Monday, October 27, 2003

By Gerry Dulac, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

This is how bad it is for the Steelers: The special teams have become the most efficient unit on the team.

On a damp, dreary day at Heinz Field, the brightest aspect of yet another Steelers defeat -- a 33-21 loss to the St. Louis Rams -- was the unit that has been the team's unofficial punching bag.

"If we get all three clicking, we'll be unbelievable," wide receiver Antwaan Randle El said. "It's coming together on special teams, [but] now we're having breakdowns on offense. We felt like we'd get it back going by now, but we will."

It might be easier getting the Beatles back together.

The offense that ranked No. 1 overall in the AFC four weeks ago was held to under 300 yards offense for the third game in a row and couldn't convert a third down until 51 seconds remained.

The defense that ranked No. 1 overall in the NFL after six games and was No. 2 in the league against the pass allowed 448 yards to the Rams -- 375 by quarterback Marc Bulger, who looked more like another former Central Catholic quarterback named Dan Marino than the skinny kid who was a sixth-round draft choice out of West Virginia.

At least the special teams outperformed the Rams, thanks to an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown by Randle El. That was accompanied by two blocks from safety Chris Hope and linebacker Clark Haggans.

In addition, linebacker Clint Kriewaldt had two big stops in the first half, holding Rams kick returner Joffrey Reynolds to returns of 10 and 15 yards. And rookie Ike Taylor had a 42-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter, his fourth return of 38 yards or longer this season.

"I thought El gave us a spark in the kicking game," said coach Bill Cowher said, trying to find something still intact in the rubble of a four-game losing streak. "Hopefully, we will be able to take that and ride it."

Randle El's punt return for touchdown -- his first in a regular-season game and second overall -- gave the Steelers an early lift and tied the score, 7-7, near the end of the first quarter. It was the second-longest punt return in franchise history, behind only Brady Keys' 90-yard return against the New York Giants in 1964.

Curiously, Randle El got a second chance at a return because offsetting penalties -- the Steelers were penalized for holding, the Rams for grabbing the facemask -- negated the previous play when Randle El was stopped for no return.

It was a situation similar to the play against the Cleveland Browns three weeks ago when the Steelers, after having to kick again because of an offside penalty against Haggans, allowed Andre Davis to return a kickoff 69 yards to set up a touchdown and a 16-3 Browns lead.

Nonetheless, it atoned for the 59-yard punt return for a touchdown that Randle El had called back against the Browns, also because of a Haggans penalty.

"We've been close," Randle El said. "We've had one before that was called back. We're starting to come together. We have some great players on special teams."

Randle El's return was set up when Hope, a second-year free safety, peeled back and delivered a crushing block on Rams fullback Spencer Nead, who is 6 feet 4, 259 pounds. That allowed Randle El to turn the corner.

Just as he did, though, Haggans came back and delivered a similar stunning block on defensive end Bryce Fisher, who is 6-3, 272 pounds.

"Anytime you get to hit a guy like that, especially as a physical safety who likes to hit people, it's something big," Hope said.

"That's always one of those blocks, the coaches like to see that, the crowd likes to see that, too" said Haggans, the special teams captain. "They got the 'oohs' and the 'aahs.' Hope about broke that guy's jaw with that hit. The crowd responded to that."

So did Randle El, whose first punt return for touchdown came in last year's wild-card playoff game against the Browns.

"I saw all of them," Randle El said. "I kind of saw Chris coming, I saw the guy try to get around Chris, and I saw the guy try to get around Clark. I thought Ike had one, too.

"It's big when they free those blocks up like that. That's two guys I don't have to worry about. They do a good job."

The Steelers had become concerned about Randle El, who had spent the first six games trying to find some running room on kick and punt returns. Before yesterday, his longest punt return of the season was 30 yards against the Browns. His longest kick return was 29 yards in Kansas City.

The drought, though, ended shortly after Randle El had to run back 10 yards to field Sean Landeta's punt at his own 16. Because the Steelers were trying to block the kick, Randle El had to wait for his teammates to help out on the return.

"We've definitely got a guy similar to the guy in Kansas City," Hope said, referring to Chiefs return specialist Dante Hall, who has returned four kicks for touchdowns this season.

"The last couple weeks we've been trying and everyone' s been busting their butts to get blocks because we know how electrifying El can be," Haggans said. "We just try to get him a crease and let El work off us."

E-mail this story   Print this story