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Pass defense showing signs of life
Joe Starkey can be reached via e-mail or at 412-320-7810.
They're alive!
Maybe it's the recent infusion of youth that has invigorated this group. Or maybe it's the fact that those crummy Cleveland Browns were providing the opposition.
But it was the Browns, remember, who'd torched the Steelers for 637 yards passing and five touchdowns in the teams' previous two meetings.
This time, Bill Cowher and his defensive coordinator, Tim Lewis, were going to do everything in their power to shut down the airways.
They flooded the secondary with defensive backs and dared the Browns to run the ball, throw it short or force it long.
With the Browns' cooperation, the plan worked to near perfection - and how often could that be said in the past two seasons?
Cleveland quarterback Kelly Holcomb completed just 25 of 44 passes. His longest completion was 22 yards. He was intercepted twice, and the Steelers broke up nine passes, matching a season-high set in the opener against Baltimore.
In recent games against the Browns, the Steelers put eight men near the line of scrimmage and called upon on their defensive backs to play man-to-man.
But with Browns' tailback William Green out of action, the Steelers felt comfortable playing more cover-2 (safeties deep) and employing six defensive backs.
"You all can count, so if you're playing to cover up their receivers and you have two deep safeties, the gap is inside," Lewis said. "They're going to run the football. That's what people do against '2' coverage."
The Steelers controlled the run and pressured Holcomb, sometimes with three- and four-man rushes.
Most importantly, the secondary finally made some plays.
Brent Alexander's end-zone interception in the third quarter was the team's first interception since Oct. 12 against Denver.
If you're snoring at home, the Steelers had gone 194 passes between picks.
Second-year safety Chris Hope saw more snaps than he has all season - Lewis said it was because Mike Logan was hobbled - and didn't look a bit out of place. It kind of made you wonder where Hope has been.
Deshea Townsend continued to play well, with a game-best three pass break-ups, and rookie Ike Taylor continued to look as if he belongs.
Maybe the Steelers do have some cornerbacks who can cover people.
As a bonus, first-round draft pick Troy Polamalu was actually noticeable. Partly for committing three penalties, sure, but at least you could see flashes of potential.
On a third-and-one late in the game, Polamalu blitzed, ran over a blocker and smacked Holcomb to the ground just as he released the ball.
There was more. Logan, a free agent after the season, forced a fumble, and cornerback Chad Scott killed Cleveland's final drive with an interception. Scott's best position next season, incidentally, might be safety.
Next season is what the Steelers currently are playing for, whether anyone wants to admit it or not.
That's why fans should be encouraged to see those young defensive backs showing signs of life.
