Why not credit the Steelers defense?

[SVN]

Thats my only explanation for the game. You can say about picks and cassel fumbles but their defense is legit and they had a hand in it. People should just calm down. Sometimes the other team just plays better. it happens. We got pasted by the steelers defense once with brady too.
Sure we couldve played better but cassel isnt playing the jets or the fins this time on defense.They have had a very difficult and with all the injuries have still persevered.
somehow iam not that dissappointed in our performance because this was a possibility with their defense .
just my 2 cents.

 

[thechris]

I guess everyone (including me) is just used to seeing the Patriots beat the Steelers.

But major props to the Steelers. Their defense was as good as it gets.

 

[WhiskeyBreath]

Anyone who doesn't give credit to the Steelers D is a fool.

 

[dtbrks]

yes, the D really turned the game in the second half.
Those turnovers were huge.
so was the kickoff fumble.

 

[Ghost of Ben Dreith]

Not sure who is not giving the Steeler defense any credit, but you can't give them credit for all the drops by our receivers. Not sure what was going on there today.

Light was undressed today.....big time. Those sacks were too easy.

Give credit where credit is due, and cast blame where it belongs also. Don't chalk all this up to the Squealers defense....it just ain't so.

 

[ausbacker]

Anyone who doesn't give credit to the Steelers D is a fool.

Agreed. We can take alot away from the composition of that Steelers D and the endless cycle of LB's they produce, year in year out.

 

[LloydBraun]

I'll once again give them credit. BUT, they had better play the same next week against Dallas. I want to see Harrison and Woodley all over Romo. I want Polamalu to light up Owens.

If you are a betting person, put the $$$ on Pitt next week. Dallas will crumble when faced with a tough team like this.

 

[dtbrks]

Not sure who is not giving the Steeler defense any credit, but you can't give them credit for all the drops by our receivers. Not sure what was going on there today.

Light was undressed today.....big time. Those sacks were too easy.

Give credit where credit is due, and cast blame where it belongs also. Don't chalk all this up to the Squealers defense....it just ain't so.

first half, maybe. the pats should have been up at least 7 points

But second half, they dominated the pats offense and forced turnovers, something our D can't do anymore

 

[Rob0729]

I give major props to the Steelers' defense, but it doesn't excuse how the offense was poorly coached and executed in the second half of this game. The Steelers' defense stepped up big time in the second half, but the Patriots did nothing but help them out.

 

[PatOnTheArse]

It was our inability to catch tonight rather than their ability to defend. We lost momentum on 3/4 drives when our recievers dropped easy catches in great positions.

They have good stats in the second half but that is due to that silly kick return fumble which caused our whole team to panick.

It wasn't like the Steelers were the 07 Patriots - where teams would just have to admit they were beaten by the better side. We threw away any chance of winning today.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Maybee its just a case we are not that good this yr.. I know its tough to take, but this game despite the to we could have one.. But the Matt Cassel going to the hof needs to stop.. This is a game that missed Brady ,but it missed AD , Ty Warren and others.. Matt Slater did not help matters either.. The Steelers are not the better team, we made them the better team.. The only great team.. The Giants right now.

 

[mesoslo]

Both QB had similar stats, the steelers running game was just a little bit better, so I guess both defense played well, those drop passes and the turn overs hurt bad.

 

[dtbrks]

Maybee its just a case we are not that good this yr.. I know its tough to take, but this game despite the to we could have one.. But the Matt Cassel going to the hof needs to stop.. This is a game that missed Brady ,but it missed AD , Ty Warren and others.. Matt Slater did not help matters either.. The Steelers are not the better team, we made them the better team.. The only great team.. The Giants right now.

exactly.. missing warren today was difficult to overcome. The steelers ran right at mike wright.

lots of injuries along with a mediocre secondary have hampered the D

 

[Jackson 2]

The Steelers, at least for today, were a better team and not by a small margin. The missed opportunities in the first half could have made this a very different game, but it didn't happen. And for that, the responsibility lies with our team. The Pitt defense was extremely good, particularly in situations where they could gamble (a characteristic of all quality defenses). With all that said, our defensive backs, as a group, are clearly the worst in the BB era, in my opinion. The only chance we have on pass defense is to create significant pressure up front, and we're not doing that very often and certainly not consistently. I think we still have a decent chance to win the division, but I believe the prognosis for our long-term playoff success is poor, barring a sweeping metamorphosis defensively. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Canada's #1 Pats Fan]

Really, is Deltha O'Neal better than Fernando Bryant?

Steelers were better team tonight. 4 or 5 turnovers in one half will do that to any team. There isn't one team out there right now that would have won that game tonight given the circumstances that the Pats handed the Steelers in the 2nd half.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

Thats my only explanation for the game. You can say about picks and cassel fumbles but their defense is legit and they had a hand in it. People should just calm down. Sometimes the other team just plays better. it happens. We got pasted by the steelers defense once with brady too.
Sure we couldve played better but cassel isnt playing the jets or the fins this time on defense.They have had a very difficult and with all the injuries have still persevered.
somehow iam not that dissappointed in our performance because this was a possibility with their defense .
just my 2 cents.

I was at church and recorded the game, I was surprised at the final score when I got home and have been sitting here with the DVR trying to diagnose the problems:
- The Steelers' defense was not dictating the game until after they had a 13 point lead. I give them credit for being a good D, but the Pats did it to themselves again.
- Special Teams for NE played poorly with penalties and Slater's turnover, not to mention giving up a couple nice returns when the contain men (Slater and Wilhite) came in missing the tackle and leaving their lanes open.
- The first Harrison strip sack came after Sammy Morris released into his pattern without chipping on one of the most potent pass rushers in the NFL. If he had chipped Harrison - who had Light beat at the snap - there was no strip sack.
- The second Harrison strip sack came after the Steelers had unleashed their pass rush with the 13 point lead.
- NE left points on the field allowing Pittsburgh to stay in the game. Case in point: Pitt was able to line up with passing formations forcing NE into their nickel package to set up runs by Moore while in the nickel. With a NE lead Pitt would have been unable to run like that, putting the game on Toothlessburger's shoulders to make plays consistently - not his strength.
- Dinged up players affected the game: Slater was back to receive the kick because Hobbs has been playing hurt and had been out on the previous series for some plays with Richardson covering for him. Welker was contained early, but was then knocked out of the game by an illegal hit. Koppen is playing hurt and gave up a sack, to Casey Hampton of all people.
- For all that Cassel had a couple off throws, his receivers did more damage with drops.

Watching this game, I can't tip my hat to the Steeler D as the reason NE lost. Pittsburgh took advantage of NE mistakes and minimized their own, they won by playing smarter - very frustrating when it's your team on the wrong side.

Some other observations:
- Mike Wright was adequate in for Ty Warren, he was driven off the ball on a couple plays, he also held up well on a few more and was pretty decent subbing for Wilfork. What hurt most on runs to that side was Mike Vrabel being ineffective against TE Heath Miller - I'm not in the Vrabes is washed up camp, but he was struggling with Miller.
- Pierre Woods looked very good against the run, but they took him out for the Nickel package so he saw limited time up until he was injured when he planted his face in Heath Miller's shoulder pads.
- Gary Guyton playing OLB in place of Woods looked pretty decent and he played the run well in the Nickel package.
- Delta O'Neal will not be back next season, I believe he was meant to be a stop-gap until Wheatley was ready and I expect NE to shop for another veteran CB in Free Agency.
- Mayo didn't seem to cover as much ground as I've seen from him in the past, he had some good plays.
- I thought James Sanders had a strong game.
- I thought Cassel was solid again. The lousy weather may have affected a couple throws, but he wasn't really bothered by it - whether his receivers were is another thing.
- I hated the rollout call in the red zone that had Cassel throwing back across his body to Moss in the middle of the field. It almost resulted in an interception, keep him in the pocket and let him improvise if he has to scramble, but don't send him outside with inside routes.
- NE was running the ball well against that #1 run D, if they could have gotten a lead and ground the clock a little more...

 

[HEY BRO! WHAT UP?]

The Steelers defense was getting shredded in the first half. Had Moss not dropped that ball mid field after a Cassel scramble and a drop in the endzone could have had the Pats up by 10-14 at halftime. Don't forget that missed field goal. Slater fumbling the ball and handing Pittsburgh an easy TD drive killed what the Pats wanted to do on offense.

 

[tanked_as_usual]

Thats my only explanation for the game. You can say about picks and cassel fumbles but their defense is legit and they had a hand in it. People should just calm down. Sometimes the other team just plays better. it happens. We got pasted by the steelers defense once with brady too.
Sure we couldve played better but cassel isnt playing the jets or the fins this time on defense.They have had a very difficult and with all the injuries have still persevered.
somehow iam not that dissappointed in our performance because this was a possibility with their defense .
just my 2 cents.

maybe in the 2nd half, but the pats racked up some yards in the first half just failed to convert........even the 2nd half, the pats set up the opportunity to pile it on

 

[ClosingTime]

Watching this game, I can't tip my hat to the Steeler D as the reason NE lost. Pittsburgh took advantage of NE mistakes and minimized their own, they won by playing smarter - very frustrating when it's your team on the wrong side.

Really? Three forced turnovers in the 2nd half and completely stopping the Pats from moving the ball?
I guess Vrabel gets not credit for his int as well.

 

[jeffbiologist]

exactly.. missing warren today was difficult to overcome. The steelers ran right at mike wright.

lots of injuries along with a mediocre secondary have hampered the D

I was at the game and from WAY above, you could see that they were running RIGHT AT MAYO even when he changed sides(Wright didnt change sides). Mayo makes alot of tackles but alot of them are the result of the other team going right at him.