Tuesday, August 26, 2003

Do not blame the cornerbacks for that touchdown. Refrain from placing all fault at their feet, standing in the Heinz Field end zone some 8 yards off the line of scrimmage as they were Thursday. These Steelers were merely marching to their direct orders.

"That's the defense that was called," Chad Scott said yesterday of what turned into the Cowboys' go-ahead touchdown, an 8-yarder to a Joey Galloway, a play he couldn't contain. "Just doing what they asked us to."

"After that," Dewayne Washington added, "[the coaches] told us, 'Let's go ahead and get in their faces.' "

The squawk shows were polluted after the home team's exhibition victory. The Steelers' fandom was unilaterally irate over the cornerbacks once again. What were Scott and Washington doing in the end zone? What were they thinking? Squawk squawk squawk?

The short answer here is: It isn't all the cornerbacks' fault. Part of the issue is how they are deployed, the selection of defenses.

Part of the issue is how well the front seven harries the opposing quarterback because, you know, you give Quincy Carter all day to throw and he's going to complete half of his passes.

On Thursday, this mediocre third-year quarterback completed three-fourths of his passes -- 8 of 12 for 67 yards. He directed the subpar Dallas offense on a 13-play, 74-yard scoring drive against a supposed Super Bowl contender. He looked professional enough that Coach Bill Parcells named Carter his starting quarterback in the season opener. So somebody has the Steelers' coaching staff, front seven and cornerbacks to thank for something.

The long answer here is: The cornerbacks are flawed. Part of the issue is how few plays they make, how few interceptions and passes batted and ball-jarring hits and critical tackles they collect.

Go ahead and blame them for that.

Their soft Galloway coverage on third-and-4 at the 8 isn't so much a matter of personal cornerback culpability as is Scott's two interference penalties in the Philadelphia exhibition or Washington's inability to pin down receivers.

They need help from coaches, such as calling press coverage almost exclusively rather than soft zones. They need help from the front seven, such as constant pressure if not blitzes.

But they also need to help themselves.

"Absolutely," Washington said, "we know we can improve in those areas. More turnovers, stopping third downs, getting off the field. The last two years, we've pretty much seen it all, what teams want to do to us. We'll be prepared for everything."

Preparation must meet execution somewhere, though. Maybe it's a byproduct of games mirroring practices, where Washington likewise drops potential interceptions. Maybe it's a function of game application, something Scott admittedly lacked last season. Defensive coordinator Tim Lewis allowed, after a strong cornerback showing in the Detroit exhibition, as to how Scott mentioned that "he'll be more focused this year and not lose his concentration."

Oh. These cornerbacks already consider themselves on an island. Let their minds wander and they'll drown at sea.

"That's always the goal, to do better and get better," Scott said. Just yesterday, he stayed after practice to work for a few extra minutes with Pro Bowl receiver Hines Ward. Despite the gold tape tail emanating from the back of his shorts, despite the tape he used to adorn all over his helmet, despite the Wolverine toy hanging from his locker stall, Scott seems to understand deep down that it's all about work. "There's always room for improvement ... for everyone."

Scott vows he will make big plays again. "I scored a touchdown last year," he said. "I'll score some more this year."

This much, we know. Scott gathered five interceptions for a whopping 204 yards in returns and two touchdowns in 2001, when aided by a somewhat steady Washington (24 passes batted and one interception) along with a representative rush (55 sacks for an average loss of 6.6 yards) and an attack-first defensive game plan. Last season, with Washington toasted too regularly and a rush almost non-existent until the season's final stages, the cornerbacks yielded miles of offense while gathering a total of just three interceptions. The pass defense last season gave up twice as many 40-yard-plus touchdown passes as in 2001, four times as many from 20-yards-plus.

In short, old Blitzburgh got blitzkreiged -- or, worse, blitzKitnaed.

The Steelers coaches could help the cornerbacks help themselves. Take the initiative and take them out of the atrocious dime package. Replace them with Deshea Townsend or raw rookie Ike Taylor, if only to grab their attention. Put them in facemask-to-facemask coverage at the line. Pump up the rush, and challenge those island fellows to perform better one on one.

Otherwise, this team won't last long with opponents on passing downs continuing to take a blowtorch to what used to be the Steelers' bread and butter. Lately, that instead has been a recipe for burnt toast.

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