Ben Roethlisberger is sacked by Jurrell Casey in the Titans’ 16-9 victory last year at Heinz Field. — GETTY IMAGES
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Breaking down the Steelers’ Monday night matchup with the Titans — 8:30 p.m. kickoff, LP Field — isn’t about how Dick LeBeau dominates rookie quarters and will lengthen that legacy against poor Zach Mettenberger, or how Mike Munchak knows Tennessee’s roster so well, or how Ray Horton knows Pittsburgh’s roster so well, or how Ben Roethlisberger and the boys should romp against the NFL’s No. 22-ranked defense, or how only the winless Raiders have a worse offense than the Titans.
Fact is, it’s all so much simpler from the Steelers’ standpoint than any handsomely compensated football guru would be comfortable confessing.
At least it is if one accepts the following three stances as truth:
• The AFC North is there for the taking, with the Bengals first at 6-3-1 and all the rest at 6-4. The Browns’ reign atop the division lasted all of a week. Both of the Steelers’ meetings with the Bengals remain, meaning they drive their own destiny.
• The Titans stink. Don’t be afraid to say it, either, for there’s no other way to explain a 2-7 record and a seven-game nosedive in which their lone triumph came by two points over the Jaguars.
• The Steelers will finally take such an opponent seriously.
But hey, don’t take my word for it. I posed the same question to a bunch of them on the South Side this week, and the answers were … well, listen for yourself:
Sounds good. But then, it sounded good before the Jets fiasco. And the Bucs fiasco. And the two Raiders fiascos. And the Vikings fiasco on the other side of the globe. And as a result, it bears repeating: Since 2012, Mike Tomlin’s teams are 1-7 when playing on the road against teams that had a winning percentage below .200 at the time they met. Since 2009, Tomlin’s teams are 5-10 in those games. For his career, Tomlin’s teams are 7-11.
That, to paraphrase the man himself, “is not winning football.” It’s actually the lowest brand of losing football because it’s losing against losing football. And apologies if this, again, is an oversimplification, but that’s mental. That’s psychological. That stems from the coaches not having the players prepared to the players not taking that upon themselves to stupid logistical things such as, oh, flying to London on a Friday for a Sunday game.
It’s all, to borrow from the man again, “above the neck.”
So that’s why you’ve got the video up there. Normally, I’d type out one or more of those quotes. But this week, I’ll leave it to you to look them in the eye and listen and judge for yourself if the Steelers will take care of business tonight or if they’ll again concoct some phony stand-alone reason for losing. Like a minus-4 turnover differential. Or unexpected trickery in the form of — gasp — Tampa Bay’s play-action passes. Or the tired declarations about how any NFL team on any given Sunday can be really good.
The Raiders play every Sunday. They lose every Sunday. They aren’t good.
The Titans play every Sunday. They lose most Sundays. They aren’t good.
And now, to boot, they’ll take to a rare set of Monday night lights, including a first for the 23-year-old Mettenberger making just his third career start. The kid has some tools, from his 6-5 Ben-like stature to a strong arm that was drawing raves all week on the South Side — “I haven’t seen a ball that he can’t get there,” LeBeau said, “and he throws a great deep ball” — but the data shows he has completed only 45 of 73 passes, with no play generating more than 48 yards, with as many touchdowns as interceptions, three each.
The data also shows, of course, that LeBeau is 17-2 against rookie quarterbacks.
But yet again, this will come down to mentality: Will the Steelers’ defense treat the kid with excessive respect, as they did last week against not-really-Michael-Vick-anymore? Or will they blitz and work from their strengths rather than fussing over the opposition?
The No. 1 running back, Bishop Sankey, is even younger at 22. He’s got potential, too, but he’s been no more productive, averaging 3.9 yards per carry, reaching the end zone once and topping out with a single-game output of 61 yards against Baltimore. That’s partly due to a leaky offensive line but also because, again, he’s 22.
The Titans’ defense is better but not by any great degree.
Their run defense almost singularly has beaten the Steelers in the teams’ past two meetings in 2012 and 2013, with the Steelers stymied for 2.9 yards per carry. Le’Veon Bell, who’s been held to 50 total yards in this season’s past two games, didn’t face Tennessee last season and could — no, must — make a difference this time. The Titans’ run defense ranks 29th, allowing 136.6 yards per game.
Their pass defense is far better, ranking 11th and allowing 232.1 yards per game. If they can somehow hold Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton and the rest to a figure in that range, they just might win.
But they can’t, and they won’t. Or at least they shouldn’t.
“We know what our offense, what our whole team looks like when we’re firing on all cylinders,” David DeCastro was telling me this week. “We just need to make it happen. And we need to make it happen week in and week out.”
That will be contingent on Tomlin’s messaging actually resonating, on Todd Haley accepting that it’s more important to score points than to show you’re smart, on LeBeau letting his meaner dogs loose, on Roethlisberger turning in his first strong game against a lousy defense, on Brown forgetting those fumbles, on Bryant and Wheaton running routes like they mean it, on Bell getting back on his horse and on the defense to do whatever it takes to disguise that secondary.
Doing more than posing that they’re emotionally invested wouldn’t hurt, either.
It is sad to lament over the Bucs, Jets and even the Browns games, knowing had we won our record would top not just the AFC North, but the entire conference. It seems every year a similar story, yet MT's ego doesn't allow this point to be recognized. Tonight, they will win, BIG.
I agree, but I do wonder about something else: Maybe the coaches don't know what they are doing differently against these losing teams. Maybe they prepare the same way every week, but some weeks, the team just flat-out plays well, and others it doesn't?
It's hard to learn from history when your head coach stubbornly refuses to live in the past. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Because of the closeness in the standings and the "occasional" great play by every team in it, people think the North is the best division. I think it's the worst simply because no team can get out of their own way long enough to take it from the others. Bunch of sad sacks.
the NFL is like the Big Ten. The more money involved, the worst the football is. The NFL has a lot of bad football teams and the players want guaranteed contracts. Really? NFL knows no matter the playoffs and records are just not important. Who gets in from the NFC south with a?
Without having seen the Titans play all year, I can only speculate, but I imagine the fact that their numbers are awful against the run but decent against the pass means that teams probably just aren't bothering to throw on them.
It's hard to tell. Everyone has been taught to avoid giving up any inflammatory quotes for the other guys to use as motivation. My guess is no. As long as the bubble screen lives, the TEAM is not ready (ie, coaches). You don't see Gronk catching bubble screens.
Immediately after they beat Baltimore I expected them to lose to either NY or Tenn. Since they lost last week I'll go 23-13 Steelers. The key is to get a big lead and deliver a knockout punch but that's not what they do. I can see this being a 13-10 game in the third quarter.
One never knows how a game will go. Especially the Steelers on the road under Tomlin. But this game should be a no brainer for the Steelers. They simply can't lose this game. Period. Never say never but lose this game and kiss the season good bye. Jets and Titans were gimmies.
After the Jets debacle, we will see if Coach Cliche actually got his message through this week.
.
If the message can't get through this week, against the Titans, I have no words.
This is a big game. If we lose to yet another subpar football team, especially one with a sixth round rookie QB. It will take a huge hit to our morale going into the bye week.
It's remarkable to note then, that Ben Roethlisberger bears nearly the same record (not sure about games he may have missed due to injury) as Mike Tomlin against the worst teams on the schedule during MT's tenure. Elite qb's do not repeatedly lose to that level of competition.
Playing to min. mistakes and "let them beat themselves" means you're just as likely to be the team that beats itself. You win divisions by playing to obliterate weak opponents. I hate 'em, but the Patriots get it. For a moment, it looked like the Steelers got it. Then, the Jets
I just don't think the Steelers' players, on average, are very bright. I think they're often too emotional, distracted, and disinterested. I don't think they adapt well, I don't think they adjust well, and I don't think access well--especially during the game as things go wrong.
The numbers are there to support your argument. Steve Belichick, father of Bill the HC of the Pats, wrote a great little pamphlet called Scouting Methods in the 60s. Scouting the opposing teams that is. It gets at the strategy of the game becomes more important, utilizing your teams strengths and attacking an enemies weaknesses. But first you have to understand each. Does the Steelers staff?
why does it look like DeCastro's name is written in crayon on his locker while the other guys are etched/burned in? as far as the game? nothing more can be said. get vertical. less TO's. don't outsmart yourself (basically the opposite of the Jets game)
"Not-really-Michael-Vick-anymore." Sometimes your way with words kills me. That is so true… I can't believe he beat Ben.
This team is so good except when against weaker teams. That drives me nuts. I hope they listened to you…they'd be better for it.
So, how does Belichek find a guy on the street, put him on the practice squad, activate him and the kid runs wild yesterday??
And, we sign Archer, who can't find his way to the stadium???
All Mike HAS to do is show the video of Raven's Head Coach chastising the Steelers for losing against a bad team .Steeler pride should then kick in. Go Steelers
My one thought has always been, good/well coached teams rarely, if ever lose to teams they should beat. When is the last time NE lost to a really bad team? Steelers always play down to opponents. Never go for the kill and dominate. Just satisfied with being one point better.
Watched the post game Tomlin...he would be wise to take a tip from Clint Hurtle...always answers questions, doesn't dodge, doesn't get arrogant, or short.
November 17, 2014
Column: Steelers motivation? Take your pick
by Dejan Kovacevic • Columns • Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger is sacked by Jurrell Casey in the Titans’ 16-9 victory last year at Heinz Field. — GETTY IMAGES
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Breaking down the Steelers’ Monday night matchup with the Titans — 8:30 p.m. kickoff, LP Field — isn’t about how Dick LeBeau dominates rookie quarters and will lengthen that legacy against poor Zach Mettenberger, or how Mike Munchak knows Tennessee’s roster so well, or how Ray Horton knows Pittsburgh’s roster so well, or how Ben Roethlisberger and the boys should romp against the NFL’s No. 22-ranked defense, or how only the winless Raiders have a worse offense than the Titans.
Fact is, it’s all so much simpler from the Steelers’ standpoint than any handsomely compensated football guru would be comfortable confessing.
At least it is if one accepts the following three stances as truth:
• The AFC North is there for the taking, with the Bengals first at 6-3-1 and all the rest at 6-4. The Browns’ reign atop the division lasted all of a week. Both of the Steelers’ meetings with the Bengals remain, meaning they drive their own destiny.
• The Titans stink. Don’t be afraid to say it, either, for there’s no other way to explain a 2-7 record and a seven-game nosedive in which their lone triumph came by two points over the Jaguars.
• The Steelers will finally take such an opponent seriously.
But hey, don’t take my word for it. I posed the same question to a bunch of them on the South Side this week, and the answers were … well, listen for yourself:
Sounds good. But then, it sounded good before the Jets fiasco. And the Bucs fiasco. And the two Raiders fiascos. And the Vikings fiasco on the other side of the globe. And as a result, it bears repeating: Since 2012, Mike Tomlin’s teams are 1-7 when playing on the road against teams that had a winning percentage below .200 at the time they met. Since 2009, Tomlin’s teams are 5-10 in those games. For his career, Tomlin’s teams are 7-11.
That, to paraphrase the man himself, “is not winning football.” It’s actually the lowest brand of losing football because it’s losing against losing football. And apologies if this, again, is an oversimplification, but that’s mental. That’s psychological. That stems from the coaches not having the players prepared to the players not taking that upon themselves to stupid logistical things such as, oh, flying to London on a Friday for a Sunday game.
It’s all, to borrow from the man again, “above the neck.”
So that’s why you’ve got the video up there. Normally, I’d type out one or more of those quotes. But this week, I’ll leave it to you to look them in the eye and listen and judge for yourself if the Steelers will take care of business tonight or if they’ll again concoct some phony stand-alone reason for losing. Like a minus-4 turnover differential. Or unexpected trickery in the form of — gasp — Tampa Bay’s play-action passes. Or the tired declarations about how any NFL team on any given Sunday can be really good.
The Raiders play every Sunday. They lose every Sunday. They aren’t good.
The Titans play every Sunday. They lose most Sundays. They aren’t good.
And now, to boot, they’ll take to a rare set of Monday night lights, including a first for the 23-year-old Mettenberger making just his third career start. The kid has some tools, from his 6-5 Ben-like stature to a strong arm that was drawing raves all week on the South Side — “I haven’t seen a ball that he can’t get there,” LeBeau said, “and he throws a great deep ball” — but the data shows he has completed only 45 of 73 passes, with no play generating more than 48 yards, with as many touchdowns as interceptions, three each.
The data also shows, of course, that LeBeau is 17-2 against rookie quarterbacks.
But yet again, this will come down to mentality: Will the Steelers’ defense treat the kid with excessive respect, as they did last week against not-really-Michael-Vick-anymore? Or will they blitz and work from their strengths rather than fussing over the opposition?
The No. 1 running back, Bishop Sankey, is even younger at 22. He’s got potential, too, but he’s been no more productive, averaging 3.9 yards per carry, reaching the end zone once and topping out with a single-game output of 61 yards against Baltimore. That’s partly due to a leaky offensive line but also because, again, he’s 22.
The Titans’ defense is better but not by any great degree.
Their run defense almost singularly has beaten the Steelers in the teams’ past two meetings in 2012 and 2013, with the Steelers stymied for 2.9 yards per carry. Le’Veon Bell, who’s been held to 50 total yards in this season’s past two games, didn’t face Tennessee last season and could — no, must — make a difference this time. The Titans’ run defense ranks 29th, allowing 136.6 yards per game.
Their pass defense is far better, ranking 11th and allowing 232.1 yards per game. If they can somehow hold Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton and the rest to a figure in that range, they just might win.
But they can’t, and they won’t. Or at least they shouldn’t.
“We know what our offense, what our whole team looks like when we’re firing on all cylinders,” David DeCastro was telling me this week. “We just need to make it happen. And we need to make it happen week in and week out.”
That will be contingent on Tomlin’s messaging actually resonating, on Todd Haley accepting that it’s more important to score points than to show you’re smart, on LeBeau letting his meaner dogs loose, on Roethlisberger turning in his first strong game against a lousy defense, on Brown forgetting those fumbles, on Bryant and Wheaton running routes like they mean it, on Bell getting back on his horse and on the defense to do whatever it takes to disguise that secondary.
Doing more than posing that they’re emotionally invested wouldn’t hurt, either.