COURIER STEELERS CENTRAL
Same approach must continue against Jaguars, Oct. 8
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore. While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. ‘Tis some visitor,’ I muttered, ‘tapping at my chamber door; only this, and nothing more.’” (Excerpt from “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe)
BALTIMORE—In the not so distant past, the Pittsburgh Steelers would journey to M&T Bank Stadium to face the Baltimore Ravens and more often than not the “bird catchers” from the Steel City were transformed from bird catchers into bird watchers, helplessly watching as the net that Pittsburgh set for their feathered adversary, more often than not became a method of self-entrapment for…themselves.
The city of Baltimore and their football team seemed gleeful, reminding everyone that would read or listen that the Ravens had defeated the Steelers 8 out of the last 10 games before the 26-9 thrashing that the Steelers administered to the “birds from Chesapeake Bay” on October 1.
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore.”
Trying to scare children with ghost stories generally only works during their preschool and pre-K years. It is difficult to give young men of today’s football industry pause by relying on the exploits of the past, especially when millions of dollars are at stake. Remember all of the hogwash? Eh, Ravens head master John Harbaugh is a better coach than the Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin. Harbaugh was hailed by many as the “Belichick” of the AFC North. The Steelers were not disciplined enough to stay the course. The game plan of Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley was just too predictable for the defensively talent-laden Ravens squad. When all of the great success was experienced by the Ravens, one thing was painfully obvious; Baltimore had the “horses.” They had teams that featured players with names like: Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, Michael, Oher, Ray Rice, Anquan Bolden, Ed Reed, Todd Heap and Jacoby Jones. I could go on…
However, If I were the Ravens, I might be more concerned with these next few tidbits that I am about to offer up as opposed to the past nastiness of Ray Lewis and the former flashiness of former Ravens standout safety Ed Reed. According to the Steelers postgame notes, the Steelers yielded nine points to the Ravens, the ninth time in regular-season series history they held Baltimore to nine points or less. The Steelers also held Baltimore scoreless in the first half for the third time in regular-season series history.
My father once said, “You can have the greatest trainers and the greatest jockey in the world but if you enter a mule in the Kentucky Derby to compete you’ll never stand in the winner’s circle at Churchill Downs.”
There have been many years that the Steelers were not outcoached or outplayed, they were simply outmanned. There were many theories in regards to the failures of the Black and Gold but last Sunday the B-More Ravens brought a bunch of docile homing pigeons to a cockfight and you can guess the outcome of that competition. The Steelers must remember that the tapping that they hear on their window is not the Ravens trying to get in the house; The “dirty birds” are trying to get out.
There is no time to relax for Pittsburgh because, this Sunday, Oct. 8 at Heinz Field, the Steelers are set to face the “Sacksonville Jaguars,” the name that some of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense have given themselves. The Jaguars are tied with the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans for the jumbled lead of the AFC South division.
Beware of the Jags. Presently the Jaguars’ starting QB, Blake Bortles, is the best signal caller that the Pittsburgh defense has faced to date. Let’s hope that this is not another trap game for Antonio “I need the ball” Brown. Remember “Da Bears” game? Brown lead the Steelers in catches and receiving yards but Pittsburgh lost.
Remember, Antonio; team first…me second.
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