The Silver Lining
Sep 10, 2008
Author: Jason Ice

This is one of the toughest articles I’ve ever written. That game made me sick, and judging by the response on the forums I’m not the only one. However to coerce us back off the ledge, I’ve decided to try to find the bright spots in the game; things we can build on and look forward to.

Jamal Lewis only had 62 yards rushing on 13 attempts.

Sure, he’s not going to get his 1500 yards by only getting 60 yards per game, but he actually had a good game considering the circumstances. We were forced to abandon the run early due to getting behind so quickly otherwise he would have easily had a 100-yard performance. As it is, he averaged almost 4.8 yards per carry. That’s not bad for a guy that was a game time decision because of a hamstring injury. For those who have been lucky enough to NOT deal with a hamstring injury let me tell you that even a sore muscle is enough to really degrade your athletic ability. Even sitting down on a toilet becomes a painful proposition. Not only is there substantial pain, but also weakness in the hammy will affect everything you do. As long as Lewis can stay healthy, I expect him to have a great season.

This was the worst performance by our offensive line we’ve seen in a year.

Anderson was pressured all day. I think it would be fair to compare the pressure he was under to the pressure we saw from the Steelers in week 1 of 2007. If there’s a positive to that statement, it was the composure of Derek Anderson. Despite being hit all day long, he didn’t throw a single interception, and didn’t take a single sack. The official box score says he was sacked once for 0 yards. In my book that’s not a sack. He stood in the pocket, delivered the ball very quickly under pressure, and still got the ball out even when he knew he was going to take a hit.

Our improved defensive line didn’t look very improved.

At least at first glance. No pressure on Romo and they ran on us all day. If there were a silver lining to this story it would have to be Shaun Rogers. Sure, only 4 tackles on the day but considering his job (which is to command a double team) I think he did a great. I’ve been one of the biggest detractors of Rogers since we traded for him. I questioned his will to play, called him a paycheck player, and doubted his affection for the sport. He proved me wrong in every aspect. He did not take plays off like he has done his whole career in Detroit. On one play he was double-teamed and pushed both linemen backwards as if they were wearing roller skates. And who can forget the crunch play on Romo? I haven’t seen a move like that since playing Street Fighter as a kid. He put his guts on the field. I will no longer doubt Rogers. The rest of the line though did not hold up. Maybe a small silver lining is that we just played the best offensive line in the NFL hands down. Those guys are huge and they’ve got great chemistry. But it was still an unacceptable outing. Luckily we go up against a much softer line this week. I expect to see many more Shamu tackles this week on Ben Roethlisberger. Wimbley has to step up.

Our secondary was not effective.

There are many reasons for this. The injury to Pool was huge. He is easily our best cover safety. With him gone, Sean Jones ended up locked on WR’s and TE’s, while Adams played in the box. Not ideal at all. Pool has the speed and power to keep up with the best TE’s in the league, and we all know Jones does his best work inside the box. Our young CB’s played just how I expected them too. They are as fast and agile as any WR on the field, but their lack of experience put them in the wrong position often. This was only compounded by the fact that we played zone most of the game. It’s often frustrating to fans to watch a defense play zone, but in this case I would have done the same thing. It minimizes the mistakes of young DB’s and helps cover big pass-catching TE’s like Witten. Did it work? Not so much. But when the QB has enough time in the backfield to write a love song for his girlfriend it doesn’t matter what defense the DB’s are in.

Braylon Edwards looked like Dennis Northcutt.

Maybe this is the wakeup call Edwards needs. Last season was almost easy for him. Everyone is calling him one of the best WR’s in the NFL. Perhaps it has gone to his head. Dallas provided him a swift reality check. I don’t expect to see that any more this year.

Special teams weren’t very special.

Cribbs, please feel better. We’re counting on you.

We were manhandled.

It was a non-division non-conference game. It means as little to our playoff hopes as a loss possibly can. Also, there was a poll on the forum last week asking people whether they would rather lose to the Cowboys in week 1 or the Steelers in week 2. A staggering 86% said they would rather beat Pittsburgh than Dallas. Here’s hoping we all get our wish.

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