Distracted Steelers Show Nothing in Loss to Eagles

Distracted Steelers show nothing in loss to Eagles
By Alan Robinson
http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/...#axzz3AcEanjfs

PHILADELPHIA — They kept the starters into until deep into the third quarter, not that it mattered. The Steelers never were into this game — mentally, physically or emotionally.
Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount played as if nothing happened the day before on McKnight Road, and rest of the Steelers followed Thursday night by making sure nothing happened on the field, either.
There have been worse preseason performances — at least by margin of defeat — in the Steelers' 81-year history, but this 31-21 loss to the high-tempo Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field was about as miserable, desultory and discouraging as it gets.
Don't be misled by the final score: There was nothing competitive about the game or the Steelers.
Were they distracted by the marijuana possession charges filed against Blount and Bell for an incident that occurred barely an hour before they flew to Philadelphia on Wednesday? Were they not prepared for how well the Eagles can execute their ultra-fast up-tempo offense?
Or were there other explanations for the miserable execution, the multiple sacks, the fumbles, the lack of a pass rush, all the punts and so many flying yellow flags fluttering that it seemed as if Ed Hochuli's officiating crew was carrying Terrible Towels?
No doubt coach Mike Tomlin was wondering all of the above during a nightmarish night when nearly everything that could go wrong did, and his team tested negative for any perceptible on-field positives.
Tomlin planned to play his starters until halftime, but they performed so badly while being outscored 17-0 and outgained 251-96 in the first half — in addition to committing seven penalties — that he kept them in until they finally found the end zone on Roethlisberger's 23-yard pass to Heath Miller with 4:07 left in the third.
Some, including Bell and Blount, remained on the field when Bruce Gradkowski came finally in, throwing a 33-yard TD pass to Darrius Heyward-Bey.
There were some scares on the injury front, too — outside linebackers Jason Worilds and Sean Spenceleft with undisclosed right knee injuries. Spence is returning from a two-year layoff following a serious right knee injury.
The question before the game was whether Bell and Blount would play, and they did, but they were as ineffective as their teammates. Both of them rotated in long after Roethlisberger and the other starters were lifted.
But it was Roethlisberger who was especially off his game. So sharp while throwing two touchdowns passes in the first quarter Saturday against the Bills, in the Steelers' only preseason win since 2012, he was only 8 of 17 in the first half and 15 of 24 for 157 yards overall and an interception, with much of the yardage coming on the TD drive against Eagles backups.
Finding someone in the black jerseys who played well was difficult. Rookie linebacker Ryan Shazier, so fast and dominating against the Bills, had trouble defending the Eagles' tight ends as quarterback Nick Foles drove his offense to two early touchdowns.
Former Pitt star LeSean McCoy finished off a crisply executed 80-yard, 11-play with a 22-yard screen pass touchdown, then left with an apparently not-serious right thumb injury. It was only the second touchdown in the Eagles starters' first nine preseason drives.
Foles, running the no-huddle at a tempo that Roethlisberger would love to replicate, then went 6 of 6 for 55 yards on a 13-play drive finished off by Darren Sproles' 1-yard scoring dash.
The Eagles' offense didn't stop even after their starters were pulled — and the Steelers' stayed on the field.
Mark Sanchez — yes, that Mark Sanchez — led touchdown drives of 80 and 60 yards to make it 31-7 in the third quarter as Tomlin refused to pull his defensive starters. Both drives were finished off by 1-yard touchdown runs from Matthew Tucker.
Tomlin railed about the penalties during a brief TV interview at halftime, but all the yellow flags weren't the worry. Rather, it was all the red flags this awful-as-it-gets preseason performance raised with the season — and Brian Hoyer — now only two weeks off.
A preseason that now seems destined to be remembered not just for the lack of drives on the field, but for one that occurred on a North Hills highway.