Monday, September 09, 2013

Still Not Good Enough

Jack Splat wouldn't stand for this.
To all those people who say the Steelers' defense didn't lose the game on Sunday, here are two points for your consideration:
  1. The defense may not have lost the game, but the defense didn't win the game, either. No takeaways. Again. Not enough of a pass rush. Again. Failure to get off the field on third down in crucial situations. Just like last year. Allowing a torturous 12-play scoring drive just before halftime -- a drive marked by 11 running plays. During that drive, for the most part, the Titans rammed the ball between the tackles and right up the heart of the Steelers' defense. That sort of thing cannot be allowed to continue.
  2. Consider the quality of the opposing quarterback (Jake Locker). The Steelers will see better quarterbacks, and better receivers, starting next Monday night in Cincinnati. Whether Andy Dalton is better than Jake Locker may be debatable, but there is no doubt that Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is much better than Kenny Britt, Nate Washington and Kendall Wright (who was not 100 percent vs. the Steelers in any case). Joe Flacco and Aaron Rodgers are also on the Steelers' schedule this year, and one thing's for sure: They're way, way better than Jake Locker. 
The defense has to do more.