‘The Answer Man’ returns
Last January I introduced readers here to the greatest football savant in Pittsburgh. Those of us who无毛视频檝e been reading him faithfully at SteelCityInsider.net simply refer to him as The Answer Man. I caught up with him over the bye week, and here无毛视频檚 how the conversation went:
JW: OK, how deep of a morass is this? Are we on the verge of the 1980s?
AM: Oh, I don无毛视频檛 know about the eighties, in terms of it being a decade-long situation, but this is not good where they are now. But, hey, as Tomlin likes to say, 无毛视频榊ou can talk yourself into anything.无毛视频� So if you want to be depressed now, we can get depressed. If you want to glass-half-full it, there are some things there, too.
I look at 无毛视频� and it无毛视频檚 not necessarily the same position 无毛视频� but, I look at Greg Little. Awful. Didn无毛视频檛 he lead the league in dropped passes a couple years in a row? Now he无毛视频檚 a player. Maybe that happens with Mike Adams, only at a different position. The 49ers, before that offensive line was dominant, didn无毛视频檛 it stink? In the NFL, it无毛视频檚 a handful of plays in every game that decide the outcome, and your identity can become that of a team that doesn无毛视频檛 make those plays. That无毛视频檚 the way it无毛视频檚 going. I mean, look at the Giants.
Seriously. The Giants? Their offensive line was a major reason that they won those two Super Bowls, wasn无毛视频檛 it? Eli Manning? He looks like Mike Tomczak. Victor Cruz? He could play. Justin Tuck? He can play. (Chuckles) I got no answers for this.
JW: We know that a coach just keeps his head down and works his way through this. But will that work in this instance? Isn无毛视频檛 it a lack of talent?
AM: No. This team is not without talent. The talent may need to be developed more. The talent may need to grow up some. But (chuckles) Kansas City has talent? I mean 无毛视频� do you know what I无毛视频檓 saying? Yeah, yesterday, the Cowboys? That offense? Are they that talented? I don无毛视频檛 know. They无毛视频檝e got a couple of good players, but 500-some yards and 5 touchdowns and all the fireworks? I don无毛视频檛 know. But let me say this: I never saw this coming. You无毛视频檙e at camp every day watching. Didn无毛视频檛 you think this was a representative group? Whether it was going to become a championship contender, we无毛视频檒l have to see. At that time that无毛视频檚 what we were all thinking. I never saw 0-4 coming. I never saw the kinds of breakdowns that this team is having. I mean, that comical defensive performance in England. Cortez Allen missed Greg Jennings twice on the same play. Just think about what is required as a corner to get yourself in position to miss the two tackles he missed. He caught the guy and missed him again. I was fairly amazed at what was required athletically and from a resolve standpoint for him to get himself back into that play, and run that guy down, and he missed him again inside the five. Why does that happen? I have no idea. Troy. Troy无毛视频檚 not guessing right anymore. There were times when he would guess wrong before, but then he would make up for that by guessing right. I haven无毛视频檛 seen it. I don无毛视频檛 believe for one second that Troy is kissing off his responsibilities and not studying and not preparing himself and not doing whatever he was doing before. It无毛视频檚 just not working now. The longer I无毛视频檓 around this, I无毛视频檓 disagreeing with those who say 无毛视频業t无毛视频檚 not mystical.无毛视频� Yeah it is. Yeah it is. I mean, Troy无毛视频檚 flying around. You watch him, you watch the game, he无毛视频檚 flying around. So you can无毛视频檛 say it无毛视频檚 his leg, his Achilles无毛视频�, his knee, whatever. It无毛视频檚 none of that stuff.
JW: Well, some are saying he plays too close to the line.
AM: Is that an excuse or an explanation?
JW: He无毛视频檚 not playing deep and reading the quarterback.
AM: But when he was doing that a couple of years ago, it was 无毛视频榃ell, he can无毛视频檛 make any plays because they have to keep him in center field.无毛视频� So now he无毛视频檚 not in center field and that无毛视频檚 why he无毛视频檚 not making any plays. That无毛视频檚 what I mean by saying that whatever needs to be explained you can explain it, but I don无毛视频檛 know if that really is the root cause of the situation we无毛视频檙e seeing. And I was just looking at the stats and there are too many guys that aren无毛视频檛 producing. Lawrence Timmons. How is it that Brett Keisel has 13 pressures and Cameron Heyward has 9, and combined they only have 1 sack?
JW: I don无毛视频檛 know. Maybe the coaches are generous with the counting of 无毛视频榩ressures无毛视频�?
AM: Maybe, but Heyward has 9 pressures and 2 passes defensed, which he blocked at the line of scrimmage. To me that无毛视频檚 a lot of close. There无毛视频檚 seems to be a lot of that: close.
JW: Do you wonder if there无毛视频檚 some kind of loser无毛视频檚 snowball that无毛视频檚 rolling through?
AM: Could be. But there无毛视频檚 a lot of this stuff. I mean, the Indianapolis Colts were 2-14 two years ago. They drafted Andrew Luck, but they lost a lot of others 无毛视频� Dwight Freeney, all those people. Is the Colts无毛视频� offensive line that much better than ours? It baffles me.
JW: If you were to put your finger on one thing, would it be the offensive line?
AM: Yes. If you don无毛视频檛 have that stabilized to some degree, really, anything you无毛视频檙e trying to do is hit and miss. Look at the London game. Mike Adams was knocking some people off the ball on running plays, and then he looks like me trying to pass block. I mean, it无毛视频檚 not even where you can look at him and say what you could say about other stiffs who无毛视频檝e come through: 无毛视频楬e stinks. Get him out.无毛视频� It无毛视频檚 not that. It无毛视频檚 not that he stinks in everything all the time. It无毛视频檚 just that he stinks too often in some critical areas.
You always bring this up at draft time: The Steelers like young people, young people, young people. Birthdays. That无毛视频檚 what you get from young people. What无毛视频檚 Adams? Twenty-three? Back in the day he无毛视频檇 still be in college. What I think that you have to really guard against is that you throw out the window everything that you have done and believed in all along and say 无毛视频榃e无毛视频檝e got to change.无毛视频� I think that that无毛视频檚 crazy. And the coach stuff, too. This amuses the hell out of me. Tomlin. The same people who want to run Tomlin will vote for Andy Reid for coach of the 无毛视频斘廾悠禂- year. (Laughs) Really? OK.
So, again, I think that now the true test is staying the course and sticking with what you believe in, sticking with what has worked. I无毛视频檓 talking to a lot of fans when I say the Kansas City Chiefs haven无毛视频檛 won a playoff game since 1993. So, when we无毛视频檙e getting all excited about the Chiefs this year, think about that: 1993, haven无毛视频檛 won a playoff game since then. This team无毛视频檚 been to four Super Bowls and won two, to say nothing of the playoff games and division championships and 15-1 and whatever. And I无毛视频檓 not saying that this is therefore excusable 无毛视频� 0-4 无毛视频� because it无毛视频檚 not. But, there are cycles. It无毛视频檚 unfortunate but I just don无毛视频檛 think anyone saw this coming. I just don无毛视频檛. One of the other things 无毛视频� and this is a perception, but Cowher always said 无毛视频楶erception is reality无毛视频� 无毛视频� that I like the unwillingness of the coach and the general manager and the team president to say 无毛视频榃e are in transition.无毛视频� In other words, 无毛视频榃e无毛视频檙e not competing this year. We无毛视频檙e building for the future.无毛视频�
That无毛视频檚 crap. That to me is an excuse, because if you say 无毛视频榃e want to be 8-8 this year,无毛视频� and you无毛视频檙e 8-5 with 3 games to go, everybody relaxes. You无毛视频檙e 8-8. You did it (mock cheers). But people take that, and they say that stuff, and don无毛视频檛 understand why or the context in which it is said. When Colbert refuses to say we无毛视频檙e a team in transition, that doesn无毛视频檛 mean necessarily that he doesn无毛视频檛 understand that this roster is shallow. He does. But if you start saying that 无毛视频� and I truly do not mean to demean the military by comparing football to combat 无毛视频� but if Patton steps up in front of the troops and says 无毛视频榃e无毛视频檙e going into this battle and I don无毛视频檛 know if we can win or not.无毛视频� You can无毛视频檛 do that. You have to, as a leader, try and instill confidence in your people, so you have to be saying things that are definitive and positive and rah-rah.
JW: One concern I have is Ben. Are you worried that he无毛视频檚 lost that winning charisma he once had?
AM: Don无毛视频檛 know, but you无毛视频檙e right. Ben无毛视频檚 magic无毛视频檚 gone. Troy无毛视频檚 magic无毛视频檚 gone. The big-play magic is gone. The splash-play magic is gone. How can the Pittsburgh Steelers无毛视频� defense, with Dick LeBeau, not have a takeaway in four games? I mean, this takeaway problem has been around for a few years now.
JW: Someone on the radio said it无毛视频檚 because LeBeau无毛视频檚 too old and everyone gets the zone blitz now and that it无毛视频檚 time for a new defensive coordinator.
AM: I don无毛视频檛 know, but I无毛视频檒l tell you what: I could make a few changes in personnel and I无毛视频檒l bet you it无毛视频檚 pretty damned magical. Here无毛视频檚 one: Let无毛视频檚 take Ike out and put Rod Woodson there. Let无毛视频檚 take Ryan Clark out and put Darren Perry there. Not that Ryan Clark无毛视频檚 a bad player, but he无毛视频檚 not a takeaway guy. Or, let无毛视频檚 go back and institute the pre-2010 player safety initiative rules again and let无毛视频檚 let those receivers think about running down those seams with the old rules. Super Bowl 45, all of that stuff about Aaron Rodgers and what a great game he had. Remember the 无毛视频�08 playoffs when the Ravens tried some of that stuff? They carted Willis McGahee off. But you don无毛视频檛 do that stuff anymore. The rules changes, to me, were pointed directly at this football team, this organization. Don无毛视频檛 get me on the soapbox, but this (Dashon) Goldson, his suspension gets reduced to a fine, and another guy who was suspended got reduced to a fine. James Harrison, as of that 2010 game against the Browns, had never been flagged for a personal-foul penalty in his entire NFL career, and they called him an habitual offender. How can you be an habitual offender if you无毛视频檝e never had a personal foul? I无毛视频檓 not an habitual burglar if I never got caught robbing anybody!
But there are a lot of things that I think are kind of coming together at this particular time that are hitting the Steelers. I mean, the Giants are 0-5. Look at the way the organizations are run. The philosophies might not be identical but fairly similar. They believe in stability. They believe in drafting and developing your own players. They don无毛视频檛 believe in making big splashes in free agency. Are we to believe that all of that stuff is now the wrong approach? In February of 2011, we were in Arlington and Dick LeBeau was the smartest man ever. The Steelers无毛视频� way was the best way ever. So now what you无毛视频檙e telling me is that 24 months later all of that无毛视频檚 crap and we need to throw it all out and do something else? I无毛视频檓 not saying you don无毛视频檛 adjust and maybe tweak some things and try and do some things better, but your general framework of your procedures and beliefs should not change now, because then you become a rabble.
JW: OK, so the focus is still on the offensive line. Can Adams get better?
AM: I think it would be a little bit premature to say he can无毛视频檛 play left tackle ever. What do you think?
JW: I would have to be an offensive line coach to make the intelligent decision that needs to be made there. Does this team have that? Can Jack Bicknell coach this guy up?
AM: I don无毛视频檛 know. That无毛视频檚 his job. You know, I无毛视频檓 not a big fan of that, of changing the staff constantly, constantly, constantly.
JW: Could you see moving Adams to left guard and drafting the left tackle next year?
AM: I无毛视频檓 not opposed to anything. I think the one thing we definitely agree on is you need more than five. There无毛视频檚 barely five. Without Pouncey there isn无毛视频檛 five. This is what the rest of this season needs to be about, for the personnel evaluators. For me, the rest of this season needs to be about trying to win every game you play. I understand how trite that sounds, but let me explain myself. This isn无毛视频檛 the preseason. I无毛视频檓 not putting anybody in to 无毛视频楲et无毛视频檚 see what he can do.无毛视频� 无毛视频�- that. I无毛视频檓 trying to win the game. If there无毛视频檚 something, a move that can be made within the realm of the reality that can help us win, I无毛视频檓 in. But I无毛视频檓 not into 无毛视频楲et无毛视频檚 see what he can do.无毛视频� Or 无毛视频楲et无毛视频檚 try this there.无毛视频� No, that (stuff) is for the off-season. That无毛视频檚 for then. And I also believe you set yourself up for future success by how you handle these kinds of situations. By that I mean this: The coach, the coaches, need to do what I just said because nobody wants to waste a year of their career. You want to lose credibility with your players, start doing that (stuff). OK? They want to win every week; you try and win every week. And how it ends up, it ends up and you deal with it after that. That, to me, is important to maintain your credibility. You need to impress upon them what is important, and that is we无毛视频檙e in the business of winning games. This is the game we have to play now; we want to win this.
We无毛视频檙e not tanking for draft picks or we无毛视频檙e not trading away our best running back to draft a quarterback next April. None of that (stuff). You cannot have that. You can无毛视频檛 talk about that. You can无毛视频檛 think like that. And then I think you have some ability to establish some credibility with your players in that respect, so that if you have to go to them and say 无毛视频楯im, I无毛视频檝e got to move you from this position to this position to get this guy in because you two guys playing next to each other instead of competing for the same spot gives us a better chance to win. I understand you无毛视频檙e not going to be able to touch the ball as much, but this is what I need to happen.无毛视频� Well, Jim, then you无毛视频檙e more likely to say to me 无毛视频極K,无毛视频� because I无毛视频檝e taught you through my actions that I无毛视频檓 just trying to win. There无毛视频檚 no bull(stuff) here. I believe that helped Cowher in a bunch of different instances, where he was a hard-nosed (jerk) but what he did 无毛视频� whether it was right or wrong, too; sometimes it was wrong 无毛视频� but, the purpose was what无毛视频檚 best for the team, so that when he would then go to people and try and get them to buy into something for the good of the team, at least they knew he was pure of heart.
Again, whether he was right or not, who knows? But that无毛视频檚 what无毛视频檚 important. Otherwise you become Tampa Bay.