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Corner market
Saw the field?
The Steelers' quintet of corners was all over Paul Brown Stadium. Willie Williams started, and Bryant McFadden finished. Chidi Iwuoma inflicted his usual devastation on special teams, and Ike Taylor followed Chad Johnson everywhere but to the men's room. And Deshea Townsend did what he could when he could.
It was all in a day's work for a crew of cornerbacks that wears black and gold game jerseys with blue collars.
"Like we like to say, we're in the union," Townsend explained. "We're a union back there in the secondary. When somebody goes down, somebody has to step up and come in and play well."
Taylor stepped up and matched up with Johnson, an out-of-character philosophical shift enacted by the Steelers because Townsend was hobbled (shoulder) and limited to five- and six-defensive backs packages, and cornerback Ricardo Colclough was unavailable (shoulder).
McFadden, this year's second-round pick, spent much of his second NFL game relieving Williams, who started for the 150th time in a regular-season game despite a bothersome groin.
And the NFL's No. 2 offense scored just one meaningless touchdown, thanks in no small part to the effort of the Steelers' cornerbacks.
"It's a good group," Steelers head coach Bill Cowher assessed. "We kept all those corners, and they all have had a role. As I said in the preseason, we liked them all."
That won't change heading into Monday night's home game against the Baltimore Ravens, but the roles might.
"How it unfolds is due to health," Cowher maintained.
Two of the Steelers' six cornerbacks (Colclough and Townsend) showed up on the injury report again in advance of the game against the Ravens.
The good news for the Steelers is they've seemingly had the right mix of experience and athleticism at their disposal at the cornerback position no matter who has been available and who hasn't from week-to-week.
That's been especially advantageous for Taylor, McFadden and Colclough, all of whom have been drafted in the past three years and constitute the Steelers' next wave at the position.
"When you have a Willie and a Deshea in front of them, those are two quality veterans that are showing them how to practice and study film, and all the little things that it takes to become a better player," Cowher said.
"Those are three young guys that are trying to establish themselves. Ike has had to work to get to this point. Ricardo is getting better, but he still likes to look in the backfield like he did in college, but he's working his tail off. Bryant McFadden is doing some good things. They all have special skills. You have to continue to give them feedback."
The expertise that's being passed along isn't exclusive to the cornerback position.
McFadden, for example, was being advised by anyone and everyone in the secondary, particularly when he found himself inactive for the Steelers' first four games.
"We told him at the beginning of the year, when you get your shot, you have to step up to the plate," safety Mike Logan said. "He's been up to the challenge so far."
McFadden's performance in Cincinnati was more under-the-radar than Taylor's, but holding up opposite the Taylor-Johnson confrontation helped to make Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer's afternoon a long one all the same.
When McFadden will get a chance to contribute again in such a fashion remains to be seen.
Cowher's advice: Stay ready for anything at any time.
"Sometimes you get an opportunity, and you get out there and make the most of it," Cowher said. "You may never look back.
"We'll see where we are with these guys (health-wise), and we'll go in there with a mix and keep them all involved. It might be in the kicking game. It might be third down, or first and second down. But we're going to keep them all involved."
