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SUPERBOWL: Upon further review: Conference Championships

/noticias.info/ By Seth Polansky
NFL.com

There was one simple game plan for "Blitzburgh" in the AFC Championship Game -- send someone, anyone, everyone on each defensive snap.

There was one thing Joey Porter had to do -- go and get the quarterback. The 10 guys behind him had his back. There's a reason Porter led all linebackers during the regular season in sacks.

Joey Porter seemed to be in Jake Plummer's head all game.
Even though he only had three tackles against Denver, Porter was in on a sack of Jake Plummer that forced a fumble and led to a Steelers touchdown and a 10-0 lead. That might have quieted the crowd, but it didn't quiet Pittsburgh's outspoken Pro Bowler. The blitzes and the hits kept on coming en route to a 34-17 thumping.

"Joey is an inspiration out there," head coach Bill Cowher said. "Our linebackers as a whole, they play with so much emotion. Joey is a leader for the football team, and I thought they played great today."

In all, the defense forced four turnovers, all by Plummer, which led to 21 points. The Broncos had only surrendered five turnovers all season at home to this point. But then again, they haven't really seen a defense like this.

This was the same scheme Pittsburgh let loose on Peyton Manning and the Colts last week in the divisional playoffs. Facing quarterbacks that are sound with the football, the "D" had no problems rattling those QBs and forcing them into mistakes. Throw something at them that hadn't been thrown at them all season. Such a novel idea.

As much as Pittsburgh's defense was a factor in this one, the offensive line did a marvelous job in protecting Ben Roethlisberger from Denver's blitz. He hit the quick outs against the blitz. He hit Cedrick Wilson for a 12-yard touchdown in the first quarter against the blitz. He hit Hines Ward for a score just before halftime after being flushed out of the pocket to his left. He hit 13 of 17 passes in the first half.

So when the Broncos stayed back in coverage, the zone defense was no match for Pittsburgh's newfangled spread offense. Roethlisberger had receivers open in several seams and gaps over 10 yards down the field. But the interesting fact was that Denver shut down Pittsburgh's rushing offense for almost the entire first half until the last drive. Blitzed or not, the Steelers only had 23 yards on 13 carries. So what went wrong in pass coverage?


Pittsburgh's defense held Rod Smith to just 61 yards receiving.
The defense was confused. The reason why the run defense was successful was because when the Broncos dropped back, Pittsburgh's drawn-out runs off tackle gave the linebackers plenty of time to meet the runners at the line of scrimmage. But in the same formation, the DBs weren't jamming the receivers off the line and they were wide open down the field. And with double-receiver sets occupying the same space downfield, that zone coverage had no clue who to cover or where the ball was going.

The road has been very kind to Pittsburgh this season, so what's one more? The Steelers just want to show everyone that they're "D" best.

Defense is contagious

Seattle seemed to do the same thing to Carolina in its 34-14 victory in the NFC Championship Game. But this team didn't do it by blitzing all the time, it did the Panthers in with coverage.

Jake Delhomme couldn't find an open man downfield if he had a road map. The offensive line was overmatched like it hadn't been yet this season. Just the push on the line from the Seahawks alone prevented the Panthers from being able to run the ball with any success. And in obvious passing situations, Seattle double-, triple- and sometimes quadruple-teamed All-Pro receiver Steve Smith.

Five catches for 33 yards and a fumble is very un-Smith like. The whole offense was very un-Panthers like.

Seattle is probably known more for its offense more than its defense, but it elevates the team's confidence that much more, knowing the Super Bowl might not have to be a shootout. It also makes the Seahawks very similar to the Steelers, lending the belief that it will be another championship game classic. notas_de_prensa_archivo