Super Bowl loss may fuel another Steelers run

Gerry Dulac
Sporting News

In a season when he had to wade through a minefield of suspensions, fines, injuries and controversial trades, it’s incomprehensible that Mike Tomlin didn’t receive a single vote for NFL Coach of the Year.

After all the problems and injuries he endured, including a four-game suspension of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, Tomlin should have been the hands-down winner.

The Steelers lost only four games in 2010, won their 20th division title since 1970 and made it to their third Super Bowl in six years. Now Tomlin gets to see if he can do it again.

“We have a veteran-laden group with really good leadership,” Tomlin says. “A little extra is required when you’re trying to find a winning edge, a winning formula—and that is something our guys embrace.”

The previous two times the Steelers made it the Super Bowl—after the 2005 and ’08 seasons—they missed the playoffs the following year. But in each of those Super Bowls, the Steelers were victorious. The loss to the Packers in Super Bowl 45 might be enough to inspire another run through the playoffs.

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2011-06-20/super-bowl-loss-may-fuel-another-steelers-run#ixzz1Pv6solhY

Also from this article, an anonymous opponent breaks down the Steelers:

Quote :

Opponent's view

(An anonymous opponent breaks down the Steelers)

“The Packers discovered the way to beat the Steelers—spread that defense out and force those corners to cover, something they just don’t do very well. If you go back a number of years, the Patriots started doing that to the Steelers with Tom Brady, and they still do it. What happens when you spread the field, No. 1, it gets Casey Hampton off the field in their nickel defense. No. 2, when you use four and even five wide receivers, it gets some of the linebackers in mismatches with the running backs and teams look for that. You’ve seen other teams challenge (inside linebacker) James Farrior in those situations.

“But the whole purpose is to get the Steelers’ corners in one-on-one situations, and they’re just not very good in those situations. Now, Ike Taylor is, but he doesn’t make a lot of plays on the ball. The problem is on the other side, where Bryant McFadden needs help over the top because he has a hard time in single coverage. Whenever the Packers saw McFadden in single coverage, they almost always went at him.”

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2011-06-20/super-bowl-loss-may-fuel-another-steelers-run#ixzz1Pv73IVLP

As I've stated over and over, without a reliable corner waiting in the wings, it seems insane to let Ike walk.

i do believe we will make another trip to SB. i dont see right now another AFC team that is as complete as the steelers are. our secondary will be better thus making our defense much better and our offense should be top 5.

and yeah wally we must sign ike

I saw a piece on ESPN where they said the Steelers could have their eye on a couple young free agent corners from other teams.

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/28411/scouts-inc-on-steelers-cb-options

Carlos Rogers and richard Marshall to be precise.

Anyway I'll be glad when this b.s lockout is over so we can finally get some answers with this.

zulater wrote:

I saw a piece on ESPN where they said the Steelers could have their eye on a couple young free agent corners from other teams.

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/28411/scouts-inc-on-steelers-cb-options

Carlos Rogers and richard Marshall to be precise.

Anyway I'll be glad when this b.s lockout is over so we can finally get some answers with this.

You and I both. We definitely need to get our secondary in order ASAP. I'm hoping that we catch lightning in a bottle twice and are pleasantly surprised with the results like our receiving corps last season. We went into the year with a lot of worry with the heave-ho of Santo, the season ending injury injury to Sweed and another year of wear and tear on the Hines tread. I know I was concerned with that area of the team and look how that turned out. Maybe they can do it again with the secondary.