BlitzburghRockCity
10-30-2006, 12:20 AM
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06303/734137-66.stm
Monday, October 30, 2006
By Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
OAKLAND, Calif. -- This intensely anticipated season of sweet promise -- the defense of the Super Bowl, the start of another dynasty -- is all but over.
On a near-perfect October afternoon, the Steelers, who in the first six games had shown themselves to be incapable of defeating a championship-caliber team, lost to not just a bad team but to one of the worst in the National Football League, too.
If you can't beat the Oakland Raiders, whom can you beat?
But even the Raiders -- winners of only four games last season and, until yesterday, one game this season -- were too much for the Steelers. The team that couldn't beat NFL weaklings like the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers humbled the Steelers.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who had been superb in his two previous starts, threw four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, and the Steelers fell to 2-5 with a 20-13 loss at McAfee Coliseum.
Super Bowl talk is no longer on the table. The playoffs remain a mathematical possibility, nothing more.
"Every game is a must win," said guard Alan Faneca, speaking the language of hope more than experience . "All that matters is the game that's next. It doesn't matter five or six games from now. All that matters is next week."
The Steelers are three games behind the Baltimore Ravens and two behind the Cincinnati Bengals. Perhaps the most ignominious aspect of their plight is that they are tied for last place in the AFC North Division with the hapless Browns. Not only does it not get easier for the Steelers, it becomes considerably more difficult. Their next two opponents are the Denver Broncos and the New Orleans Saints, both 5-2.
To a man the Steelers cited turnovers as their undoing, not only yesterday but all season, and there is much truth to that theory. But despite the turnovers, victory was within their reach yesterday. That they could not take advantage of their situation was the most disheartening aspect of the day and speaks greatly to what kind of team they really are.
Monday, October 30, 2006
By Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
OAKLAND, Calif. -- This intensely anticipated season of sweet promise -- the defense of the Super Bowl, the start of another dynasty -- is all but over.
On a near-perfect October afternoon, the Steelers, who in the first six games had shown themselves to be incapable of defeating a championship-caliber team, lost to not just a bad team but to one of the worst in the National Football League, too.
If you can't beat the Oakland Raiders, whom can you beat?
But even the Raiders -- winners of only four games last season and, until yesterday, one game this season -- were too much for the Steelers. The team that couldn't beat NFL weaklings like the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers humbled the Steelers.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who had been superb in his two previous starts, threw four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, and the Steelers fell to 2-5 with a 20-13 loss at McAfee Coliseum.
Super Bowl talk is no longer on the table. The playoffs remain a mathematical possibility, nothing more.
"Every game is a must win," said guard Alan Faneca, speaking the language of hope more than experience . "All that matters is the game that's next. It doesn't matter five or six games from now. All that matters is next week."
The Steelers are three games behind the Baltimore Ravens and two behind the Cincinnati Bengals. Perhaps the most ignominious aspect of their plight is that they are tied for last place in the AFC North Division with the hapless Browns. Not only does it not get easier for the Steelers, it becomes considerably more difficult. Their next two opponents are the Denver Broncos and the New Orleans Saints, both 5-2.
To a man the Steelers cited turnovers as their undoing, not only yesterday but all season, and there is much truth to that theory. But despite the turnovers, victory was within their reach yesterday. That they could not take advantage of their situation was the most disheartening aspect of the day and speaks greatly to what kind of team they really are.