How do you sew up a Steel Curtain that’s torn?

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, November 16, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Pittsburgh Steelers
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The way the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense has been playing is enough to make a grown man cry. And that's exactly what Aaron Smith did.

Smith and linebacker Joey Porter took the locker room stage before the Steelers' game with New Orleans last Sunday, exhorting their teammates to rise up from the ashes of a 2-6 start. Smith, an eight-year veteran DE, was in tears; Porter yelled a lot.

Willie Parker was impressed.

"For a grown man to get up in front of other grown men and start to cry," Parker said, "you've got to lay it out on the field."

Parker certainly did, rushing for 213 yards in 22 carries as the Steelers prevailed over New Orleans at Heinz Field, 38-31.

As for Porter, Parker recalled afterward, "He said things we normally wouldn't say."

No surprise there.

Yet even in the euphoria surrounding the victory, there was continued concern about the Steelers' poor defense. The Saints may have gone down, but they put up 517 yards and 31 points in the process, even converting 10 of 16 third-down chances.

The Steelers, defenseless? That would be like Mariah Carey unable to hit high notes, or Derek Jeter having to use a dating service. This team is as known for defense as its city used to be known for steel.

Nevertheless, the 2006 heirs to the Steel Curtain have surrendered 41, 20, 31 and 31 points in the last four games. And things will be dicey in Cleveland this week because DBs Troy Polamalu and Deshea Townsend both suffered concussions against the Saints.

For Polamalu, it was his sixth such injury in his football career, following two bell-ringers in high school and three in college. Ironically, he was injured on Sunday while tackling another celebrated Southern Cal alum, Reggie Bush.

Now, both DBs are questionable for the Browns game, further stretching a secondary so depleted that rookies Anthony Smith and Anthony Madison saw serious playing time against the Saints. Head coach Bill Cowher had vowed to bench Ike Taylor after getting repeatedly burned by Denver's Javon Walker two weeks ago, then had to send him in when Polamalu was hurt.

This time, it was Saints rookie Marques Colston who torched the Steelers for 169 yards on 10 catches.

No wonder Cleveland wideout Braylon Edwards chose to climb aboard his soapbox this week and tell the Steelers, in true Wrestlemania style: "We're coming after your butts. You don't beat a team 41-10 in its own house."

Well, yes, you do -- that was the score of the Browns-Steelers game in Pittsburgh last year. But the Browns smell blood, and there's payback in the air.

"Until someone says we're eliminated," Cowher said, "we're going to keep moving."

Brave words. Yet unless the problems on the defensive side of the ball are rectified, so will opposing offenses.


Get more on the Pittsburgh Steelers analysis at RealFootball365.com
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