Steelers cold as ice in Oakland
PITTSBURGH — The Steelers might be the hottest December team of the last six years — 20-4 — but when it comes to the Oakland Raiders, the Steelers are as cold as the month itself.
The Steelers overall are 5-10 on the road against the Raiders. With Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback, they are 0-3. Stretching back to the loss in 2006, Roethlisberger has a passer rating there of 86.1.
“I think it’s the environment, the team, the travel, a little bit of everything,” said Roethlisberger. “It’s not an easy place to play. What an awesome challenge for us.”
It might be the first time anyone saying that about a 2-10 team meant it.
In fact, the Raiders, archrival of the Steelers’ glorious 1970s teams, have held the Steelers’ playoff fate in their hands during the Roethlisberger era, in which the teams have played seven games. The Steelers won three times and went to the playoffs each of those seasons. The Steelers lost four times, each in the only years they’ve missed the playoffs since Roethlisberger was drafted in 2004.
And those losses were to some bad Raiders teams:
* In 2006, the Raiders won 20-13 and finished 2-14.
* In 2009, the Raiders won 27-24 and finished 5-11.
* In 2012, the Raiders won 34-31 and finished 4-12.
* In 2013, the Raiders won 21-18 and finished 4-12.
That’s why the Steelers aren’t about to look past this 2-10 Raiders team. In fact, because of the dichotomy, this could even be considered a playoff game for the Steelers.
“It is,” said guard Ramon Foster. “It’s a huge game period for us. And we acknowledge it, too. We cannot drop an egg out there. That team will play hard because they’re full of young guys who want to be the show. And for those reasons, we can’t just go out there and expect them to lie down. We’ve got to play ball. It’s no trap game. It’s all in on this game.”
So, if the Steelers do manage to lose their fourth consecutive game in Oakland, and third consecutive game this season, it won’t be for taking the Raiders lightly.
“No,” Foster said with a laugh. “No, absolutely not. I’ll put it this way: We’re going too damned far to lose. I don’t want to get on that plane sulking my own self over. That’s one thing I hate about losing on the West Coast. You’ve got to fly all the way back home and sulk in that. I’m trying to win.”
GILBERT UPDATE
Right tackle Marcus Gilbert will miss his seventh consecutive game Sunday but expects to return the following week. He said an MRI revealed that he has a partially torn quadriceps tendon.
“No, I didn’t have surgery,” Gilbert said. “I had a shot, a stem-cell shot, and I feel a hundred percent better. I thought it was just some arthritis, but I went back out to try again and it really hurt. I got an MRI and it was the quadriceps tendon, about a quarter torn. If I were to tear it any more, that’s eight months out. But the shot has helped a lot. I should be back next week.”
BEN TALKS WITH WASHINGTON
Wide receiver James Washington lamented last week that Roethlisberger doesn’t talk to him about his role in the offense and what Roethlisberger expects from the rookie. So naturally Washington was thrilled when Roethlisberger walked into the receivers room on Saturday and sat him down for a long talk.
“It was very helpful,” Washington said. “It shocked me.”
A second-round draft pick out of Oklahoma State, Washington continues to shine in practice, but on the field he’s caught only eight passes for 77 yards and one touchdown. He took criticism from Roethlisberger and Coach Mike Tomlin following a missed deep connection at Denver, and then was deactivated against the Chargers and replaced as the No. 3 outside receiver by Justin Hunter.
But Hunter injured his shoulder Sunday night and was put on injured reserve, so Roethlisberger’s talk on Saturday was timely.
Washington said that at the conclusion of a receivers meeting Saturday, he was told to stay back in the room. Roethlisberger then walked in and closed the door.
“It was really great,” Washington said. “I don’t really open my mouth much. I don’t really talk much, but he came and talked to me and gave me a lot of advice and tried to give me ideas and ways to get through this situation I’m going through. For me, it really opened my eyes. There’s so much for me to think about. It was exactly what I needed. I told him I appreciated him talking to me.”
Washington confirmed that he had another outstanding practice Wednesday, replete with difficult catches, and said, “It’s just a matter of transitioning it to the game.”
LONG-SNAPPER SCARE
Steelers long-snapper Kam Canaday thought it was all over after he was rolled up at the line of scrimmage following his snap that launched not only a punt, but a 73-yard return for a touchdown by Desmond King that tied Sunday night’s game for the Chargers.
On the play, Canaday was the Steelers’ last chance to stop King, but Canaday limped badly toward his own end zone and after the touchdown needed assistance from trainer John Norwig and was helped off the field.
“I thought my knee was done,” Canaday said. “I thought my career was over.”
Canaday believed his ACL was torn as he was rolling around on the ground. But …
“I looked up and the guy was returning the ball. I was holding my knee and I just said if my knee is done, I might as well get up and just finish it off. So I did a Rocky Balboa, got off the canvass and ran out there.”
The Steelers needed him four plays later to snap for punter Jordan Berry.
“I didn’t know if I could or not,” Canaday said. “Obviously I can snap better with one leg than other guys on the team. They evaluated it. My ACL was fine, and that’s the big worry. They put a brace on it and John (Norwig) said ‘Let’s see if you can snap,’ but I didn’t even get to snap on the sideline because it was fourth down. I went out there and got the job done. And then I got that PAT and it was a little unstable. But it’s good to go.”
The Steelers haven’t turned to a replacement long-snapper in a game since James Harrison entered for an injured Greg Warren in 2008 and sailed the ball over punter Mitch Berger’s head and out of the end zone for a game-tying safety in an eventual loss to the New York Giants.
Harrison was at Heinz Field Sunday night for a celebration of that 2008 championship team. Canaday said he knows the story but no one mentioned Harrison to him. Canaday said the replacement would’ve been tight end Vance McDonald.
“Vance is a really good long-snapper,” Canaday said. “He can snap it. He can snap it well. He hasn’t had a whole lot of practice but he could get the job done, for sure. But everything worked out fine.”
Canaday is practicing this week and expects to play in Oakland.
THIRD AND 4
The Steelers employed a mishmash of an alignment on the second-and-7 play before the Chargers’ game-winning field goal. Javon Hargrave and the “Okie” front were on the field, but so was nickel back Mike Hilton (in for safety Terrell Edmunds). Also, nickel linebacker L.J. Fort was in for Okie — or base — inside linebacker Jon Bostic. The Chargers threw to their running back for a 3-yard gain, to bring up third-and-4.
Bostic, who’s not as quick in coverage as Fort, entered on third down to replace Fort, and Bostic was beaten easily by Keenan Allen for 12 yards to set up a field goal attempt from 39 yards away.
First of all, What package was on the field for the Steelers on second down?
“I think it was base,” said Fort. “(Bostic) just didn’t run on the field to get me out.”
Bostic ran onto the field for third down, but turned to the sideline to cover Allen, who was in the slot closest of three receivers to the QB.
Was Bostic expecting outside help from one of the two defensive backs aligned to his left?
“No,” Bostic said. “They just caught us schematically in a defense and they got what they wanted. They watch film, too. But that’s my job. I’ve got to hold the inside leverage.”
RED HOT HARGRAVE
The completion, and perhaps the field goal, would’ve been rendered moot had nose tackle Javon Hargrave gotten to QB Philip Rivers and hit him a fraction of a second earlier than he did on third-and-4.
In fact, Hargrave thought he had a sack at the game’s most important moment.
“I did,” Hargrave said. “My eyes were big. My eyes were huge. I wanted it bad. I saw when he threw it, though. It hurt me (pause). It hurt me.”
Hargrave has been the Steelers’ hottest pass-rusher in the last three games. He has three sacks and five pressures in those games, ahead of DT Cameron Heyward (two sacks, four pressures) and ILB Vince Williams (two sacks, five pressures). Hargrave’s played 130 snaps the last three games, fewer than both Heyward (158) and Williams (145).
Was Hargrave on the field, in the base, because of his pass-rushing?
“I think it was more that they were running the ball,” Hargrave said. “They were trying to run the clock out. But, really, I don’t know. That’s just my guess.”
WINNING FIELD GOAL BLOCKED
Following the third-down conversion by Allen, the Chargers ran two plays for a yard and sent in rookie kicker Michael Badgley for a 39-yard field goal into the same end zone at which he had missed a 52-yard attempt earlier.
Badgley missed the 39-yarder, but the Steelers were flagged for offsides. The subsequent 34-yard attempt was blocked by Artie Burns, but he too was flagged for being offside.
Badgley finally made the 29-yarder, although Burns was again flagged for being offside, and actually dove past the holder and Badgley before the kick got off.
The unanimous opinion of the players and media who watched the game tape is that Burns wasn’t offside on either of the final two attempts.
“I wasn’t,” Burns confirmed. “I definitely had the block. It hit me right on my chin.”
Were any of the three offsides calls right?
“The first one we jumped a little early,” Burns said. “The last two, everybody was clean.”
For Burns, a demoted starter, a block at that point could’ve turned his season, and maybe his career, around.
“It’s life in the league,” he said. “There are three more games to play. I think I’ll get another opportunity. I just have to be ready.”
INJURY REPORT
Missing Thursday’s practice were RB James Conner (ankle), OLB Anthony Chickillo (ankle), Gilbert (knee) and LG Ramon Foster (coach’s decision).