BlitzburghRockCity
11-11-2006, 06:31 AM
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06315/737502-66.stm
Saturday, November 11, 2006
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When they went after Ike Taylor, members of the secondary came to his defense. When missiles were directed at their fellow cornerback, they floated to his side and offered help. When he was isolated and unable to defend what was happening, they came to his rescue and batted away the criticism.
Too bad the Steelers' defense doesn't work that way.
It remains to be seen what, if anything, coach Bill Cowher will do tomorrow when the Steelers (2-6) try to stop a three-game losing streak against the New Orleans Saints (6-2) at Heinz Field.
It remains to be seen if he will carry through on his stated threat to make changes in the starting lineup after another embarrassing performance by the defending Super Bowl champion. In particular, it remains to be seen if Taylor, generally considered the team's best cornerback, will take his usual position against the Saints, a development that appears to change by the day. Or, if he will be replaced by Bryant McFadden at left cornerback.
If so, he will be the only starter to lose his job after the Steelers' 31-20 loss to the Denver Broncos, a demotion that apparently was necessitated by Taylor's performance against wide receiver Javon Walker in which he allowed two touchdown catches and gains of 38 and 61 yards.
It is a demotion his teammates don't think he deserves.
"You play 16 games, you're not going to be perfect every game," safety Ryan Clark said. "It was a tough day for all of us. He wasn't the only guy who didn't play as well as they should have. I myself didn't play as well as I should have or have been this season. A lot of us could have contributed to helping him out in that situation. There's no way he should be taking all the blame and having all this media attention.
"The guy plays well every week and has a couple bad plays. Those guys get paid well, too."
Even soft-spoken safety Troy Polamalu said, "It is unfair. We have to believe in everything coach does for a reason. It's not one man. It's the group."
Taylor said early in the week he was told he had lost his job and that he would have to "fight through it" to get it back. A day later, Cowher said not to read "too many things" into what might be happening on the practice field and that no decision has been made on whether Taylor or McFadden would start against the Saints.
It's good to see the team sticking together and rallying around one another. Ike needs to play through this, but I do think deshea should sit and McFadden should get the nod in his place.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When they went after Ike Taylor, members of the secondary came to his defense. When missiles were directed at their fellow cornerback, they floated to his side and offered help. When he was isolated and unable to defend what was happening, they came to his rescue and batted away the criticism.
Too bad the Steelers' defense doesn't work that way.
It remains to be seen what, if anything, coach Bill Cowher will do tomorrow when the Steelers (2-6) try to stop a three-game losing streak against the New Orleans Saints (6-2) at Heinz Field.
It remains to be seen if he will carry through on his stated threat to make changes in the starting lineup after another embarrassing performance by the defending Super Bowl champion. In particular, it remains to be seen if Taylor, generally considered the team's best cornerback, will take his usual position against the Saints, a development that appears to change by the day. Or, if he will be replaced by Bryant McFadden at left cornerback.
If so, he will be the only starter to lose his job after the Steelers' 31-20 loss to the Denver Broncos, a demotion that apparently was necessitated by Taylor's performance against wide receiver Javon Walker in which he allowed two touchdown catches and gains of 38 and 61 yards.
It is a demotion his teammates don't think he deserves.
"You play 16 games, you're not going to be perfect every game," safety Ryan Clark said. "It was a tough day for all of us. He wasn't the only guy who didn't play as well as they should have. I myself didn't play as well as I should have or have been this season. A lot of us could have contributed to helping him out in that situation. There's no way he should be taking all the blame and having all this media attention.
"The guy plays well every week and has a couple bad plays. Those guys get paid well, too."
Even soft-spoken safety Troy Polamalu said, "It is unfair. We have to believe in everything coach does for a reason. It's not one man. It's the group."
Taylor said early in the week he was told he had lost his job and that he would have to "fight through it" to get it back. A day later, Cowher said not to read "too many things" into what might be happening on the practice field and that no decision has been made on whether Taylor or McFadden would start against the Saints.
It's good to see the team sticking together and rallying around one another. Ike needs to play through this, but I do think deshea should sit and McFadden should get the nod in his place.