Another classic Steelers gaffe and other leftover Patriots thoughts
BOSTON -- Folks, for as much as it feels the region has moved on to a new era in football, for as much as just about everything regarding the operation of the New England Patriots appears to have transformed significantly, there are some things that just won't ever change.
That thing, ladies and gentlemen, is the Pittsburgh Steelers making ghastly mistakes against Bill Belichick's team. You've just got to love it.
Years back, it was a Week 1 gaffe where -- whoopsies -- the Steelers forgot to cover Rob Gronkowski.
In the 2016 AFC title game -- a contest where, theoretically, a trip to the Super Bowl was on the line -- the Steelers physically could not see Chris Hogan and allowed him to catch nine passes for a comical 180 yards and two touchdowns. The Steelers didn't even have the excuse of having to pay attention to Gronkowski, because he wasn't playing.
And while the sun was certainly shining on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday for their home opener, with a chance to start 2-0 after knocking off division rivals and the reigning AFC champs last week, those Pittsburgh Steelers went ahead and goofed it. They blundered.
They sent 10 people out on punt return.
Now, hey, listen, do we know beyond a reasonable doubt that Gunner Olszewski would have been able to cleanly field Jake Bailey's punt in the third quarter if an adult human being had been placed on the field to try to slow down and maybe even completely block gunner Brenden Schooler? No, reader, we don't. We aren't magicians.
But we do know that blocking the men who are charging down the field looking to lay some wood on a punt returner does help the punt returner do his job. And we also know that it would have been much more difficult for Schooler to have been standing directly in front of Olszewski, just waiting for that ball to pop out before alertly pouncing on it to seize possession for New England.
Alas, the Steelers didn't get to live that luxury, because they had 10 players on the field for the punt return.
Mike Tomlin spoke during the week about how great Matthew Slater is, and the two men tasked with slowing him down are proof that the head coach was serious. But the zero people up on Schooler shows that, well, look, mistakes were made.
Look at the freedom this fella had. He looks like a prairie dog, running through the wild.
And it ultimately leads to Schooler breathing down Olszewski's neck, Olszewski beefing it, and the Patriots getting the ball in the red zone.
Seemingly for good measure, Connor Heyward committed a personal foul way back at the line of scrimmage, thus giving the Patriots 10 free yards. Three plays later they were in the end zone, scoring ... what proved to be the game-winning points.
There's obviously a ton of things that happen in a football game. I think Knute Rockne said that once. So games aren't decided by one mistake here or there.
It's just kind of remarkable how many times you can point to a single back-breaking decision/mistake/coaching mishap from this particular matchup as the root cause of several Patriots victories.
With that, some leftover thoughts from the Patriots' 17-14 win in Pittsburgh.
--As long as we're talking about special teams gaffes, we'd be remiss to not mention Myles Bryant's mistake in the opening minutes. The third-year pro revealed this summer that he hadn't returned punts since high school, and his inexperience fielding boomers showed after Pittsburgh punter Pressley Harvin sent an absolute rocket from his own 20 yard line into the end zone. Bryant sprinted back toward the goal line and tried to field the punt, instead of simply letting it fly across the line for a touchback.
He didn't catch it.
Fortunately for him, the rules state that because he never possessed the football in the field of play, his being tackled in the end zone with possession was merely a touchback, and not a safety. But had Pittsburgh recovered that loose ball, it would have been the Patriots' punt return unit gift-wrapping points to the opponent on a day when points were scarce.
--That, though, is also a physical error, made in the midst of a fast-moving game. It was not ... having 10 players on the field for a punt return.
--I thought Mac Jones looked like a different quarterback this week. He was comfortable, he was calm, he had trust in his O-line, he took advantage of his pockets, and he stepped into his throws with confidence. He didn't take any sacks, and he smartly escaped pressure by running four times for 15 yards (before losing nine yards on kneeldowns).
I suppose that serves as a reminder that even though he's past his rookie year, we ought not make too many sweeping conclusions on a week-to-week basis.
--We also can't gloss over things like this.
That might have been the worst pass of his career. Sports.
He also tried to argue with the referee that he was outside of the pocket on his intentional grounding penalty, a play where he was very clearly in the pocket. So it wasn't perfect. But it was better.
--Oh, also this wristband thing is reaching a crisis level.
Can we get this man a Velcro patch? Is that asking too much?
--I couldn't help but think about the new generation of football player when I saw the way Alex Highsmith hit Mac Jones on the QB's interception. Just 25 years old, Highsmith hasn't ever known a football where demolishing the quarterback was even remotely legal. So I found his form rather noteworthy, as it was kind of the only way to exist as a pass rusher in modern football.
It's harder to do than we likely give it credit for.
--Photography is cool. Here is evidence.
Fun fact: That was Jalen Mills' first interception as a member of the Patriots, and his first interception since Week 7 of the 2020 season.
--The play of the offensive line was tremendous, especially considering how dominant the Pittsburgh front looked last week. Even without T.J. Watt, containing that front was a tall task.
The issue with the O-line was in the penalties. Isaiah Wynn had a hold and a false start. The hold came on a drive that ended in a punt, and the false start came three plays before the missed 52-yard field goal. Mike Onwenu had a false start three plays before the Olszewski gift. A David Andrews hold negated a 10-yard gain on a second-and-7. And there was this false start on Trent Brown, which the officials somehow didn't see.
Throw in a delay of game and a burned timeout (after one of the false starts, no less) in the third quarter, and the mechanics of the offensive operation remains a work in progress.
--Call me crazy, but I loved the Steelers fans booing Mitch Trubisky's safe throw on third down.
I mean, it's mean, and I recognize that. But it's also a funny sports story. And where would we be as a society if we couldn't have a chuckle at 70,000 fans desperately yearning for the leash to come off ... Kenny Pickett?
--Mac Jones tore up the turf with his slide in the fourth quarter.
Look at that divot. Looked like he duffed his 5-iron.
It feels like at this point in time, we do indeed have the technology that would allow goofy quarterbacks to slide on natural grass without nearly shattering their leg in the process. Let's get our best and brightest minds on that one before it's too late.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
