Halicke's Kickoff: Honoring the Standard set by Harris

The question has come up multiple times this season: What is the Standard?

The Steelers are 6-8, and without pulling off four wins in a row to close out the season, it'll be the franchise's first sub-.500 season in 19 years.

But in light of Franco Harris' unexpected death just three days before his No. 32 is retired in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, which has shaken Steelers Nation to its core, we all have a fresh reminder of what that Standard is.

Mike Tomlin provided that reminder with a heartfelt post on his social media accounts, standing in front of a painting of Mr. Harris' Immaculate Reception.

"We are so thankful that Standard has been set for us, and the efforts of this man and his teammates," Tomlin said. "We try to honor them daily with our approach to business. We're just honored and thankful to be part of that awesome fraternity."

When I had a chance on Tuesday to ask Tomlin what it means to him to coach the game in which the 50th anniversary of this iconic play is celebrated, along with the retirement of Mr. Harris' No. 32 -- just the third number officially retired by the franchise -- you could see the genuine excitement and happiness on his face.

Just watch the change from the typically stoic Tomlin to an ear-to-ear smile:

"It's just one of those beautiful things in the history of our game," Tomlin said. "It's humbling to be in close proximity to it, to work for this organization, to understand its impact on this organization, the career that it spawned, Franco's Gold Jacket career. What it did for them that season in terms of changing the trajectory of that season. What it's done for this franchise.

"There are many things that make it the play that it is and the most significant play in the history of our game. It's just an honor to be in proximity to it. To know the man involved. To call Pittsburgh home. It's awesome to be a part of and to witness."

Of course, that excitement turned into mourning not even 24 hours later as the news of Mr. Harris' passing broke early Wednesday morning. Just one snap shot of our availability with Tomlin says everything you need to know:

CHRIS HALICKE / DKPS

Mike Tomlin addresses the media after Wednesday's practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

In Wednesday's meeting with reporters, Tomlin said his team practiced with a "heavy heart." And while Tomlin said the team isn't using Mr. Harris' passing as "motivational fruit" for Saturday night's matchup with the Raiders, he did say they "look forward to honoring him and his legacy this weekend."

Tomlin's players have followed that sentiment, including Kenny Pickett, who has his own special ties to Mr. Harris. However, it's clear that this team wants to win for Harris, and everything he represented.

"It's tough. It stuns you," Pickett said Thursday. "We had a team meeting, we talked about it for a good amount of time. He would want us to be focused and go out to practice and practice hard and go get the win on Saturday. We’re definitely playing for him this week."

Najee Harris added Friday afternoon, "We're all going to play for him. He's going to be on all of our minds."

The Steelers have a rich history, and the way it's honored and passed down through generations is done differently than anywhere else. Mr. Harris was a huge part of the reason why. He stayed in Pittsburgh after his playing career was over, and he was an ambassador for the fans, the players, the coaches and everyone in the organization. 

Mr. Harris wasn't just reliving his glory days. He genuinely cared about everyone who loves this city and this franchise.

"Everywhere he's been, I think you just hear people talk about how great of a person he was," Pickett said. "I can't stress that enough, how genuine he was when you were talking to him. He was so into the conversation and what was going on with me and outside of football, how I’m adjusting to the city and being a pro player in the city. Obviously was here in college but being a pro player in the city versus being a college player, where I was living, how my family was doing every day. He was just so genuine. I can't say enough great things about the kind of person he was."

That's why the day the news broke of Mr. Harris' death, it had a serious impact on everyone at the facility. When he spoke with the media on Friday, T.J. Watt described it as a "somber morning" and a "very quiet building." This wasn't just the passing of a franchise legend. This was a man that's continuously bridged the gap between the Steelers' teams of the 1970s that saved Pittsburgh and the many teams that have followed.

"That's something that we talk openly about, and we appreciate," Tomlin said. "The support that these current players get from those that have come before them and Franco was just such a shining example of that. When those guys spent time with him, they realized that he didn't want anything from them; he just wanted the absolute best for them. That unconditional love, guys feel that, and that's why they felt about him the way they felt about him."

There will still be many that are dissatisfied with only three playoff wins since the franchise's last Super Bowl appearance, which took place 11 years ago. And regardless of the circumstances that's led to a likely failure to reach the postseason or make a realistic run at a seventh Lombardi Trophy, the 2022 season will fall short of the Standard in the eyes of many.

But, as Watt so eloquently put it Friday, Mr. Harris' death has "been a teaching tool to show how important Franco was, not only as a player but as a person, and how much he cared about this place and this city and this team."

The thing is, Mr. Harris' passing doesn't need to be a fresh reminder of what the Standard is. He lived it -- on the field as a player, and with every day he lived afterward until his tragic passing.

Everything the Steelers stand for began with Mr. Harris. It's why this team never stops trying to win.

"Wins. Winning, winning, winning, winning," Pickett said of what the Steelers are trying to accomplish over the final three weeks of the season. "As we win, I hope I improve, and I continue to trend the way I was trending. But the bottom line is winning. So, we’ve got to find a way to get it done in these next three weeks."

THE ESSENTIALS

• Who: Steelers (6-8) vs. Raiders (6-8)
• What: Week 16, regular season
• When: Saturday, 8:15 p.m.
• Where: Acrisure Stadium
• Spread: Pittsburgh, -2.5
• Over/Under: 38.5
• Weather: Mostly cloudy 10°, 7% chance rain/snow, 17 mph wind
• TV: NFL Network (national)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Streaming: Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: Sirius XM 385, online 826
• Box score: DKPS
• Team media guides: Steelers | Raiders
• Official game notes: Steelers | Raiders

THE INJURY REPORT

• Steelers: WR Diontae Johnson (toe), S Terrell Edmunds (hamstring) and LB Myles Jack (groin) are listed as QUESTIONABLE.

• Raiders: CB Rock Ya-Sin (knee) is ruled OUT. G Alex Bars (knee), T Jackson Barton (back), DT Andrew Billings (fibula), LB Darien Butler (quadricep), G/T Jermaine Eluemunor (wrist), G Dylan Parham (knee) and RB Zamir White (ankle) are listed as QUESTIONABLE.

THE KEY VARIABLE

Watt said it best this week: "You definitely want to be the person delivering the hits in games like these, I can promise you that."

The weather in Pittsburgh is typically very cold in December and January, but Saturday night could be the coldest in Acrisure Stadium history. Temperatures on Saturday night are expected to dip into the single digits before kickoff, with wind chills well below the 0° mark.

"I just think that's a beautiful part of December and January football," Tomlin said. "We'll acknowledge that the weather could be significant on Saturday and it could play out in terms of how these two teams come together. But, you know, that's life in the National Football League, and that's specifically life in Pittsburgh. We won't run from that. We'll run to that as we prepare this week."

The Steelers haven't had much opportunity to prepare this week for the frigid temperatures. Wednesday and Thursday were typical December days in Pittsburgh. Friday did bring the front responsible for Saturday's weather conditions, but snow prevented the Steelers from practicing in the brutal cold.

"You can't prepare for that, really. Seven degrees, whatever it's going to be, just go out there and play," Pickett said. "I’ll wear a thicker thermal and maybe put on a ski mask. I’ll ask George [Pickens] which one he prefers, and I'll rock the same one GP is rocking and we'll be good to go."

Tomlin prepares his team to be an "all-weather team," and that'll be put to the test Saturday night. Surely the Steelers would love to run the football effectively. It's been a key reason for this team recording more wins than losses since the bye week. However, the team that's able to better execute on the ground and through the air in such brutal conditions should be the team that prevails.

As the team that's based in Pittsburgh, the Steelers are expected to rise above any external circumstances such as weather.

As Tomlin said this week, "I think everybody that that lives here and plays here understands and embraces that."

THE HISTORY LESSON

The Steelers and Raiders have a long history, with the latter leading the overall series, 17-13. However, the Steelers are 8-6 against the Raiders when facing them on the North Shore. And, given the 50th anniversary of the greatest play in NFL history, we would be remiss to not talk about the Immaculate Reception.

Prior to the 1972 season, the Steelers had won only one division title since the inception of the franchise in 1933. Most years, they were just plain bad.

But, in their fourth season under head coach Chuck Noll, the tide started to turn. The Steelers went 11-3 during the regular season, and met with the Raiders in the AFC Divisional Round, birthing of a rivalry built on physicality and world class football.

That wouldn't be more evident in the first half of the game. The two defenses shut out the opposition as neither team could score in the first two quarters. The Steelers would be the first to break through with two field goals by Roy Gerela, the second giving Pittsburgh a 6-0 lead with only 3:42 remaining.

However, the Raiders answered with an 80-yard drive that was capped by a 30-yard touchdown run by Ken Stabler, giving Oakland a 7-6 lead with only 1:13 on the clock.

Terry Bradshaw completed a 9-yard pass to Harris and an 11-yard pass to Frenchy Fuqua, giving the Steelers first and 10 at their own 40-yard line. However, the next three passes were fired incomplete, two of which were broken up by safety Jack Tatum. The Steelers now faced fourth and 10 with :22 remaining.

Bradshaw dropped back to pass, avoided multiple defenders and fired a desperation pass downfield to Fuqua. Once again, Tatum went to break up the pass and collided with Fuqua, sending the ball at least 10 yards in the opposite direction. Before the ball hit the turf, Harris was able to scoop the ball and took off down the right sideline for a touchdown.

It was one of the most improbable comebacks in the history of the sport.

It was also the play that won the Steelers their first playoff game and helped catapult the franchise from cellar dweller to one of the league's elite almost overnight.

While the Steelers went on to lose to the undefeated Dolphins in the AFC Championship and lost to the Raiders in the 1973 Divisional Round, they went on to win four Super Bowls in six seasons, beating the Raiders in the AFC Championship en route to each of their first two championships in Super Bowls IX and X. Mr. Harris would be named the Most Valuable Player in the franchise's first Super Bowl victory.

The dominance of the Steelers in the 1970s helped save Pittsburgh during a time where many were losing their jobs due to the collapse of the steel industry. That dominance began with this one play.

THE MAIN MATCHUP

The Raiders present a lot of mismatches on offense. They have the NFL's leading rusher in Josh Jacobs with 1,495 yards, which is 192 more than the Titans' Derrick Henry in second place.

The Steelers' run defense had been trending in the wrong direction over the course of games against Atlanta and Baltimore, but bounced back with a dominant performance, holding a Panthers team built on the ground to only 21 rushing yards. 

Las Vegas will want to run the ball against Pittsburgh, as they've gone from calling 59.26 percent pass plays to only 50.28 percent over the past three games. However, this isn't another matchup against a team that is solely dedicated to running the football.

"They're really good across the board," Teryl Austin said this week. "They’ve got the Pro Bowl tight end [Darren Waller] coming back into the fold, Davante Adams, [Hunter] Renfrow is getting back into the fold, [Mack Hollins] is a big down-the-field threat. They have a few more things that they can probably get to, in terms of allowing us to just really stack the box and get as many people in the box. So, that's going to present a big challenge for us, and we're going to have to be able to hold up maybe playing lesser guys in the box."

This is where the Steelers' three-safety look could pay off. They aren't afraid to throw Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds and Damontae Kazee out there together, and they've done a good job of helping support run defense while neutralizing dangerous receiving threats at tight end. Most recently, they held Cincinnati's Hayden Hurst to only 28 yards on two catches and Baltimore's Mark Andrews to 17 yards on two catches.

However, Tomlin doesn't want to reveal all of the ways they can try and combat the need to stop the run while taking away a receiving threat such as Waller.

"That's just one tool in the toolbox. We have several," Tomlin said Tuesday. "The personnel-specialization component of ball is something that just has evolved and evolved in a big way over the last several years globally, and we're participants in it. The package that you mentioned is just an example of it, but boy, the number of packages that we have going into a game now relative to maybe five, 10 years ago is significant. It just speaks to the specialization component of the game and that'll only increase."

The main matchup to watch will be how the Steelers' cornerbacks fare against Adams. Tee Higgins shredded them a few weeks ago, and they had a very hard time keeping any Panthers' receiving at bay last week. Adams is by far more dynamic and explosive than any receiver the Steelers have seen in recent weeks. If they can't minimize his impact, it could be a long day for the defense.

10 DATA POINTS

• Since their bye week, the Steelers are averaging 21.8 points per game and they're allowing 18.6 points per game.

• The Steelers are averaging 144.3 rushing yards per game over their past seven games. Prior to that, they averaged 87.9 yards per game.

• The Steelers have now played seven games with Watt and seven games without this season. They're 5-2 when Watt plays and 2-5 when he does not.

• The Steelers are 6-1 when they don't turn the ball over this season, and 0-6 whey they do.

• Jacobs is blazing far past his previous career high of 1,150 yards, which he gained in his rookie season of 2019 (played only 13 games). He's also averaging a career-high 5.1 yards per carry.

• It took Watt 84 games to reach 75 sacks. That's the third-fastest of all time (Reggie White, 65 games; J.J. Watt, 83 games)

• Pat Freiermuth’s 113 receptions are the most by a tight end in franchise history and tied for 12th-most in NFL history over their first 29 career games.

• Tomlin has recorded 157 regular-season victories in his first 250 career games coached, which are the most by a head coach in their first 250 career games since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger and fourth-most by a head coach in NFL history.

• Diontae Johnson reached 300 career receptions in his 56th game in the NFL, which was the fewest games needed to reach 300 receptions in franchise history and tied for the 11th-fewest game in League history.

• Finally, to honor Mr. Harris: He finished his Hall of Fame career with 12,120 rushing yards and 91 touchdowns. He was just 200 yards shy of then-NFL rushing leader, Jim Brown.

THE FANTASY CORNER

Back in the winner's circle, in terms of earning more money than I put in. Feeling like I'm trending in the right direction. Here's my lineup for Week 16 (with a $50,000 salary cap on DraftKings):

• QB: Geno Smith, Seahawks ($5,800)
• RB1: Derrick Henry, Titans ($8,600)
• RB2: Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs ($5,900)
• WR1: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions ($5,500)
• WR2: DJ Moore, Panthers ($6,000)
• WR3: K.J. Osborn, Vikings ($5,800)
• TE: T.J. Hockenson, Vikings ($3,800)
• FLEX: Melvin Gordon III, Chiefs ($5,200)
• DEF/ST: Patriots ($2,800)