QUARTERBACK 
1/2
If his first read is open, Anthony Wright actually resembles an above average quarterback. He threw some nice passes down the middle of the field and hung in there on one such throw to Derrick Mason despite a blitzing Chris Hope. But given the time he had to throw, Wright should have delivered more. He locks on to his primary nearly when the Ravens break the huddle. And when the primary is covered, he either forces it or throws it away despite plenty of time to go through his progressions.
A classic example of this took place with 5:10 to go in the second quarter with the Steelers leading 10-7 following an Adalius Thomas interception that put the Ravens on the Steelers 42. Despite plenty of time on a third and goal from the 4, Wright’s pass intended for Randy Hymes near the goal post was closer to the first row of the seats than to Hymes. Meanwhile an uncovered Derrick Mason leaked out into the right flat alone in the end zone. That play is designed for the quarterback to make one of two reads. Depending on the coverage without even moving his head, the quarterback has two choices, the post or the flat. The play was set up perfectly and Wright considered only one of the options – clearly the wrong one. It forced the Ravens to settle for the tying field goal.
Wright’s pass to Todd Heap in the end zone during the Ravens’ first possession was overthrown although Heap was snagged momentarily by Deshea Townsend, breaking up the rhythm of the timing play. However Heap was so open Wright could have pooch punted it to him. The frustration of that pass was short lived when less than a game minute later, Wright found Chester Taylor for the score.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Wright’s initial tendencies to lock in are well documented throughout the league. A simple little pump fake at times to his primary – particularly when he has all day to throw, would open things up for big plays (see Roethlisberger). One such opportunity was there for the taking with Randy Hymes in the fourth quarter when the zone coverage rolled around to Derrick Mason, the intended target.
The flea flicker was a disaster from the start and while Wright did a fine job of snaring the low throwback pass from Jamal Lewis, he had no business throwing the ball down field to a double covered Randy Hymes. That’s a pass that has to be thrown intentionally short and then get back in the huddle and plan for a more successful second down.
The no huddle offense while somewhat better still needs a major overhaul. With 0:37 remaining in the first half the Ravens faced a second and 10 from the Steelers 44 after a spike to kill the clock. They had no timeouts remaining and Wright chose a safe but ineffective short option in Todd Heap on two successive plays in the middle of the field. Had the Steelers not called an unexplainable timeout with 8 seconds to go, the Ravens likely would have run the clock down to zero without attempting a Hail Mary pass. The entire rosary was probably more appropriate.
With 47 seconds remaining in the game, Wright unnecessarily stepped up in the pocket. Had he stayed put, he should have noticed a wide open Derrick Mason along the sidelines in a soft spot of the Steelers’ zone beyond the first down marker. Wright may have been trying to avoid the rush to deliver the ball to Mason but had he not pulled it down too early to escape pressure and threw towards Mason, we could be discussing an altogether different result today.
Wright also needs to be careful when throwing the ball away in the pocket. With 1:25 left in the game and no available options downfield, Wright tossed the ball out of bounds to stop the clock Trouble is, no one was in the area and Wright threw the ball well within the tackles. Grounding could very easily have been called.
RUNNING BACK 
Chester Taylor was a big contributor to the passing attack and scored on sheer will and determination on the Ravens opening drive. Neither Jamal Lewis nor Chester Taylor ever got untracked running the ball although Jamal did run with authority when given the opportunity. And just as you thought, “now there’s the Jamal we know and love”, he fumbled on the Steelers 11 yard line. Running on the Steelers is flat out hard sledding. There was little room to run and the fight at the point of attack between the opposing lines was often a draw, thus limiting the rushing opportunities. The cut back lanes were often sealed off. The Ravens should consider misdirection plays that will force their opponents to be more honest and not cheat as much on the run. How about bringing back the bootleg pass to the tight end to keep opposing strong safeties like Troy Polamalu from run blitzing on the back side so often?
Speaking of the blitz, Chester Taylor was outstanding picking up blitzing LB’s. Taylor along with Jamal Lewis and Justin Green helped keep Anthony up-Wright.
RECEIVERS 
Derrick Mason continues to pay dividends for the Ravens and he has helped to elevate the play of the entire receiving corps. Randy Hymes when given an opportunity to make plays, does exactly that. A better placed pass by Wright just after the Roderick Green fumble recovery to Hymes could have resulted in six instead of a catch out of bounds. Todd Heap was open often and had an opportunity to make a big play on the first play of the fourth quarter when the Ravens had the ball first and 10 from the Steelers 29. He mistimed his jump and Wright’s pass glanced off Heaps fingertips.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Jonathan Ogden seemed to return to his old form and led a unit that provided superior pass protection keeping Wright clean most of the game. If Wright had half of the escapability of Ben Roethlisberger, the O-Line may have pitched a shut out. Mike Flynn held up well against Casey Hampton in the passing game but struggled with him against the run. Vincent at times could have assisted Flynn during the run but instead looked to slip downfield to take on linebackers. The Ravens usually employ zone blocking in the running game but yesterday, you saw them utilize pulling guards on occasion. Mulitalo effectively employed the technique to spring Chester Taylor for his longest run of the evening. Perhaps we’ll see a bit more of that in the future if the match ups allow it.
DEFENSIVE LINE 1/2
Early on the defensive line was being pushed off the line of scrimmage. Willie Parker wasn’t hit until he was three yards downfield. The unit made the proper adjustments and did a nice job of containing a dangerous and controlling Steelers’ rushing attack. The Ravens certainly committed to stopping the run. A few times, Kelly Gregg, Maake Kemoeatu and Aubrayo Franklin were in the game at the same time. All three did a great job keeping Dan Kreider and the Steelers’ offensive line away from Tommy Polley. Polley isn’t the most physical of linebackers and this group helped Polley to use his speed on his way to a team leading 9 tackles. Gregg however was the standout. He applied steady pressure in the interior of the line and contributed 7 tackles to go with a sack. Jarrett Johnson and Dwan Edwards were busy occupying blockers. Terrell Suggs was very solid, applying constant pressure off the edge and a few times nearly barreling over the much bigger RT Max Starks. Suggs also did a nice job of trailing runs from behind and despite Randle El’s whining, Suggs was effective in pass coverage when called upon.
LINEBACKERS 1/2
Bart Scott is every bit the player Edge Hartwell is and then some. Three of his 5 tackles amounted to a loss or no gain. If not for an incredibly athletic play by Roethlisberger, Scott would have had a sack that would have forced a 3rd and 15 instead of a 3rd and 4 which the Steelers converted on their way to their second TD drive. Tommy Polley did very well sideline to sideline but is challenged when forced to take blockers and runners head on. He was guilty of a few ineffective arm tackles at the line of scrimmage. Adalius Thomas’ versatility continues to impress. Together this group managed to avoid any drop off in play despite the absence of Ray Lewis.
SECONDARY 
Chris McAlister had all that he could handle with Hines Ward and more times than not, Ward wins this match up just as he did last night. Had Roethlisberger not missed an open Ward a few times, the Pro Bowl receiver easily surpasses the 100 yard mark. For the shut down corner he proclaims to be, this effort wasn’t exactly worthy of the heavy coin the Ravens pay him. The shutdown, $12 million signing bonus corner the Ravens thought they signed, needs to make that interception in the end zone. It wasn’t only Ward who beat McAlister. Quincy Morgan beat him twice during crucial moments. Facing a third and four from the Ravens 24, Roethlisberger hit a wide open Morgan who was given about 10 yards of cushion despite the down and distance.
Will Demps seemed to be biting a bit much on Roethlisberger’s head and arm movements and as a result was out of position on one of Heath Miller’s touchdown receptions. He slipped while covering Miller on his second TD. Demps also had deep responsibility on Quincy Morgan during the Steelers’ drive that ended with them taking a 20-19 lead. At the 2:49 mark while facing a 1st and 10 from their own 35, Roethlisberger found Morgan behind McAlister and Demps was moved out of position, cheating on Roethlisberger’s head movements.
The Ravens will need to study film and come up with a better technique to defend the Steelers “trips package” in which they bunch 3 receivers together. The Steelers ran a few nice pick plays off that formation to move the chains.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Matt Stover was very solid and had it not been for an off the mark snap from Matt Katula on the missed field goal attempt, the outcome of the game may have been different. Amazingly Dave Zastudil punted only once. Aaron Elling’s kicks were a bit better last night landing on average at the Steelers 4, one a touchback and another returned from 1 yard deep in the end zone. The kickoff team needs to be called out because Quincy Morgan’s 59 yard return in the first quarter after the Ravens tied the game at 7, snatched the momentum quickly away from the Ravens. The punt return team had only 1 opportunity which Sams returned for 10 yards. When the Ravens host the Steelers in 3 weeks, they might want to remember this name – Andre Frazier. The rookie LB was a beast! The Ravens might want to put a hat on him next time. I’m sure B.J. Sams would appreciate it.
COACHING
* Brian Billick and his staff deserve kudos for having their team very ready to play. They played as a team and executed for the most part, a nice game plan on both sides of the football despite the very hostile conditions in Heinz Field. The Ravens also cut down on the plethora of penalties that haunted them (pun intended) during the three prior games. Last night the Ravens managed to keep penalties down to 6 for 38 yards. One of those penalties was a very questionable late hit on Bart Scott. Last time I checked, if the ball carrier is still in bounds, it’s ok to knock him out of bounds…
* On offense the Ravens managed 318 net yards and they converted 50% of third downs. They mixed in the pass early in downs to help avoid third and long and to exploit the Steelers efforts to choke off the run by placing Polamalu in the box frequently. Going against tendency, the Ravens also threw to the middle of the field with much success. On the down side, the offense went conservative at the most inopportune times seemingly playing for field goals.
After knotting the game at 10, on the ensuing kick, the Ravens recovered a fumble by Ricardo Colclough and took over on the Steelers 29. They failed to score. The prior series produced a field goal set up by AD’s interception return to the Steelers’ 42. Two series that start on average on the opponents’ 36 and you come out with only 3 points is simply poor execution. Not all of that is on Wright.
At the 4 minute mark while trailing 17-16 and facing a 2nd and 7 at the Steelers 27, the Ravens called for a Chester Taylor run that resulted in a loss of two. The resulting down and distance was trouble as Wright was flushed from the pocket. It looked like the Ravens were depending far too much on Matt Stover in a stadium that hasn’t witnessed a 50 yard field goal since its opening. Fortunately Stover connected from 47.
* Defensively, one couldn’t ask for too much more from the Ravens given the absences of Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Rex Ryan crafted a game plan to help mitigate their losses but one can’t help to think how the outcome may have differed if Ed Reed was responsible for Heath Miller.
* Hey, if you are going to run the flea flicker, design the play to have more than one option. If memory serves me correctly, Wright is 0-2 with two INT’s using that play this year. Hymes was the only option on the play last night. Ever hear of a safety valve?
UPON FURTHER REVIEW
* Why do the Ravens take Derrick Mason off the field in one of their sub packages on third down in the red zone? Do you think that Hines Ward would come off the field in similar situations for the Steelers?
* A tip of the hat to Big Ben. The man makes plays and escapes trouble. Makes you wonder what it would be like to have a playmaker at that position now doesn’t it? The Steelers are lucky to have him. Remember when the Ravens beat the Steelers to end the 2003 season? The game was meaningless and most thought it was played simply for pride and the respect of the rivalry. Turns out, it had much more meaning.
The Steelers loss that day placed them in front of the Buffalo Bills in the 2004 draft order. The Bills entered that draft looking for a quarterback. If the Steelers had beaten the Ravens on that night in 2003, Big Ben in all likelihood would be known today as Big Buffalo Ben.
* That Bill Cowher impersonation by the Steelers fan was a hoot. Nice job ABC!
