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Steelers defense seeing red
Kansas City running back Priest Holmes leaps over James Farrior
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review
Jerry DiPaola is the Tribune-Review high school sports editor. He can be reached via e-mail.
To be fair, however, there have been only two scoring drives that weren't helped significantly by Steelers penalties, special-teams mistakes or turnovers. A kickoff and an interception also went the distance.
Coach Bill Cowher wasn't especially thrilled Tuesday at his weekly news conference, but he did offer hope.
"I look at (the 41-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs), and I thought it was a pretty good (defensive) effort," he said.
Maybe that's overly optimistic, but take away the three returns that became 20 immediate points -- mistakes that can't be blamed on the defense -- the Steelers might have made the second half worth watching.
There has been improvement in the pass defense this season, with opponents totaling only 267 yards in two games. Last year, that number was surpassed in one game eight times. In fact, the first two opponents of 2002 passed for 649 yards against the Steelers.
With three interceptions this season, the Steelers are on a pace to reach 24, a figure they haven't matched since 1993, but that's enough of the happy talk.
There has been a serious regression in red-zone defense, and Cowher will make that a point of emphasis in his preparations for the game Sunday in Cincinnati. Opponents have reached the Pittsburgh 20-yard line five times and followed it up with a touchdown on every occasion. Only the Houston Texans, New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers have been so perfectly imperfect.
"People do move the ball," Cowher said, "but you have to hold them to field goals. If we do that a couple times, I think it would be a better indication of how we played. If we can hold them to field goals ... a lot of the top defenses do that."
The problem has been the lack of big plays at critical moments.
"It seems that we just can't make a play down there on third down," Cowher said.
Cowher vaguely referred to subtle changes that may occur this week in the red-zone defense.
Simplifying things might help, he said.
"We are looking at it as a staff to make sure that we do a good job of getting our guys more aware," he said, "and maybe to try to not do too much, maybe limiting what we do and do it well."
The Steelers' defense has been traditionally difficult to learn. Even a highly coveted athlete such as No. 1 pick Troy Polamalu has been slow to adjust and has yet to make an impact on the defense.
Playing defense in the red zone offers little margin for error.
"What changes is, obviously, the field that people have to work with," Cowher said. "There are voids that you have to be tighter on. The coverage cannot be the coverage that is out in the field. Three or four yards (of cushion) out in the field may be acceptable, but down there it is not."
