Against the Titans - September 10, 2009

In the weeks leading up to this opener, there was a lot of general ESPN hype directed towards the fact that the Steelers have 20 out of 22 starters returning this year to the field. Yes, we have our star players returning and yes, game plans shouldn't largely deviate. However, I believed this also means that our old 2008 Achilles' heels will also return in 2009. And this proved so in a frustrating overtime win (I'm sorry, it's never a truly satisfying win when it's all based on winning a coin toss and quickly bumping in a short FG - I hate NFL overtime rules, but thank you, Jeff Skippy Reed). To quote Phil Connors from that cinematic fluff-piece Groundhog Day: "I'm reliving the same day over and over." Hmmm, Willie Parker held to 19 yards (yes, nineTEEN) and continuously stuffed in the backfield with inconsistent blocking from the offensive line: sound familiar? I was deeply concerned about the fact that we were continuously turning to passing plays when faced with 3rd and 2's, 3rd and 1's? Really?? Still haven't replaced Jerome's thighs I'm afraid, Mr. Mendenhall and Mr. Moore. Hats off to the performance of the special teams: Logan delivered as anticipated and Sepulvida has thankfully returned from the injury list with thundering punts. Ben Roe, Ward, Miller and Holmes once again engineered a slick 4th quarter drive, but how often can we miss scoring opportunities and leave it to the final two minutes? Not with higher-powered offenses we can't. Troy had a wonderful game but I'm hesistant to pass judgement on how his injury will reverberate within the D in the weeks ahead; I tend to trust LeBeau's adjustments so I'm hoping holes can be plugged and others like Farrior and Harrison will answer the call.