Kovacevic: 'Make it right,' indeed

Oct 1, 2017 • 12:00 am

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BALTIMORE -- Maurkice Pouncey wasn't referring to football, at least not fully, when he stood tall in front of cameras and microphones to vow that the Steelers will "make it right" Sunday against the Ravens.

He was talking about ... oh, you know.

Well, that's all well and good. But be very sure that, even if all 53 players took the field in unison by way of synchronized cartwheels, this weekend's performance is going to be -- or at least it should be -- evaluated primarily by whether or not they do "make it right" within their actual jobs.

You know, as in:

• Mike Tomlin could outcoach John Harbaugh.

Now that would be flipping the script. I'm anything but a Tomlin-basher. He's one of the best in the business, and I'd like to think we'd all be past debating anything to the contrary. But everyone's got a weak spot, whether it's psychological or whatever, and it's beyond obvious now that Tomlin sees red when he sees purple.

He's now 10-11 overall against Harbaugh, including 4-9 since 2010. And in those past 13 meetings, the Steelers have topped 20 points just three times.

It says here that the culprit is a macho stubbornness between Tomlin and Todd Haley to run the ball even when the Ravens shove pretty much the entire franchise to the line of scrimmage. It's happened again and again, to the point that even Charlie Brown would have huffed away from Lucy holding that ball.

Time to make that right. The Steelers have other weapons. Get creative.

• That also goes for the guy -- not Lucy -- holding the ball.

Ben Roethlisberger, like Tomlin, doesn't deserve to have his merits questioned. He's among the best in his business. But Ben ranks 14th in the NFL with 247 passing yards per game, and I don't need to go any deeper than that statistically because there's no justification for that. Especially not when Antonio Brown has been superb. That only means other receivers should be that much more open.

Time to make that right. Spread it out. Throw it with a purpose.

• Martavis Bryant needs to get open, for crying out loud. Short routes and long, straight line and curl. Use those long legs and all that athleticism to create real separation.

Time to make that right. Not just in Latrobe.

• Ryan Shazier needs to wrap and tackle. More results, less JACKED UP. He doesn't have Lawrence Timmons there any more to cover up his adventures. He's got to be the adult now.

For that matter, Anthony Chickillo and Bud Dupree need to grow up in a hurry and seal the edge:

Time to make that right. And if not, they can give way to the real adult in the room, the 39-year-old.

• The NFL has 32 franchises. Joe Flacco ranks 32nd in QB rating at 65.2. He's thrown four interceptions against three touchdowns. He was just benched in London because he couldn't figure out the Jaguars.

The Steelers' defense has yet to face a real NFL quarterback. Just DeShone Kizer, Case Keenum and Mike Glennon. They beat the first two guys, but Glennon, phenomenally, prevailed. They've yet to really get to anyone despite a summer-long bluster about producing some relentless pass rush.

Time to make that right. Having T.J. Watt back will help, but more is needed.

• All the excitement about the Steelers being a Super Bowl contender remains valid. The talent is there. The depth is there. And yeah, all the intangibles are still intact in spite of the past few days. It's a great group. I'll stand by that until I can't.

But they haven't been at their best, not in any of these three games, not in any facet. And on this Sunday, they've got the opportunity to address that and so much more. They can go big on offense. They can rev up Le'Veon Bell after thinning the box. They can get that O-line "rolling downhill" -- David DeCastro's favorite term -- for more than a snap at a time. They can tackle with a purpose. They can create turnovers. They can begin building a real defensive resume against a Super Bowl-winning QB. And as the cherry on top, they can put down a genuinely despised rival which just happens to be their only real threat in the AFC North.

Make all of that right.

WHAT'S BREWING

• The Pirates' season ends this afternoon just down I-95 in Washington, and Matt Gajtka will offer up the last of his season-ending summations, in turn. Our offseason news on the beat will be handled by Lance Lysowski, but I wouldn't expect much, only because Major League Baseball pushes hard for teams to go dark during the playoffs and World Series.

• Lance will be our man on WPXI-TV's 'Subway Final Word,' which airs tonight at midnight or a little later, depending on the NFL game on NBC.

STEELERS

• Event: Game vs. Ravens

• Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore

• Kickoff: 1:02 p.m.

• Parking lots open: 8 a.m.

• Will call open: 10:30 a.m.

• Gates open: 11 a.m.

• Tickets: Available

• Our coverage: Kaboly, Carter, Sunday, DK

PIRATES

• Event: Game vs. Nationals