JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Buoyed by a strong finish last season, a new offense, a refreshed attitude and in the pink of health, the Steelers started their season not with a bang but with a whimper yesterday.
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Kordell Stewart feels the pain after being sacked yesterday. He was sacked three times. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Photos) |
The tropical weather alternated between sultry and downpour as the Steelers alternated among fumbles, fumbled snaps, dropped passes, blocked punts, interceptions and watching Mark Brunell throw touchdown passes.
"Nothing went right today," said receiver Hines Ward.
Brunell threw three scoring passes, all in the second quarter, as the Jaguars stifled the Steelers, 21-3, to make it five victories in their past six games against their professed top rivals.
The replacement officials, culled from the college ranks to fill in for the locked-out regulars, made far fewer mistakes than the visitors from the north.
Coach Bill Cowher summed things up when he said, "We just couldn't make a play."
The Steelers drove 57 yards on 13 plays to set up Kris Brown's 41-yard field goal 40 seconds into the second quarter and take a 3-0 lead, then took a seat to watch the Jaguars put on a real show.
Brunell struck right back, throwing a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Smith on the next series. After Jacksonville blocked Josh Miller's punt, Brunell connected again with Smith for a 15-yard touchdown. He made it three in a row after Hines Ward lost a fumble, delivering a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Damon Jones for a 21-3 lead.
"We had a real good second quarter," Brunell said in a bit of understatement.
"I think during that period, we lost our composure," said linebacker Jason Gildon.
And the game with it. The rain followed, but a Steelers rally never materialized.
"It's one of those days, man," said receiver Plaxico Burress, one of many injured Steelers yesterday. "Things happened in the beginning; it was like wow, man, can it get any worse for us?"
The answer is, yes. They could return home to all the hoopla of their opener at Heinz Stadium and lose to the Cleveland Browns. It has happened in each of the past two seasons.
"We just have to forget about it," said Ward, who led the Steelers with seven receptions for 82 yards. "We have our home opener against Cleveland next weekend. There's no need to panic."
This was supposed to be the season the Steelers got off to a quick start. They opened last year with three consecutive losses and it cost them a playoff spot when they finished with nine victories in 13 games. Cowher fired Kevin Gilbride and turned the offense over to Mike Mularkey to resounding internal applause. They made moves to improve their speed on defense.
None of those things was evident yesterday as the Jaguars, supposedly a team in decline after going 7-9 last season, looked like Super Bowl contenders.
"To hear that we don't have any talent or that we're not what we used to be, that's ridiculous," Brunell said.
The Steelers will vouch for that, although some of them believed the difference was only a handful of plays.
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Mike Schneck and Damon Gibson of the Jaguars chase a loose ball after it gets away from Jacksonville punter Chris Hanson. | |
"The ball bounced their way," safety Lee Flowers said. "Not to take anything away from them, but you look at the stats before that last run, we were doing pretty well."
Before Fred Taylor ran 24 yards on the second-last play of the game to give him 96 for the game, the Steelers actually held an edge, statistically, and trailed 299-281 at the end.
Those statistics, however, did not count Jon Witman blowing his assignment and allowing Donovin Darius to blow up the middle, block Josh Miller's punt and injure Miller and set up the Jaguars' second touchdown.
Nor did they include Ward getting hit three times after catching a 6-yard pass, fumbling and setting up Jacksonville's third score.
Nor did they count when Kordell Stewart fumbled a snap from center Jeff Hartings -- and everyone thought those problems had been solved -- in the rain in the middle of the third quarter at the Jacksonville 6 that ended a chance for the Steelers to get back into it.
There also was the pass Stewart threw in the second quarter toward Plaxico Burress in Jaguars territory that a shallower Bobby Shaw leaped to catch, had it bounce off his hands and into those of linebacker Hardy Nickerson for an interception.
Those did not count in the total yardage stats, but they added up to a lopsided loss.
"We didn't go out there and play Steelers football," Ward said.
Not unless you consider the kind that caused them not to make the playoffs in the past three seasons.
Jerome Bettis, who is closing in on 10,000 yards rushing in his career, never came close to 50. He had 28 on 12 carries as Amos Zereoue, playing in the hurry-up offense in the second half, led the Steelers with 60 on nine carries.
Stewart, the victim of some drops early, completed 21 of 37 passes for 181 yards, two interceptions and no touchdowns. He was sacked three times, twice by Kevin Hardy, and had a 47.2 passer rating for the day.
The Steelers defense rarely put any pressure on Brunell, who completed 15 of 26 passes for 198 yards, no interceptions, just one sack and a 120.4 passer rating.
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Linebacker Joey Porter and safety Lee Flowers wrap up Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, who rushes for 96 yards. |
"They didn't have to pass the ball a lot, once they went up 21-3," Gildon noted, not that there was any pressure on them when they did.
Smith caught eight passes for 126 yards and his two touchdowns.
"What can you say? There he goes!" said Jaguars Coach Tom Coughlin, who could have been mouthing the words of Steelers defensive backs.
That also was what they were saying about the injured Steelers as carts ferried them into the locker room all afternoon. Receiver Will Blackwell likely will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, while Burress (separated right shoulder) and Ward (sprained ankle) also were hurting.
Defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen and linebacker Kendrell Bell left early with sprained right ankles. Josh Miller has a bruised leg and did not return after the blocked punt.
There were no Jacksonville injuries, at least none in the game as the Jaguars beat up the Steelers on the scoreboard and physically.
"We had lot of bad things go our way," Ward said.
And, since they did not get off to a fast start on the first weekend, their goal is a tad more modest.
"As long as we don't start out 0-3 like last year," Ward said. "That's our goal."
Talk of that fast start goes down the drain in Jacksonville 
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