Innholdsfortegnelse for October 13, 2018 i Steelers Digest

There is no wrong answer. If the object is both to pinpoint why the Steelers haven’t played winning football through the first quarter of the 2018 regular season and to assign culpability for their spot alongside the Cleveland Browns in the basement of the AFC North Division, anything and anyone is fair game. That’s certainly the case following the Sunday night stinkeroo against the Baltimore Ravens, officially a 26-14 defeat that never felt as close as the score indicated. The Steelers started slow and finished with a whimper, and in between they were outplayed in some ways that could be supported by statistical evidence and in some others where the visual spoke louder than any collection of numbers could. Football is a team sport, and that was a team loss,…

Associate Editor Last year’s Week 4 had the Steelers at Baltimore, where they put the crowd to sleep with a 35-25 edge in time of possession, 26 points, and walked away with a critical division win on the road. The Ravens reversed that storyline this season at Heinz Field with the same edge in possession to win this critical division game on the road, 26-14, to drop the Steelers to 1-2-1. The Steelers started slow, rallied to tie the game at 14-14, but couldn’t muster any offense in the second half and lost handily. Ben Roethlisberger took the blame. “I just didn’t make enough plays, point blank,” said Roethlisberger. “I’ll take ownership of that game, squarely on me. I apologize to the fans, my teammates. I just wasn’t good enough.”…

WHAT WENT RIGHT, WHAT WENT WRONG 8:18 p.m. – What Went Wrong: It wasn’t a fast start by the Steelers offense. After Jordan Dangerfield was flagged for holding on the opening kickoff, the Steelers started at their own 10-yard line. A three-and-out later, Jordan Berry’s 43-yard punt was downed at the Buccaneers 41-yard line. 8:22 p.m. – What Went Right: The Steelers defense also authored a three-and-out on Tampa Bay’s first series, with the big play being Joe Haden’s breakup of a pass intended for Chris Godwin on third down. The Steelers offense began its second series on its own 23-yard line. 8:27 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Steelers managed a couple of first downs on their second possession — on a 10-yard pass to James Conner and then…

3 Seasons since the Steelers had last had a pick-six before linebacker Bud Dupree picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick. William Gay did it against the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 13, 2015. 18 First downs for the Steelers via passing or penalty before they got their initial first down on a rushing play, a 27-yard gain by James Conner in the fourth quarter. 13 Quarterbacks who have passed for 400 yards or more against the Steelers, after Ryan Fitzpatrick finished with 411 passing yards. He joined tom Brady (432), Doug Williams (430), Charley Johnson (428), Norm Snead (424), Matthew Stafford (423), Carson Palmer (421), Steve Bartkowski (416), Bernie Kosar (414), Jon Kitna (411), Boomer Esiason (409), Rich Gannon (403) and Andrew Luck (400). 0 Times in his career before this season that…

There weren’t many highlights for the Steelers during the 26-14 loss against the Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field, but the emergence of tight end Vance McDonald just might be one of the few. After missing a large chunk of training camp and then the preseason because of a foot injury, he has been healthy for most of the regular season and is emerging as a weapon in the passing game as well as being a physical presence on the field. In the last two games, McDonald has nine catches for 174 yards (19.3 average), with five of those catches for 62 of those yards coming against the Ravens. McDonald is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.…

Associate Editor If you don’t believe one play can turn around a game, which in turn could turn around a season, you didn’t watch the Steelers’ sideline behind Vance McDonald’s stiff-arm of Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Chris Conte. To reset, the winless Steelers trailed the undefeated Bucs, 7-0, with six minutes left in the first quarter when on a third-and-10 play Ben Roethlisberger took a snap at his own 25. Here’s what he saw: “I know when they went in cross motion, I saw Vance was going to be open. I knew what route he was running and I was kind of saying, ‘Hurry, Vance, turn your head, turn your head.’ Got him the ball, and then it kind of got jumbled in front of me with the line and…

From the notebook of a sportswriter who longs for the days when he needed half a bottle of aspirin after a Ravens-Steelers game just because it hurt watching them hurt each other: • Not to denigrate those who played hard, hit hard and hurt hard Sunday night, but the game just isn’t what it once was. • The Steelers aren’t getting better. It’s still the quarter pole, and there’s hope for that kind of coachly improvement, but as David DeCastro said of this game, “It was just kind of blah.” • It was so 8-8. Maybe even 7-9. My first mentor in this business, Vic Ketchman, once explained how those are the worst teams to cover. “When you really stink, there’s always something to write about,” he said. “And there’s…

Assistant Editor They are Steelers legends. Their impact on the team, the organization is well known. They are a key part of the Steelers rich history. And now they are a part of the Steelers Hall of Honor after becoming Sept. 28 the second class to be enshrined. The individuals who are part of this unique fraternity this year include, in alphabetical order, Rocky Bleier, Buddy Dial, Alan Faneca, Bill Nunn and Art Rooney Jr. “It’s something very special,” said Bleier, a 16th-round draft pick who played 12 seasons for the Steelers, including being a member of four Super Bowl teams. “To be compared to all the great players who played for the organization, and have your name attached to theirs, is a great honor. In this game, everybody does…

WHAT WENT RIGHT, WHAT WENT WRONG 8:29 p.m. – What Went Wrong: The Ravens took the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards in eight plays, with the touchdown coming on a 33-yard pass from Joe Flacco to John Brown. Flacco completed all four of his passes on the drive, and the Ravens converted a third-and-3 with a 12-yard pass to Michael Crabtree and a third-and-2 with a 4-yard run by Javorius Allen. The Ravens had a 7-0 lead with 10:45 remaining in the first quarter. 8:35 p.m. – What Went Wrong: Two plays into the Steelers’ first offensive possession, the Ravens defense recorded their first takeaway, when on a third-and-4, Ben Roethlisberger passed to Vance McDonald in the flat, and Tony Jefferson stole the ball for an interception that gave…

Looking for their first win of the season, the Steelers figured to need a big night from their offense, which automatically means they were going to need a big night from their quarterback. And Ben Roethlisberger delivered. He completed 30 of 38 for 353 yards, with three touchdowns, one interception, and a rating of 120.7. Roethlisberger also ran one quarterback sneak for 2 yards and another first down. Roethlisberger is the Steelers Digest Player of the Week.…

Associate Editor Zach Banner comes off like a hurricane, and not just because he’s 6 feet 8, 350-some pounds. He’s also informed, charismatic, gregarious, young and he might just talk all day if he finds his comfort zone. Kinda like Max Starks. “Do you know how many times I’ve heard that?” said Banner, the Steelers’ newest offensive lineman. “Not just from my teammates, fans too. They come up to me and it’s, ‘Oh, we thought you were Max.’” Banner sought out Marcus Gilbert and Maurkice Pouncey to learn more. They told him it’s a good thing. A few days later, Banner was in the weight room playing the tunes. “The guys were vibing,” Banner said. “They loved it.” And that’s why assistant strength coach Marcell Pastoor told Banner, “You are…

STEELERS COACHING STAFF Mike Tomlin ………………………………………………………………………………Head coachJohn Mitchell ………………………………………………..Ass’t head coach/Defensive lineKeith Butler………………………………………………………………..Defensive coordinatorRandy Fichtner …………………………………………Offensive coordinator/quarterbacksDanny Smith …………………………………………………………Special teams coordinatorJames Daniel ………………………………………………………………………………..Tight endsDarryl Drake …………………………………………………………………………..Wide receiversMike Munchak …………………………………………………………………………Offensive lineShaun Sarrett………………………………………………………………Assistant offensive lineJames Saxon…………………………………………………………………………..Running backsTom Bradley…………………………………………………………………………Defensive backsKarl Dunbar…………………………………………………………………………….Defensive lineJerry Olsavsky ……………………………………………………………………Inside linebackersJoey Porter ………………………………………………………………………………..Outside linebackersGarrett Giemont …………………………………………………………….Strength and conditioningDenzel Martin ………………………………………………………………………………Coaching assistantBlaine Stewart………………………………………………………………………………Coaching assistantMatt Symmes ………………………………………………………………………………Coaching assistant…