'89 Steelers Top San Diego 20-17

Reporters asked Chuck Noll during week 11 if the Steelers 4-6 record meant that he was ready to begin focusing on 1990 and write 1989 off as a rebuilding year.

“No,” Noll insisted, the Steelers would attempt to win their final six games and make the playoffs.

As Noll scoffed, the media snickered.

Playoffs?

Playoffs for a team that had started 51-0 and then 41-0? Playoffs for the first Chuck Noll team to suffer three shut outs in a season? Wild dreams of wild cards for a team that was 1-4 in the AFC Central, and who had already lost 27-0 to Houston, their only remaining divisional opponent?

In the pages of the Pittsburgh Press, Gene Collier entertained the question of how early spectators could leave Three Rivers Stadium and still be considered “loyal” fans.

Fortunately, Noll paid no heed to the critics. Fortune, however, had nothing to do with Noll’s success in convincing his players to turn a deaf ear to their critics.

Such was the setting as the San Diego Chargers arrived at Three Rivers Stadium for week 11 of the 1989 season.

Special Teams Strike Force

During the Steelers sprint to the playoffs at the end of the 1989 season, each unit would step up, and special teams led the way against San Diego.

For three quarters plus, as it had been for much of the season and particularly in the two games prior, the Steelers offense was the little engine that couldn’t, managing a meager 100 yards.

So while Jim McMahon and the Chargers were racking up 396 yards, the Steelers special teams kept San Diego honest.

Football is a game of field position, and Harry Newsome’s first punt bounced off of Lester Lyle’s helmet and Carnell Lake recovered at the 18. While the Steelers did not score on that series, the defense held, and two series later Gary Anderson hit a 49 yard field goal for the games first points.

Dana Brinson fumbled the Newsome’s next punt, which Carnell Lake recovered at the 47. Again, the Steelers offense failed to take advantage, but Newsome was able to pin them deep in their own territory.

Special teams paved the way for the Steelers next score, as Cedric Figaro’s roughing the punter penalty set up Anderson’s next kick, although by that time Jim McMahon had gotten the Chargers on the board with a touchdown to Anthony Miller.

The Chargers added another field goal midway through the first quarter, but their 10-6 lead was short lived.

In Rod We Trust

Rod Woodson fielded the ensuring kickoff at the 16 yard line, started up the middle, but then saw daylight to the left. David Johnson and Tyronne Stowe sealed off San Diego’s containment team. Nothing lay between Woodson and the endzone Three Rivers Stadium’s Tartan Turf.

Woodson sailed 84 yards down the field scoring the Steelers first touchdown in eight quarters and electrifying Three Rivers Stadium and the Steelers sidelines in the process. Woodson had given the Steelers a 13-10 lead and the all important momentum, or had he?

The McMagician Has Another Rabbit in His Hat

In the 1980’s NFL Films once described Jim McMahon as Mike Ditka’s “magician-like quarterback” for his ability to lead comebacks. McMahon appeared ready to do it again.

From the shores of Monmouth county, to the tree-lined groves of Falls Church generations of Jim McMahon fans were enthralled as number 9 hooked up twice with Anthony Miller on a 68 yard drive that put the Chargers ahead 17-13 as the third quarter came to a close.

90 Yards Away from Winning This Game

And so the Steelers offense found themselves with the ball at the 9, down 17-13, with 11:42 remaining. Could an offense that had not scored a touchdown in nine quarters, and had barely managed 100 total yards in the game, go the distance?

It was time to find out.

Bubby Brister led the charge with a 19 yard strike to Louis Lipps. Merrill Hoge took over from there, accepting a hand off and trying to go left, off tackle, but no room was to be had. Hoge instead cut back to the right and ripped off a (then) career-long 31 yard gallop that brought the Steelers to the Chargers 37.

Next, Brister hit Mike Mularkey for a 22 yard strike that took them to the 12, and a few plays later, the Steelers found themselves 1st and goal at the one.

But Pittsburgh couldn’t punch it in.

Hoge ran on first and lost a yard on first down, and all Tim Worley could mange to do on two straight carries was regain that yard. At fourth and one, with a little less than seven minutes left to play, a field goal would have made it a one score game.

The Emperor Opens His Bag of Tricks

Chuck Noll had other plans. As Chuck Noll explained after the game, “I felt we needed to score a touchdown.”

Noll decided to go for it, but to do so with a little deception. He inserted third down specialist Rodney Carter into the game and split both tight ends wide, the Steelers preferred goal line passing formation.

The Chargers defenders started shouting “Carter, it’s a pass going to Carter!”

Carter circled to the right at the snap, feigning a pass route.

It was Noll’s best bluff. Brister handed off to Hoge. John Rienstra pulled to the left while Dermonti Dawson and Terry Long opened the gap, Merrill Hoge plowed into the end zone, and the Steelers had a 20-17 lead.

McMiracle Not to Be

Jim McMahon wasn’t done, driving his team down to the Steelers 42 yard line. But, 30 seconds before the two minute warning, he got greedy, and David Little intercepted him sealing the Steelers victory.

On the face of it, it appeared that one 4-6 team had vanquished another 4-6 team. Decidedly ho hum in the NFL. But for the 1989 Steelers, it was the start of something much bigger.

Thanks for visiting. Click here to read the entire Steelers 1989 series.

Bob Ligashesky Did Not Begin Steelers Special Teams Woes (But It Appears He Has Contributed)

Steelers Nation is rightly in an uproar over the team’s special teams failures which most recently gave the Bengals the 6 point margin which cemented their series sweep. Unfortunately, special teams snafus have a precedent in Pittsburgh, one whose familiarity does little to ease frustration.

A (Not So Pleasant) Stroll Down Memory Lane

Chuck Noll was the last in the NFL to hire a full time special teams head coach. What prompted him to change?

• 6 blocked punts in 1988, plus another errant snap in the mud at Cleveland Stadium at resulting in the ball being hiked 50 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Noll hired George Stewart in 1989, and the Steelers special teams improved significantly, so much that Bill Cowher’s decision not to retain him in 1992 raised eye brows.

Steelers fans lived to regret that decision. In 1992 John Guy’s special teams were normal.

• A year later, they gave up 3 punt returns for touchdowns, plus a blocked punt in the playoffs against Kansas City in overtime that cost them the game.

This was all the more ironic, given that Cowher cut his teeth in the NFL as a special teams coach. Ed Bouchette was on record as saying that special teams were “Cowher’s baby.”

Perhaps that explains something. Cowher hired Bobby April, and under him the Steelers special teams excelled.

Yet, April after coaching with the Steelers in 1994 and 1995, April opted to go back to native New Orleans.

Cowher replaced him with Ron Zook, who fielded decent special teams from 1996 to 1998. When Zook departed after the 1998 season to take a job in the college ranks, Cowher replaced him with Jay Hayes, who did an OK job in 1999, but it went down hill from there.

• Arguably, it was poor special teams play that cost the Steelers a playoff spot in 2000, as they contributed directly to losses to the Eagles and Giants
• Special teams reached the height of ignominy, in 2001, where the Patriots upset the Steelers in the AFC Championship on the strength of a punt a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown

Steelers Special Teams in the Mike Tomlin Era

Mike Tomlin, like Cowher, caught people’s attention when chose not to retain his predecessor’s special teams coach. Instead Tomlin replaced Kevin Spencer, who fielded fine special teams, with Bob Ligashesky.

Credit Joe Starkey for calling this one. On January 31, 2007 Starkey wrote this of Ligashesky:

Again, it's possible Ligashesky is going to become the special-teams version of Bill Belichick. He had some good years at Bowling Green. But if I'm the guy doing the hiring, and I'm looking at his recent job performance, I'm cringing.

In 2003, Ligashesky coached Pitt's special teams. The Panthers were last in the Big East in kickoff and punt returns. They also finished 116th in kickoff coverage, which might not seem bad until you consider 117 teams played Division I-A football.

In St. Louis this season, Ligashesky's units allowed an NFC-worst three kick-return touchdowns. The Rams somehow managed to finish below the Steelers in punt and kick return average.(27th and 26th, respectively) and had the 28th-best kickoff coverage team. The punt coverage was better -- 10th overall -- but allowed a touchdown. (Emphasis Added.)

The Steelers special teams were absolutely atrocious during Ligashesky’s first year as special teams coach, giving up TD’s both punts and kicks, costing the Steelers the Jet's game.

• They also gave up a kick off return for a TD in the playoffs against Jacksonville, giving the Jaguars 7 points in a game that would be decided by two.

Mike Tomlin determined that it was the Steelers personnel, and not Ligashesky’s tutelage that caused the Steelers special teams woes in 2007, and to his credit, they improved in 2008.

That Was Then This Is Now

Just nine games into the season the Steelers special teams have given up 3 touchdowns on kick off returns. Once against Cleveland, once against Minnesota, and once against Cincinnati.

• They also gave up a touchdown on a forced-fumble punt return against San Diego.

To that you can add the 7 points the Chargers got off of the on-sides kick they recovered. At the time it looked like they got caught with their pants pulled down. Mike Tomlin said they’d actually prepped their team to ready, which makes it worse.

What Ails the Steelers Special Teams?

It is hard to say what exactly is wrong with the Steelers special teams. First the word was that special teams weren’t the same without Andre Fraizer, who was out against Cleveland and Minnesota.

Of course Fraizer played against Cincinnati, and that did not prevent the Cincinnati from scoring a quick six on a kick off return.

They cut reserve linebacker Arnold Harrison today, in a move that appears to be related to his special teams performance. They’ve promoted Donavan Woods from the practice squad to take his place. Woods played some special teams while on the active roster in 2008, and his return is supposed to bolster the unit.

Of course that is what they said when they brought Carey Davis back after putting Frank “The Tank” summers on IR.

Will the Steelers get it together on special teams in 2009? It is hard to say.

• It is easy to say this, if they don’t the Steelers have no hope netting Lombardi Number Seven, even if they do slide into the playoffs.

Finally, when Tomlin decided to retain Ligashesky in 2008, Steel Curtain Rising gave him the benefit of the doubt. That was then. This is now.

• Curtain’s Call: Barring a dramatic turnaround on special teams, Ligashesky’s head has got to roll at seasons end. If not before.

Bengals Bust Steelers, 18-12

The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered their first home defeat at Heinz Field Sunday, and in doing so yielded a commanding lead in the AFC North to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Steelers first loss to Cincinnati was hard to swallow because Pittsburgh had left a lot of plays on the field but nonetheless dominated for three quarters, only to blow the game at the end.

Since then the Steelers have made steady, if not linear progress. The defense seemed to find its identity, and the one week ago in Denver Bruce Arians seemed to find the pass-run balance that would make his offense dangerous.

If the Steelers defense was almost its old self against the Bengals, the offense was MIA.

Credit Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer for devising a master game plan which his players executed to perfection.

The Cincinnati defense was simply more physical up front, and their linebackers and defensive backs were phenomenal in coverage. They sacked Ben four times in the first half – when lineman weren’t in Roethlisberger’s face, their counterparts were all over the Steelers receivers giving Ben no where to throw.

The Steelers running game similarly regressed, as the Bengals stuffed Mendenhall for losses or no gain time and time again.

The Cincinnati defense arrived ready to play.

Arians Fails to Come Up with the Answers

The Steelers are loaded on offense. There’s not position that is a legitimate weakness. Sometimes an offensive coordinator can have too many toys and a few weeks ago in the Steelers Digest Jim Wexell suggested that might be the case with Arians.

Perhaps that’s so.

Consider that in 15 Red Zone plays (excluding kicks), Pittsburgh ran three times,* and passed 12 times. To be fair, Mendenhall was stopped for losses in the Red Zone, and the giving up sacks there limits rushing options.

But Arians’s play calling on third down is also at issue. The Steelers were a woeful 3-15 converting third downs. They converted one by passing, and the other two came on a 12 yard Mewelde Moore run and Ben’s 15 yard scramble.

Out of the 12 failed third down attempts, all but one were passes, with Mendenhall failing to convert a 3rd and 1 (and I think he got screwed on the spot, but so be it.) Again, in the interests of fairness, many of those were third and long, but Arians also threw on 3rd & 2, and 3rd & 3, and 3rd & 5, twice.

Mendenhall might not have had his best day, but Mewelde Moore had runs of 9 and 12 yards, and if not Moore why not give Willie Parker a short?

Finding the right mix of weapons on offense might be difficult, but that’s Arians job. Against the Bengals, that mix was no where to be seen.

Ben Had a Bad Day

It is easy to arm chair quarterback play calling, because Ben and his receivers are capable of converting a 3rd and 17 or a 3rd and 14. They make those plays, and Arians becomes a genius.

But they didn’t. They weren’t even close to being close.

This wasn’t Ben’s worst day as a quarterback – that would be the Oakland game in 2006 – but Ben was off. Passes flew high, were thrown too hard, or got there a second too early or too late. The stat sheet shows that Ben only threw one pick, but he is lucky he did not have a half dozen.

Ben faced a lot of pressure during the first half, but even when the line bought him more time in the second, he still failed to deliver the ball on target.

Mike Zimmer placed his to make plays, and they executed. But Ben could have made, should have made and usually makes several of the throws he missed to day. That was the difference in the game.**

An Apocryphal Prediction

Yours truly used to live in Cincinnati, and I’m still in touch with people there. Earlier in the season, a friend in the Queen City confided that in spite of Cincinnati's succession of wins, he still did not "believe." I told him that the Bengals had a lot of talent, that they’d built a foundation by playing hard during a losing season last year, and that winning close ones often builds momentum.

Unfortunately, not only was that prediction apt then, it also serves as an excellent metaphor for today’s game.

The Bengals certainly did not dominate in the traditional sense, but they picked up momentum as the game wore on.

Case in point: it’d be easy to criticize defense for their performance on the Bengals final drive. But did anyone really think the Steelers offense was capable of scoring a touchdown?

When asked if the victory over the Broncos represented a “statement game,” Mike Tomlin said it might, but only if the Steelers showed they could sustain it down the stretch.

Not only did the Steelers not sustain that on Sunday, they appear to have regressed. They’ve got more tests ahead of them, but they’ve made their road far more difficult by giving Cincinnati a 2 game lead in the AFC North, a lead that Cincinnati’s earned.

*Ed Bouchette's numbers seemed to be slightly different, his are probably more accurate.

**Lest it become an unmentioned elephant in the room, special teams failures also played large in Sunday's defeat, but this post is long enough. Steel Curtain Rising will have more to say soon.

Bears Deal '89 Steelers Third, Final Shut Out of Season

The Steelers returned from Mile High Stadium licking their wounds after dropping at 34-7 decision. Week 10 brought the Chicago Bears to Three Rivers Stadium, and at least the potential for hope.

After all, returning to Three Rivers Stadium had inspired rallies in week 3 against the Vikings and then later in week 8 against the Kansas City Chiefs.

History was also on the Steelers side. The Chicago Bears had never won a game in Three Rivers Stadium, nor had they won in Pittsburgh since 1944.

Unfortunately for the Steelers, dice do not have memories.

Case in point, Bubby Brister entered the game not having thrown an interception since the week one 51-0 blowout against the Cleveland Browns. He’d thrown 179 passes with out a pick to be precise, a record for the Steelers under Chuck Noll…

• …Bears cornerback Lemuel Stimpson intercepted Brister’s very first pass.

That was only Stimpson’s first of the day, as he grabbed one more, as did another Chicago defender.

It actually got worse for the Steelers on the ground, as they gained a meager 54 yards total rushing,

• a stat made all the more worse when one considers that 32 of those came on a Dwight Stone reverse

In contrast, the Bears amassed 203 yards rushing – without a single back getting anywhere near the century mark. Even Jim Harbaugh ran 7 times for 56 yards.

About the only good news for the Steelers was that they held the Bear’s scoreless in the second half.

Of course that would have meant so much more had the Bears not held the Steelers scoreless in both halves.

When the dust settled, the Bears defeated the Steelers 20-0, handing them their third shut out in just ten games, the first time any Chuck Noll team had been shut out three times in a year.

It was mid-November, six games remained, they had just dropped two in a row, and the 1989 Steelers record was 4-6. Many thought Pittsburgh might be lucky to match the 1988 Steelers 5-11 record.

They were wrong.

Thanks for visiting. To read the entire series click here on the 1989 Steelers tag.

Steelers Offense Finds Balance in Broncos Win

Steelers Nation should be clear that the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-10 defeat of the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football 28-10 was a big win where the Steelers accomplished something with important implications for the rest of the season.

Conventional Wisdom in the NFL holds that the Raven’s demolition of Denver unmasked the Broncos previous 6-0 record as a façade. If Baltimore did expose some real weaknesses, NFL teams do not get to 6-0 on smoke and mirrors alone.

Denver entered the game with the league’s leading defense, and a quarterback who’d thrown one pick in seven games. That does not happen by accident.

Steelers: Down on Their Luck in Denver

On top of that, the Steelers were playing in Denver, where they had not won in the regular season since 1990. The Mile High City is a locale where the Steelers luck has included:

• Rod Woodson and Brian Hinkle intercepting back-to-back John Elway passes (including one leading to a quick Steelers TD), only to see Elway score 24 unanswered points
• A dropped Mark Stock pass and failed center-QB exchange that abruptly ended the 1989 Steelers story book season
• A 37-13 shellacking following the Steelers monumental 23-0 1993 Monday Night Football thumping of the Bills
• A scene of an injury ravaged offensive line in 2003 that featured Alan Fanaca rotating between tackle and guard depending on the down
• Ryan Clark’s life threatening injury in 2007 and the Steelers subsequent squandering of a 4th quarter lead.

Heck, even the Steelers 1990 regular season win in Denver carries Dwight Stone's distinction of blowing a shot at getting the club's longest all time reception in history by stepping out of bounds, untouched, 90 yards into what would have been an easy 100 yard TD catch.

Half of Denver Dominates for a Half

For 30 minutes, one half of the Denver Broncos lived up to their reputation. The Denver defense stymied and frustrated the Steelers offense, which was unable to put any points on the board, had trouble controlling the ball, and gave the Broncos a generous lead in the time of possession.

This latter stat is all the more impressive, as the defense hung in there while the Broncos offense utterly failed to take advantage.

“The standard of expectation does not change.”
-Mike Tomlin

Three starters on the Steelers defense missed the game, one on the defensive line, one in the linebacking corps, and one in the secondary.

But the defense’s performance harkened back to the 2008 Jacksonville game, when the Steelers offense breathed life into Mike Tomlin’s credo, “Injuries are no excuse, the standard of expectation does not change.”

• Give Kyle Orton credit for his early field goal drive where he and Eddie Royal made life miserable for William Gay.

Then credit the Steelers for the rest of the evening.

Back up safety Tyrone Carter, the unit's supposed weak link, struck first with his pick six, giving him more points in the first half than both offenses combined. After that, it was all Steelers. The Broncos had no where to run, and Kyle Orton had no where to hide.

Brett Keisel registered one sack in all of 2008. Last week he got his first of 2009. As if to put an exclamation point on the “injuries are no excuse” mantra, Keisel sacked Kyle Orton, twice last night. The Steelers defense had a great night, although they're not the story.

Nonetheless, the Broncos had to feel good going into the half at 7-3, as Ben Roethlisberger had thrown for all of 54 yards, and Rashard Mendenhall had been held to 25.

Things, however, were about to change.

Ben Bounces Back

Ben Roethlisberger was all business to start the second half, marching straight down to Denver’s 33.

Then Denver’s defense made its last stab at destiny for the evening, and they made a good one, as a Bronco defender sack-stripped Big Ben and returned the ball 46 yards for a touchdown.

Advice to future defensive coordinators:

• Do not back Ben into a corner, because he answered burn you with a quick touchdown in response

He did just that last, scoring in just four plays covering 80 yards for a quick touchdown, in a drive that featured precision passes to both Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward.

But Ben and his receivers were not the only heroes on that drive, as Rashard Mendenhall ripped off a 24 yard run.

And therein lies the lesson for the Steelers offense to sustain over the next 8 games.

Ben Roethlisberger and his receivers have been justly recognized for their excellence this year, and just as Rashard Mendenhall has quickly turned a lot of heads with his 5 plus yards per carry average. (There is the matter of his obligatory late-game goal line fumbles, but that’s for another time.)

But something has been missing, until now.

Bruce Arians Finds Balance on Offense

Bruce Arians accomplished something special with his unit. The 180 degree 2nd half turn around was nice, but you expect that from defending Super Bowl Champions.

• It was the way Arians turned things around – by finding balance.

It has been a long, long time since the Steelers have been able to combine precision, vertical passing in the air, with persistent, punishing power rushing on the ground.

They did that in the second half against Denver last night. They did it against the NFL’s number one defense.

• And they made it look easy.

Repeating that feat over the next eight weeks won’t be easy. Finding balance never is.

But if they can consistently achieve that balance on offense, the Steelers will give themselves a serious shot at making 2009 just as special as 2008.

Thanks for visiting. If you havetime, check out Steel Curtain Rising's video highlights from the Broncos game.

Steelers Broncos Video Highlights

Check out these highlights from the Steelers 28-10 victory over the Denver Broncos.



Turthfully, if Steel Curtain Rising was cutting together the highlight reel, we'd include do it a little differently, but this does show you really sharp play from key players at key moments.

Check back later for a Steel Curtain Rising's full analysis.

Steelers Defeat Denver 28-10

The Steelers emerged with their first regular season victory in Denver since 1990 tonight. And while some parts of it were not pretty, it appears that the men and Black and Gold accomplished something important.

Folks, its 1:53 am in Buenos Aires, and yours truly has to (attempt to) leave the house an hour and a half early tomorrow because of an all-day Subway strike. Return tomorrow for Steel Curtain Rising's full analysis.

Tuesday the 10th - Alas between the subway strike and meeting friends visiting from Canada, got home very, very late, with no time to do the write up. So be it. (I did get to meet a guy from Prince Edward Island who, in fact, was a Pittsburgh Penguins fans. Not every day you get to meet a Penguins fan down in Buenos Aires, so I guess that counts for something.)