PITTSBURGH — You know what I never want to hear again?
"We don't live in our fears."
Here were Mike Tomlin's Steelers, playing their first home game since the coach capitulated on a late fourth-and-1 in a playoff game, facing another critical fourth-and-short situation. What a great chance to prove how much they've changed, at least in demeanor.
This time, it was fourth-and-1 at their 34 with less than nine minutes left and the Las Vegas Raiders leading 23-14.
Keep in mind, the Steelers defense was losing players by the second and had given up points on five of the previous seven possessions — including two second-half touchdowns. There was zero reason to believe in them. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr looked unstoppable.
A few of Carr's throws were so good they reminded me of some of Aaron Rodgers' throws in Super Bowl XLV. I probably don't need to remind you that in a game a year earlier, Tomlin actually attempted a late onside kick with a lead because he had no faith his defense could stop Rodgers.
Where was that swashbuckler Sunday?
And where was this newer, tougher Steelers offense?
So what if they hadn't run all day? They were going to get a yard. Or at least try.
They'd drafted a monster back from Alabama, after all. They'd fired their "throw-short, run-long" coordinator. They'd switched line coaches, promoting Adrian Klemm, and all we heard in camp was how Klemm was instilling a meaner mentality among the troops.
"We call it necessary violence," tackle Zach Banner said.
Yeah, well, the only violence we saw on the fourth-and-1 was punter Pressley Harvin's foot hitting the ball. Sure, the Steelers held, but they also lost precious time. And when they needed a stop after Chris Boswell's 56-yard field goal, they failed, reinforcing the idea that trusting this defense on this day, in any situation, was a bad bet.
The fourth-and-1 was just a snapshot, but the symbolism hit hard. The offense hasn't changed. Not yet. Not a bit. Tomlin doesn't trust his line. He doesn't trust the monster back from Alabama to get a yard. He didn't even trust his 6-foot-5, 240-pound quarterback to fall forward, even while Carr was executing two perfect quarterback sneaks.
The bigger picture, of course, is that Matt Canada's offense is a flaming disaster through two games. It's way too early for grand proclamations, but if you're at least wondering if this will go the one-and-done route of coordinator Ray Sherman in 1998 and Canada-at-LSU in 2017, I can't blame you.
The best the offense (25th in scoring, 28th in yards) has looked was the second half in Buffalo when it was turned over to Ben Roethlisberger for run-pass options (RPOs).
Otherwise? Not so much.
The pre-snap switching of the tackles looks high school-ish. The running game stinks. The revamped line is leaky (OK, flooding) from the middle outward. The fullback might as well be in the press box. The quarterback is no threat to run, or even walk, which renders entire chapters of Canada's playbook useless.
What else?
The play-action game remains a rumor. The passing game as a whole lacks creativity and a middle-of-the-field presence. The receivers are playing the exact same roles as last year, notably JuJu as a singles hitter, and Roethlisberger gets rid of the ball like it's a burning stone. He tried to hold onto it and make some plays Sunday and was nearly buried alive.
The major difference between Canada and Randy Fichtner so far appears to be removing the no-huddle offense. Did you hear Roethlisberger after the game say the Steelers don't have the no-huddle anymore? Tomlin tried to pour water on that fire Tuesday, saying it was a one-game thing, and Roethlisberger could have helped by doing the same Wednesday.
He poured gasoline instead.
Roethlisberger said his menu of no-huddle plays has been reduced to two-minute-type calls, that it has gone from between 50-100 plays to 10 or 12.
On Thursday, Canada basically said this: Ben can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants.
The day before, Ben said this: "You let the coordinator call the plays. We need to execute the plays that he calls."
I guess it's good that the Steelers lead the league in one category — passive-aggressive comments (PACs) — but it's very bad if their 39-year-old quarterback can't use his go-to offense.
Maybe this is all growing pains and things start to change Sunday against the Bengals. Maybe the Steelers start moving the ball consistently. Maybe they even get a yard when they need one.
Or at least try.
