Missed opportunities accumulating

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t lead the NFL in any defensive category except maybe an unofficial one: missed opportunities.

Sure, the defending AFC champions are putting up their usual sterling numbers as Thanksgiving approaches. The Steelers rank near the top of the league in nearly every major defensive category, including yards against (third), pass defense (third), run defense (sixth) and points allowed (fifth).

Which makes the number in the final statistical column — takeaways — so jarring.

More than halfway through the season, a defense littered with Pro Bowlers and Defensive Players of the Year and coached by a Hall of Famer have four takeaways.

That’s four, as in the same number of takeaways by the woeful Miami Dolphins, who have played one fewer game than the Steelers (6-3).

That’s four as in on pace to set an NFL record for takeaway futility.

The Baltimore Colts generated 11 turnovers in the strike-shortened 1982 season. The Washington Redskins set the full season record by taking it away 12 times in 2006.

At their current rate, the Steelers will finish with eight; they created 35 turnovers in 2010 on the way to the Super Bowl.

“I can’t really put my finger on it man,” linebacker James Farrior said. “I just feel like the ball isn’t bouncing our way. We’ve seen balls on the ground. We’ve seen balls tipped in the air. Pretty much everything that could happen to get a turnover, to cause a turnover, we’ve seen. We just haven’t been getting it done.”

The secondary is among the best in the league yet has all of two interceptions. The front seven has generated just two fumbles, none caused by players not named James Harrison, who missed a month with a fractured orbital bone over his right eye.

Safety Troy Polamalu has built his career on making what coach Mike Tomlin calls “splash” plays. This year, Polamalu has ended up all wet.

Though he scored Pittsburgh’s only defensive touchdown on a fumble return in a 23-20 win over Indianapolis on Sept. 25, Polamalu admits Harrison did all the hard work on the play by knocking the ball out of quarterback Curtis Painter’s right hand. All Polamalu had to do was pick up the ball and stroll the 16 yards into the end zone.

Holding onto the ball when it comes his way is proving more difficult. The 2010 Defensive Player of the Year has been hit in the hands three times with a pass this season. Each time Polamalu was so intent on tackling the opponent he didn’t react in time to snag the ball.

“There have been years where I wasn’t able to even touch the ball during games and there’s years like these ones where it’s just become really, really close,” Polamalu said. “[Turnovers] would make all the difference in how we win and lose games, of course.”

Despite an inability to get their hands on the ball on defense, the Steelers (6-3) are winning.