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Fighters Make Fights, Just Not Necessarily Close Fights

Tom Brady is uniquely equipped to exploit the theoretical weaknesses in the Pittsburgh Steeler defense constructed by Dick LeBeau. Long story short, that defense rests on blitzing as a way of life, and no quarterback, not even Peyton Manning, who gets more pub for it, is better at punishing the blitz than Brady. The way Brady invariably turns into the skid and finds the receiver in the area vacated by a blitzer is pure beauty for the football-inclined.

When the Steelers' defensive line through injury or what have you is unable to contribute the slightest push on pass plays, as they weren't, the result is points, a lot of points, for the Pats.

That's half the explanation for why New England won last night in Pittsburgh, and why Brady-quarterbacked teams have essentially owned the Steelers for a decade. The other half of the explanation is more mysterious. Bill Belichick or SOMEBODY on the New England coaching staff has the power to cloud the minds of the Steeler offense, particularly whoever's calling the plays.

Since approximately the founding of the franchise in 1933, the Steelers have had a most predictable formula. If they run the ball to some effect, they usually win. If not, well, then not. The Pats have been able to stop Pittsburgh's running more often than not, but last night, they went one better. They got the Steelers to forget to trying to run altogether.

I'm not talking about when Pittsburgh fell far behind and had to throw. How about its first possession. First down, Steelers run for three yards. Second down, Ben Roethlisberger goes into the shotgun. Ditto third down. Two incompletions, and the Steelers' evening got off a perfect start on the Doom Bobsled Track.

How could any NFL offense fail to run 60 percent of the time against a defense who let the Browns run for 230 yards the week before? Didn't the Steelers watch film. Why'd they act as if they were 10 points down before the Pats got the ball?

Who knows? One doesn't often see a sport team with the Steelers' record of success possessed of such an inferiority complex about a rival team. But you didn't need to be either Jung, Freud or Amos Alonzo Stagg to see that the complex was in full hideous swing last night. Until we see evidence otherwise, what one might expect to be a rivalry will continue as a mismatch.

posted by Michael Gee @ 4:43 PM