerleaders.

–Bret “Look at me! Look at me!” Favre is threatening to report to Green Bay Packers camp, whether they want him or not. He’s quickly turning into the Bill Murray character from the movie “What About Bob?”

–Pittsburgh native Jason “Twinkle Toes” Taylor was traded to the Washington Redskins.

–Top draft picks Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed are signed, sealed and delivered. Sweed has a four year deal for some undisclosed amount. Mendenhall is inked for five years/$12.55 million. He’ll likely use some of that money to replace the cell phone and Rolex that got jacked when he was mugged up in Chicago.

–Finally, also on the sad news front, Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch lost his battle with cancer at the age of 47. This doesn’t have much to do with football, although one of his final wishes was granted when the Steelers invited him to participate in training camp last year. I am a CMU graduate and although I didn’t have any classes with Professor Pausch, I recall reading about him and his accomplishments while there. That he inspired so many people during his remaining years is something nobody should ever forget.

That prancing sissy is Jason Taylor, six-time Pro Bowler and 2006 Defensive Player of the Year for the Miami Dolphins. Even more importantly, he was first runner-up on this year’s “Dancing with the Stars.” Isn’t it cute how he and his uber-hot partner with the goofy Russian name wore Dolphin colors for their routine?

Newly hired Emperor of Football Operations, Bill Parcells, doesn’t seem to think so. In fact, when Jason visited the Dolphins voluntary off-season workouts, the Big Tuna acted like a cold fish. He refused to shake Taylor’s hand, refused to look up from game tape, refused to acknowledge his existence. Didn’t even give him a catchy nickname or refer to him as “She.”

So, of course, when Miami began a second round of workouts, Taylor blew them off. He jetted out to California in search of fame of a different kind, sending word back that he won’t report for off-season workouts, won’t report to pre-training training camp, and won’t report to actual training camp, either. Basically, he wants nothing more to do with the only team he’s played for during his entire 10 year career.

Like every other “Dancing” contestant, Taylor will soon learn fame is fleeting and obscurity quickly calls once the show is over. Indy Car driver Helio Cassavetes won the show and I bet most people wouldn’t know him from the assclown who cuts you off on the Parkway. Taylor won’t be moving to La-La Land any time soon. He will be back playing football next year, although probably not for the Miami Dolphins. Which begs the question, where should he go?

How about the Pittsburgh Steelers?

I’ve given this some thought and I strongly believe the Steelers should make an effort to bring Jason Taylor back to his hometown. Allow me to present my arguments:

1) He wants to go to a winner. We’re the Steelers. We’re born winners. Our team was one corrupt referee’s holding non-call away from playoff glory last season. This season, the Colts are a year older, the Browns are the Browns, the Chargers are unproven, and the Patriots will struggle now that they can’t tape their opponent’s signals.

2) We need to upgrade the defensive line. Yes, we have some decent players on the line. Aaron Smith is a stud, no doubt. But Brett Keisel and Casey Hampton? Keisel had a whopping total of 2 sacks. Yippee. Hampton made the Pro Bowl but it was by reputation only because he clearly lost a step or ate too many buffets. They are both fairly effective run stoppers, although even that area declined once Smith went down for the season, but neither can pressure the quarterback. How did the New York Football Giants defeat the Patriots? Pressure from their ends. Jason Taylor is an automatic 10+ sack guy. And who knows how effective he could be when he’s protected by our awesome linebackers and running Coordinator Dick Lebeau’s brilliant schemes.

3) He could be had on the cheap. I’m not suggesting we trade Willie Parker for him. I’m not suggesting we give up our next two #1 draft picks for him. Miami supposedly wanted a 2^nd round pick from Tampa Bay. That’s not a steep price considering we always draft at the far end of round 2. Better still, offer a 3^rd rounder or a package mid-round picks. At this point, what is Parcells going to do? The guy won’t play for him so they might as well get whatever they can. Beggars can’t be choosers.

4) He’d upset our Salary Cap. Hahahahaha. Sorry. I have to chuckle at that because Taylor will make $7 million next year. Approximately the same amount we will be paying MAX F’N STARKS!! A lineman who got beat out for his job last year and who has to compete for a job this year!!! He might not even start!!! Seven million to ride the bench!! For that money, we could have a guy who had 56 tackles, 11 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and a pick for a last place team!

5) Okay, I’m calming down. One final criticism. He’s 33 years old and would be a distraction because he cares more about Hollywood than football. I already explained how his dreams of walking the red carpet with Tom and Katie are going to go poof in very short order. Yes, the age thing means we’ll only have him for probably 2-3 seasons. So what? Big Ben is entering his prime. Hines Ward will not play forever. Running backs can lose their mojo almost instantly. Look how Shaun Alexander went from MVP to cut in only two seasons. The time to win is NOW.

The Steelers aren’t an 8-8 team building for the future. We’re a playoff team trying to get over the hump to being a Super Bowl champion. And you do that by sprinkling in some quality rookies (check) and quality veterans. Jason Taylor is one such veteran.

Bring Jason “Twinkle Toes” Taylor home!!!

Why am I polluting a Pittsburgh Steelers blog with video of the lowly Miami Dolphins?

Because I want you, dear readers, to see what all the fuss was about. That right there is authentic video tape footage from the fabled Matt Walsh Collection.

Now, my football coaching experience is limited to winning the Super Bowl five consecutive seasons in Madden ’07. Drawing on that knowledge, it occurs to me there is a reason why the game has built-in safeguards to prevent you from knowing which play your opponent picked. Clearly, those crazy video game developers must be a bunch of dorks all hyped up on the Red Bull and smoking the dope to think keeping your plays secretive is something of value.

I mean, what possible good could come of taping signals? If I knew a tug of the ear and two pats of the left shoulder meant a blitz was coming, I’d switch to a run or quick pass. If I knew touching your chin then grabbing your left nut meant a pass was coming, I’d drop more guys back in coverage. Doesn’t seem like any of those things could affect the outcome of a game, huh?

Not according to the NFL. Listening to Commissioner/Head Weasel Roger Goodell’s press conference, you’d wonder why the New England Patriots even bothered to tape anything in the first place. According to him all the video conclusively proved was:

Bill Belichick was not on the grassy knoll.

Bill Belichick did not have sex with that woman. Although he totally boffed the married one.

Bill Belichick shot the sheriff. But he did not shoot the deputy.

Bill Belichick was not in the room when the nude photos of Miley Cyrus were taken.

Oh, and there was nothing on the tapes Goodell didn’t already know. Nothing surprising. Nothing to see here. Move along and don’t forget to beg your cable company to carry the NFL Network. Your only source for Thursday Night Football!

Case closed.

Except Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter is having none of it. He even used the scary words “Mitchell Report” during his press conference yesterday. He also had this quote which makes me want to vote for him three times even though I’m a Democrat: “Frankly, I’m incensed by what happened with the Steelers and I’m incensed about the notes being destroyed, I really am.”

What Honorable Senator Specter is referring to is the fact one of the tapes was footage of the Steelers in the 2001 AFC Championship game. A game we lost, by the way. A game where a number of our players have outright said the Patriots knew all our signals. Hines Ward in particular has said, “They were calling our stuff out. They knew [our plays].”

This is important because Lyin’ Eyes Goodell made it very clear that the Patriots never used the tapes DURING a game for a competitive advantage. All the taping was done for future reference, according to him.

Except if you apply a little thing called LOGIC to that statement, it wilts like Tony Romo in the playoffs. If the Patriots taped the Steelers in the 2001 Championship game, how would that tape help them in the future? Did they expect to play the Steelers again? Obviously not. Was it for future reference? Wouldn’t a tape from 2001 be a bit outdated by 2002 and beyond?

Nope. Doesn’t pass the smell test. Neither does the fact Walsh reportedly said the Patriots specifically instructed him to conceal his activities and lie his ass off if he is caught or questioned about what he was doing. Yeah, that sure sounds like the Patriots were fuzzy on the rule about taping the opposition’s signals as everybody from Belichick to owner Robert Kraft has claimed.

I love how Broom-lovin’ Roger will drop the hammer on a mere player if he gets a DUI or is involved in a smackdown at a strip club. However, when his precious crown jewel franchise’s reputation is at stake, it’s all good. A little fine here, one draft pick there, and let’s sweep this under the rug. No biggie.

I think this situation is an absolute disgrace for the NFL. I am also disappointed (although not surprised) by the Rooneys circling the wagons when their team was probably the most wronged.

I join with wise Senator Specter in calling for a fair and independent investigation into this debacle. I also want stiffer penalties imposed on the Patriots. Finally, I want all ill-gotten victories reversed and I want the Pittsburgh Steelers declared the 2001 NFL Champions.

Sure, we lost in the championship game but let’s be honest, Pittsburgh always wins the Super Bowl. It’s what we do. When we’re not being cheated by inferior wanna-be dynasties that is.