Step in right direction for Tomlin’s crew
From the notebook of a sportswriter who just watched a dominant defense carry the Steelers to a win one week after losing its heart and soul for the season:
* Come on up for the rising, come on up tonight.
* Not that I agree with Springsteen that the Steelers defense has necessarily risen to a new level, but there鈥檚 no doubting it rose to the occasion Sunday.
* The Browns have a bodaciously bad offensive line. And so do the Indianpolis Colts, who are Thursday night鈥檚 opponent. But, man, grab a win there, and then rest a few days to ponder the rising talents of Stephon Tuitt, Ryan Shazier, Sean Davis, Artie Burns and Javon Hargrave.
* It鈥檚 at least a step. Another confidence-builder against the Colts and these young guys will truly begin believing in themselves.
* Ricardo Mathews鈥� tackle-for-loss on the first snap Sunday may have set the tone. He is Cameron Heyward鈥檚 immediate replacement. An 8-sack performance followed.
* The broadcasters gave Lawrence Timmons the first game ball, but I have to give it to Tuitt, who had 2.5 sacks, 4 QB hits and 6 tackles.
* Heavy lies the crown of leadership, and Tuitt seemed to struggle with it the previous two games Heyward had missed. But Tuitt was different the week leading up to this game. He smiled easily, didn鈥檛 duck reporters and gave insightful answers about his new role.
* And then he kicked royal ass.
* Tuitt got the sack ball rolling late in the first quarter. It was followed on that possession by Javon Hargrave鈥檚 first career sack.
* Tuitt should鈥檝e been given credit for an intentional grounding penalty, that actually became a third-and-17 conversion because of Artie Burns鈥� hands-to-the-face penalty. Dumb penalty, yes, but it should鈥檝e been negated by a grounding call.
* When a QB throws a ball straight into the ground to avoid a sack, isn鈥檛 that the genesis 鈥� or the very definition 鈥� of the grounding call?
* But the drive continued, and served to provide more defensive highlights, such as Shazier鈥檚 tackle of lightning-quick Duke Johnson in the open field. Shazier made it look too easy, at least compared to Timmons, who couldn鈥檛 run Johnson down a few plays later.
* Not every team has a linebacker with 4.40 speed. And that 鈥渞are air鈥� speed makes those next to him seem slow.
* OK, so the Browns moved the ball to the goal line, and Tuitt and Big Dan made like Aaron and Casey and drove the first-down play back for a loss. On second down, James Harrison destroyed Spencer Drango, and then QB Cody Kessler, to set the new Steelers all-time sacks record. Tuitt then tackled Kessler on a scramble to force the Browns to settle for a field goal.
* That was the best defensive series of the day, at least at THAT goal line.
* The Browns did score on their next possession. They were helped by a fourth-and-9 completion in tight coverage by Timmons and Davis, and a dropped interception by Timmons, and a whiff on a potential sack by Davis, and a late, great block by the RB on a second Davis blitz. But the 10th extra point of the 1 p.m. games across the league was missed, driving home Mike Tomlin鈥檚 two-point philosophy all the more.
* Yep, I had to get that one in there, because I might be the only guy in town who likes Tomlin鈥檚 approach to conversions.
* However, at this point, at 17-9, Steelers fans were anxiously lamenting the offense鈥檚 inability to have scored more. It was trash-the-coaching-staff time on social media, and I didn鈥檛 understand why.
* It seems that any penalty 鈥� after four consecutive losses 鈥� is a 鈥渄umb penalty鈥� by an 鈥渦ndisciplined team鈥� these days. So let鈥檚 skip back to the offense for a minute.
* First of all, getting off the goal line following Burns鈥� interception was a victory in itself. But the drive rolled on before a 鈥渄umb penalty鈥� stopped it. I have to say that since Bell gained 90 yards on the drive 鈥� yes, 90! 鈥� he, and he alone, was allowed this transgression. Yes, his early jump on second-and-1 at the 9 cost them. But, again, he was allowed to err. I mean, he had to be tired, right?
* The other part of the failed conversion there had more to do with having so little opposite Antonio Brown in the receiving department.
* Don鈥檛 take it the wrong way, fans of Cobi Hamilton, Eli Rogers and the tight ends, but there is a learning curve involved. As for Ben Roethlisberger and the coaches, I believe it鈥檚 fair to cut them some slack after losing three starting No. 2 WRs to injuries and the tight end to an ankle issue that doesn鈥檛 appear to be getting better anytime soon.
* The stalling of the second drive at the 15, in my opinion, was also due to the inexperienced receivers. And there really was nothing wrong with settling for field goals in those windy conditions.
* The third drive had a peculiar ending. I would鈥檝e kicked the field goal and sweated out the small 9-0 lead in the second half. But Tomlin gambled, and it paid off with an 8-point play.
* Some were critical of the officials鈥� calls against the Browns there, but in my opinion A.B. would鈥檝e caught the one pass for a touchdown had Joe Haden not interfered.
* One writer called Tomlin鈥檚 strategy there 鈥渁rrogance.鈥� I disagree. An arrogant stance would鈥檝e been to believe anything just over a touchdown would stand up throughout.
* In soccer, there鈥檚 a school of thought that says the most dangerous lead is 2-0 because it鈥檚 still close, but the team with the lead tends to ease up.
* Perhaps that鈥檚 part of the reason behind Tomlin鈥檚 thinking. A 6-0 lead certainly keeps your team at attention through the break, but a 12, 13 or 14-0 lead provides a definitive winning edge.
* The last comment about the offense: Bell has now fumbled in each of the last two games. Both went out of bounds. He had never fumbled in high school or college, or in his first two seasons in the league. He fumbled once last year. I now believe him to be done fumbling for the season.
* I know. I just mushed him good. Just hope the one Thursday night goes out of bounds as well.
* The coup de grace for the defense occurred just after the heinous non-call of the Haden takedown of A.B. in clear view of all.
* I appreciate Tomlin taking money out of his pocket to call the officials out for their poor game, as he did Sunday, and this call was the worst of them all. You have to complain after a win. It鈥檚 merely written off as sour grapes if a coach does it following a loss.
* But anyway, a play after Mike Mitchell legally blew up Terrell Pryor on an incompletion, Shazier鈥檚 strip sack at the goal line was scooped up by Hargrave for the game-clinching touchdown. It was the crowning play not only for a defense that needed this kind of a game, but for all of the young Steelers defenders. They just might use this as a spark to the confidence they need to become a winning unit.