Ward passing blame around entire offense

By Neal Coolong  |   Tuesday, September 23, 2008  |  Comments( 3 )

Pittsburgh Steelers
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Steelers veteran receiver and offensive captain Hines Ward blamed the whole offense for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's Bloody Sunday in Philadelphia.

After the Eagles' defense sacked him for the eighth time, Roethlisberger left the game with a hand injury, begrudgingly announcing "no mas" to a 'D' that was draped all over him during a 15-6 loss for the Steelers. Ward told the Post-Gazette everyone had a hand in the lack of pass protection that led to a 2-1 record for Pittsburgh.

"Yes, it starts with protection," Ward said. "But we had guys breaking (on hot routes), we missed some hots and sometimes that saves some hits of your quarterback."

Commentary: Whoever was at fault, it was ugly. The eight sacks Roethlisberger took - and the one backup Byron Leftwich endured when he came in late in the fourth quarter - didn't even describe the chaos the Eagles caused up front. Pittsburgh passers were hurried 17 times, and after a strong 2-0 start, the offense finds itself in a rut. The unit has only managed 16 points in two games, partially caused by gale-force winds in Cleveland and the ferocity of Philly's defense.

The Steelers can expect the rest of their opponents to come after Roethlisberger through land, air and sea for the rest of the year. And it starts with the nasty defense of AFC North rival Baltimore next Monday night.

Fan Pulse: In what's becoming a yearly tradition, the Week 3 loss at Philadelphia and the offense's lack of ability to protect the passer has generated a "Fire Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians" thread on Steelers Fever.

Fantasy Football Impact: The statistical absence of wide receiver Santonio Holmes has disappointed fantasy owners, but in two games against the Ravens last year, Holmes had eight catches for 208 yards and three touchdowns.

Injury Watch: Roethlisberger has suffered a few injuries thus far this season. Most recently, he said his hand was stepped on against Philadelphia. It's undetermined if that will affect his playing time in Week 4. Roethlisberger aside, the Steelers will be without Pro Bowl running back Willie Parker (sprained knee) and nose tackle Casey Hampton (groin) against the Ravens.
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About Neal Coolong

Neal Coolong is a freelance sports writer with contributions to Scout.com, AOL and Steelers Live. He lives with his fiance in St. Paul, Minn., and saves every dime (that she knows about) for their wedding next June. He's already made the prediction that the Steelers 2007 draft class will be one...
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