Steelers win with a throwback offense

By Darrell Laurant  |   Tuesday, October 09, 2007  |  Comments( 1 )

Pittsburgh Steelers
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If Chuck Noll wasn't still alive, you might think Mike Tomlin was his reincarnation.

The first-year Steeler coach has used a lot of Noll's philosophy in guiding his team to a 4-1 start -- a dogged dependence on the run, a firm belief in ball control, and a fiercely attacking defense.

Last Sunday against Seattle, though, Tomlin was Chuck Noll minus Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. Starting wideout Hines Ward missed another week with an injury, and fellow starter Santonio Holmes hurt his hamstring warming up.

No problem. Cedrick Wilson and Nate Washington stepped in (and up), played just enough catch with Ben Roethlisberger to keep the Seahawks honest, and Pittsburgh won, 21-0.

"Regardless of who's playing, we're still the Pittsburgh Steelers," Tomlin said afterward.

Maybe that quote came from Noll, too.

The stat that truly emphasized what Pittsburgh did to Seattle was time of possession: 40:45 to 19:15.

"I had nothing to do," DE Brett Kiesel told the Pittsburgh Press afterward. "I thought about ordering a pizza."

It was not a game for ESPN's highlight show. Featured back Willie Parker plugged away for 102 yards on 28 carries, and backup Najeh Davenport scored twice. Davenport wound up with 58 rushing yards, including a 45-yard burst on a second-and-18 call.

Seattle was also missing its best two wideouts, but couldn't pick up the slack. In the Steelers' case, that slack was taken up not only by Washington and Wilson, but by tight end Heath Miller (four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown), who is rapidly moving into the ranks of elite NFL tight ends.

"We were committed to running the football," Tomlin said afterward. "We didn't have any alternative."

Thanks, Chuck.
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