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Mid-Season 2000
The halfway point of the 2000 season has arrived, and that means it is time for our annual mid-season report card. We will begin by grading the most vital and talked about position on the Pittsburgh Steelers team, Quarterback. Quarterback: Kent Graham was named the starter before the season began and he went out and engineered three consecutive losses. He was not very impressive in any of those games, and fortunately for Pittsburgh but unfortunate for Graham, he suffered an injury. Kordell Stewart relieved him and got the Steelers their first win of the season, a major upset of the New York Jets. Graham sat out the following week and Stewart once again led the offense to victory over Cleveland. When Graham returned against the Bengals the following week, he was playing so poorly Bill Cowher benched him after the first half. Kordell picked up where he left off and has not looked back since. He is getting better with every game, but because he has only been a starter in four of the first eight games, his grade is incomplete. Overall Grade: C Wide Receivers: When the NFL draft took place last April, the
Steelers had their sights sent on one man. Plaxico Burress. The option of
selecting Chad Pennington was there, but Pittsburgh had placed their
confidence on the shoulders of Kordell Stewart and wanted to get him
someone who he could use as a dangerous target. So Bill Cowher made
Burress that man. Now, after the first eight games, the fans and coaches
are still waiting for Burress to be the receiver they though him to be.
He has been a constant disappointment, often misrunning routes, dropping
passes and making "rookie" mistakes. While he and Troy Edwards
joked in preseason about whom the "man" was going to be, it
has been Hines Ward who has stepped up into the #1 role. Edwards has
been plagued with minor injuries and demoted to a #2 role as well as
still suffering from "dropped-ball-itus." Malcolm Johnson has
been pretty much a non-entity; Will Blackwell has yet to play a down due
to injury; and Bobby Shaw has shown signs of brilliance, but is
inconsistent. If this unit comes around in the second half of the
season, then the Steelers will become a very dangerous team. But, in the
first half? Tight End: Mark Bruener has been slowly getting more passes thrown at
him, a factor we have been waiting for, for years. In the meantime, he
remains the same, clutch receiver; outstanding blocker. Backing him up
with some fine play off the bench with some good catching abilities is
Jerame Tuman, and rookie Corey Geason. Running Backs: Even before the season began, many were saying that
Jerome Bettis was done. He had nothing left they said. Based on his
performances in '98 and '99, it certainly appeared his skills were
diminishing. But Bettis swore that he had plenty of gas left in the
"Bus" and that his tires had lots of tread left on them.
Still, after the season opener when he rushed for negative yardage
against Baltimore, it looked like the critics were right. But, since
then Bettis has turned on the turbos and has regained the form he
brought to Pittsburgh when he arrived five years ago. He is over 600
yards rushing for the season already and has been the primary back with
Richard Huntley nursing injuries. Occasionally, some other back will
touch the ball, such as Chris Fuamatu-Ma'Afala, but with Fu now out due
to injury, Huntley is getting his carries. And, with Jon Witman lost for
the season, and Fu not being able to fill the role at Fullback, rookie
Dan Kreider is leading the plays as the "Bus Driver." Through
1-½ games he has done a pretty good job for a rookie, as he even made a
spectacular first down reception and run against the Baltimore Ravens in
his first official start. Huntley? New contract, and in return, injuries
and poor running. Amos Zereoue? Once again riding the bench. He will
stay there as long as Bettis is chewing up yardage and eating up the
game clock. Offensive Line: The biggest problem for the Steelers over the past
several seasons has been their offensive line. They've lost key players,
drafted busts, and gone through an array of injuries. And, through at
least the first two games of this season, it looked like things were not
getting any better. But, beginning with the Tennessee game, the line
started playing with consistency and confidence. Newly acquired Guard
Rich Tylski is beginning to get comfortable with they system, Wayne
Gandy is finally making his big contract seem worthwhile, Alan Fanuc is
his usual steady self, Dermontti Dawson does not seem to have lost much
with age, and rookie Marvel Smith, although still learning and benched
following an injury, has shown signs of becoming a true NFL offensive
lineman. In Smith's place, Shar Pourdanesh took over and as always had
been playing well. But, when he suffered an injury, journeyman Larry
Tharpe took over and has played excellent football. This line has been
doing a magnificent job in protecting the Quarterback. Kicker: Kris Brown may be one of the finest Kickers that the Steelers
have ever drafted. He scared a few people in training camp in 1999, made
Cowher a bit nervous; but went out and had a spectacular season. He has
continued that trend in 2000 and although he has missed a few field
goals, and an extra point, he has been solid as our only Kicker on the
team. Next page > Defense - The Unit Everyone Loves! > Page 1, 2 |
The
Steeler Report Card
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