The Steelers went 8-8 last season. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

On Monday afternoon, veteran inside linebacker Larry Foote made headlines when he stated the following in a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article:

Four games we should have won (referring to last year).  Do that, and we’re 12-4, but that’s how the league goes…The year before, we made the playoffs and we could have lost four games.  The bottom line is we lost some games that we should have won and we didn’t.

 

Although the Steelers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory a number of times last year, I hope that Larry can remember how the Steelers were lucky to “steal” a couple of “W’s” last season as well:

Week 6: Steelers defeat Eagles: 16-14

As some of us might recall the Steelers were very lucky to escape with a win at home over the Eagles last October.  In what should have been an easy victory, Pittsburgh’s offense sputtered for the first three and a half quarters and allowed Philadelphia to hang around long enough to deliver what should have been a knock-out blow.

The Steelers were 1-2 at that point in the regular season and had just come off of a bye week and an embarrassing loss to their Raiders in Oakland.  After Pittsburgh took a 13-7 lead with 14;51 left in the 4th quarter, it looked like they might finally be able to pull away for good after such a pathetically underwhelming performance.

Apparently the prospect of starting the 2012 season 1-3 didn’t register with their defense as they leaked like a sieve and allowed the turnover-prone Michael Vick to slowly and efficiently carve them on Philadelphia’s following drive.

Vick led his offense on a monumental 17 play, 79 yard drive which ate over eight minutes of clock!  During their march up the field, the Eagles converted two 4th downs and two 3rd downs before Brent Celek scored the go-ahead touchdown to put them in front 14-13.  At that point it did not look like Pittsburgh’s defense had any answer for the Eagles’ offense.  Moreover, it looked like the onus would be on the Steelers’ offense to win the game.  When the Eagles lined up to kick off, I remember hoping that Pittsburgh’s offense would milk every second of clock they could before they could score to keep their defense from ruining things.

Thankfully, Ben Roethlisberger kept the defense on the sidelines and looked like the “2008 version” of himself on the ensuing possession as he willed his offense into field goal range.  Ben orchestrated a 14 play, 64 yard drive of his own over the game’s final 6:33 to set the stage for Shaun Suisham to kick the game winning field goal.  Suisham’s 34 yard boot was true and the Steelers escaped with a 16-14 win as their defense did not have to see the field after their epic meltdown against one of the league’s most ineffective offenses last season.

Sadly, that was not the first (nor will it be the last under the Tomlin regime) time that Pittsburgh came out flat and uninspired against a weaker opponent.  Five weeks after the Philadelphia game the Steelers would be in an all too similar situation.

Week 10: Steelers defeat Chiefs: 16-13 (OT)

When one talks about an “ultimate trap game,” last year’s Monday Night Football matchup between the Steelers and Chiefs definitely had the makings of one.  I know that I certainly remarked that they deserved to lose that particular game to the 1-7 Chiefs.

Barely one minute into the second quarter, Kansas City had already jumped out to a 10-0 lead as Pittsburgh’s defense looked unprepared to face the Chiefs ground-attack.  As would be the consistent theme throughout the 2012 campaign, Pittsburgh’s vaunted “Paper Champion Defense” failed to take supposedly inferior foes seriously.  What made Kansas City’s lead even more depressing to witness was the fact that their team had not held a single lead in regulation of any of their 2012 games up until that point (their win was against the Saints in OT).

The Steelers’ offense finally woke up on their next two possessions to tie the game at 10-10 before halftime, but at that point it looked like Pittsburgh would be locked into a struggle against the league’s worst team (record-wise) last year.

The 3rd quarter was when the Chiefs totally should have took control of the game.  Unfortunately for them, mental mistakes prevented them from breaking the tie and taking a commanding lead.  After their defense knocked “Big Ben” out, Ryan Succop missed a chip-shot field goal (33 yards) on the ensuing possession.  I understand that the surface at Heinz Field once November begins is a downright joke and resembles more of a bog than anything else.  Nevertheless, the Steelers were really lucky that Kansas City’s kicker botched that important attempt.

Justin Houston then made an idiotic choice after he recovered a Byron Leftwich fumble three plays later when he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct due to some celebratory antics.  Although the fumble was overturned, Pittsburgh retained possession and gained automatic first down because of the penalty.  The stroke of good luck failed to help the Steelers though, especially after four straight runs produced eight yards and the offense turned the ball over on downs!

The mental errors continued for Kansas City on Pittsburgh’s next drive as the Steelers received two first downs on crucial third down plays due to penalties by the Chiefs’ defense.  The two infractions helped Pittsburgh’s offense drive into field goal range before Shaun Suisham put them ahead 13-10 early in the 4th quarter with a crucial kick.

The game remained 13-10 until Kansas City got the ball back for what appeared to be their final possession in regulation with 1:51 remaining.  All the Steelers’ defense needed was to keep the Chiefs from driving from their own 20 into field goal range to tie the game.  Of course, Pittsburgh’s defense made Matt Cassel look like Johnny Unitas on that particular drive.  Cassel drove his offense 52 yards and Pittsburgh’s supposedly vaunted defense allowed a 27 yard catch and run by Dwayne Bowe on 4th and 15 when they could have sealed the game.  When Succop nailed a 46 yard field goal and sent the game into over time on the next play it looked like the Steelers might actually lose.

Thankfully, Lawrence Timmons (who deserved to go to the Pro Bowl last year) picked off Cassel on the second play from scrimmage in the extra period.  Best of all, Timmons returned the ball inside Kansas City’s 10 yard line to set Suisham up with a chip-shot field goal to put the game away before anything else went wrong.  Suisham’s kick from 23 yards was good, and the Steelers somehow escaped with a 16-13 win.

Final Thoughts

Pittsburgh’s players left plenty out on the field last year, so I understand why guys like Foote would be racked with regret over their collective performance in 2012.  Nevertheless, all the wishing in the world will not erase their 8-8 mark, especially because they were the ones who failed to perform like a playoff-caliber team should.  The team simply lacked the necessary discipline on the field and on the sidelines to perform consistently during the 2012 campaign and qualify for postseason play.

So Foote and his teammates can continue on with their “12-4″ and “we’re still relevant/contenders” rhetoric all they want over the coming months.  I just hope that they were lucky to be an eight win team last fall.  Moreover, I hope that they are ready for another eight win-season (or less) if they field another “Paper Champion Defense.”

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See anything you like Mike? Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

There are few things in life that make me as happy as Steelers football.  The summer is the worst time of the year.  I’m not going to lie; I danced a jig when I finally got the link to work for the Steelers first preseason game against the Eagles last night.  While preseason isn’t usually something worth dancing a jig about, it is good to see the team in full uniform and pads and I was very anxious to get the first official look at the new Todd Haley offense at work.  What were the highs and lows of the first outing of the season?  Let’s take a look at the best and worst moments of last night’s loss to the Eagles. (more…)

August 4, 2012; Canton, OH, USA; Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jack Butler (left) and center Dermontti Dawson poses with their busts during the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremonies at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

Steelers MMQB:  NFL HOF Weekend Wrap Up

• Two more Steelers added to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• 4 Steeler fan favorites officially earn Steeler for Life status
• Curtis Martin makes everyone uncomfortable with his speech
• NFL tries out replacement refs
• Goodell reportedly settling with Saints “bounty” players
• Tragedy strikes the Philadelphia Eagles

It was a big weekend for Steeler Nation with the annual Friday night practice in Latrobe including a special retirement ceremony of some very special former players as well as 2 Steelers joining the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.  Former Pitt star Curtis Martin dropped a very heavy and candid speech on the crowd Saturday night.  NFL fans finally got their beaks wet on the first taste of football for the season, how did it taste with replacement refs?  Goodell is reportedly backing down from some of the suspensions handed out to the Saints players involved in the Bounty scandal presumably in the hopes to have the lawsuits filed against him dropped.  Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid loses his oldest son tragically over the weekend. (more…)

Good News:  Only three teams remain standing between the Pittsburgh Steelers and a date with destiny in Dallas.

Bad News:  All three of them beat the Steelers during the regular season.

Good News:  First up are the Baltimore Ravens, who destroyed the pitiful Kansas City Chiefs while the Black and Gold sat back and relaxed.

Bad News:  Ravens-Steelers games are the football equivalent of an electrified barb wire cage match of death.  This basically negates having a bye since the brutality on display is equal to two full games worth of punishment.

Good News:  The Steelers own the Ravens.  As long as Ben Roethlisberger is behind center.

Bad News:  The New England Patriots will steamroll the overrated New York Jets.  And the Patriots own the Steelers.

Wild Card weekend shook out pretty much as I expected.  The dog-raping scumbag hero of Philadelphia mutants was exposed as a poor man’s Kordell Stewart by Dom Capers.  Peyton Manning choked again.  Although this time he had a lot of help from that finger puppet he calls a head coach.  And Seattle.  If I only had a little more confidence in myself, I would’ve been a bestselling author, taken Suzanne Soares to prom, and made a bundle this weekend by betting on the Seahags.  Told ya the Saints weren’t all ‘dat.

Enough about the wanna bes and also rans.  Steelers, Ravens, Patriots, and Jets.  The prelims are officially out of the way.  Bring on the main event.

Hug it out, Bitch.

In my recap of the Pittsburgh Steelers utter domination of the hapless Cincinnati Bengals, I noted defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau ripping superstar Troy Polamalu a new one for attempting a boneheaded lateral after his game-sealing interception.  A few moments later they hugged it out so it’s all good.  Turns out Coach Dad didn’t need to waste his time.  When reporters conducted a post-game interview, our Hall of Fame bound safety was nearly in tears over his silly mistake.

Quoth Troy:

First and foremost, I want to apologize for that play.  It was incredibly arrogant and selfish and foolish of me.  I represent something bigger than myself … my faith, my family, and this team.  I’ll try not to ever let that happen again.

From the Skippy Manifesto to James Harrison‘s clumsy attempt to explain he likes hurting people, not injuring them, this has been a banner year for Steeler quotes.  But this may be the most amazing one of all.  You seldom hear a player admit he blew a coverage or ran the wrong route.  Troy is apologizing for the play WHICH WON THE GAME.

Terrell Owens dropped a big pass late in the game.  Did he apologize?  Of course not, he blamed Carson Palmer instead.  Eagles wide receiver Desean Jackson pulled one of the biggest dick moves of the season on his 91 yard touchdown catch on Sunday night.  Did he apologize for his antics?  Why should he when ESPN will air it 538 times over the next week?

Florida Gators fans went nuts when Tim Tebow made a heartfelt speech after an embarrassing loss to Ole Miss.  “The Promise” has since been immortalized by a plaque outside the team’s home, Griffin Stadium.  No offense to one of the finest role models in all of sports but Troy’s apology is even more deserving of such an honor.  Unlike so many prima donna athletes in this Me First era, he clearly understands the importance of being a man of faith and a Pittsburgh Steeler.  His words should serve as a shining example of what it means to be a true hero.