Posted by Matt Loede on February 5th, 2010 in
Opinions
Ok, I know, one should not cry over spilled milk. Yet here it is, 14 years after the fact and for whatever reason, I still have issues with the fact the Steelers fell short in Super Bowl XXX against the overrated Dallas Cowboys, who at the time, in my opinion, were a very beatable club.
This past week NFL Network showed Super Bowl XXX once again, and while in some ways it was fun to watch the game in it’s completion from start to finish, it was still hard to see the team lose when they really had a great shot to pull off what would have been considered a big upset, as they were 13-point underdogs.
You remember the game – the game most Steeler fans still recall as the game that QB Neil O’Donnell “lost” for the team. Not so fast. Yes, #14 was at fault, but I will debate any black and gold lover that there was a lot more wrong in this title loss than the play of the QB that got them to the dance.
With that, here are my reasons for the Steelers losing the game, and yes, O’Donnell deserves some of the blame – but not all of it. Here goes.
1. They were awful on defense early - It could have been the jitters of the big game, or maybe the physical nature of the Cowboys O-line early in the game, but for whatever reason, the defense was bad in the first quarter and a half. They simply didn’t stop the Cowboys much at all in their first three drives, including allowing Emmit Smith to have his best runs of the game, and the secondary didn’t play well in pass coverage. Sure, the D played better later on, but allowing 13 points in the first 22 minutes put the team behind the 8-Ball.
2. A legendary mistake by Dermontti – There’s not much bad you can say about the career of Dermontti Dawson, but his bad snap which sailed over the head of O’Donnell after the team had gotten to the Cowboys 36 on their second drive killed a drive that could have quickly gotten the team back in the game. The 13-yard loss could not have come at a worse time with the offense needing a score.
3. O’Donnell’s slip – The first pick could be put on O’Donnell, no doubt about it. The team had gotten back into the game with a late first half score to make it 13-7, but then after an exchange of punts in the second half, the Steelers were at the Cowboys 38 when O’Donnell’s pass simply sailed on him and right into the hands of Larry Brown. It again killed momentum when the Steelers were back into the game.
4. Cowher being Stubborn - At 20-7 the Steelers faced a 2nd-and-2 from their own 47, but instead of either trying one pass in the next two downs, they tried to stuff Bam Morris right into the Cowboys D-line not once, but twice. Then instead of punting and allowing the team to let the D do their job and then get field position, they went for it on 4th-and-1, and guess what the call was – Morris, with no fullback to throw a block, right up the middle into the Cowboys line. A dumb idea, and an even dumber call. Cowher defended the call after they didn’t make it, but they should have punted.
5. The 2nd pick - Ok, go ahead and say that it was O’Donnell’s fault all you want, but the blame of the play should be placed elsewhere – on WR Andre Hastings. The Cowboys were blitzing on the play, which right away turned the WR’s routes into ‘hot routes’ meaning that instead of running the route inside, which is what Hastings did, he should have stayed outside, which is where O’Donnell threw the ball. Sure, Neil could have adjusted when he saw Hastings run the wrong route, but really, the fault should be shared or more so blamed on Hastings.
6. How About a Stop? – After the second pick, the game was still on, as it was just 20-17, and the Cowboys had the ball at the Pittsburgh 6. The defense all second half had been lights out for the most part, and Cowher told them – ‘field goal’ meaning that if the D would have stepped up and held Dallas to a field goal, the Steelers had plenty of time to go for the win with a touchdown. Instead, they were like wilted lettuce, as it took two plays for Smith to go in from four yards out to ice the game. If the D holds, the offense still has a shot.
So there you go, 6 reasons why to this day I still have a ticked off feeling of that. The fans and a whole lot of money ran O’Donnell out of town, and it took them 10 years to get back to the dance, and finally get the job done. But January 28th, 1996 still stings.
