Sacks aren't normally a laughing matter, but one of those extracted from Ben Roethlisberger by the Ravens' Elvis Dumervil at Marcus Gilbert's expense in Baltimore was almost comical, to at least one of those directly involved.
"Whatever the technique was, he got up underneath Marcus and knocked him into me, and we all went down together," Roethlisberger said. "You don't see it every day. As much fun as it was to laugh about it four or five days later, I think it was more humbling to Marcus."
The reverse-pancake occurred on second-and-5 from the Ravens' 21-yard line with the Steelers trailing, 10-3, early in the third quarter last Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium. They eventually settled for a field goal in what became a 26-6 defeat suffered at the hands of the Ravens.
Dumervil had beaten Gilbert for a sack on the Steelers' previous possession on first-and-10 from the Baltimore 42-yard line with 59 seconds left in the second quarter.
And Gilbert was whistled for a false start two snaps after that.
"You play 60-plus snaps, you give up two sacks it's a bad game," Coach Mike Tomlin said. "That's the nature of our business and I'm sure as a tackle that's a challenge that he embraces. I'm not concerned about Marcus and his ability to rebound from that, his mentality in regards to that rebound. I expect him to come back fighting like Rocky."
Chances are Gilbert will need to deliver his share of blows as well as absorb them on Sunday night at Carolina.
The Panthers' defensive line was a handful for the Lions last Sunday, even with Pro Bowl defensive end Greg Hardy held out of the lineup due to off-the-field issues. Carolina sacked Detroit's Matthew Stafford four times in a 24-7 victory.
"They don't do a lot of things crazy," Roethlisberger said. "It's not a lot of exotic blitzes, moving guys around, doing things. They count on their guys just to whup you. It's definitely going to be a challenge for our O-line, but I know they're excited for that challenge."
Gilbert included.
"Those two plays (against Baltimore) were critical, and I can't let that happen," he said. "With my sacks it's more technique (that had been lacking). It's something that can be fixed, it's going to get fixed. There's no panic over here.
"Facing some adversity as an offensive lineman, that's a part of this game, dealing with your ups and downs. You have to learn how to overcome it and not let the negativity seep through. I'm very excited for what's ahead of me."
Roethlisberger expected nothing less from Gilbert, to the extent that the quarterback/offensive captain didn't feel as if a pep talk for his right offensive tackle was necessary in the wake of what had transpired against the Ravens.
"Marcus is one of those guys, just like the rest of the line, who put more on themselves than any pressure anybody else could put on them," Roethlisberger said. "They feel worse about having a bad game than anybody.
"You don't have to say too much to him. I know the person he is and the competitor he is. He's going to come out and be ready to play."
