Sunday, September 30, 2012
Associated Press
pittsburgh
Larry Foote is well-versed in the drill. Pittsburgh fans start with the hand-wringing every time the Steelers defense fails to look like its normal, intimidating self.
All the sudden, the franchise morphs from veteran to just plain ancient — at least in the eyes of the public. It happened in 2009, when the Steelers slumped after their sixth Super Bowl title. It happened last fall after a slow 2-2 start had critics trumpeting Pittsburgh’s current run as a serious contender was “over.”
So of course it’s happening now after a couple of uncharacteristic second-half meltdowns have put the Steelers in an early 1-2 hole heading into their bye week. It’s all Foote can do to keep from rolling his eyes.
“We are old,” said the 32-year-old linebacker. “We’re always going to be old and that’s just the stigma.”
Besides, the reality is a little bit different.
While the Steelers certainly miss injured defensive stars James Harrison and Troy Polamalu, the truth is the defense is in the midst of a youth movement.
A slew of 20-somethings — linebackers Chris Carter and Jason Worilds, safety Ryan Mundy and cornerback Cortez Allen and defensive linemen Steve McLendon, Ziggy Hood and Cam Heyward — have all taken on larger roles this season, with mixed results.
At a place that lives by the motto “the standard is the standard,” at the moment, it’s not being met.
“It’s not the old guys, it’s we have to infuse the young talent and work together well,” safety Ryan Clark said. “What I think you lose is you lose chemistry sometimes when guys go out. We need to learn how to work together and fit together properly.”
And do it pretty quickly. There’s no guarantee that Harrison, who is dealing with a troublesome left knee injury that’s been bothering him for months, will be back anytime soon. The prognosis for Polamalu’s strained right calf is better, but a decade of playing at the frenetic pace he sets for himself has taken a toll.
Nonetheless, the Steelers point out, things aren’t as dire as they appear from the outside. Pittsburgh is still seventh in the league in total defense, a number even Foote finds surprising.
“We ain’t thinking about who’s hurt and who’s coming back,” Foote said. “Of course we want those guys back ... but we’ve got to keep moving. Last year we were No. 1 in the league, this year we’re seventh in the league. I’m not sure how that is happening but we’re right there.”