I don’t like Cutler. He’s not that good but he thinks he is. Besides, he went to Vandy. This whole ordeal with him crying over spilled milk and being a douche and demanding a trade was the final straw. So to beat the Bears today was a must. It didn’t happen.
Our offense showed up today and it looked pretty good. The Steeler’s offensive line held up and Ben had plenty of time. Our running game was stout with both Parker and Mendenhall behind the ball. Our main problem on offense? Holding on to the ball, mainly by Santonio Holmes. He had several huge potential catches that just didn’t happen. It was raining hard at several points so I understand that. Ben had a few slip ups including the interception… that rain came down on that drive and it’s hard to battle. I don’t fault them. Now… one guy that I thought was a sure thing is Jeff Reed. He’s almost always money. I said it was unheard of when he missed two kicks in preseason. Well, guess who missed two kicks in a row? They were both left, not by too much either. One was around 38 yards and the other 45. Not give mes but for him it should have been. When the game came down to Robbie Gould, I knew it was over. He’s the other kicker in the NFL that is always on if you ask me.
Our defense without Troy Polamalu is atrocious. Okay, okay maybe not that bad but close. We’re playing zone and Cutler tore us up underneath. Polamalu has the unique talent of reading the opponent’s offense like it’s nobodies business and he fills those gaps. That’s why he’s so instrumental in the defense and such a huge playmaker. Tyrone Carter is okay but he always came in after the ball got there. There were gaping holes and piss poor tackling throughout. One of my favorite parts of watching the Steelers is not their offense but the way they conduct a beautiful defense. I was not impressed tonight.
The touchdown to Spaeth was beautiful. Ben’s own run and jump touchdown was great. Who would have thought a big guy like him can move like that? Well, we knew that already but it seems like a surprise every time! Logan is impressing me as a kick returner so far. Going for a touchdown on 4th and 2 was great, I’m glad Tomlin recognized the strength of the drive and played it. I saw 2 times where the Bears had that going and Lovie Smith backs down. I breathed sighs of relief on those.
The only things that bugged me really bad was Reed missing those kicks and Logan fumbling at the end to lose the game. True it was probably over but if he wants that spot, he needs to take care of the ball as well as get yardage. I also wish Holmes and Ben had better ball control when the rain came on as that was some major yardage wasted.
The final score? 17-14. I can’t wait until Polamalu gets back!
