December 13, 1999|By Mike Preston
Quarterback -- B- -- Tony Banks was inconsistent in the first half but stepped up in the second. His overall performance suffered from several dropped passes, but his timing seemed a little off with Justin Armour and Billy Davis. He throws a great deep ball, but at times gets a little carried away throwing deep into double coverage.
Running backs -- B -- Priest Holmes performed well filling in again for the injured Errict Rhett. He rushed 18 times for 130 yards and had a 64-yard touchdown run. The Steelers were ranked No. 21 in rushing defense, but the Ravens failed to exploit them completely, as fullback Chuck Evans carried only one time for 2 yards.
Receivers -- C -- Fortunately for the Ravens, Qadry Ismail had a great game. The rest of this group looked like the same unit from training camp. Armour and Davis dropped several passes and Armour had two big penalties in the fourth quarter. Ismail showed a lot of heart and determination after a slow start early in the game.
Offensive line -- B -- The Steelers had four sacks, but several were the result of tight coverage in the secondary. The unit was a little sloppy in the first quarter, but dominated in the second half. Right tackle Everett Lindsay had a dominant game and rookie Edwin Mulitalo blocked well in short-yardage situations.
Defensive line -- A -- Tackles Tony Siragusa and Larry Webster have developed into one of the NFL's best run-stuffing tandems while also keeping offensive linemen off middle linebacker Ray Lewis. Siragusa had two sacks, Webster had one and each had four solo tackles. Left end Rob Burnett may have been the nastiest player on the field. He had eight tackles and two sacks, knocked down one pass and pressured quarterback Mike Tomczak all day.
Linebackers -- C+ -- Middle linebacker Ray Lewis led all tacklers with 11. Weak-side linebacker Jamie Sharper turned in a steady effort with four tackles, but needs to re-establish himself as a force. Strong-side linebacker Peter Boulware shared playing time with Cornell Brown, but had a roughing-the-quarterback call for the second straight week. He had the same problem at Florida State, and it has been costing the team.
Defensive backs -- C -- Pittsburgh went after rookie cornerback Chris McAlister. He gave up some receptions, but he plays tough the entire game. He never stays down mentally, and knocked down four passes. Fellow cornerback DeRon Jenkins has to become more physical in coverage inside the red zone, and Duane Starks still hasn't reached a consistent level. Strong safety Kim Herring had eight tackles, but he missed several others. Like Jenkins, he could become more physical.
Special teams -- C- -- Matt Stover was short on a couple of kickoffs, but he converted on his 11th straight field-goal attempt. Punter Kyle Richardson was a little shaky, but came through with a 57-yarder while kicking from his own end zone in the fourth quarter. The kickoff coverage allowed 147 yards on six returns, including one of 41 yards that almost turned into a touchdown if it weren't for a saving tackle by Stover.
