Big problems in Pittsburgh and other NFL thoughts

(1) The Pittsburgh Steelers’ title defense is going down the toilet in an avalanche of spotty play and terrible losses. After losing to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night, the Steelers have now lost five games in a row after hitting the midway point 6-2. Their current slide ties the longest losing streak by a defending Super Bowl champion in the following season in NFL history (1987 New York Giants lost five games straight and finished 6-9 on the season). The worst part of the streak is that they have lost three games to the dregs of the NFL: the Browns, the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers have lost their swagger offensively and defensively, which has conspired to completely kill their season. In addition, the strain of their current woes has exposed a rift in their locker room and a coaching staff bereft of solutions.

The concussion sustained by Ben Roethlisberger in the Chiefs’ game was the beginning of the end for the Steelers. The injury not only forced Dennis Dixon into the line-up against the Ravens, but it also exposed a locker room problem for Pittsburgh when Hines Ward publicly questioned Roethlisberger’s decision to skip the Baltimore game. Even though Ward’s comments were asinine, I’m pretty sure that a good portion of the Steelers’ roster agreed wholeheartedly with the sentiment that he expressed. In my opinion, Ward’s public outing of Big Ben by discussing the culture of hiding injuries in the NFL indicates that Ward and Roethlisberger have a personal problem that extends beyond the parameters of their professional lives. I know that Ward realized he had made a mistake and attempted to recant his statements, but the cat was already out of the bag. I firmly believe that Ward has inadvertently killed the chemistry in the Steelers’ locker room and created two camps: one that supports Ward and one that supports Big Ben. I’m guessing that the Hines camp is the larger faction.

The Roethlisberger concussion fiasco highlighted a problem that Coach Mike Tomlin and his staff has been unable to solve on or off the field. I think we are starting to see the shine wear off on Tomlin’s brilliant start to his head coaching career. Tomlin has hitched his wagon completely to Big Ben and the passing game. He has eschewed the traditional Steelers’ running game and handed the keys of the franchise to Roethlisberger. His grand plan worked marvelously last season with their Super Bowl triumph, but it has gone down in a ball of fire this year. In my opinion, things have gone so wrong in 2009 because the Steelers’ offensive line has gone from mediocre to truly bad. As a result, the running game is even worse and Big Ben has found himself under siege for most of the year. In fact, he was sacked eight times by the Browns, which is a shockingly high number when you consider that this was the same Cleveland defense that got strafed by Matthew Stafford for five touchdown passes. In a normal season, Tomlin would be able to rely on his stalwart defense to carry the weight while the offense struggled, but the Steelers’ defense is a shell of its former self right now. They played pretty well against the Ravens and the Browns during the losing streak, but they gave up way too many plays against the Chiefs and the Raiders. The Oakland game was especially glaring because they allowed the Raiders to come back several times when it appeared that the Steelers had finally put the nail in the coffin. The Steel Curtain is no longer worthy of the nickname when Louis Murphy and Bruce Gradkowski are making game-changing plays against them. At this point, the Coach Tomlin seems to be out of real options, which is probably why he resorted to false bravado when he proclaimed that the Steelers were going to “unleash hell” on the NFL. I guess what he meant was that they were going to unleash a living hell for their fans. At this point, Steelers’ fans need to come to the realization that, much like 2006, their hometown team is going to miss the playoffs after winning the Super Bowl the previous season. Also, I think that Mike Tomlin needs to come to grips with the fact that his coaching staff and roster need a makeover if he wants to return to playing championship football in 2010.

(2) The seasons may change, but it always seems that the NFC East provides the most compelling brand of football in the NFL. Currently, they are one of two divisions to boast three teams with better than .500 records and they feature a fourth team, the Washington Redskins, that is the proverbial “team that no one wants to play.” They are virtually assured of sending two teams to the playoffs and those two lucky participants should be battle-tested after navigating through the regular season gauntlet.

The Philadelphia Eagles are my favorite to win the division because they are the hottest team in the division (four game winning streak) and they have the most explosive offense east of the bayou. After week 14, the Eagles are the third highest scoring team in the NFL. In two games against the New York Giants this season, the Eagles have rung up 30 points in the first half in both games. They beat the Giants despite allowing over 500 yards of total offense. They only ran 53 total plays and still scored 45 points! They are the definition of a quick strike offense. They have a veteran quarterback playing at a high level and quite possibly the most dynamic playmaker in the NFL. Donovan McNabb is on pace to exceed 3,300 yards passing, complete better than 60% of his attempts and throw 22 touchdown passes. His most important statistic is that he is on pace to post a 95.9 quarterback rating, which is nearly 10 points higher than his career average. In my opinion, he has been the ideal triggerman for the Eagles’ offense. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have an exciting player likeDeSean Jackson to be on the receiving end of his throws. Jackson returned from missing a week due to a concussion to completely decimate the Giants. Jackson returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown and later added a 60-yard touchdown reception to boost his season total for touchdowns exceeding 50 yards to an NFL record eight. Jackson is a touchdown waiting to happen. He is the football equivalent to having “in the gym” range in basketball. Let’s not forget that the Eagles have found ways for Mike Vick to make an impact the last two weeks. He scored a rushing touchdown in consecutive games for the first time since November 2002. As a result of their dynamic offense and an opportunistic defense (four turnovers and a fumble recovery for a touchdown against the Giants), the Eagles are 4-1 in the division and poised to take the NFC East crown.

The NFC East also features the so-called “America’s Team,” which, if their nickname is true, has disappointed a lot of Americans this season. The Dallas Cowboys entered December at the top of the division, but they have fallen into their normal December swoon, which threatens to knock them right out of the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Cowboys are now 3-8 in December under Coach Wade Phillips and they have lost six of their last seven December games dating back to 2007. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: a team is a reflection of its leadership. Unfortunately, in Dallas, its leaders are Phillips and Tony Romo. Phillips looks like he is better suited to be playing bridge in a convalescent home rather than patrolling the sidelines for one of the most overbearing owners in the history of sport. When your head coach barely has a pulse, it certainly doesn’t help to have a quarterback who shrinks from a big moment like an adolescent on prom night. Romo fell to 5-9 in his career in December and the label of not being a big-time player is hanging around his neck like a noose. The bottom line is that Romo didn’t make enough plays, while Philip Rivers made big plays like completing a 39-yard pass to Vincent Jackson in a tight window to convert a third and 12. Following the big conversion, Rivers hit Antonio Gates for the go-ahead touchdown. Romo’s numbers looked good on paper once again, but he came up short in the win column, which is the most important statistic of all. At this point in time, I think that the Cowboys’ goose is cooked. They have to face the Saints, the Redskins and the Eagles down the stretch. I think they lose at least two of these games and slip-slide right out of the playoffs for the second straight year. I’m pretty sure that Mike Shannahan or Bill Cowher will look pretty good in Cowboys blue next year.

The third team of interest in the division is the New York Giants, who failed to beat the Eagles in a shootout on Sunday. The Giants certainly have not played well since opening the season at 5-0, but I still think they have a better chance of making the playoffs than the Cowboys. The simple reason is that they have swept Dallas and they have a softer schedule down the stretch. They have a tough divisional game against the Redskins this week, but they finish with the struggling Panthers in week 16 and the Vikings in week 17, who will definitely be resting their starters for most of the game. I also like the Giants because their offense seems to be heating up at the right moment. In their last four games, they have exceeded 30 points on three occasions. The downside is that they have only won two of those four games. In the Eagles game alone, they rolled up 512 yards of total offense and should have won the game if it wasn’t for the four turnovers they produced. The big development of the last two weeks is that they seem to have rediscovered Brandon Jacobs. He had a huge 74-yard catch and run for a touchdown against Dallas and he contributed 60 yards on 15 carries and another touchdown against Philadelphia. If the Eli Manning can finish strong and if the Giants can keep the running game going, then I really believe they will hurdle the Cowboys. The biggest question mark for the Giants is a defense that has given up an average of 32.3 points per game since week six of the season. The defense doesn’t have to be the 2000 Ravens down the stretch, but they have to be at least competent.

(3) Since everyone else in the free world has chimed in, I guess I should weigh in with my opinion of Randy Moss’ performance on Sunday. First of all, I don’t want to get into the debate about whether he quit or not. The only person that knows whether or not he quit is Randy Moss himself. I’m sure that the higher moral authorities that appear on Pardon the Interruption, Rome is Burning and Around the Horn are nearly self-combusting when they discuss Moss’ awful game, but I hate to argue about things that can’t be proved one way or the other. The bottom line is that Moss played a horrific game by anyone’s standards. He made only one catch and he promptly fumbled the ball away. He had at least one ball thrown his direction where he put out the old alligator arms and the pass fell incomplete. He also made no attempt to break up an interception attempt by Chris Gamble. Personally, I don’t see any difference in Moss’ performance on Sunday compared to his normal behavior during the years he spent in Oakland. It is hard to quit on your teammates when you don’t come mentally prepared to play to begin with. Moss has had a history of playing hard when he feels like playing hard. He did it in Minnesota when he was setting the football world on fire. He did it in Oakland when he was in his own personal purgatory. After two plus seasons in Foxboro, Moss’ moodiness and lack of desire have struck again. At the heart of the situation is the fact that Moss is a sensitive and insecure soul. When he is catching passes, scoring touchdowns and getting love from the fans, those are the times when it becomes very easy to motivate him. Unfortunately, when the passes start going elsewhere and the times start getting tougher, Moss doesn’t have the tools to overcome the obstacles. This season has been a roller coaster for Moss and the Patriots. Moss has had big games on several occasions, but he has also been completely erased from several contests including the Saints game and the first Jets game. The straw that broke the camel’s back was being sent home from practice this week after arriving late to an eight a.m. meeting. I’m pretty sure that Moss felt singled out, attacked and unfairly punished by Bill Belichick. By all accounts, Moss has been a model citizen in New England and probably didn’t feel that the punishment fit the crime when it was primarily Mother Nature’s fault for his late arrival. I have no doubt that the events of earlier in the week had a profound impact on his performance against Carolina. The problem for the Patriots is if Genius Bill cannot find a way to break Moss out of his doldrums. New England cannot reach its goals with Wes Welker as their only relevant wide receiver. Genius Bill cannot afford to bench Moss because they don’t have any other viable options, so he must find a way to reconnect with him before things spiral out of control. My only hope for Moss is that the public outcry following his stinker performance will not sink him further into a malaise that will permanently mar his time in New England.

(4) The playoffs are nearly upon us, so I thought it would be a good time to give you my playoff predictions. The NFC playoff picture is pretty simple, but the AFC is a little harder to predict because we have four teams at 7-6 that are currently jockeying for the final wildcard spot. Both conferences have dominant teams at the top, but I think that the NFC has more depth. In the end, I think both conferences will feature teams that made the playoffs last season as well as teams that are making their first appearance in awhile.

Starting with the NFC, I like New Orleans to capture the top seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. I don’t think they will go 16-0 but I believe they will do enough to force the NFC playoffs to go through the bayou. I like Minnesota to win the NFC North and clinch a first round bye. With the Saints and Vikings claiming the top two seeds, I firmly believe that the NFC championship game will be played indoors. I like Arizona to clinch the NFC West and Philadelphia to clinch the NFC East. Even if the Cardinals lose on Monday night, they would still hold a commanding two game lead with three games left including nearly sure victories against the Detroit Lions and the St. Louis Rams. I think Philly will clinch the East prior to meeting Dallas in week 17 because the Cowboys have tough games the next two weeks and their December struggles have become a mental obstacle that I don’t believe they are capable of overcoming. As far as NFC wildcards, I believe that the Packers will coast to the number five seed and the New York Giants will somehow rally the troops and take the final playoff spot from the Cowboys.

On the AFC side of things, the Indianapolis Colts have already wrapped up a first round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Since the consensus is that Coach Caldwell will rest his starters down the stretch, I fully expect the Colts to stumble in a couple of their remaining games. I expect the San Diego Chargers to finish the season strong and capture the second seed in the AFC. Personally, I feel that the Chargers are the biggest threat to the Colts. The Chargers are not afraid of Peyton Manning and we all know that 3-4 defenses, like San Diego likes to play, give him fits. In addition to the top two finishers, I like Cincinnati to win the AFC North and New England to find a way to win the AFC East. It is a no brainer that Cincy will win the North, but New England’s chore is a bit more difficult when you consider that Miami and New York are breathing down their necks. After the division winners, I like the Denver Broncos and the Jacksonville Jaguars to claim the two wildcard spots. I actually think that the New York Jets will finish strong but they will miss out on the playoffs because they lose the tiebreakers with New England, Denver and Jacksonville.

(5) In the immortal words of Julius Jones, the Seahawks’ performance against the Houston Texans was “really pathetic, pitiful.” I can’t think of a better way to summarize the Seahawks’ worst loss of the season. The game wasn’t over in the first quarter; it was over when the Hawks stepped on the charter jet at Sea-Tac Airport. The outcome just became official when Andre Johnson streaked by Marcus Trufant for 64-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage. The rest of the day didn’t go much better for the Hawks as the Texans dominated the first half and coasted to a 27 point beat down. The first half was a little house of horrors for Seattle. They lost more yards in penalties in the first quarter than they gained on offense. They trailed by 24 points before they had even gained a singled first down. Matt Schaub shredded the Hawks’ secondary for 336 yards in the first half and the rout was on. Johnson had 193 yards receiving (184 in the first half), which is the third most by any Seattle opponent. He didn’t even catch a pass in the fourth quarter for God’s sake! The Hawks botched three center-to-quarterback snaps, which is the most basic aspect of the game of football. Can someone remind me why Chris Spencer is playing with a cast on his right hand that forces him to snap with his left? The Hawks “only” allowed three sacks, but that number does not accurately reflect the kind of duress that Matt Hasselbeck was under all day long. He got cracked by Brian Cushing on Seattle’s first play from scrimmage and he had to temporarily leave the game in the third quarter after suffering a vicious hit from DeMeco Ryans. According to Sean Locklear, Hasselbeck has “gotten hit more these last three weeks than I can remember since I’ve been here.” After the dismal performance, Jim Mora gave the entire offensive line the Olindo Mare treatment and threatened to consider a change at all five spots across the line. I would be more apt to believe him if he hadn’t played a similar card several times this season.

The bottom line is that the Hawks are a horrible team. They may have individual talent, but the sum of their parts does not add up. Their offensive line is a disaster. They lack a true number one running back. They have too many under-achievers at the wide receiving position. They have overrated linebackers. They have a collection of defensive linemen that are not stout against the run and don’t pressure the quarterback either. Their defensive backs are a bunch of smurfs, who are ill-equipped to survive the rigors of the NFL. Nevertheless, the Hawks should be a more competitive team. They are probably deserving of their record, but they should not be a 5-8 team that loses by 27 points to the Houston Texans. This is the same Texans’ team that has never made a playoff appearance in its existence and entered the game on a four game losing streak. The players deserve some of the blame, but I reserve most of my ire for Coach Mora and his staff. They have not coached up the players at all. Instead, they have relied on the blame game and false platitudes in an attempt to explain away the horrific play from their team. It got even more ridiculous on Sunday when Mora claimed that effort was not the problem with his team. I don’t know what good old Jimmy is smoking, but I would love to get some for myself. If the Hawks had put forth the appropriate amount of effort against the Texans, then they would have not lost by such a large margin. Bad teams not only have bad execution but they lack the heart and pride to play their hardest for 60 minutes. I fault Coach Mora for failing to prepare the team schematically and mentally to play football on a week to week basis. It may seem like a quick hook, but I believe that Todd Leiwicke and Paul Allen need to take a hard look at their coaching situation and determine if Mora is the long-term answer. If the new General Manager does not feel that Jim Mora is the right guy to coach the Seahawks, then I have no problem letting him go after just one season. In the end, the Hawks have tons of questions to answer prior to starting training camp in 2010.