Creative writing storm raging after Browns’ game
These are the TV notes from a sportswriter who has a real creative storm raging on inside of him, but who isn鈥檛 really sure where that will lead us today:
n Let鈥檚 pray disaster鈥檚 not lurking 鈥檙ound the corner.
n But is Baker Mayfield really gonna take the field with that mustache? Am I watching a Saturday Night Live skit?
n You know, Jaylen Samuels has either been improving his blocking of late or he鈥檚 really ticked off about playing only 21 snaps the previous week with with James Conner out. Samuels belted a blitzing linebacker on third-and-8 like he really 鈥� finally! 鈥� wanted to.
n Fans, dear, sweet fans, getting off to a slow start is not a product of some low-energy motivational talk in the locker room. It鈥檚 not 鈥渃oming out flat,鈥� either. It鈥檚 about getting beat, and that will happen in sports.
n While the Browns were taking an early lead, I鈥檓 thinking this Steelers defense is anything but 鈥渇lat.鈥� In particular, Devin Bush and Terrell Edmunds are all over the field.
n Fans really get cranked up for this rivalry, and that鈥檚 the basis of any rivalry, the fans. You can talk all you want about the decade-long fight to the finish with the Ravens, and the hatred invoked by Burfict, Pacman and the Bengals, but there鈥檚 no other crazy like there is with yinzers when it comes to the Browns. Y鈥檃ll just crazy, and I鈥檓 serious.
n I鈥檝e learned to back the heck away from all of you. This IS your rivalry, and there鈥檚 nothing going to change that. Ever. So stop saying it鈥檚 dead or was dead or has been revived.
n Wolf mentioned it this morning, but I want to reiterate that Tevin Jones鈥� blocking downfield on Diontae Johnson鈥檚 reverse is some more of that 鈥渨ant to鈥� I鈥檓 seeing while reading over texts from friends about 鈥淭OMLIN鈥橲 TEAM IS (nn) FLAT AGAIN!鈥�
n Don鈥檛 send your friends texts laced with profanity. Especially while they鈥檙e working 鈥� and waiting to use those words himself in a column!
n I really wanted to see Kerrith Whyte get the ball on one of those wildcat/jet sweep options. But in spite of my desires, Samuels 鈥渄idn鈥檛 kill them鈥� as he edged the Steelers closer to their first points of the game and settling down the nuts in duck masks.
n OK, but you don鈥檛 have to boo Kerrith.
n Oh. You鈥檙e still booing Clay Martin for announcing his officiating presence with his ridiculous illegal procedure call as his line judge was trying to make the proper call of offsides. That should鈥檝e given the Steelers a second-and-2 at the Cleveland 14.
n Deon Cain spent the week of practice dropping easy passes and catching tough ones, but so far in game he鈥檚 been terrific. His 鈥渨ant to鈥� was evident, too, when he dragged tacklers a couple three yards to the sticks for a first down.
n Johnson had a couple steps deep on two Browns defenders, but the ball was slightly underthrown and there were no Lynn Swann acrobatics to be made on this play. But I see them coming for Johnson.
n There would be many details to discuss that kept the rookie Johnson from making big plays, but so far he鈥檚 more perpetual tease than playmaker. Again, I鈥檓 assuming the latter will come. At that point the potential of this offense will be realized.
n Tevin Jones with the combat catch at the Cleveland 30 with 1:05 left in the half, down a touchdown. This, D.J., this is what I鈥檓 talking about.
n And Tevin doesn鈥檛 give us that lousy body language when the pass is off. Someone get in D.J.鈥檚 face at meetings this week, please.
n OK, this play put me into a Time Tunnel. Playing the part of Jim Harbaugh is Duck Hodges, and playing the role of Aaron Bailey is James Washington. Thanks also go to the prop man for putting the correct number, 29, on Browns safety Sheldrick Redwine, who of course is playing the part of ol鈥� No. 29 hisself, Randy Fuller. This, apparently, was staged to show how a Hail Mary should be done, because Washington caught this 30-yarder from Hodges, whereas Bailey did not haul in that 29-yard, all-your-might heave from Harbaugh back in the 1995 AFC Championship Game that was barely swatted off the chest of Bailey by Fuller.
n Hey, it got JuJu up off the bench. He looked so happy after Washington鈥檚 touchdown that I thought he was going to break out into a play.
n Again, and I鈥檝e said this several times over this latest stretch of six wins in seven games, the injuries are allowing new playmakers to emerge. Nothing just pops up from the bench. It鈥檚 a process, and guys like Washington, Tevin, Samuels, etc., are improving because they have to. When they are rejoined by the injured players, watch out.
n OK, where was I? Oh, Edmunds and Mike Hilton are smothering Odell Beckham deep. And on the next play 鈥� an impressive 70-yard bomb by the mustachioed Mayfield 鈥� it鈥檚 Cam Sutton over the top of Beckham. I can鈥檛 say I鈥檓 quite used to this type of lockdown from the Steelers鈥� secondary. It鈥檚 almost like Josh Victorian, Rob Golden, Coty Sensabaugh, Justin Gilbert, Brandon Boykin, J.J. Wilcox, Shamarko Thomas, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Nat Berhe, Ross Cockrell, Curtis Brown, Justin King, B.W. Webb, DaMon Cromartie-Smith and the great Al-Hajj Shabazz never played in the secondary for those stacked teams of the past decade.
n By stacked, I mean stacked as in 鈥淗OW COULD TOMLIN LOSE PLAYOFF GAMES WITH THOSE STACKED TEAMS!!鈥�
n Anyway, this secondary is sublime. And it鈥檚 the final piece.
n Boomer Esiason blatting at halftime that it鈥檚 all about the Steelers鈥� culture. Hey, I don鈥檛 want to diminish the importance of that, but it鈥檚 the defense that鈥檚 turned this team around. It鈥檚 the defense, Boomer. Now settle it down.
n When Conner comes back, and with the improvement shown by Samuels, the innate inside skills shown by Benny Snell, and the outside speed of Whyte, the blocking and savvy of Tre Edmunds, this backfield isn鈥檛 in need of help as I thought a couple of weeks ago. Two of them can and should play at a time, and Randy Fichtner should just flat out steal some of the plays Cleveland鈥檚 using with Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb out there together. Freddie Kitchens seems to have a good offensive IQ.
n Of course, Kitchens won鈥檛 last. Ownership will fire him for wearing a stupid t-shirt or something meaningless like that.
n The first big defensive play by the Steelers was turned in by Bud Dupree. His strip sack on second-and-20 was part of a 4-man rush, and none of the four had his hand on the ground. Only one of the four was a defensive lineman.
n I noted in the preseason that Bud was the Max Starks from 2008. Ownership didn鈥檛 love him enough to get a long-term deal done, but they needed Starks to play left tackle and signed him to an expensive tag. They won the Super Bowl and then signed him to a four-year deal 鈥� and released him a year later 鈥� and re-signed him three months after that. But Bud鈥檚 been more than just a solid piece on a great team. He鈥檚 turned into a legit playmaker and, as I鈥檝e been writing for a while, I expect they鈥檒l find a way to tag him next offseason.
n Now I鈥檒l compare Edmunds to Dupree for a different reason. Edmunds is extremely athletic. We see that again in the second half. He鈥檚 still all over the field because he can run and jump and play with power. But he鈥檚 not making plays. Yet. I wouldn鈥檛 be surprised if that Dupree-like light comes on one day for Terrell.
n There鈥檚 Snell鈥檚 14-yard run. There鈥檚 Tevin in the middle of it all blocking his (butt) off.
n Excuse the swearing this morning. I鈥檝e been a little worked up of late. 鈥淢y mind鈥檚 aggrieved and my belly鈥檚 ablaze,鈥� to quote a great song lyric I just heard.
n I鈥檓 really not sure I鈥檝e seen a QB mistake 鈥� as bad as the one Duck just made 鈥� from Mason Rudolph this season. I mean, that left-handed flip fumble to no one on third down while in range of pushing the lead to 10 points could only be made by Hodges in front of this crowd of duck masks. He can do no wrong; he鈥檚 one of those guys. But, man, that was dumb. He鈥檚 so lucky that ball got out of bounds.
n Hodges threw a pass so high that Johnson鈥檚 45-inch 鈥� or so it seemed 鈥� vertical jump was still about six inches short. But, again, incredible athleticism from Diontae that just wasn鈥檛 foreshadowed by his 33陆-inch vertical at the NFL Combine. Or for that matter, the two steps he had on the deep safety wasn鈥檛 promised to us by his 4.53 40 time, either. This guy shows MORE with the pads on. Now, if he would just get his head out of his rear end he can be a star.
n Another free agent they need to keep for next year 鈥� after this playoff run salties up this young replacement squad 鈥� is Javon Hargrave. I know, there鈥檚 no money, but this guy took over the most important third downs of this game鈥檚 stretch run. Hargrave was reponsible for both third-down sacks, the first forced a field goal and the second forced a punt, while both well inside Pittsburgh territory. Hargrave only got credit for one sack. There should鈥檝e been at least another half involved.
n Without my trusty remote in the press box, I wasn鈥檛 sure who was responsible for Snell鈥檚 11-yard run off the one-foot line, but it went right up the middle so I assumed that our third important upcoming free agent, B.J. Finney, had something to do with it.
n Like a rock, Finney refused to answer for it in the locker room. Here鈥檚 how that conversation went (I walked into someone else asking a non-question, so I guess we deserved the non-answer to open):
Q: That run off the goal line by Snell was pretty good.
BJF: 鈥淚t was huge. The goal is to always get a first down when you鈥檙e backed up and that鈥檚 what he did. We blocked well and he hit the hole.鈥�
Q: Did you blow that hole open?
BJF: 鈥�(Chuckles) The O-line did, sure.鈥�
Q: Let me put it this way: How did you do on that play?
BJF: 鈥淢y guy didn鈥檛 make the tackle, so I did well.鈥�
n I love that O-linemen don鈥檛 require media attention. But I had to find out who did what, and it came as no surprise that they all drove their men off the ball. David DeCastro probably gets the first star on that play for getting out and smothering the middle linebacker.
n Finally got a chance to revive 鈥淰animal鈥� with his third-and-6 catch short of the sticks. He broke one tackle that was attempted by two Browns.
n Turns out Duck was instructed to take the sack instead of throwing the ball away and killing the clock. The Tomlin haters are foiled once again.
n Hey, if you get a chance, read Peter King鈥檚 gassy bloviations on how Tomlin is the greatest coach in the world. I don鈥檛 have a link. It was e-mailed to me.
n Of course, King鈥檚 over the top with his cheese. While Tomlin鈥檚 not as bad a coach as the haters pray and say, he鈥檚 not as great a coach as the pompous bloviators are now saying. No one is. Can鈥檛 anyone ever just look at the talent?
n Minkah Fitzpatrick, pointing to the ground while Joe Haden was returning the interception of Uncle Rico, is what I mean by talent. That鈥檚 not Josh Victorian out there.