2002 & 2003′s Draft Needs

Credit must go to the man in the middle for executing one of the most important Draft Day trades in recent franchise history. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

To understand how and why Pittsburgh made the move up the Draft Board on April 26, 2003, one must first understand and remember what had occurred the previous season.

With Comeback Player of the Year Tommy Maddox leading Pittsburgh’s high-powered Offense, the Steelers fought back from a 1-3 record to finish 10-5-1 in 2002.  Not only did the Steelers claim the newly-created A.F.C. North that year, they also beat Cleveland 36-33 in one of the most exciting postseason games in franchise history.

Yet as exciting as Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress, Rookie Antwaan Randle El, and Amos Zereoue were to watch in 2002, the Defense was a completely different story.  Even today, I can still remember vividly how much Pittsburgh’s Defensive Backfield struggled through that season.

I can still see Tom Brady as he shredded the Secondary with his short and efficient passing attack on the opening Monday Night game as he displayed to the world how to attack Pittsburgh’s stout Defense.  I remember Rich Gannon coming close to an N.F.L. record for Completions in a game against Pittsburgh’s Secondary the following week.  Although the Week 10 Tie against Atlanta was fun to watch, Michael Vick was an absolute monster and recorded over 300 Yards of Total Offense and 2 Touchdowns to lead a 17 point comeback in the 4th Quarter.  A calcified Jeff Blake even torched the Secondary for 336 Yards and 2 TD’s in the season finale.

After being absolutely destroyed during the postseason against the Browns (led by Kelly Holcomb) and Titans through the air, changes needed to be made in Pittsburgh’s Defensive Backfield if the team was ever going to take the “next step.”  One of the primary areas of concern was the Safety position.  Both starters, Brent Alexander and Lee Flowers, were entering their early thirties and appeared to have lost a step or two.  Plus, veteran Mike Logan was a solid backup and Special Teams player, but not the “future” at either of Safety positions.

With their need for help in the back-end of their Secondary, the Steelers had a player in mind in the 2003 Draft Class which had the potential to turn things around.  Unfortunately for G.M. Kevin Colbert and the rest of the Steelers’ brass, they were stuck with the 27th selection in the 1st Round, a selection which put them far outside of the area in which the specific player they wanted would likely be available.

The 2003 Draft & The Deal Between Pittsburgh & Kansas City

The Steelers desperately needed a trading partner in case the player that they wanted slipped to an area of the draft board where a potential trade was possible.  Thankfully for Colbert & Co., they found a ready and willing party in the then-emerging Kansas City Chiefs.  With the 16th overall selection, the Chiefs were in a prime position for a team like Pittsburgh to trade with and acquire multiple picks in the process.  If a specific player fell to their spot, Kansas City could agree to a deal and help their franchise with the addition of multiple selections to add to their emerging roster.

Whether it was luck or downright fate, something special happened on that first day of the 2003 N.F.L. Draft “Steeler Nation.”  The top Safety prospect of that entire Draft Class fell all the way down to the Chiefs spot at #16.  What was deemed an appropriate spot for the Steelers to trade up to and acquire the player they wanted, a deal was executed between Pittsburgh and Kansas City’s Front Offices.  The Steelers and Chiefs swapped their 1st Round picks, and Pittsburgh sent their 3rd and 6th Round selections to Kansas City for the rights to that all-important 16th overall pick so they could select that Safety they needed to help to fix their Defensive Backfield.

Who was that Safety you might ask?  Well, it was none other than future Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu.

Final Thoughts

As awesome as that Steelers move up the board from #32 to #25 to acquire Santonio Holmes was in 2006, the bold move to trade up and acquire Polamalu will still stick out in my mind as one of the best Draft Day decisions of the Colbert Era (outside of Big Ben of course).  To be fair to the Chiefs, they were not exactly swindled themselves in the deal as they used their 1st Round selection on Running Back Larry Johnson.  Although his career ended pretty ugly in Kansas City, Johnson still had a two year window in which he was one of the best, if not the best, Running Back in the entire League when he racked up 40 Total Touchdowns during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.  Nevertheless, Polamalu has become a Hall of Fame caliber player in Pittsburgh during his 10-year career and should be considered as one of the defining players at his position during the modern era of football.  So let us give thanks  “Steeler Nation,” as we should be somewhat grateful to the Chiefs for allowing Polamalu to be selected by our favorite organization.

Stats Courtesy of: Pro Football Reference.com

I am sure that the team is riding high off of their emotional win, and there is no reason that they shouldn’t be.  Plus, with two weeks to go before the beginning of the “Two in Three” Ravens gauntlet, Pittsburgh has much to look forward to as the month of November continues.  While the Steelers appear ready to compete for another A.F.C. North title, it is imperative that this team is not “asleep at the wheel” in winnable Conference games.  You know, like the one they have against the Chiefs this upcoming Monday evening.

The Chiefs, What They Can Do, and Their Issues

Charles must not be “In Charge” on Monday Night. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Beating the 1-7 Chiefs should be a relatively easy task for a team as talented as Pittsburgh because of Kansas City’s issues in two enormous areas: Offensive Passing Game, and Pass Defense.

Although the Chiefs’ currently rank 12th in Passing Yards per game allowed (222), their ranking is somewhat skewed like Pittsburgh’s because they have actually been thrown on the least amount of any team.  Kansas City ranks 31st in Yards per Pass Attempt (8.9), are tied for 30th in terms of Passing Touchdowns allowed (17).  Compounding the Chiefs’ Secondary issues even more is the fact that the team has has just recently released starting Cornerback Stanford Routt.

Heck, the Chiefs’ Defense has been so inconsistent that they are even ranked 22nd in Rushing Yards per game allowed (126.0) and 30th in Points per game allowed (30.0)!  So despite the fact that Antonio Brown might be out, the combination of Wallace, Sanders, Cotchery, Heath, and whichever Backs suit up should be more than enough for Big Ben and the Steelers’ efficient Offense to move the ball effectively.

As for Kansas City’s Passing Offense, it has been downright “offensive” this season due to the franchise’s Quarterback situation.  Whether it has been “Lady” Quinn: “Medicine Woman” or Matt Cassel, Kansas City has appeared to be without an answer at the most important position on the field.  The Chiefs rank Tied for 25th in Passing Yards per game (208), 29th in Passing Yards per attempt (6.3), have thrown the most Interceptions (14), and are tied for the fewest Touchdowns thrown (6) so far through 8 games.  Worst of all however is the fact that the Chiefs have logged a -20 Turnover ratio, and have turned the ball over more times (29) than any team in professional football.

To take advantage of Kansas City’s weak passing game though, the Steelers must find a way to stop the talented Jamaal Charles and the rest of Kansas City’s 3rd Ranked Rushing Attack (149.9 Yards per game).  While Charles is coming off of an ACL injury he suffered last season, he nevertheless has done a solid job through his first 8 games.  So far in 2012, Charles has rushed for 634 Yards on 132 Carries and scored 2 Touchdowns on the ground.  In addition to his rushing, Charles has also been a factor in the passing game and caught 22 Passes for 158 Yards and 1 Touchdown despite his Quarterbacks’ inconsistencies.  Containing Charles will be the key, so all of the pressure can fall upon Quinn, Cassel, the Offensive Line, and the Defense to do something they have failed to this season: produce effectively and efficiently.

Final Thoughts

I have said this over and over again about the Steelers, but “great teams” not only win their difficult games against equal/superior foes, they also win their games against inferior foes, and win them handily.  If Pittsburgh sleep-walks into this game like they did against Oakland and Tennessee, this team could very well be in for a rude awakening.  Kansas City has nothing to lose and everything to gain besides the inside track for the #1 overall pick in The 2013 Draft with a victory, and could be treating the rest of their season as an “audition process” for a possible new Coaching Staff & Front Office.

Remember fans, as nice as last Sunday’s win was, the Steelers are still one game behind the Ravens, and will likely need to finish 1+ game ahead of them because of their awful A.F.C. losses to the Titans and Raiders earlier in the season.  Stacking wins, especially the ones that are supposed to be cake-walks, will come in handy in a weak A.F.C., and Pittsburgh must not be asleep at the wheel come Monday night.  Although this Kansas City team has yet to hold a lead in regulation all season long, they, like every other N.F.L. team cannot be taken lightly, period.  An effective effort in which glaring matchups are taken advantage of is all that is needed by the Steelers to move to 6-3 and give this team a chance to take over 1st place in the A.F.C. North with a win over Baltimore.,  I just hope that they do not play down to their competition.

Stats Courtesy of: Team Rankings.com, ESPN.com

The Pittsburgh Steelers traveled out to the Mile High City to lay a vicious 28-10 pounding on the Denver Broncos. Once again, the Steelers rose to the level of their competition by putting together by far their best effort of the season. Even missing three starters on defense while dealing with the inhumane conditions of playing in Denver couldn’t hamper their effort. The Steelers thrive on the big stage and this was their latest award winning performance.

It didn’t start out that way, however. The Steelers offense could have stayed in their hotel until halftime. To say they were ineffective is like saying Skippy Reed occasionally enjoys an alcoholic beverage. Ben Roethlisberger and company ran only 18 plays in the first half. EIGHTEEN! I have to give the Broncos defense some credit, they were much better than I expected, especially against the pass. Ben had only the narrowest of windows to throw into which lead to drive killing incompletions and coverage sacks.

Meanwhile, the Broncos came out firing. Two guesses who their primary target was. Yes, young Will.i.am Gay might as well wear a bullseye on his helmet instead of the hypocycloid. Ron Jaworski said QBs are completing an amazing 69% of the passes thrown in Gay’s direction so now I have statistical proof to back up my hate. To be fair, Will.i.am did make a couple nice plays, one where knocked the ball out of a receiver’s hands to prevent a third down conversion and another where he probably would’ve had an INT if Troy Polamalu didn’t run him over.

Besides the opening drive which netted a FG, the Broncos had trouble moving the ball themselves. They managed to grind out a few first downs and dominated the first half time of possession but had very little to show for it. Their offensive strategy seems to be Death By Paper Cuts as they endeavor to “masturbate the ball down the feel” (as the sorely missed Emmit Smith would say) 2-4 yards at a time. Against a superior defense like the Steelers, that strategy is doomed for failure.

And doom soon struck as Kyle Orton misfired on a pass (actually, the referee blocked the running back from getting to the ball) that was picked by Tyrone Carter and returned for a TD. First person on the field to congratulate Carter? The man whose place he took, Ryan Clark.

After halftime, the roles were completely reversed as the Steeler offense seemed to have a monopoly on the football. Pittsburgh’s time of possession at halftime was a little under 10 minutes but by the end of the game it had ballooned to 33. Of course, the second half didn’t start ideally as Big Ben was strip-sacked on their opening drive and the resulting fumble was scooped up and returned for a Broncos TD. Let the record show Chris Kemoteau was the culprit who got badly beaten to smudge what was an otherwise excellent performance by Max Starks and company.

The Broncos made a grave mistake by returning that fumble for a TD. It seemed to piss off Big Ben because he came right back FIRING. Up until this point, the Steelers had a grand total of 75 yards of offense. On FOUR PLAYS they went 80 yards for the go-ahead TD. It was a thing of beauty. An 18 yard strike to Mike Wallace, a 25 yard rumble by Rashard Mendenhall, a 35 yard dart to Santonio Holmes, capped off with a 3 yard back of the end zone TD grab by Hines Ward. It’s an embarrassment of riches for the offense and much like our President, Ben loves to spread the wealth.

Four plays later, the Steelers got the ball back and continued the systematic destruction. Unfortunately, this drive ended when Hines zigged when Ben thought he’d zag, resulting in a Broncos INT. Turnovers are never good but Roethlisberger has a weird habit of making his count. I don’t know why but it seems like his INTs are always in the end zone or Pick Sixes. Guess it’s a good thing his mistakes are few and far between (Ill-fated Vegas booty calls aside).

Not to worry, however, because the Denver offense couldn’t do anything against the Steelers. Every time Orton was pressured or flushed from the pocket, he’d throw the ball like a scared little girl. When he wasn’t tossing footballs into the dirt, he was dunking two yard passes which were quickly snuffed out by the sure-tackling Steelers. Complicating matters was the fact the Broncos only rushed for 27 yards ALL GAME. Putting the ball in the hands of Captain Neckbeard and asking him to win the game is not a winning strategy.

Sure enough, one of Orton’s lollipops soon ended up in Polamalu’s hands. Three plays later, Ben made them pay by scrambling out of danger and finding Mike Wallace for a 25 yard touchdown. Another 3 and out by Denver concluded with Mitch Berger GOING ALL MITCH BERGER and uncorking a soaring magnificent 25 yard punt. The Steelers happily went to work with an 11 play five minute drive finished off with a second TD pass to the NFL’s Dirtiest Player.

The big play on that final drive was a 36 yard run by Mendenhall. Rashard had an absolutely incredible game, rushing 22 times for 155 yards. That’s a 7 yard/carry average, folks. And this was against a defense ranked in the top 5 against the rush. Rashard is the Real Deal. Bruce Arians may love his Flying Circus but he’d do well to take a cue from G.I. Joe and remember it’s important to strike from the land just as much as the sea or air.

Tyrone Carter picked off another feeble Orton offering to end the game. Last week, the Ravens held the Broncos to one offensive TD. Anything Baltimore can do, we can do better. The Steelers allowed only a FG.

The Black and Gold are now 6-2 and tied with the resurgent Bengals for the division lead. Next week, we host Cincy at the Ketchup Bottle for yet another Biggest Game of the Season. This one will determine first place in the division and will likely have major playoff implications down the road. All I have to say is I hope Bengals aren’t expecting the same Steelers they defeated in week 3. That team is gone. The Champs are here.

That’s a Lionel Richie reference, son.

You know, ‘cause he kinda looks like Nicole’s dad. Too old for you kids? I’ll try to be a little more hip.

It’s the end of the world as we know it.

It’s the end of the world as we know it.

And I feel fine.

What could possibly have a member of Steeler Nation thinking about the end of the world? What catastrophe could turn a person’s outlook so bleak? What disaster would lead to such depths of despair?

QB Ben Roethlisberger was seriously injured in last night’s 23-6 victory over the Washington Redskins. Preliminary reports are he fully separated his right shoulder on a goal line dive at the end of the first half. He rushed to the locker room, hip checking a defenseless and slightly anorexic Redskin cheerleader in the process, then stood on the sidelines for the rest of the game, his right arm hanging limply at his side. Ben’s a tough guy who plays through a lot of pain but I’m pretty sure he’s missing at least one game considering he couldn’t even lift the arm above his waist when congratulating teammates.

And you want to hear something crazy? I don’t care.

Backup QB Byron Leftwich came on in relief and to say he looked good is a colossal understatement. Whereas other poorly run franchises have lost their star QBs and had to trot out the inept likes of Brad Johnson or Ryan Fitzpatrick, the Steelers turned the reins over to a guy who not only can play but play well. I have no idea what the 31 other GMs in the NFL were thinking when training camp rolled around with Leftwich out of work but that explains why a lot of lousy teams continue to be lousy year after year.

Let’s start at the beginning. Head coach Mike Tomlin began the game with an onside kick which went doubly awry as we didn’t recover and were offside on the play. That set the ‘Skins up on our 40.  I’m not really a fan of crazy gambles although in this case I applaud Tomlin’s call. When you have such a devastating force as the Blitzburgh Defense at your command, you can take a few chances. Indeed, Washington went three and out then kicked a chintzy FG for a quick lead.

This pattern continued throughout the first half as the Steeler D just absolutely stifled the vaunted Redskin offense. QB Jason Campbell was under duress every time he dropped back. Every one of our LBs and DE Aaron Smith had a sack, finishing the game with a season high 7. RB Clinton Portis, who had been averaging over 5 yards/carry this season, was stuffed like a fat kid on Halloween, finishing the game with a meager 51 yards (22 of which came on one bad play). Other than TE Chris Cooley being open on dinky-dunk short check down stuff, the WRs were blanketed all game.  At halftime, the Washington offense had amassed a whopping 71 total yards.

Which would’ve been great except our offense only amassed a whopping 71 total yards. To be frank, our offense in the first half was atrocious. Remember how I said our showings against the Eagles and Giants were bad? Next verse same as the first. Big Ben looked completely confused and out-of-sorts today. He had happy feet and never seemed comfortable with what he was doing. He’d miss wide open receivers, he’d shuffle back and forth unsure of whether to run or stay put, he made several poor throws (one of which should’ve been a Pick-6) and he’d hold on to the ball too long when given time. Only his touchdown plunge which came after a blocked punt by special teams ace Andre Frazier kept the first half from being a total loss.

But the offensive crappiness can’t all be placed on Ben’s sore shoulders. When he did manage to get the ball to the WRs, they kept dropping the passes. I’m not sure when this allergy to pigskin started but it contributed to Roethlisberger starting the game 1 for 9. Worse yet was our playcalling. I know bitching about O-coordinator Bruce Arians is getting old but so are his horrific game plans. Pothole Willie Parker finally returned to the field and looked good, made his cuts, and showed that burst he’s known for. Awesome except for the fact Arians seemed intent on passing every down instead of establishing any sort of running game. He’d give Parker a carry and unless he broke a 8-9 yard gainer, it was pass pass and then pass some more. Establishing a running game means giving your star RB more than 10 scattered carries per half, Arians.

Then the second half began and it was like a totally different team in Black and Gold emerged from that locker room. With the backup QB in there, Arians was forced to focus more on the run. This made the D cheat up more to counter Parker and opened up the Tiffin Thunderbolt Nate Washington for one of his patented Long Bombers. Leftwich was coolly efficient as when he felt pressure he either stepped up and fired or stood in the pocket and absorbed the hit in order to deliver the ball down the field. Say what you want about his Carlos Zambrano-like delivery, the man has a cannon. With FWP and Mewelde Moore providing ground support and Lord Byron firing bullets all over the field, the offense finally clicked.

Two nice drives capped by TDs put the game out of reach for the overmatched Redskin offense.  Our defense held them to 200 total yards, at least 1/4 of which was gained during garbage time.  Honestly, it was like bringing an Uzi to a knife fight.  Best of all, our secondary picked off Lionel Jr. twice, finally putting an end to his Zero INTs streak so whatever terrible announcers work the game next week can shut up about that one.

Obviously, we’ll all be glued to the news and papers awaiting word on the severity of Ben’s injury. We owe a lot of this year’s success to his heroics and I wouldn’t for a second want to diminish his ability or what he means to our team. However, I think if he’s hurting and that is going to limit his effectiveness, then he should be willing to step aside for a week or two, get himself healthy (or healthier) and not come back until he can play up to his usual level. It’s pretty clear that Byron Leftwich is capable of filling in more than adequately and I don’t know about you but 100% of Lefty appears to be vastly preferable to 50% of Big Ben. Tomlin had the guts to call for the fake punt, let’s see if he has the grapefruits to do what Bill Cowher was never willing to do: tell Ben Roethlisberger to take a week off for the good of the team.

]]> http://nicepickcowher.com/2008/11/04/week-9-recap-dancing-on-the-ceiling/feed/ 2 http://nicepickcowher.com/2008/09/16/philadelphia-cannot-beat-the-steelers/ http://nicepickcowher.com/2008/09/16/philadelphia-cannot-beat-the-steelers/#comments Wed, 17 Sep 2008 06:37:47 +0000 chris http://nicepickcowher.com/?p=269 Last week I wondered why the Cleveland Browns were our sworn enemy.  I have to think beyond all else familiarity breeds contempt.  We play them twice a year and will probably continue to do so until their current owner realizes the cesspool he’s stuck in and moves the team to Los Angeles. Our true natural [...]

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