Ron Cook: Steelers' defense doesn't hold up its end of bargain

By Ron Cook
Pittsburgh-Post Gazette

A guy turns 75 just one time in his life. You would think the Steelers' defense could have done a better job to make it a happy birthday Sunday night for defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. It was sliced and diced by Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and failed to protect two second-half leads in a 31-19 loss.

Every player will tell you that Le Beau — who is beloved in the team's defensive meeting room — deserved so much better.

The old coach has been involved in many tough losses during his 54 years as a player and a coach in the NFL, but this one had to be near the top of the list.

He took a lot of the blame for the team's playoff loss here to the Broncos in January. His call for the players to sell out to stop the run on the first play of overtime left cornerback Ike Taylor with no deep inside help. and the Broncos turned it into an 80-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tim Tebow to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas.

"It wasn't a very good call," said LeBeau, who beat himself up a long time after the game.

This game meant a lot to LeBeau, but his players didn't have his back.

They held their own against the great Manning — who was playing for the first time after missing all of last season — in the first half and had a chance to ruin what clearly was the big story of the NFL's opening weekend.

But they were powerless to stop him and the Denver offense in the final two quarters. The Broncos had three possessions in the second half and scored two touchdowns and a field goal.

The turning point brought back horrible memories. The Broncos had the ball for just two plays in the third quarter but scored a touchdown to wipe out the Steelers' 13-7 lead. On the second play, Manning threw a quick screen to the left to Thomas, who turned the play into a 71-yard touchdown. It was the 400th touchdown pass of Manning's fabulous career. This one was all on safety Troy Polamalu, who got caught inside on the coverage.

The defense was given a second chance when Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Wallace early in the fourth quarter for a 19-14 lead. But Manning picked it apart on the next drive, completing 6-of-7 passes for 57 yards during a 10-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that gave Denver a 22-19 lead after a successful 2-point conversion.

The Steelers' defense was so bad in the second half that it almost seemed like a positive when the Broncos had to settle for a field goal on their next possession.

It was a disappointing ending after the Steelers' defense played a strong first half.

Manning showed no signs of rust on the 80-yard march. He had a 7-yard scramble for a first down when he got outside of linebacker Lawrence Timmons' contain. He looked pretty mobile for an old man — 36 — coming off of major neck surgery.

But, the Steelers' defense — playing without linebacker James Harrison (knee) and safety Ryan Clark (blood disorder) — seemed up for the challenge on this gorgeous night near the Rocky Mountains. It sacked Manning twice and forced a turnover when linebacker Larry Foote knocked the ball loose from running back Willie McGahee in the first quarter.

Those were big plays by a defense that struggled to make them last season despite leading the NFL in fewest points and fewest yards allowed.

Foote was in the middle of all of it. It's his defense now that James Farrior no longer is with the team. Foote makes the defensive calls and is responsible for getting his teammates lined up properly.

Read more: Ron Cook: Steelers' defense doesn't hold up its end of bargain - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_21505798/ron-cook-steelers-defense-doesnt-hold-up-its?source=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dp-sports-broncos+%28Denver+Post%3A+Sports%3A+Broncos%29#ixzz266ysnGXK
Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse