Jones takes a shot at beating Patriots
Memorable series moment
Steelers 25, Patriots 17
Oct. 30, 2011, at Heinz Field
The last time the Patriots came to Heinz Field the Steelers’ secondary, quarterback and best pass-rusher were all healthy. The Steelers controlled the ball with Ben Roethlisberger throwing to nine different receivers and Rashard Mendenhall rushing for 70 yards on 13 carries. The Steelers came out with drives of 11 and 16 plays to go up 10-7, and a fourth drive was a 10-play touchdown drive for a 17-10 halftime lead. Field goal drives of 14 and 11 plays opened the second half with a 23-10 lead before Tom Brady cut the lead to 23-17 with 2:40 left. Brady got the ball back with 19 seconds left but a sack and forced fumble out of the end zone ended the game. The Steelers had a whopping 39:22 time of possession and LaMarr Woodley sacked Brady twice, while Will Gay, Ike Taylor, Ryan Clark, Troy Polamalu, Bryant McFadden and young Cortez Allen combined to keep Rob Gronkowski out of the end zone.
Tale of the tape
“It’s amazing the laundry list of defenses the Patriots will throw at you. I’ve seen the 3-4 base, a 4-3, a 4-2, 3-3 stack, Bear, over, under, way over, a stack over. I mean they have every sort of variety of defense, even what looks like a 5-man Bear front with all five standing up. Then they have guys like Chris Long, Jabaal Sheard and Rob Ninkovich who go from stand-up outside linebacker to a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end, even stack linebacker. It’s going to be very, very difficult for the offensive line. Maurkice Pouncey has to direct traffic and make sure everybody’s on the same page, otherwise they will be turning people loose.” — Steelers Radio analyst Craig Wolfley.
Top question
Can the Steelers run the ball and control the clock?
Considering that Le’Veon Bell carried only 10 times in a tight game last week, and knowing that Landry Jones will need that kind of help in this late afternoon game, every fan at Heinz Field will want handoffs early and often. But look for the Steelers to try to get Jones synced up with Antonio Brown — and look for the Patriots to play it that way. They won’t want Jones getting any kind of confidence, because that’s what would open the door for Bell, who should see the ball 30 to 40 times by game’s end if the Steelers are going to have any kind of success.
Three Qs: With SS Robert Golden
Q: Do the Patriots lull you to sleep on the back end with the short passing game?
RG: “They’re different. Each guy does different things. Their tight ends are down-the-field stretch-you guys and then their receivers are quick, intermediary-route runners. At the end of the day it’s about what we do and if we’re on our details we should be good.”
Q: Considering you’ll spend the day tackling a 250-pound back in LeGarrette Blount and a 265-pound tight end in Gronkowski, are you bringing your big-boy pads?
RB: “Man, there are big boy pads every week playing in the NFL. These guys are working year-around. Everybody’s strong. Everybody runs hard. You just have to execute.”
Q: There were problems with communication on defense when you played them in the opener last year. Are you looking forward to playing them in the middle of the season this time?
RG: “Definitely. During the opener we did have some miscommunications. That’s in the past. We’re not looking back at that now. We have a lot ahead of us right now and we’re looking to go out there and get this win.”
Game breakdown
What to look for from the Steelers at 4:25 today at Heinz Field:
ON OFFENSE: Landry Jones had a good week of practice, showing good touch on the short and intermediate stuff and enough arm strength with the deep ball. He should be able to move the chains against a Patriots defense that ranks 12th in yards but second in scoring. That’s the classic definition of bend but don’t break, so Jones will need finishers. Le’Veon Bell is certainly one. Antonio Brown is another, but Brown could use some help on the other side. He’ll again be without Markus Wheaton, while Sammie Coates is playing with a broken index finger. One or more of the younger receivers and tight ends will need to emerge in this game.
ON DEFENSE: The weak link on the Patriots offensive line is rookie left guard Joe Thuney. He would normally line up across from Cam Heyward, who will, of course, miss another game with a hamstring injury. Ricardo Mathews played poorly last week, so much could depend on rookie Javon Hargrave to take advantage of Thuney. That would help contain LeGarrette Blount, but who’s going to pressure Tom Brady? And who’s going to cover Rob Gronkowski? On draft day, after the Steelers took safety Sean Davis in the second round, DBs coach Carnell Lake said, “Offenses are spreading you out to create mismatches. They will put a player like (Rob) Gronkowski out wide and force you to matchup with either a linebacker or a safety on Gronkowski. Well you have to have a guy that has the size and can cover. He provides that coverage for us. That’s one of the exciting parts of Sean Davis that we like.” But Davis is on the bench, backing up safeties Mike Mitchell and Rob Golden.
(subhead)Prediction
Revenge, let us count the ways. Tom Brady, who once said he dislikes Heinz Field, lost his last time here. And LeGarrette Blount pretty much quit on the team a few years ago, was cut, and has been derided ever since. And Bill Belichick was pretty much called a cheater (imagine that) by Mike Tomlin last year in Foxboro when the headsets once again went out intermittently. The Patriots view the Steelers as a rival for AFC supremacy but the beat-up Steelers aren’t quite up for the pent-up vengeance that’s likely headed their way. Patriots, 41-20.
Parting shot
“It goes back to my Pittsburgh days. I felt a certain way, after some things came out, way back when I was in Pittsburgh, some AFC championships I lost to them, couple times. Come to figure out a few months later why we lost. So, yeah, I have a natural hate for them. Period. And that’s just gonna be with me forever.” — Joey Porter, to Boston media, as a member of the Miami Dolphins in 2009.