Super Bowl review
First, my sincere and hearty congratulations to Head Coach Mike McCarthy, Greenfield native, and the Green Bay Packers for winning Super Bowl XLV and winning Vince Lombardi’s trophy, in essence taking it back home where it all began. I have stated many times that Green Bay is my second favorite team, next to the Steelers, and there is nothing wrong with wishing the Packers graciousness for getting the job done last Sunday night. If the Steelers should lose to any team, it would be Green Bay, so the emptiness with this loss is somewhat filled with the fact the Packers are this year’s world champions.
Turnovers kill – that is football 101, yet the Steelers still had a chance for a game winning drive, a al Super Bowl XLIII versus Arizona, but it was not meant to be. I had my doubts they could get it done this time because the Packer defense is very similar to the Steeler defense, and it was going to take everyone being on the same page and firing on all cylinders for that to happen.
Speaking of the defense, despite three sacks of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, there was not one turnover generated by Dick LeBeau’s posse and that proved to be a huge part of this defeat. I was waiting all evening for a pick, a pick-six, something to give the offense a spark and better field position. That never happened. I even went so far as to call out Troy Polamalu, the NFL Defensive Player of the year, yet it was Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews that forced the game deciding turnover with his jarring loose the ball from Rashard Mendenhall. Polamalu was quiet for the entire game, which is unheard of.
The biggest weakness in this Steeler defense, and its Achilles Heel, is the secondary, and it always has been. Yes, receivers are going to catch their passes. But I believe this is something that is going to need to be addressed in either the draft or perhaps in free agency. Ike Taylor is going to be a free agent and I have seen him getting burnt more than once. However, he is not immune. Bryant McFadden got hurt during the game and did not return. There is still William Gay, Ryan Clark and, yes, Polamalu. He is going to be 30 going into next season and might at the peak of his career and his powers. At some point, there will be a decline, and he has been injury prone. Something to think about.
This defense, as has been stated in the past, is long in the tooth. Ziggy Hood is coming into his own and has Lawrence Timmons and Lamarr Woodley as the young blood along the front seven. But there is no denying all of the 30 somethings on the defense and they are not going to get any younger. Head Coach Mike Tomlin stated as much a couple of years ago when he said the defense needed to get younger. Instead, the team brought back Larry Foote, McFadden, and Antwaan Randle El. So much for that.
The offense might now be in a position to carry this team, what with Ben Roethlisberger only turning 29 in March, Rashard Mendenhall not even yet at his prime, and the young wideouts in Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, and Antonio Brown. There is the rookie (no more) center in Maurkice Pouncey, even with an offensive line in a somewhat state of flux, so the offense is actually the unit getting younger.
Make no mistake about it, Steeler fans, this is a team that is about to enter a state of transition. This is a team, along with Baltimore, that effectively rules a two team division, that is until Cincinnati and Cleveland ever get their acts together. The AFC North essentially belongs to the Steelers and the Ravens. Within the conference, it will likely be the New York Jets who pose the biggest threat, as I do not see New England and Indianapolis holding up forever. Brady and Manning are both getting old(er). Mark Sanchez will only be going into his third year and the Jets are a young team, by and large.
As long as Roethlisberger remains effective, and he has a talented supporting cast around him on the offense, then the Steelers will remain a contender. But it will take more than that to get it done. The name of the game is all about offense, now, and all of the rules are designed to favor the offense. This is where the Steelers will have to learn how to adjust. Either get younger on defense, or risk getting into too many shootouts. Something has to give and you still need balance to win games.
By the statistics, the Steelers held serve during this Super Bowl. However, turning the ball over is basically giving the opposing team’s offense points, and that is exactly what they did. Green Bay turned three Steeler turnovers into 21 points. Game over. This has happened in the past to the Steelers and something that has to be corrected. Even a gunslinger such as Roethlisberger knows throwing all those picks is a bad recipe. Then Mendenhall’s fumble sealed the deal for Green Bay.
Something to ponder regarding this postseason. The Steelers did not put together two solid halves of football. They had one good half against Baltimore and one good half against the Jets. They needed to put together two good halves against Green Bay to win this Super Bowl and the first quarter is what killed them. Spotting your opponent a 14 point lead, in the title game, is not a good M.O. for victory. They got away with it against the Ravens. Not so against the Packers.
This is going to be an interesting offseason for the Steelers and for the NFL. The collective bargaining agreement expires (March 4) and there will be a lockout of players by the owners if an agreement is not reached by then. Be braced for the possibility of no season in the fall if nothing gets done. That means that players will age a year without having played any ball. That is not good news. The next two aspects of the league will be free agency and the draft, not to mention minicamps and O.T.A.s
With football over, the attention switches to hockey with the Penguins holding onto fourth place in the Eastern Conference, sans Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (possible season ending knee injury) Pitt basketball with March Madness (NCAA Tournament) coming up soon and, yes, the Pirates will be reporting to spring training in a matter of weeks (pitchers and catchers reporting first). Sports Beat will be shifting focus on those items, and many other topics, beginning next week.
For now, football season is over. No doubt there will be college football in the fall, regardless of what happens with the NFL. In the interim, there are plenty of other issues to discuss in the sports world (good, bad, and otherwise) and we will cover those areas as the weeks move along.
The Steelers came out of nowhere, with the Roethlisberger suspension, injuries, and all of the distractions thrown their way, and ended up in Dallas for Super Bowl XLV. Their loss give the Steelers a 6 - 2 record in the big game and, for those scoring at home, that means Chuck Noll is still 4 – 0, Bill Cowher is 1 – 1, and now Mike Tomlin is 1 – 1. Yes, we’re spoiled, and I am among you. There is still no one that measures up to what the Steelers did in the 1970s, and I will always back that statement. However, it’s time to move on. Others sports to talk about beginning next week in Sports Beat.
Turnovers kill – that is football 101, yet the Steelers still had a chance for a game winning drive, a al Super Bowl XLIII versus Arizona, but it was not meant to be. I had my doubts they could get it done this time because the Packer defense is very similar to the Steeler defense, and it was going to take everyone being on the same page and firing on all cylinders for that to happen.
Speaking of the defense, despite three sacks of Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, there was not one turnover generated by Dick LeBeau’s posse and that proved to be a huge part of this defeat. I was waiting all evening for a pick, a pick-six, something to give the offense a spark and better field position. That never happened. I even went so far as to call out Troy Polamalu, the NFL Defensive Player of the year, yet it was Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews that forced the game deciding turnover with his jarring loose the ball from Rashard Mendenhall. Polamalu was quiet for the entire game, which is unheard of.
The biggest weakness in this Steeler defense, and its Achilles Heel, is the secondary, and it always has been. Yes, receivers are going to catch their passes. But I believe this is something that is going to need to be addressed in either the draft or perhaps in free agency. Ike Taylor is going to be a free agent and I have seen him getting burnt more than once. However, he is not immune. Bryant McFadden got hurt during the game and did not return. There is still William Gay, Ryan Clark and, yes, Polamalu. He is going to be 30 going into next season and might at the peak of his career and his powers. At some point, there will be a decline, and he has been injury prone. Something to think about.
This defense, as has been stated in the past, is long in the tooth. Ziggy Hood is coming into his own and has Lawrence Timmons and Lamarr Woodley as the young blood along the front seven. But there is no denying all of the 30 somethings on the defense and they are not going to get any younger. Head Coach Mike Tomlin stated as much a couple of years ago when he said the defense needed to get younger. Instead, the team brought back Larry Foote, McFadden, and Antwaan Randle El. So much for that.
The offense might now be in a position to carry this team, what with Ben Roethlisberger only turning 29 in March, Rashard Mendenhall not even yet at his prime, and the young wideouts in Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, and Antonio Brown. There is the rookie (no more) center in Maurkice Pouncey, even with an offensive line in a somewhat state of flux, so the offense is actually the unit getting younger.
Make no mistake about it, Steeler fans, this is a team that is about to enter a state of transition. This is a team, along with Baltimore, that effectively rules a two team division, that is until Cincinnati and Cleveland ever get their acts together. The AFC North essentially belongs to the Steelers and the Ravens. Within the conference, it will likely be the New York Jets who pose the biggest threat, as I do not see New England and Indianapolis holding up forever. Brady and Manning are both getting old(er). Mark Sanchez will only be going into his third year and the Jets are a young team, by and large.
As long as Roethlisberger remains effective, and he has a talented supporting cast around him on the offense, then the Steelers will remain a contender. But it will take more than that to get it done. The name of the game is all about offense, now, and all of the rules are designed to favor the offense. This is where the Steelers will have to learn how to adjust. Either get younger on defense, or risk getting into too many shootouts. Something has to give and you still need balance to win games.
By the statistics, the Steelers held serve during this Super Bowl. However, turning the ball over is basically giving the opposing team’s offense points, and that is exactly what they did. Green Bay turned three Steeler turnovers into 21 points. Game over. This has happened in the past to the Steelers and something that has to be corrected. Even a gunslinger such as Roethlisberger knows throwing all those picks is a bad recipe. Then Mendenhall’s fumble sealed the deal for Green Bay.
Something to ponder regarding this postseason. The Steelers did not put together two solid halves of football. They had one good half against Baltimore and one good half against the Jets. They needed to put together two good halves against Green Bay to win this Super Bowl and the first quarter is what killed them. Spotting your opponent a 14 point lead, in the title game, is not a good M.O. for victory. They got away with it against the Ravens. Not so against the Packers.
This is going to be an interesting offseason for the Steelers and for the NFL. The collective bargaining agreement expires (March 4) and there will be a lockout of players by the owners if an agreement is not reached by then. Be braced for the possibility of no season in the fall if nothing gets done. That means that players will age a year without having played any ball. That is not good news. The next two aspects of the league will be free agency and the draft, not to mention minicamps and O.T.A.s
With football over, the attention switches to hockey with the Penguins holding onto fourth place in the Eastern Conference, sans Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin (possible season ending knee injury) Pitt basketball with March Madness (NCAA Tournament) coming up soon and, yes, the Pirates will be reporting to spring training in a matter of weeks (pitchers and catchers reporting first). Sports Beat will be shifting focus on those items, and many other topics, beginning next week.
For now, football season is over. No doubt there will be college football in the fall, regardless of what happens with the NFL. In the interim, there are plenty of other issues to discuss in the sports world (good, bad, and otherwise) and we will cover those areas as the weeks move along.
The Steelers came out of nowhere, with the Roethlisberger suspension, injuries, and all of the distractions thrown their way, and ended up in Dallas for Super Bowl XLV. Their loss give the Steelers a 6 - 2 record in the big game and, for those scoring at home, that means Chuck Noll is still 4 – 0, Bill Cowher is 1 – 1, and now Mike Tomlin is 1 – 1. Yes, we’re spoiled, and I am among you. There is still no one that measures up to what the Steelers did in the 1970s, and I will always back that statement. However, it’s time to move on. Others sports to talk about beginning next week in Sports Beat.
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