When Ike speaks, young guns listen
PITTSBURGH 鈥� A couple of weeks ago, after he possibly read the writing on his career wall, Ike Taylor talked about his wish to go into scouting.
After all, he was 34, injured, and in the two games following an 8-game absence with a broken forearm Taylor was scorched for long touchdown catches by Kenny Stills and A.J. Green.
In fact Green, against whom Taylor had celebrated personal victories in past one-on-one encounters, shredded mostly Taylor for 224 yards.
Since that game, Taylor has been sidelined with two or three 鈥渘icks鈥� and was again inactive Sunday night as the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-17.
Taylor and fellow two-time champion and revered elder statesman Troy Polamalu watched replacements Brice McCain, Will Allen and nickel back Antwon Blake help hold Green to a mere 82 yards receiving.
鈥淢an,鈥� Taylor started, 鈥測ou give opportunities to guys who are hungry, young guys who don鈥檛 understand what a playoff atmosphere is but who are now getting to grow and understand, it鈥檚 like a plant growing in the summertime. Put the right fertilizer on it, let them get the right sunshine, water 鈥檈m down whenever you need to, and watch 鈥檈m grow. That鈥檚 how those guys are playing.鈥�
Perceptive. And that鈥檚 why Taylor will make a good scout some day. But he was asked to change hats. He was asked to put on the hat of the head coach. He was asked what he would do with replacements who鈥檝e been playing so well in veteran absence as the veterans work their way back to full health.
鈥淚 tell people all the time playing corner is like playing quarterback: You get in a rhythm,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淣ow I鈥檓 not going to knock that rhythm off of corners who are in the rhythm. So my issue being: Do I come back too early or do I keep my guys in the rhythm?
鈥淛ust watching these young guys take the challenge and grow and, watching the veteran leadership, they know I鈥檝e got their back. They know I鈥檓 not worried about playing time. They know I鈥檓 not worried about coming back. Anything they need, they got from big brother Ike. So they transfer that onto the field and what helps that is they don鈥檛 have to look over their shoulder. You can play cornerback just playing comfortable and knowing a 12-year veteran ain鈥檛 breathing down your neck because he wants to play and everything is good and he鈥檚 got your back 100 percent. That counts as everything a coach or anybody else has to say. That鈥檚 the kind of atmosphere I want. And they鈥檙e reaping. They鈥檙e reaping.鈥�
So are the Steelers. It鈥檚 a team that鈥檚 coming together in all aspects, and lately that final aspect, the secondary, has been rounding into form and the Steelers have the look of a legitimate contender.
McCain? He intercepted two passes Sunday that were intended for Green. One bounced off Green鈥檚 outstretched hands; the other was a stop-and-go in which Green stopped and McCain kept going to intercept a pass inside the Pittsburgh 5-yard line.
McCain Island?
鈥淣o,鈥� McCain said with immediate disapproval. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a team game. AJ Green鈥檚 a great receiver, hands down. I just stayed on top of him. Quarterback got impatient, threw the ball quick and I picked the ball off. I should鈥檝e had three, but I had two.鈥�
McCain was asked how the Steelers were able to shut Green down this time as opposed to the last time.
鈥淣o balls over our head,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he other game we played he had balls over our head. We lose games when you give up more than one deep ball. So we focused on that, no deep balls. 鈥� We鈥檙e going to force them to check the ball down. If they don鈥檛 check it down and get greedy, we鈥檙e going to pick him off, like today.鈥�
Obviously, teams learn from their mistakes. But they also learn when they have players who are playing well and veterans who are not. And it takes a special veteran, like Taylor, and presumably like Polamalu, who won鈥檛 stand in the way of transition and growth. It鈥檚 known as the character of a champion.
鈥淚 got it from Deshea Townsend and Willie Williams,鈥� said Taylor. 鈥淚f I didn鈥檛 have those two guys, maybe the situation might be different. Willie Williams pulled his hamstring and he was like, 鈥業t鈥檚 yours. I watched you breathe down my neck from training camp and preseason, and now I鈥檓 hurt so don鈥檛 look back.鈥� At the time you鈥檙e just thinking a veteran is just talking, but now I鈥檓 actually going through it. And seeing these guys develop over time, we鈥檙e talking about 56th guy on the depth chart, we鈥檙e talking about signing a free agent from Houston (McCain), we鈥檙e talking about getting a special teams guy from Jacksonville (Blake). And yet everybody was saying, 鈥榃ho we drafting?'鈥�
On draft day, as fans and media groused about the team not drafting a cornerback until the fifth round, defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said 鈥淲e may have great players in the building already; they just haven鈥檛 had the chance to show us that they are great.鈥�
Perhaps McCain and Blake and veteran safety Will Allen aren鈥檛 鈥済reat,鈥� but don鈥檛 tell that to the coaching staff. For a defense that鈥檚 broken ignominious team records for net passing yards allowed, gross passing yards allowed, completion percentage allowed and just crushed the team passer rating allowed 鈥� 98.3 this year; previous record 83.5 in 2009 鈥� the replacement players are at least a much-needed tourniquet.
After Green had torched Taylor and the Steelers in Game 13, the Steelers were allowing a passer rating of 100.9. In the last three games it鈥檚 been 89.5. Allen said that in the absence of the veterans, 鈥渨e鈥檙e just trying to hold the secondary together,鈥� but they鈥檝e done more than that.
So, should these replacements continue playing into the playoffs?
Taylor, scout and coach, knows the answer, at least at his position.
鈥淧ut your pride aside,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been saying that since I鈥檝e been here. Being a Pittsburgh Steeler, at some point in time you鈥檝e got to put your pride aside. Don鈥檛 know when, but you鈥檝e got to. And I put my pride aside to watch young guys grow. Just the whole secondary situation: I鈥檓 out, Troy鈥檚 out, Cortez (Allen) is out, (Will) Gay got snubbed for the Pro Bowl, you never thought of McCain and Blake鈥檚 making big plays. This situation is crazy.
鈥淓verybody like, 鈥楳an, you mad?鈥� For what? I understand. I鈥檓 hard on myself. I鈥檒l criticize myself. But now I get to see young guys grow and have the opportunity to do it, and I want them to get Super Bowls and I want them to get their money. That鈥檚 what I鈥檓 doing. Me and Coach T were talking. He said, 鈥楳an, you see these boys developing right in front of our eyes?鈥� I said 鈥榊eah.鈥�
鈥淭he tunnel was kind of dark five weeks ago. Coach T kept telling us teams that win Super Bowls, they don鈥檛 lose in December. Now, it鈥檚 a game of inches, a play here, a play there, but secondary-wise, this is about the best secondary play we鈥檝e had in years, probably in that 08, 09 era. Today was one of those days.鈥�