When Ike speaks, young guns listen
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� A couple of weeks ago, after he possibly read the writing on his career wall, Ike Taylor talked about his wish to go into scouting.
After all, he was 34, injured, and in the two games following an 8-game absence with a broken forearm Taylor was scorched for long touchdown catches by Kenny Stills and A.J. Green.
In fact Green, against whom Taylor had celebrated personal victories in past one-on-one encounters, shredded mostly Taylor for 224 yards.
Since that game, Taylor has been sidelined with two or three 无毛视频渘icks无毛视频� and was again inactive Sunday night as the Steelers beat the Cincinnati Bengals, 27-17.
Taylor and fellow two-time champion and revered elder statesman Troy Polamalu watched replacements Brice McCain, Will Allen and nickel back Antwon Blake help hold Green to a mere 82 yards receiving.
无毛视频淢an,无毛视频� Taylor started, 无毛视频測ou give opportunities to guys who are hungry, young guys who don无毛视频檛 understand what a playoff atmosphere is but who are now getting to grow and understand, it无毛视频檚 like a plant growing in the summertime. Put the right fertilizer on it, let them get the right sunshine, water 无毛视频檈m down whenever you need to, and watch 无毛视频檈m grow. That无毛视频檚 how those guys are playing.无毛视频�
Perceptive. And that无毛视频檚 why Taylor will make a good scout some day. But he was asked to change hats. He was asked to put on the hat of the head coach. He was asked what he would do with replacements who无毛视频檝e been playing so well in veteran absence as the veterans work their way back to full health.
无毛视频淚 tell people all the time playing corner is like playing quarterback: You get in a rhythm,无毛视频� Taylor said. 无毛视频淣ow I无毛视频檓 not going to knock that rhythm off of corners who are in the rhythm. So my issue being: Do I come back too early or do I keep my guys in the rhythm?
无毛视频淛ust watching these young guys take the challenge and grow and, watching the veteran leadership, they know I无毛视频檝e got their back. They know I无毛视频檓 not worried about playing time. They know I无毛视频檓 not worried about coming back. Anything they need, they got from big brother Ike. So they transfer that onto the field and what helps that is they don无毛视频檛 have to look over their shoulder. You can play cornerback just playing comfortable and knowing a 12-year veteran ain无毛视频檛 breathing down your neck because he wants to play and everything is good and he无毛视频檚 got your back 100 percent. That counts as everything a coach or anybody else has to say. That无毛视频檚 the kind of atmosphere I want. And they无毛视频檙e reaping. They无毛视频檙e reaping.无毛视频�
So are the Steelers. It无毛视频檚 a team that无毛视频檚 coming together in all aspects, and lately that final aspect, the secondary, has been rounding into form and the Steelers have the look of a legitimate contender.
McCain? He intercepted two passes Sunday that were intended for Green. One bounced off Green无毛视频檚 outstretched hands; the other was a stop-and-go in which Green stopped and McCain kept going to intercept a pass inside the Pittsburgh 5-yard line.
McCain Island?
无毛视频淣o,无毛视频� McCain said with immediate disapproval. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a team game. AJ Green无毛视频檚 a great receiver, hands down. I just stayed on top of him. Quarterback got impatient, threw the ball quick and I picked the ball off. I should无毛视频檝e had three, but I had two.无毛视频�
McCain was asked how the Steelers were able to shut Green down this time as opposed to the last time.
无毛视频淣o balls over our head,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淭he other game we played he had balls over our head. We lose games when you give up more than one deep ball. So we focused on that, no deep balls. 无毛视频� We无毛视频檙e going to force them to check the ball down. If they don无毛视频檛 check it down and get greedy, we无毛视频檙e going to pick him off, like today.无毛视频�
Obviously, teams learn from their mistakes. But they also learn when they have players who are playing well and veterans who are not. And it takes a special veteran, like Taylor, and presumably like Polamalu, who won无毛视频檛 stand in the way of transition and growth. It无毛视频檚 known as the character of a champion.
无毛视频淚 got it from Deshea Townsend and Willie Williams,无毛视频� said Taylor. 无毛视频淚f I didn无毛视频檛 have those two guys, maybe the situation might be different. Willie Williams pulled his hamstring and he was like, 无毛视频業t无毛视频檚 yours. I watched you breathe down my neck from training camp and preseason, and now I无毛视频檓 hurt so don无毛视频檛 look back.无毛视频� At the time you无毛视频檙e just thinking a veteran is just talking, but now I无毛视频檓 actually going through it. And seeing these guys develop over time, we无毛视频檙e talking about 56th guy on the depth chart, we无毛视频檙e talking about signing a free agent from Houston (McCain), we无毛视频檙e talking about getting a special teams guy from Jacksonville (Blake). And yet everybody was saying, 无毛视频榃ho we drafting?'无毛视频�
On draft day, as fans and media groused about the team not drafting a cornerback until the fifth round, defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said 无毛视频淲e may have great players in the building already; they just haven无毛视频檛 had the chance to show us that they are great.无毛视频�
Perhaps McCain and Blake and veteran safety Will Allen aren无毛视频檛 无毛视频済reat,无毛视频� but don无毛视频檛 tell that to the coaching staff. For a defense that无毛视频檚 broken ignominious team records for net passing yards allowed, gross passing yards allowed, completion percentage allowed and just crushed the team passer rating allowed 无毛视频� 98.3 this year; previous record 83.5 in 2009 无毛视频� the replacement players are at least a much-needed tourniquet.
After Green had torched Taylor and the Steelers in Game 13, the Steelers were allowing a passer rating of 100.9. In the last three games it无毛视频檚 been 89.5. Allen said that in the absence of the veterans, 无毛视频渨e无毛视频檙e just trying to hold the secondary together,无毛视频� but they无毛视频檝e done more than that.
So, should these replacements continue playing into the playoffs?
Taylor, scout and coach, knows the answer, at least at his position.
无毛视频淧ut your pride aside,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been saying that since I无毛视频檝e been here. Being a Pittsburgh Steeler, at some point in time you无毛视频檝e got to put your pride aside. Don无毛视频檛 know when, but you无毛视频檝e got to. And I put my pride aside to watch young guys grow. Just the whole secondary situation: I无毛视频檓 out, Troy无毛视频檚 out, Cortez (Allen) is out, (Will) Gay got snubbed for the Pro Bowl, you never thought of McCain and Blake无毛视频檚 making big plays. This situation is crazy.
无毛视频淓verybody like, 无毛视频楳an, you mad?无毛视频� For what? I understand. I无毛视频檓 hard on myself. I无毛视频檒l criticize myself. But now I get to see young guys grow and have the opportunity to do it, and I want them to get Super Bowls and I want them to get their money. That无毛视频檚 what I无毛视频檓 doing. Me and Coach T were talking. He said, 无毛视频楳an, you see these boys developing right in front of our eyes?无毛视频� I said 无毛视频榊eah.无毛视频�
无毛视频淭he tunnel was kind of dark five weeks ago. Coach T kept telling us teams that win Super Bowls, they don无毛视频檛 lose in December. Now, it无毛视频檚 a game of inches, a play here, a play there, but secondary-wise, this is about the best secondary play we无毛视频檝e had in years, probably in that 08, 09 era. Today was one of those days.无毛视频�