Pittsburgh Steelers: Down and Dirty Win in Cleveland

Steelers top rival Browns 10-6

As Romeo Crennel sauntered to the microphone at the post game press conference he held his chin up but he had the look of worry. His statements were carefully presented in a positive manner. He in fact claimed the game was simply a matter of turnovers. And a 10 to 6 loss with a 2 to 0 turnover comparison may indicate that. But if you saw the game you know that was not the story.

First it is important to establish the obvious. The remnants of Hurricane Ike passing by made for some sloppy conditions including a powerful wind with some substantial swirling gusts. It is also important to note that weather conditions effect both teams so it is unlikely that it gives or takes any advantage to one team over the other. Oddly enough we should tip our hats to Jeff Reed of Pittsburgh and Phil Dawson of Cleveland. Reed, the Steelers place kicker, managed the wind quite nicely while making a 48 yard field goal to make the score 10 to 0 in Pittsburgh’s favor in the 3rd quarter. While his counterpart, Cleveland’s place kicker, sent a couple nice kicks through the uprights. A 31 yarder in the 3rd quarter and a 38 yard kick in the 4th to finish out the score giving Cleveland the 6 points to Pittsbugh’s10. As Al Michaels pointed out during the broadcast you could clearly see the goal posts swaying at the mercy of the wind.

While turnovers are always important, the play of the Pittsburgh defense was more of a problem for Cleveland than Bryant McFadden’s and Troy Polamalu’s interceptions. All in all the Steelers defense got down and dirty and clearly did not allow Cleveland to do anything while keeping them in check. The 208 total yards the Browns managed were very ineffective. Their biggest play was a 23 yard screen pass to 3rd year back Jerome Harrison who caught the nicely set up screen and made a nifty run to get the 23 yards.

On offense the Steelers didn’t exaclty dominate but their 281 total yards were a little more productive. They kept Cleveland honest with a healthy dose of Willie Parker who turned 28 carries into 105 yards. The 3.8 yard per carry average is nothing to brag about if you’re a back of Parker’s ilk but he made some nice runs when needed. For example the 4th down scamper in the first half tp get the first down. With the game being played so tight it was no surprise that Rashard Mendenhall didn’t have any rushing attempts. Going into the weekend I had predicted that Pittsburgh would have an easier time running than they did thus giving the rookie Mendenhall a few carries.

The passing numbers do not look overall staggering either with Ben Roethlisberger going 12-19 and 186 yards with 1 touchdown. However considering the weather and his suspect shoulder injury, the 9.8 yards per attempt is ver impressive. This also was a case of a team coming up with enough big plays when they had to.

The 1st and 10 throw to Santonio Holmes was the right call at the right time. Dallas showed last week that Cleveland is vulnerable to the big passing play. I expected Pittsburgh to get a couple shots at it. Of course the weather dictated being more calculated than you normally would have to be. Ben also dialed up Hines Ward for a 31 yard strike when the Steelers were pinned down on their 2 yard line. It was 2nd down and Cleveland was eyeing down a running play while Ward was sent on what appeared to be a mid to long range hook pattern to the right sideline. Ben got it there with some authority.

This was another example of where I disagree with Coach Crennel. The difference in the tight score was clear. Pittsburgh made the big play when they needed it and Cleveland did not.

In general this game had the look of a typical division rival game with some high intensity and equally intense physical aggression. Both teams struggled with the elements and did not shy away from taking risks. It was an ugly down and dirty win for the Steelers who continue to feel at home in Cleveland. Ben who played at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, loves going to his home state and winning. During his young career he has won often in Cleveland and in Cincinnati.

On the worry side it is unclear how severe the shoulder injury to Roethlisberger is. The broadcasters painted a more worrisome picture than Ben and the team has. It is being reported that the throwing shoudler is seperated. The team has downplayed it some. In fact coming out of last week I wasn’t worried about him for this week. I had him going 13-20 and 220 yards. I thought it was a matter of rest. Although he barely practiced all week which is a little more of a precaution than I thought he would need. On the positive side other than the look of pain in his face he threw the ball well. No sign of lost velocity or any change in his delivery. On the other hand if 300 pound men continue to fall on him it could become a problem.

The offensive line was adequate and held their own throughout the contest but there were breakdowns that I hope are corrected. The fact that Cleveland seemed more concerned with keeping a wall to prevent Willie Parker from turning the corner helped some in terms of giving Ben protection. But again there is no reason to attack the O-Line this week. They will hopefully get stronger with time.

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Special teams had some good moments. We have already acknowledged Jeff Reed and his confrontation with the weather but props also belong to Mitch Berger the veteran punter did a nice job also for Pittsburgh. Nonetheless the Steelers return teams still leave much to be desired. Rashard Mendenhall’s gack on a kickoff almost became a catastrophe. And I am not sure what Carey Davis was planning to do on that play either.

I also was puzzled that they could not get to Derek Anderson more often. Aaron Smith had some success there and actually James Harrison, I thought, should have gotten half of one of Smith’s sacks. But the defense played great all things considered.

I also didn’t like Mike Tomlin pulling the trigger prematurely on a time-out call on a 4th down attempt to draw the Browns off side.

Game 3 for Pittsburgh is also away from home. The next trip for the Steelers is across state to the confines of the Philadelphia Eagles. This also has a tendency to be somewhat of a rival game due to the Battle of Pennsylvania implications. The Eagles will be coming off of a short week playing Monday in a divisional war with Dallas so that may factor in to their readiness for Pittsburgh. We will look ahead to that game more this week.

By Andy Natalie
ProFootball-fans.com Pittsburgh Steelers Correspondent