Steelers vs. Packers Review

I think that yesterday conclusively proved what I've been thinking all along: The 2009 Steelers season is a sentient force that is trying to murder me.

That's the only reasonable conclusion I can draw, given all the tight games, overtime games, big plays given up (and made), and five losses in the last 14 seconds of a game or overtime. The 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to kill me. If they make it into the playoffs, that force may well succeed.

I stopped by a Rite Aid to pick up some chips on my way home and the clerk asked me what happened in the game. I said, "It was crazy. Ben passed for 503 yards, there were huge plays everywhere, Mike Wallace caught a 60-yard touchdown and the game-winner, and Tomlin called an onside kick with three minutes left... with the lead. They almost blew a ten point fourth quarter lead and, with no time left on the clock, Wallace caught a pass just like the one Santonio caught to win the Super Bowl. Except that it was from 20 yards out. And to the front corner of the left side of the end zone as opposed to back corner of the right side. Also, it was the last play of regulation. I mentioned that, right?"

My prediction was going to be Packers 27, Steelers 10, so I'm glad I didn't post that anywhere. Just a crazy game and I'm still reeling from it.

We could talk about how the pass defense folded again. We could talk about how we honked away another lead, couldn't run the ball when it counted, couldn't close the game out, and struggled in the red zone. We could talk about all that, but it's been hashed and re-hashed so many times that I'm tired of it. Those are the issues of the 2009 Steelers. Last year's team had its issues, too, and the defense bailed them out. It remains to be seen whether or not the offense can bail the team out this year.

I doubt it can, but that would be another crazy thing to happen in this crazy season that is trying to kill me.

So, basically, we're left with two questions in the aftermath of the most thrilling Steelers victory I've witnessed since either the 2002 Wildcard game against the Browns or Super Bowl XLIII (which we won, btw).

1. Why the hell would Tomlin go for an onside kick with a two point lead?
2. How does the playoff picture look?

For #1, he went for the onside kick because he didn't trust his defense. That's it. We could go back and forth about how it was a gamble and how, if Ike Taylor had touched the ball at the 40 instead of the 39 we'd be calling Tomlin a genius, but the end result of that attempt is that he announced that he doesn't trust his defense. Recover it or give it up, Tomlin threw his entire defense to the wolves when he decided to go for the onside kick.

Now, the last time Tomlin challenged his defense, they responded by destroying the Denver Broncos on the road. But that was more of a ribbing -- he kept calling the Broncs the number one defense in the league (which they were at the time -- and it was more like busting your buddy's chops at a roast. What he did on Sunday was like saying your buddy had an affair in front of his wife and her family at Christmas dinner.

There are two possible results:

1. The defense quits on Tomlin in order to make him look like an idiot and the season is lost.
2. The defense responds in a big way and establishes dominance the rest of the season in order to make Tomlin look like an idiot.

You can obviously figure out which result I'd rather see, but I really think it's an either or situation and it needs to be on either extreme end of the spectrum. Things won't be status quo and the defense won't sulk a little or play with a bit of a chip on their shoulders. Everyone was happy at the end of the game yesterday, but today everyone is pissed off and sore. And, really, the balance of the season depends on how the defense responds.

They sure didn't step up to the challenge yesterday, but it was too fresh, too sudden, to shocking. Now that they've had some time to ponder -- and they'll have nothing but time and full contact practices to let that bubble up the rest of the week -- we'll find out how they will respond.

For the playoffs, the outlook just got a whole lot rosier with Jacksonville, Miami, and the Jets losing this week.

Obviously, we need to win out. If we do, we'll hold tiebreakers over pretty much everyone but the hated Ravens. So, Denver needs to finish 1-1, because we hold a tiebreaker over them and the hated Ravens really need to lose out. That means they need to lose to Oakland in Oakland with the season on the line, but that's pretty much the long and the short of it.

We're in a pile with a bunch of teams that could all finish 9-7. Now, obviously, if the Broncos lose out, then we'll finish as the sixth seed with the hated Ravens being the fifth seed.

Basically, it looked impossible going into this week, but now just looks unlikely. I really think the biggest obstacle we have in front of us is ourselves. I don't know that we have it in us to win these next two games and make that final push towards a playoff berth.

But, I guess it all starts with that first step. And that means Sunday's game against the hated Ravens is essentially a playoff game.

Should the Steelers Lose Out

The other thing I've heard a lot since Thursday night is that people are wondering whether or not the Steelers should try to lose the rest of their games now that they're out of the playoffs and I wanted to weigh in.

The thinking behind this strategy is that the more games we lose, the better our draft pick in the 2010 draft. The better our pick, the better the player we get in the first round. The better player we get, the less we'll suck in 2010.

Well, I think it's a bad idea for a number of reasons:

1. We're currently the 18th worst team in the league according to NFL.com. That means we'd get the 15th overall pick if the season ended today. That's not a bad pick at all.
2. There are currently eight teams with eight losses or more through 12 games (we've played 13), so that means that, even if we lose out, there will be plenty of teams in front of us that have lost more than ten games. If you can't get into the top 10 by losing out, then it's really not worth it.
3. There are seven teams (including us) with seven or more losses. That means there are six teams that could also lose out and it wouldn't really matter, since there would be a cluster of us.
4. Of the seven loss teams, we're the best (because we've won six games and they've all won five).
5. Chances are that we'll finish 7-9 or 8-8 anyway, so it's better to break up the losing streak and finish strong.
6. If we finish at 7-9 or 8-8, then we'll be in a bucket with a bunch of other teams, since one of the side effects of parity is that you have a lot of teams at or near .500. Right now, NFL.com has the standings stacked according to conference record. At draft time, the board will be stacked according to the schedule strength of the team's opponents. Since we've played a soft schedule and still sucked, we'll be stacked higher than other 7-9 or 8-8 teams. The idea is that the worst team gets the best pick. If you played a tough schedule and lost eight games, you're better than a team that played an easy schedule and lost eight games, so you get the worse pick. So, we'll be the worst of the bunch in the middle and get the best pick of those teams.
7. No matter how much coaches preach about how last season is last season and has nothing to do with this season, it still matters. An eight game losing streak is no way to close out a season and it will be on everyone's minds heading into 2010. If we can salvage a couple games down the stretch, that will give us something to build on. After all, with all the talk about how last season was last season, there surely were some guys on the 2009 Steelers that said, "Hey, coach, you know we won the Super Bowl last year, right?"

Basically, losing out will move us from about 14 or 15 to about 12 or 11. Winning out will move us from about 14 or 15 to about 17 or 18. If you can't get into the top ten -- or really, if you can't get into the top five, and those spots are locked up at this point -- then there's really no value in losing out.

Winning at least some of these games will restore some of our lost confidence and give us some momentum heading into next season. And, if we finish 9-7 and either sneak into the playoffs or narrowly miss the playoffs, we can say that next year we'll take that next step.

At 6-10, you're saying, "Ah, crap. Last season was a total failure. We need to overhaul everything and get on track." Well, I don't think we need to overhaul everything. I think we need a top 20 player to fill in some of the gaps. We don't have as many issues as a team with a top ten or top five pick would have, so the ego ramifications of losing ten games this year, as well as the salary cap ramifications (rookie salaries start to get palatable around the 15th pick or so) do not outweigh the quality difference between the pick we have and the pick we could get.

Then there's this simple fact: Tomlin hates rookies. Why spend a high pick on a guy that's going to be nailed to the bench all year? That's more subjective and more of an opinion than a true verifiable fact, but it's another argument against losing out.

Steelers vs. Browns Review

Hey, at least my prediction was right! I was way off on the score, but I finally picked the correct winner.

That is little consolation, though.

No one thought the Steelers should win this game, but a lot of people thought they would. I was in that camp and, sadly, that really should be the way we look at things moving forward.

I think there's enough talent on this team, enough veteran leadership, and strong enough coaching for the Steelers to win out and finish a respectable 9-7. Do I think that will happen? No. No I do not.

I've had a number of people come up to me or e-mail me and ask this: "Are the Steelers the worst team in the league right now?" Well, they're not the least talented, but, given who they've played and the results that came from those games, I think you can safely say that the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing the worst football in the NFL right now.

They have major issues. They've had major issues. The issues can be fixed, but, if they haven't been fixed yet, it's fair to ask whether or not they'll magically be fixed by the end of the season.

Mike Tomlin is not a crappy coach and should not be fired and replaced. As I espoused during the Cowher Era, you have to ask yourself the following two questions when you're looking to replace your coach:

1. Who's available that's better?
2. How quickly would someone snatch Tomlin up if he were fired, even if it meant firing their current coach?

The answer to #1 is: No one. Not even Cowher. I was, am, and will be a big fan of the guy, but he's been an analyst for three seasons now, he'll be 53 when next season starts, and he'll want roughly 58 quadrillion dollars a year to coach. And he'll want to have control over all football decisions. And the Rooneys (and Kevin Colbert) will not acquiesce to those demands.

Also, really any guy that could potentially better would have the money and football demands that Cowher does, so that rules out #1.

For #2, I actually think the Chiefs, Raiders, and Browns would all fire their respective coaches and immediately hire Tomlin. And those three teams just beat us. So there you go.

Who's fault is it, then?

Well, for a collapse of this magnitude, you really have to say it's everyone's fault.

Bruce Arians sends everyone deep on every passing play and doesn't use a lot of misdirection in the running game. That strategy worked for the last two seasons to the tune of two division titles and a Super Bowl ring (remember, we did win Super Bowl XLIII, in case anyone forgot), so, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The issue is that it's now broken because the other teams in the league have adjusted, so you need to fix it. But they haven't. So... it's still broke. Arians believed that he could run the ball at will on Thursday night and throw deep all he wanted to on the overmatched Cleveland cornerbacks. The problem is that the Browns did better defending the run than we thought they would and their cornerbacks sure didn't look overmatched to me. We didn't adjust by running more short routes (screen passes to the wide receivers don't count) and we didn't run Fast Willie or Mendenhall to the outside after it was evident that the area between the tackles was all jammed up.

Therefore, that needs to be fixed.

The other issue is that Ben Roethlisberger is pressing too much and trying to throw a 115 yard touchdown pass on every play. He doesn't seem to realize that this is impossible and no one seems to be saying, "Uh, dude, just check it down. There isn't a guy within 15 yards of Mendenhall on every play." That's the big reason he got sacked eight times on Thursday night, but the offensive line wasn't too great, either.

I actually don't think this is the offensive line's fault. I think Ben's doing what he did towards the end of the 2004 season, for most of the 2006 season, and for stretches in 2008. He's trying too hard and he's not letting the game come to him. He's not looking at hot reads and he's constantly looking past guys that are open and trying to hit the guys that are covered and 40 yards down the field.

That needs to be fixed.

We're dropping too many passes and we're experiencing too many brain farts in the passing game. Roethlisberger didn't drop that potential touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, Heath Miller did. And we've had a lot of those recently.

The problem there is that there's really no way to fix that, you just have to hope that it works out, or you have to go get new guys. At this level, you really can't teach a receiver to catch a football. It's kind of like having a sales guy that doesn't want to talk to customers. You either hope he gets over that, or you fire him. There's really no, "Steve, why don't you pick up the phone and call someone?" You can say that again and again, just like you can scream, "Catch the ball, Limas!" again and again, but it's ultimately up to the guy to do his job.

I never thought I'd say this, but Dick LeBeau is not calling enough blitzes. During the losing streak, our cornerbacks have been exposed for what they are. They are who we thought they were. They can't cover guys for four seconds. They just can't. The only way to solve that is to blitz the tits off the opposing quarterback. Sure, you could let up some big plays and some receivers could get behind the coverage... but that's different than what's been happening for the past five weeks... how, exactly? This has been an issue since Kevin Greene was on the team and it's not going away.

Therefore, we need to fix that.

On the personnel side, James Harrison's contribution to the defense is basically to draw holding penalties. I think the guys we have on the defensive line are actually doing a great job. We can still stop the run (for the most part) and that's where the issue stems from if you can't stop the run. Since we're stopping the run, they're cool.

And LaMarr Woodley is quietly having himself one hell of a season. He's getting sacks, making plays all over the field, and he's doing it without offenses paying a lot of attention to Harrison. So... that's a good thing.

Lawrence Timmons isn't ready to be an every down guy. He was fantastic last season when he had to do a few select things really, really well. Now that he has to do a bunch of things adequately, he's failing. But, go back to whether or not we should fire Tomlin and you'll get your answer as to whether or not we should fire Timmons. Give him the rest of the year. Give him the offseason and training camp and the preseason. I think he turns it around in 2010. If not, you've got a sales guy situation, which is untenable and you need to fire him.

Ryan Clark is not as effective without Troy Polamalu back there. I think that's the biggest difference we're seeing in Troy's absence. Clark misses him and it shows. And Ryan Mundy and Tyrone Carter are not bad, they're just not sufficient.

The biggest thing that stands out to me is that James Farrior has taken a pretty precipitous fall from grace. I know he's 100 years old, but he went from great to crappy in like two seconds. I can understand if he doesn't move as well as he used to. It happens after your 95th birthday and I acknowledge that. The problem with Farrior is that he's not adjusting. He's a smart guy. He's got great fundamentals and tremendous instincts. Cal Ripken was able to play shortstop long after he'd lost a step (and didn't really have one to lose) because he was able to do all the little things he needed to do to be in position. Farrior's not doing that and it's starting to erode his game. When was the last time you saw Farrior botch a tackle like he did on the long Cribbs run Thursday night? I can't remember the last time I saw that happen, if it ever has happened. Sadly, he's a sales guy.

The playoffs are off the table. Even if we somehow snuck in, we're not going to the Super Bowl. There are too many issues to fix.

That means we need to take the rest of the season and see how many Tomlins we have and how many sales guys we have. And then make some tough decisions in the offseason.

Casey Hampton's going to be a free agent. So is Aaron Smith. I know I've been talking about it since Tomlin was hired, but maybe next season is when we make the switch to the 4-3. Maybe LeBeau is ready to retire. Maybe Arians needs to go and we need to get a guy -- maybe a guy like Frank Reich -- whose star is on the rise and who is better at dealing with quarterbacks.

Like I said, tough decisions.

But, ultimately, I think we've got a lot of pieces. Despite the fact that Cleveland, Oakland, and Kansas City all schooled us, we've got fewer issues and more pieces than they do overall. The past five games? We've got more issues. Overall, we have fewer issues.

We've got great linebackers, good defensive linemen, and one of the most explosive playmakers in the NFL at safety. We've got a lot of talent at receivers (admittedly, some Tomlins, some sales guys), a franchise quarterback, good running backs, and an underrated offensive line. We've got the Sepulverizer (aka Danny Vulva) and we might still have Jeff Reed in 2010 and beyond (I hope we do).

These guys are better than this. They've played better than this. We've seen them play better than this, as recently as this season.

Tomlin, Arians, and LeBeau didn't suffer concussions a month and a half ago and forget how to coach. They're great coaches, they're just not adjusting to what the other teams are doing as well as they normally do and part of that is because they expect the players to execute better than they have. You can look awfully smart when your players are playing well and awfully dumb when they are playing poorly. As we've discussed, the players are playing poorly right now.

We've got three games left. It's time to see what we've got and how we can get where we want to go.

Steelers vs. Browns Preview

So, I took a look at my predictions thus far this season and I can't believe how wrong I was. I have to say that I'm not sure why anyone reads this blog at this point, aside from the occasional Hillary Clinton joke.

For this week, I can honestly say two things: The Steelers are better than their record and the Browns (if possible) are worse than their record.

Cleveland sucks. It has been documented across numerous sources. The Steelers, aside from special teams struggles, fourth quarter defensive issues, and red zone problems on both sides of the ball, do not suck. It has been documented... well, mostly by me. I guess I'm the one that's still stupid enough to have faith.

If this game was played by a Madden simulator, we'd win 99.44 percent of the time. This Thursday? I don't know. I really don't know. I knew we'd beat the Chiefs. I knew we'd beat the Raiders. And we didn't.

So... reasons that Cleveland will win, since the reasons the Steelers will win are obvious (more talented, more to play for, have won the last 11):

1. William Gay sucks and is hurt.
2. Ike Taylor may be benched.
3. This means we'll be starting two rookies at cornerback, included the stone-handed Joe Burnett (who I still am convinced will be awesome).
4. This their Super Bowl, as we're the wounded champs, they're the prohibitive underdog, they're at home, it's in prime time, and this "rivalry" means waaaaaaaaaaay more to them than it does to us.
5. Their head coach (who they may possibly hate, but desperate situations have the effect of bringing out the best in people) may have his job on the line.
6. Brady Quinn doesn't know his future and can cement it with a huge upset victory.
7. Josh Cribbs.
8. Every scrub on the team can say, "Hey, we went 2-14, but at least we beat the defending champs."
9. We're reeling balls and may not be able to beat a Pop Warner squad at this point.
10. I mentioned that this game is in prime time and is the one remaining game for most of these guys to step up and get noticed by a good team, right? Well, if not, it's another reason.

Ways we win:

1. Mike Tomlin actually has control of this team.
2. The guys on this roster actually have some pride left.
3. We take their best punch in the first half (and, trust me, it'll be a big one) and we come out swinging in the second half.
4. We understand that our cornerbacks are weak and blitz the tits off Brady Quinn.

Tallying things up, that's four reasons we win and ten reasons they win.

Therefore...

Prediction:

Browns 27, Steelers 24 (popular final, right?)

Steelers vs. Raiders Review

And... it's over. Farts. Double farts!

We made Bruce Gradkowski look like Ken Stabler -- actually, I don't know that Stabler had a game that was as strong as Gradkowski's throughout the course of his career -- and we made the second-worst run defense in the NFL look like the Vikings (of today and of old). If you look at Mendenhall's numbers, he finished with 103 yards on 20 carries, but he got 60 of those on one carry. So, that means he got 43 yards on his other 19 carries. And he couldn't get it done in short yardage situations.

And we choked in the red zone. And we fell apart in the fourth quarter. The only thing that was missing from this game was a long return allowed by special teams. Otherwise, it was like every other crappy game we've played thus far in 2009.

Take away the fact that a team that just lost four straight now needs to win four straight. Take away the fact that we need to beat four teams that are better than the Raiders and the Chiefs. Take away the fact that we still need a lot of help to make the playoffs as the sixth seed even if we do win out. Take all that away, because a team that's this inconsistent and unfocused does not deserve to make the playoffs.

And that's really it. You can blame Joe Burnett. You can blame William Gay. You can blame the offensive line or Ben (he did throw a red zone interception). You could blame the red zone struggles on both offense and defense. You could blame Ryan Mundy for leading with his helmet. There's plenty of blame to go around.

But, they're not focused. They're not consistent. They lost to teams that are as god-awful as the Raiders and Chiefs. Sure, they beat the Vikings, Chargers, and Broncos. But, that's because they're inconsistent. They still haven't put everything together -- offense, defense, and special teams -- for a full 60 minutes. The running game wasn't there in the second half, but the passing game was on fire. The run defense was actually a little porous against an anemic running attack like the one the Raiders have. For some unknown reason, we decided to stop pressuring Gradkowski and the result was two touchdowns by Louis Murphy.

Yes, Gay looked horrible. Yes, Ike Taylor got exposed and may get benched (and so could Gay and they deserve it). Those things happened, but it's a fundamental aspect of this defense that you need to pressure the quarterback to defend the pass. If the quarterback has time to scan the field, he will find someone and that someone will be more and more open converse to the amount of time the quarterback is able to hold the ball and scan the field. We spend too much money on our front seven (and Troy) to spend much on cornerbacks. And missing Troy hurts. And Tyrone Carter basically had one good game. And Ryan Clark maybe needs Troy to cover for some of his mistakes.

We outgained them. We outran them. We averaged 7.1 yards per play. But we didn't outhustle them. We didn't beat them down and gain 7.1 yards per play on the plays that mattered. And we didn't outexecute them. We got outexecuted by the Oakland Raiders. And the Kansas City Chiefs. And by the Bengals in a BIG way.

And that, my friends, is why we don't deserve to go to the playoffs.

I hope we put some young guys in and see what we have. I hope this is a wake up call for Tomlin and that he stops with his irrational hatred of all rookies. I'd like to see more Ziggy Hood. Even though he has hands of stone, I'd like to see more Joe Burnett. I'd like to see more Mike Wallace -- and it looks like I will because Hines probably won't play on Thursday.

Right now, we're wounded and we're cornered. The next four weeks are going to help determine Mike Tomlin's legacy. And cement Dick LeBeau's legacy. They will determine/cement the legacies of a lot of the guys on this team.

If we close out the season as fractured, inconsistent, and unfocused as we've started it, then we've got serious questions about the future of a lot of these guys and this team. This team is too talented to be 6-6. They're too good to let up 308 yards passing and 27 points to the Raiders. But, that's where we are.

I said previously that November separates the contenders from the pretenders and that December settles everything for January. Looks like we got separated into that "pretender" pile, so we need to settle everything we can settle between now and the end of the season. I think jobs are on the line (for the players), legacies are on the line, and reputations and pride are on the line.

We've got a month to figure out if that means anything to the players and coaches involved.

Steelers vs. Raiders Preview

Well, Pitt went and choked away the Big East championship, so that sucks. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. I was talking to my neighbor yesterday and he said that every time Pitt and Penn State lose, the Steelers lose. So, fight on State! Can't believe I just wrote that.

I can't believe that I'm looking at leading indicators and hoping that Penn State wins just so I can feel more confident that the Steelers are going to beat the Raiders at home. But, it's been a weird season. I think I might have mentioned that at some point.

I'm not going to sugarcoat the fact that the Raiders suck. They suck. Hard. They might actually be worse than the Chiefs, considering that they lost to the Chiefs. But, I'm not going to sugarcoat the fact that we lost to the Chiefs. So there's that.

Their offense is abysmal and their defense isn't much better. They're 32nd in points scored (10.5 per game, which would be impressive if it weren't so sad... and worse than Cleveland). They're 31st in total offense and 32nd in pass offense. JaMarcus Russell's passer rating was is 47.7. If you throw every pass incomplete, your passer rating is 38.

Now, they have local boy Bruce Gradkowski at quarterback, which is an improvement. But, that's like saying that Hillary Clinton is slightly hotter than John Travolta in drag. You're really not gaining that much. Gradkowski is currently rocking a 66.3 passer rating. So... good for him.

Justin Fargas (aka Huggy Bear's Kid) is sporting a 3.9 yard per carry average. They will try to establish the run, but if Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson didn't do all that well against us, I'm thinking Huggy Bear's Kid will not fare well. But, Chris Chambers and Jamaal Charles smoked us, so who really knows.

Their defense ranks 31st against the run (161 yards per game) and is 23rd in points allowed. They're 29th in total yards allowed because their pass defense is ranked 17th. But, their pass defense is ranked 17th because their cornerbacks are decent and teams run so well against them that they don't need to throw.

We need to get Mendenhall going early and mix in some Willie Parker because their safeties are weak and their linebackers are slow, which is where Fast Willie is at his best. I think we need to dominate the line of scrimmage, because Roethlisberger probably still has some cobwebs floating around and hasn't really had a full week of practice because the Steelers weren't sure if he'd play or not. He said he was "ready to get out there," which is good enough for me.

Even if he's a little muddled, Roethlisberger gives us more options on offense than anyone else, which is always a good thing. The only issue I have is that he could have a game like Tommy Maddox did against the Texans when he came back from his neck injury in 2002. Maddox turned the ball over three times and Houston scored two defensive touchdowns. He called a timeout with the clock running and one second left in the third quarter. He wasn't himself and it cost the Steelers the game. They lost 24-6 even though the Texans had 70 total yards and David Carr was 3 for 10 with 33 yards passing.

That's what Oakland needs to happen to win. They need a defensive touchdown and a special teams touchdown. They need Ben to channel Tommy. They're simply not good enough to beat the Steelers if the Steelers come to play and don't throw the game away.

But, that happened against the Texans. It happened against the Chiefs. It could happen again.

If you're looking for another leading indicator, though... I'm going to the game tomorrow. I'm 13-1 when I see the Steelers play live, so that's about as good as leading indicators get. Let's hope I can move to 14-1.

Yes. I'm nervous about losing this game. And that's sad. But, it's been a weird season. To make the playoffs, we need to get on a run. Sunday could start that run.

Prediction:

Steelers 28, Raiders 3

Steelers vs. hated Ravens Review

Well, if I had written a preview, it basically would have said: "We're boned. I'm sorry. We're going to lose to the hated Ravens." The best angle I would have had would have been if the Pens had lost on Saturday night. My thinking was that the Pens lost Friday and Pitt shot themselves in the foot on Friday. There was no way that the Steelers were going to lose on Sunday if the Pens lost Saturday, because God wouldn't do that to me. Unfortunately (fortunately?) the Pens won on Saturday, so that left the door open for God to only mostly ruin my weekend of sports, which He did.

Not upset. I had a great weekend otherwise. Just saying that He mostly ruined it. And mostly ruined is still partly alive. I also went 1-3 in my four fantasy leagues, but those games weren't officially decided until Monday night anyway, so that doesn't really count.

The good news is that I had a great weekend otherwise, the Pens crushed the Rangers, Pitt can still (technically) win the Big East, the Steelers can still (technically) get in the playoffs, and I can still (technically) make the playoffs in 3 out of 4 fantasy leagues. All good things.

I don't understand why some people are coming down on Dennis Dixon. He's a third string quarterback for a reason. He hadn't played a meaningful game since November 2007 for a reason. That wasn't Stanford he was up against, that was a very good hated Ravens defense. He had half a week of practice and didn't know for sure if he was starting until Friday. I thought he did well for 65 minutes, then just made a bad read. And Baltimore had a good scheme set up.

But, the game turned on that one play and there's nothing that can be done about it. Dixon could work on that in practice this week, but it looks like Ben Roethlisberger will be back against Oakland, so what's the point?

I'm also not sure why anyone -- Hines Ward in particular -- was questioning why Ben wasn't able to play. Something was up with his brain. The brain is delicate. The brain is important. If the doctor says that a violent collision (like, say, one that you'd encounter 60 times a game on a football field) could end your life or give you serious neural issues, you take a break. Just like with Ryan Clark, the win wasn't worth someone's life.

Just like every other week, I didn't think the Steelers looked bad, I thought they looked good. They failed to make some plays, sure, but you'll always have that. I thought they moved the ball well. I thought they opened up some extraordinary holes for Mendenhall when the hated Ravens were putting eight guys in the box because they didn't fear Dixon. I was impressed by the fact that Dixon was not sacked. I was impressed by the fact that, once again, we knocked Joe Flacco's dick into his watch pocket. I thought the coverage units were solid. The one big return got called back. The coverage units still make me nervous, but I think they'll be much better with Rocky Boiman and Anthony Madison in there. I think Vulva is awesome. I think Stefan Logan... well, I still can't figure out why Stefan Logan isn't living up to the preseason hype.

I also think that we wouldn't have needed overtime if we had run a draw play on 2nd and 10 and then gone for the first down on 3rd and 6 or 7. Going deep on first down, then again on second, then running a draw play to keep something bad from happening because you don't have faith in your quarterback is not the way to operate that last drive. You went into the series knowing you didn't have faith in your quarterback. If you're going to run a fraidy-cat, safe play, run it on second down -- or on first down, then second down -- and give yourself a more manageable third down situation.

But, the game turned on that interception. And we wouldn't have lost to Chicago if Jeff Reed had made those two kicks. And we wouldn't lost to the Bengals the first time if a third string fullback hadn't converted on 4th and 11. And we wouldn't have lost to the Chiefs without them turning all of those crazy, big plays. So, really we should be 10-1.

Well, we could also be 4-7. Maybe we don't get the coin toss against Tennessee. Maybe Stafford plays instead of Culpepper, Calvin Johnson doesn't get hurt, and Culpepper doesn't get sacked three times to end the game. Maybe we don't get those two defensive touchdowns and everyone looks at the kickoff return by Percy Harvin as the play that killed the season.

The point is that the margin for error in the NFL is very, very slim. When you lean on your defense as much as we do, it gets slimmer and slimmer. Therefore, we should focus on becoming an offensive juggernaut. The two teams that are undefeated right now have amazing offenses. The 10-1 Vikings are second in the league in scoring.

The issue there is that we're not set up to be that kind of team. So, we live and die by whether or not we make those key plays. We look ahead and see Josh Cribbs and Ted Ginn on the schedule and hold our collective breaths.

It has been a weird season. We have underperformed. We have struggled in all facets of the game, but at different times. We've lost five games by a combined 18 points. We haven't played a complete game as a team for the full 60 minutes.

This could mean that the best is yet to come, but it could also mean that our luck has run out.

We'll know more in eight days. By then, we'll have played Oakland and Cleveland. If we lose either of those games, we won't be mathmatically eliminated from the playoffs, but we'll be effectively eliminated from the playoffs. After those two games, we'll have a better idea of what it means now that we're 8-5. Or 7-6. Or 6-7. Yikes, I hope not 7-6 or 6-7.

The wild card race is crazy. There are tons of teams in the mix. And we have a head-to-head tiebreaker over three of them. So, the season is far from over, but we've definitely given ourselves a very small margin for error.

Steelers vs. Chiefs Review

Oh my gosh, did that suck!

This game was a microcosm of what has gone wrong thus far this season: ineffectiveness in the red zone, poor special teams play, and untimely turnovers.

Now, I'd love to come down on the Steelers like the wrath of God, say that they suck and have no business being an NFL team, but I can't. I'd love to say that they were bested by a superior opponent, but I can't. The Chiefs suck. Hard. They sucked before the game today, they suck now, and they will continue to suck after the season is over.

This isn't like the two losses to the Bengals. The Bengals, God help me, have a great team. After those two losses, you kind of have to tip your hat and say, "Well, you guys are the better team. Congratulations!" After today, there are too many questions.

Let's answer some of those questions...

Do the Steelers suck?

No, no they don't. They suck on special teams and they suck in the red zone. Their offensive line has been known to be prone to suckage from time to time. But, they still gained 529 yards today and averaged 7.3 yards every time they snapped the ball. They held their opponent to 316 total yards through over 70 minutes of play and, despite the fact that they yielded a kickoff return for a touchdown and almost yielded an interception return for a touchdown, they almost pulled out a victory.

The Steelers have a potent offense and a very capable defense. If they can keep from playing special teams and doing stupid stuff, they are a great team. As of right now, they are an average team. But, they do not suck.

The Bengals lost. Can they still win the division?

No. I think that ship has sailed. If we won and the Bengals lost, I'd have to give that a firm maybe. But, at this point, it's Cincinnati's division to lose. While they're doing their best to lose it, I still don't think they will.

So... I just give up hope?

No. There is still a very real possibility of the Steelers making the playoffs. They are a very good team with a potent offense and a very capable defense. Today's loss just means that they have a very small margin for error. They either need to win out or finish the next six games with a 5-1 mark. They need to sweep the hated Ravens and knock those jerks out of playoff contention. They have a lot of work to do, but they are not out of it.

Now is not the time to give up hope. If the season ended today, the Steelers would be the sixth seed. They won a Super Bowl already as a sixth seed, so I think things could be worse.

Things most certainly could be better. We could have not honked a game away to the friggin' Chiefs, but things could be worse.

At the end of the game, Weidman said, "Seasons after a Super Bowl win suck." And he's right. Expectations are high, the other 31 teams in the league are out to get you. The pundits are quick to question every misstep. And today was a BIG misstep.

Maybe this just isn't our year. Maybe we don't have it. But, we won Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII. And, even though my buddy Joel texted me and suggested that Goodell is going to come to the South Side tomorrow morning and take that last trophy away from us, the fact remains that no one can take that away from us.

This is still a great franchise with a bright future that was able to win six Super Bowls before anyone else. I am going to focus on that rather than today's crippling, horrid loss.

Come to think of it, maybe we need to go 6-0 to close out the season...

Steelers vs. Chiefs Preview

I've been trying all week to come up with something nice to say about the Chiefs. Last night, it came to me. Their front office is not afraid to make bold moves.

Now, most of those moves have sucked the past few years, but they're not afraid to make them.

Last year before the draft, they traded Jared Allen to Minnesota. It's true that they got a first round pick and a third round pick for a guy they were probably going to lose anyway, but, last year, Allen had 14.5 sacks. The Chiefs as a team had ten sacks. LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison each had more sacks individually than the entire Chiefs defense. This year, Allen has 10.5 sacks and the Chiefs defense has 12. So... good for them.

This offseason, they acquired Matt Cassell and Mike Vrabel for a second round pick. Cassell currently has a 75.2 passer rating, has been sacked 32 times, and is averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. Vrabel has 33 tackles and a sack, but he has started every game. So... good for them.

The one bold move that I think will eventually work out is that they recently released Larry Johnson for generally being an ineffective douche and decided to hitch their wagon to Jamaal Charles. I like Charles a lot and it's not because I stashed him on my one fantasy team because I knew Johnson would eventually fall off. Or, not just because of that.

Their pass defense has given up 12 plays of 40 yards or more. Their run defense has given up two such plays. The respective numbers for the Steelers are two and zero. Think about that... we're nine games into the season. That means that, every game, they give up a pass play of 40 yards or more. That's crazy.

Every game, they get to the quarterback once. Every game, their quarterback is sacked four times. Their defense is inexperienced and weak. Their offense is predictable and impotent.

The Steelers are really, really upset that they lost to the Bengals. Their offense is fired up. Their defense is fired up. Some of the sound bites that have been recorded this week sound like some of the guys literally want to kill someone (if they haven't already).

Above and beyond the stats I already quoted, you could take any stat that quantifies any type of skill or worth in football and the Steelers would be better than the Chiefs in that area. The matchups favor the Steelers. Matt Cassell operates a dink and dunk offense. The Steelers defense destroyed him last season and that's when he was throwing to Randy Moss and Wes Welker. This season, he's throwing to Chris Chambers. And that's it. Because Kansas City traded Tony Gonzalez (bold strategy, let's see how it works out for them) to Atlanta in the offseason and Dwayne Bowe, their best receiver, is currently serving a four game suspension.

On a bad day, Chambers is an older, less reliable version of Limas Sweed. On a good day, he's an older, less reliable version of Mike Wallace.

I could make this entry 3,000 talking about the matchups and stats that make the Steelers a far, far superior team. But, it's Saturday and I've got stuff to do. So...

If they lose, here's how it happens:

1. Chiefs coach Todd Haley has the game of his life calling plays and gets "dialed in" as they say. He prepared for this defense for Super Bowl XLII (which the Steelers won, by the way) and he knows their strengths and weaknesses. He got dialed in in the second half of that game, so he could do it again. Then again, he was calling plays for Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston, and Larry Fitzgerald. So there's that. And I thought his name was Todd Staley, but that didn't look right, so I looked it up. It's Haley. So there's that on top of that.
2. They get a special teams touchdown and a defensive touchdown. Neither of these things is beyond the realm of possibility given how the season has played out thus far for the Steelers.
3. Jamaal Charles and Chris Chambers have great games and are still unstoppable even when the defense focuses all their energy on stopping them. I don't think that happens, but I also didn't think the Bengals would sweep the Steelers in the regular season. So there you go.

But, I think they're too mad. The Chiefs suck too hard. The Steelers know they need to use this as a tune-up game for when they have to face the hated Ravens next Sunday.

And, really, we all need this. We need the Steelers to go out and crush someone, even if it's a crappy team, in order to re-establish dominance. Last week's loss sucked hard. This week's win (if it happens and if it's a blowout) will take away some of that sting.

This is actually a big game. If Kansas City plays us tight or, God forbid, they win, that's going to be a big blow to the confidence of this team and the confidence of Steelers fans everywhere. A loss here kills the season. That's a big game, no matter how bad the Chiefs are.

But... I did mention that they're bad, right?

Prediction:
Steelers 38, Chiefs 10

Steelers vs. Bengals Review Take Two

So, that sucked. That was a horrible, frustrating game, and we never, ever want to experience something like that again.

But, it happened. We all saw it. It's part of the official records of the 2009 season. It's on the Internet and everything.

You can say that we choked in the red zone. You can say that they wouldn't have won without the kickoff return, since we kept their offense out of the end zone and pretty much shut them down. You can say that, with only 12 defensive points let up, we should've won. But, that's basically saying, "If they hadn't done the things that made them win, we wouldn't have lost." They did what they needed to do to win. They beat us. That's it, plain and simple.

The Bengals have, God help me, entered the conversation of great teams in the NFL. They swept us. They swept the hated Ravens. They came within a fluke play of beating the 6-3 Denver Broncos. They're a great team. That's it, plain and simple.

They ran the ball well enough on the number one run defense in the NFL to be balanced. They made plenty of plays in the passing game and exposed our weakness -- the perimeter -- early and often. They took advantage of the fact that we can't cover kicks. They were suffocating on defense. Rashard Mendenhall had only 36 yards on 13 carries. They pressured Ben and never let up. They had some very effective blitzes that brought him to the turf right away. They had some coverage sacks as well. They did what no other team -- other than, ya know, the Bengals -- has been able to do thus far this season and that's consistently cover all the weapons we have on offense for five seconds or more.

Again, they're a great team. They came into our house and beat us when the pressure was on. They knew what was at stake. They knew what they needed to do and they did it. Hats off to the Bengals. They are not the Bungles. At least for this year.

As Carson Palmer lined up in Victory Formation, Weidman turned to me and said, "That's it, right? They won the division, right? Can we still make the playoffs."

Well, I was several beers in and didn't give a good answer. So, here's the answer.

It depends. The Steelers can still win the division and they certainly can still make the playoffs, but it's gonna take a lot of work.

Here's who the Bengals face between now and the end of the season:

Oakland
Cleveland
Detroit
Minnesota
San Diego
Kansas City
Jets

That's pretty much a slam dunk for at least 4-3, right? Great teams don't fall flat against crappy teams and the Bengals are a great team and Cleveland, KC, Oakland, and Detroit are all crappy teams. Maybe the Jets have something to play for in Week 17, maybe they don't. They're still very beatable. So, let's say 5-2. That puts the Bengals at 12-4 to end the season.

That means that, if the Steelers finish 12-4, they're not going to win the division because the Bengals win the head-to-head tiebreaker. With a 12-4 record, they're making the playoffs, they're just probably not going to win the division.

Here's who the Steelers have coming up:

Kansas City
Hated Ravens
Oakland
Cleveland
Green Bay
Hated Ravens
Miami

Maybe we beat the hated Ravens in that first game and they have nothing to play for in Week 16. Maybe Green Bay and Miami have nothing to play for when we play them. But, really, that's only three sure victories against Oakland, Cleveland, and KC.

It's weird to think that we'd be 13-3 and not win our division, but it has happened (in 1999 when the 13-3 Titans finished second to the 14-2 Jaguars.

If we had won today, we'd have controlled our own destiny. We didn't, so that means that the only thing the Steelers can control is whether or not they win every week. If they do, I like their chances. If they don't, 12-4 might not be enough to win the division. And, with how topheavy the AFC is this year, 11-5 might be the cutoff point for making the playoffs.

The point is that the margin of error is going to be very slim from now until the end of the season.

Hey, it was very slim in 2005 after the Bengals effectively clinched the division with a huge win at Heinz Field. And we know how that turned out. (Hint: If you don't, the Steelers won the Super Bowl.)

Penguins Update

I actually hadn't thought the Penguins needed an update until this point. Well, maybe the point where they needed me to pay attention to them in this spot passed a game ago. But, the key moment happened when the Devil beat us last night.

Up until that point, really, we could fall back on the excuse of, "Hey, we won the Stanley Cup, we're 12-XX, and we're leading the division." Now, the Devil lead the division. So, there is some cause for concern, but no cause for panic at this point.

At this point, they're not scoring goals. They suck on the power play. Fleury appears to be capable of failure, which is something that we hadn't seen from him since Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Crosby, as great as he is, can't carry this team on his own.

OK, there have been a lot of injuries. Like an inordinate amount for a hockey team. But, all teams need to deal with injuries. We can't use that as an excuse for getting absolutely housed for the past four games. Some of those guys may not be available later in the season, or in the playoffs. We need to adjust. That's what great teams do.

And, really, that's the bar for this team. It's a great team. Anything less is not acceptable. After the Penguins did a little thing like winning the Stanley Cup, anything below greatness is a letdown.

Here's the thing... it's a long season. It's nine freakin' months long. If we're going to "struggle" through injuries, now is the time to do it.

I rarely agree with Mark Madden, but he said something that I agreed with rather emphatically after is was announced that Malkin would miss 2-3 weeks. He said, "I don't know what this team will do once the postseason starts. I do know this: This team will not be in tenth place in February." I agree with that. That's a sound statement. The playoffs are a weird, winding road. Any team can overcome a 2-0 deficit and end up winning a series outright.

But, this season, the Penguins have set themselves up for success. They have the Eye of the Tiger. They will not allow themselves to fail. Dan Bylsma will not allow them to fail. They're too strong. They're too talented. They have too many pieces that make up a successful team.

So, listen to Douglas Adams and Don't Panic.

Steelers vs. Bengals Preview Take Two

Well, so I was maybe a little harsh the last time I did a preview for a Steelers-Bengals game. And maybe they made me eat my words. And maybe I felt like a douche.

But, like Mark McGuire, I'm not here to talk about the past.

It's interesting that the Bengals have more losses coming into this game than the Broncos or Vikings did coming into their games with us, but this is a bigger game. That's because it's a divisional game, so there's more at stake. And there's more bad blood. And the Bengals already beat the Steelers. A win for them on Sunday effectively gives them a two game lead on the Steelers, since they would have swept the season series against us and they already swept the hated Ravens and they will most likely sweep the Browns. Because, ya know, everyone sweeps the Browns.

There. I talked some smack. I'll direct all smack talking at Cleveland. Cleveland sucks. Tim Couch and Courtney Brown. So there.

At any rate, this game has me worried, but I'm also strangely confident. Basically, if the team that played the Bengals in Week 3 shows up, we're going to get crushed. This is their Super Bowl and we can't play flat like we did in that first showdown. They're playing with a ton of confidence right now -- more confidence, actually, when they found their mojo briefly in 2005 -- and they took the hated Ravens to the woodshed, died their hair red, adopted them, and pulled out a chain, even if it didn't necessarily show up in the final score.

They're running the ball well. Cedric Benson, so help me, is for real. Carson Palmer still has the intelligence, vision, and crazy-strong arm he always had and he now also has two healthy knees and two whole elbows. On defense, they really hit on a few of their first day picks in the last five seasons or so. Even though Antwaan Odom is out for the year and Keith Rivers won't play, it's still a hell of a defense. They stop the run, they get after the quarterback, and they tackle surprisingly well.

This is a good team. They entered the conversation of being great when they came back and beat us, then swept the hated Ravens, then crushed the Bears. The conversation isn't over yet, but it will be fully completed if they beat us on Sunday. And they know it. And, as much as football players say they don't care about what ESPN says, the Bengals players have to feel as though they've been slighted by pundits thus far. They've gained a ton of street cred thus far and can fully establish themselves as dangerous contenders if they win in our house.

November is where contenders separate from pretenders. Anything can happen in the first couple months through scheduling, injuries, and other variables. By November, everything is pretty much set. By December, most teams are locking up their seeding and everyone else is scrambling for the last few playoff spots. In January, champions are made.

The point is that right now, the Steelers are in familiar territory, the Bengals are not. Most of the guys on the roster were not on the roster when Kimo ended their 2005 season. They understand that they need to beat the Steelers, but they probably don't understand the stakes. They don't understand the gravity and the importance of this moment and the moments that will follow on Sunday. The Steelers understand. Tomlin understands. Although this is the Super Bowl for the Bengals, it's a more important game for the Steelers. They need to complete the conversation on their end. They struggled through the early part of their season, then found their groove, then beat 6-0 and 6-1 teams in back-to-back games. In order to re-enter the conversation of being great, of being a team that could enter the postseason and make some noise, they need to beat the Bengals on Sunday.

The Steelers have tasted football's epiphany. Early in the season, they were complacent. Now, they're hungry. They want to taste it again. They understand that this is the next step and that it is a very important step. They seem to have straightened out their fourth quarter issues. The running game appears to be back. Ben Roethlisberger appears to be one of the best quarterbacks in the game.

Right now, though, those are all questions. All those questions can be answered by beating the Bengals on Sunday.

So, obviously, both teams have a lot at stake. But, to me, the difference is that the Steelers are at home, they've been through this before, they know how to seize the moment, and the Bengals are on the road, they haven't, and they don't. They may want to, but there's a big difference between confidence and experience. In that difference lies the Steelers' advantage.

Troy wasn't in the game the last time these two teams played. The prologue for the eulogy on Willie Parker's career was still in the draft/re-write stage. The offensive line was uncomfortable. The Bengals had something to prove and the Steelers were trusting history.

Like I said, I'm not here to talk about the past.

Troy's back. Mendenhall is running with violence and authority. Max Starks is on a very nice little streak of non-suckage, as are his line mates. The defense has regained its swagger, which is all a LeBeau-coached unit needs to be effective, even dominant.

We won't see a repeat of Week 3. It isn't going to be easy, but I think we have the necessary parts, tools, and experience to beat a very good Bengals team in order to delay the conversation of their greatness to another week.

Prediction:
Steelers 27, Bengals 20

Steeler vs. Broncos Review

If I had written a Preview for this game, I would have predicted Steelers 23-20.

I would also have been very glad that Ryan Clark wasn't starting and very adamant that he not start.

I also would have said that there was no way that Tyrone Carter could fill his shoes. Thank God I didn't say something dumb like that, right?

As painful as the first half was to watch, you could actually see that we were adjusting and starting to get close to where we needed to be. We took the next step in the second half and the Broncos did not. And so therefore the Steelers crushed the Broncos in the second half.

They gained 321 yards and scored 21 points in the second half. Mendenhall had 130 yards rushing in the second half. Hines Ward had two touchdowns in the second half. We just steamrolled them.

We came out on defense expecting Denver to do what they had done thus far in the season -- throw a lot of short slants, outs, and hitches -- and we set up our defense to stop that in the same manner that the hated Ravens set up their defense to stop the Broncos in Week 8.

But, the Broncos came out throwing intermediate range passes and mostly targeting the sidelines instead of the middle of the field. William Gay, for one, was very surprised by this development. After the first couple of drives, the Steelers adjusted, started playing more straight-up defense, and the Broncos didn't adjust, still running the same patterns against a defense that was now geared to stop those patterns.

They ran the ball 14 times for 27 yards total, with a long run of seven yards. They had 11 rushing attempts in the first half, which means that they attempted only three rushes in the second half. They were leading at one point in the second half and were not out of the game -- at least not to the point where they would need to abandon the running game -- until about midway through the fourth quarter.

They ran a six minute version of a two minute offense at the end of the first half and wasted a pretty easy opportunity for a score (even if that score would only have been a field goal). I'm not saying Josh McDaniels and his staff got outcoached, but they did get outadjusted. And in-game and halftime adjustments were supposed to be two of the things Denver did better than anyone else.

This is the second straight week that we played well on offense and defense and the second straight week that we faced a quality opponent and not only showed up, but showed up with authority.

The Vikings are a great offensive team. They probably scored 24 points during their bye week. We held them to ten offensive points in Week 7. The Broncos are a great defensive team. We scored 21 offensive points on them. We also reclaimed some of our swagger on defense, holding them to three offensive points. On the road. And those three points came on their first drive before we had a chance to adjust to their new game plan.

All in all, a very solid performance. This team is starting to come together. They're starting to look like the 2008 version of themselves. Only better.

We'll know more next week in a BIG divisional matchup against the Bengals (did I just type that?), but things are definitely looking up after a rough start.

A few other thoughts...

1. I felt very confident that the Steelers would win the game when they jumped out to a 14-10 lead. Even though they've had their fair share of issues in the second half. Even though the Broncos are a fantastic second half team. When the Steelers lead 21-10, I was 100% confident they were going to win. I almost went to bed. That's how confident I was. Given how badly the Steelers performed in the fourth quarter thus far this season and how much they had already jerked me around, that's a pretty bold statement. And a very good sign that things are returning to normal.
2. The offensive line is starting to look very, very good. Like, they might be a strength instead of just not being a glaring weakness. They got off to a rough start in pass protection last night, but settled down and ended up shutting down a solid Denver pass rush in the second half (for the most part). Also, Mendenhall rushed for 130 yards in the second half. And 155 yards overall. On 22 carries. That's an average of seven yards per carry. Even last year, when we were destroying Cleveland and Cincinnati, we didn't have that kind of average. We didn't shut down a pass rush that well. And, when we were trying to salt the game away and everyone in the stadium knew we were going to run the ball, the Broncos still couldn't stop it. That's what we used to have to the Cowher days. The 1,191-1-1 when leading by ten or more points days. Couple that with the fact that we now have a quarterback that can throw the ball 40 times a game and be effective and can also run a two minute offense and that's a pretty potent combination.
3. Speaking of Mendenhall, he looks awfully good. He needs to improve his vision, but his power, pad level, and decisiveness are right on target. I think it may be about time to write the eulogy for Fast Willie Parker's career as a Steeler. I doubt we're going to sign him after the season is over. When Mendenhall needed a breather, Mewelde Moore came in, not FWP, even though FWP was active and not at all injured. So Mendenhall is not a bust and Fast Willie will not be a Steeler next year. That will take an adjustment on my part, but I think I can handle it. Especially since he's been hurt most of this season and will not be involved in the second half of the season, which means I'll be used to not seeing him in uniform. Like Kimo, Joey Porter, Nate Washington, and Randle-El, I wish him all the best. I hope he makes a ton of money elsewhere, because he can't make it here.
4. Watching Vulva go head-to-head (leg-to-leg?) with Bitch Merger was awesome. I'd have to say Vulva won out on that one.
5. The more I see of Mike Wallace, the more I think that we will never, ever hear from Limas Sweed again.

After the Bengals, we have, basically, a month off. We've got one game against the hated Ravens, sandwiched between games against Oakland, Kansas City, and Cleveland. So, it's pretty much a bye month.

We passed the first two tests. One big, final test awaits us next week. If we fail that test, we could very well be boned in the division. Much like we were in 2005 (even though I guess that turned out OK because the Steelers won Super Bowl XL).

The Season That Has Been

Now that I've had a chance to catch my breath during the bye week, I decided to take a look at 2009 thus far on offense and defense.

A lot of people, myself included, have been critical of the Steelers to this point because they (and me) can't understand how a team that won the Super Bowl in 2008 (we won Super Bowl XLIII, by the way, I'm not sure that I mentioned that ) could struggle as much as they've struggled.

I took a look at the numbers and discovered a couple of interesting things.

1. Good God, how did we win a championship last year?
2. Given #1, I guess things aren't that bad this year.

After seven games in 2008, the Steelers were 5-2.

After seven games in 2009, the Steelers were 5-2.

Sure, you can say that they faced the toughest schedule in NFL history last season. But, we won games against Jacksonville, the hated Ravens, the Browns, the Bengals, and Texans and lost games against the Eagles and Giants. Among the teams that we beat in the first seven games in 2008, only the hated Ravens were any good. In 2009, the only team we beat that was any good was Minnesota.

One issue that I have identified with the 2009 Steelers is special teams, both in terms of the return game and coverage ability. They have pretty well sucked in 2009. Well, they pretty well sucked in 2008. In all actuality, we're better off this year than last year because this year we have Vulva instead of Bitch Merger or the guy that was so bad that he was cut in favor of a gimpy Bitch Merger. I... think his first name was Paul. At any rate, we're actually better on special teams this year than we were last year. As sad as that may be, as much of a point of consternation as it continues to be, we still won the Super Bowl last year with crappier special teams, so we can't call it an issue.

The defense. It was first in points allowed, first in yards allowed, first in passing yards allowed, second in rushing yards allowed, and was historically good. Hey, can't have that two years in a row. Right now, it's 10th in points allowed, eighth in yards allowed, 15th in passing yards allowed, and second in rushing yards allowed. It's not historically good, but it's pretty damn good. The trouble is that they're on pace to force 21 turnovers (29 forced last year) and get 43 sacks (51 last year). Game by game that's not too much, but over the course of a season it adds up.

But, the offense is way better. Last year, they were 22nd in yards per game. That's not a misprint. Last year, they were 20th in points per game. They had the 17th-best passing attack and the 23rd-best rushing attack. Last year, hands down, we rode that historically good defense all the way to the championship. People tend to view championship teams through rose-colored glasses, so that's a good reality check. This year? We are 14th in points scored, fifth in passing yards, seventh in total yards, and 17th in rushing yards.

So, the issue is that we're gaining tons of yards but we choke in the red zone, right? Well, I've said that. And, thus far, I am wrong. Last year, we scored touchdowns on 55.1 percent of red zone trips and 58.62 percent of the time in goal-to-go situations. This year, we're scoring touchdowns 56.52 percent of the time in the red zone and 71.43 percent of the time in goal-to-go. Um... I'd have to say that's not the issue.

Really, ultimately, it's the fact that we've choked in the fourth quarter on offense, defense, and special teams (except last week). Stats back that up. We gave up 75 points in the fourth quarter last year and scored 104 points. This year, we've already allowed 62 points and have only scored 30. Ouch. That's bad. Is it fixed? I don't know. It was against the Vikings, I know that. Hopefully, there were just some early season bumps against the Chargers, Bengals, and Bears. Hopefully.

It's a different year. It's a different team. As Tomlin says, we haven't identified the personality of this team yet. I do know that two of the big issues from last season -- sacks allowed and rushing yards gained -- are trending in the right direction this season. Roethlisberger is on pace to throw the ball 535 times this year and get sacked 48 times. Last year, he threw it 506 times and was sacked 51 times. Last year, we averaged 3.7 yards a carry. We're averaging four yards a carry this year.

Special teams are slightly better, the offense is much better, and the defense is not one of the greatest defenses ever to take the field. Considering that we won the Super Bowl last year (you're sure I mentioned that already, right?) I think we're in good shape.

So... why do I still feel uneasy? I have a theory. External factors have changed.

Last season, expectations were low. We had gotten bounced out of the first round of the playoffs the previous season and were facing the toughest schedule in NFL history. This season, expectations were high. We won the Super Bowl and were facing one of the easiest schedules in NFL history.

Through seven games last season, the Colts were struggling at 3-4 and the Patriots were without Tom Brady. There were no undefeated Broncos teams. There was no offensive juggernaut like the Saints. There was only the New York Giants, who many Steelers fans legitimately believed we would've defeated if we had a punter that was worth a damn and James Harrison wasn't our long snapper.

Brady's back and the Patriots beat the Titans -- a team we needed overtime to beat -- by 59 points. Indianapolis is 6-0 and is crushing people.

More teams have more buzz, but we have the ring. And the bullseye on our chests. And that's the difference.

Need more perspective? At this point in 2006, we were 2-5. I think we're OK in 2009.

Steelers vs. Vikings Review

Well, I was wrong. I said that the Vikings would win and they did not. I am always happy when I predict the Steelers to lose and I am wrong. I think I may predict them to lose the rest of the season and be pleasantly surprised when they win.

What I thought was interesting was that the 2008 Steelers beat the 2009 Vikings today. And it was weird. Because these are the 2009 Steelers. I wasn't quite sure how to react.

The Good:

1. Well, we won. That's awesome.
2. We defeated the undefeated Vikings, arguably one of the best teams in the league, to say nothing of the NFC.
3. We held Adrian Peterson in check, for the most part. Any time we face an elite running back, we shut him down as a runner, but seem to forget about him when he becomes a receiver. Obviously, there was no defense for the play that the announcers gushed about in the fourth quarter, where William Gay failed to rise above his name. But, really, you still need to keep your eyes on the most explosive playmaker in the NFL wherever he goes. If he becomes a receiver, he's actually more dangerous, because he's already in the open field where he can do a ton of damage. But, we contained him as a running back. Which was key.
4. MAN, did the defense come through. The entire fourth quarter, I felt like a poor kid at Christmas. I felt as though I was going to get what I wanted, but didn't really believe that it was going to happen. In 2008, I would've been confident that someone was going to make a play to pull it off. In 2009, I was like a poor kid at Christmas.
5. Well, Tiny Tim threw away his crutches, walked, then did a double-back-flip-somersault and vaulted right to his XBox 360 and played Rock Band while listening to his 32-gig iPod touch. Wow. Just, wow. Just a very impressive performance by the defense in the fourth quarter.

The Bad:

1. We choked in the red zone. Big time. We ended up with two field goals and a turnover in three trips to the red zone. Without two defensive touchdowns, that comes back to kill us.
2. We seemed unable to throw anything but a screen pass in the first half. Until that last drive at the two minute warning, Ben had 12 attempts and 35 yards passing. That's abysmal.
3. Rashard Medenhall had a crucial fumble. Again. He's looked great at times and he appears to be the running back of the future, but he really needs to get his fumble issues in check.
4. How many pre-snap penalties did we have on offense and defense? A hundred? It sure seemed like it.
5. We didn't make strong adjustments at halftime. If the Vikings hadn't gift-wrapped two fourth quarter defensive touchdowns to us, we would have lost (I know that's like saying "if you hadn't done that thing that made you win, we wouldn't have lost," but it's still true.)

The Ugly:

1. We didn't take advantage of superior field position in the first half.
2. Our coverage units -- I know the announcers called out Jeff Reed, but everyone was to blame for Percy Harvin's touchdown return -- are not good. We need to work on that.
3. Our return game isn't much better. I know that I've been critical of Stefan Logan all season, but there's a good reason for that. He's been absolutely terrible. The field position swing that we were looking for when we kept Logan on the team depends on Vulva punting better than Bitch Merger, but it also depends on Logan averaging more than two yards a return. And not fair catching inside the ten yard line. And, generally, not sucking. He has failed to not suck thus far. And that needs to improve.
4. They ran 75 plays, we ran 46. Jesus.
5. We outlasted them, we outhustled them, but they have to believe they should've won this game. And they didn't. And that will sting them. And, should we meet them in February, they will remember this. And be pissed about it.

Ultimately, though, we won and they lost. We're 5-2 and share first place with the Bengals, who currently have the tiebreaker on us and share a 1 1/2 game lead over the hated Ravens with us. We head into the bye week with a four game win streak and the (at the moment) undefeated Broncos on the horizon -- and don't think they want to beat the Defending Champs in order to prove their legitimacy -- and the division-leading Bengals after that.

It doesn't get any easier coming up, but today feels good. So let's focus on that. The Steelers won. It's a good day.

Also... my brother got engaged today! I found out at the tail end of the third quarter, so my attention was divided between the game and Weidman and I planning the bachelor party, but it's great news. Congrats, Bruddah!

We are going to kill you in New Orleans. Just know that.

Jeff Reed

I wanted to make a separate entry for this.

When I first heard that Jeff Reed was arrested after Sunday's game, I thought, "Crap. That means he'll be suspended by the team for the next game." Sure, that also meant that Matt Spaeth would be suspended, because he played a part in the altercation with police and was also charged, but, uh, he's Matt Spaeth.

Then it came to light that Reed would not be suspended. And I thought that was strange. Santonio Holmes got suspended for getting arrested in 2008 and it turned his season around. So, I figured that was team policy. Get arrested, get suspended. I guess that's not the case.

Now, I trust Mike Tomlin. I think that he's a very reputable man and a stand up guy. When he explained that he suspended Santonio because he didn't have enough time to gather information before game time. News of the Holmes arrest hit on 10/24/08 and he was suspended for the following game against the Giants on 10/26/08. Tomlin announced the suspension on 10/25, one day after the news broke.

Reed was arrested on 10/18/09 and it was announced that he wouldn't be suspended on 10/20/09... two days later. So, two days is enough time to gather information, but one day is not? Sure, Holmes got arrested two days before kickoff, which is much different than getting arrested eight hours after kickoff for the previous week's game, but it seems like there is a double standard in play.

This is not to suggest that it's a race issue, because I don't think it is. I think it's a value issue. Even though the kicker position is largely reviled in the NFL, it's still a very valuable position. This decision means that Reed is more important to the team than Holmes. This decision means that, even though Reed got arrested and was clearly in the wrong, he has the advantage when he and the team go to the bargaining table before free agency starts and after the season ends.

I'm not sure that they played this right in terms of negotiation tactics, but I think they made the right decision if they're interested in winning the game on Sunday, which they obviously are.

Browns Review and Vikings Preview

Well, I'm sorry. It's been a long couple of weeks and I have been under the gun in several key areas, most notably at work, where I've had all this work stuff to do and haven't been able to devote as much time to my blog.

Thoughts about the Cleveland game:

1. We had 557 total yards, they had 213 total yards. And we only beat them by 13. At home. In a division game. Where we figured we'd be able to gain ground on the Bengals and the hated Ravens.
   
2. Part of the reason we didn't score as much as the yards would indicate is that we had four turnovers.
3. But, we also forced three turnovers.
4. And we got crushed on special teams.
5. And we sucked in the red zone.
6. And we really, really sucked in goal-to-go situations.
7. I have a feeling that the red zone and goal-to-go issues will sort themselves out over time, but we were supposed to re-gain our special teams advantage after Vulva came back and Stefan Logan joined the team. Thus far, Logan has not turned his preseason success into regular season production. And that's hurting the Steelers. The good news is that Vulva is as good as ever.
8. I still feel uneasy in the fourth quarter.
9. Other teams still have that look in their eye like they might come back in the fourth quarter.
10. We should have defeated the Browns and Lions by more than 21 points total in back-to-back weeks.

Now the Minnesota Vikings come to town. I wrote in August (scroll towards the bottom) that Favre signing with the Vikings was going to assassinate their season. Well, thus far, that prediction isn't working out so well. But, it's early in the season. The Jets started out 8-3 last season before Favre got hurt/imploded like he always does and they ended up missing the playoffs. He can still assassinate their season. I just don't think it happens Sunday. Partially because Sunday's game isn't important enough to kill the season for either team. Partially because I don't think that he's going to be the reason they lose (if they lose at all).

Here's the thing: I actually think that, top to bottom, we have the better team. I think that they have their stars, we have our stars, and, ultimately, our team outweighs their star power. I also think that cohesion and team-outweighing-star-power advantage means a lot more in December and January when everyone is freezing and exhausted. But, that also means that they're fresh right now.

Brett Favre took the offseason off, didn't have all the reps and the throws and the hits and even the preseason to wear on his body, so he's not worn out. Adrian Peterson had the offseason to rest and recuperate, he only has 120 carries thus far this season, and he's young, so he doesn't wear down quite so easy, but he does tend to hit a wall of sorts around Week 14 when the fantasy football playoffs kick into high gear.

Overall, I think our offensive line actually holds an edge over their defensive line, because the Williamses (Pat and Kevin, the defensive tackles) don't seem to be as effective since they tested positive for banned substances and Jared Allen can be run on, as he's always trying to get to the quarterback and mostly ignores the running back. I also think that, if we choose to, we can be successful doing some running back screens. We used to throw them to Willie Parker all the time. We can bring that back. We can throw a few to Mendenhall. We don't have to keep throwing bubble screens to Hines and Heath. If we take the time to set up a screen, I think we can be successful.

Our defensive line is better than their offensive line. Early on in his career, Peterson's line made him look better. At this point, he's making his line look better. They're not pulling and trapping as well, they're not blowing people off the ball, and they just don't, in general, seem to be as interested in blocking people anymore because, well, Adrian is just going to juke the defender and run by him.

I think our receivers are better than their receivers. I think our receivers are better than their defensive backs. I think our defensive backs are better than their receivers. Our linebackers are better than their linebackers (even though it's close). I think Roethlisberger, at this point, is a better quarterback than Favre.

As I said, I think we're the better team top-to-bottom. The only place where they have a decided advantage is in special teams, where Percy Harvin is way better than Stefan Logan. He's way better than everyone in the league not named Devin Hester or Josh Cribbs.

So, the Steelers are at home, they have the better team, and they have a history of stopping elite running backs, so that means they'll stop Peterson, the home crowd will take over, and they'll win the game, right?

Well, that sounds all well and good, but the fact remains that the Vikings have the number two scoring offense in the league (31.5 points per game) and the number 18 scoring defense in the league (20.2 points per game), while the Steelers have the 14th (23.3) and 11th (18.7), respectively. The Steelers are much more impressive in terms of their yardage rankings, but Minnesota goes out and gets it done.

They also have luck on their side. They complete Hail Mary passes to the back of the end zone with 12 seconds left. They blow 21 point fourth quarter leads, mismanage the clock, and their opponent still misses a field goal. As of right now, they're cool, calm, collected, and extremely lucky. And talented. And confident. And they want to make a statement against the defending champs. And they all love Brett Favre at this point and they'll believe anything he says, like when he tells them they can win this game.

I also don't think that Brad Childress is a good coach, but he hasn't killed them thus far.

This is one of those midseason "statement games" that teams that are trying to establish themselves try extra-special hard to win. We had two in a row in 2004 and won both of them against the Patriots and Eagles. We lost our statement game against the Giants last year, but won statement games against the Patriots and Cowboys.

The point is that regular season statement games don't really mean that much. And veteran teams like the Steelers understand that. But, they also understand that all wins are important. So, they'll probably fall behind by a couple touchdowns, make a furious comeback in the fourth quarter, and eventually lose on a play that may or may not be considered fluky.

I think the Steelers are the better team, they'll be the better team if these two clubs meet in February, and they're more complete overall, but that the Vikings are the team that wins this game in late October. They win this game because it means more to them than it does to the Steelers. They win this game because they want it more. They win this game because, at this point, they're the better team.

Prediction: Vikings 27, Steelers 24

Steelers vs. Browns Preview

As I've written previously, the Bengals are like the younger brother of the Steelers. We can hate on them, but, ultimately, we think that they're cute when they try really really hard.

To extend the metaphor, the Browns are the middle brother. We know their strengths, we know their weaknesses, we know where they came from, and we know how to handle them if they suddenly decide to get squirrely. In recent history, we've beaten them unmerciful.

We've won the last 11 games against the Browns. We kept them from winning the division in 2007 and we beat the mighty Kelly Holcomb in the playoffs in 2002. Between their rebirth in 1999 and today, we're 18-3 against them and the last time they beat us was October 2003. I had just gotten married at that point. That's a long time.

This season, they're 1-4, they traded Braylon Edwards for a bunch of guys that Eric Mangini likes, and we're 3-2. Last season, we won the Super Bowl. We've won two Super Bowls (seriously, we won Super Bowl XL and XLIII, don't know if I threw those facts out any point) since they last beat us.

Given recent history, I don't think there's any way that they win this game. I picked the Steelers in my Survivor Pool and I am not at all nervous. I think that we win, but I think it's going to be a close game.

I know they suck. I am aware of this fact. I'm aware of the fact that they defeated the opprobrious Bills 6-3 only because they put their closer in with the bases loaded in the eighth inning. I know that starting quarterback Derek Anderson was 2-for-17 with only 23 yards and an interception in their last game. I also know that they played the Bengals tough and the Bengals, whether we like it are not, are leading the division currently, they beat us, and they're 3-0 in the division. The Bengals are a good team, so help me, and the Browns gave them a game.

I would also like to add that the "rivalry" that exists between the Browns and the Steelers is mostly on the side of Cleveland. They hate us. We always win. We've won six Super Bowls and they have never been. That hate is valuable. That hate is palpable. That hate is something that Magini can use to make a game of it on Sunday.

I also think that the defense is going to need to adjust to the loss of Aaron Smith and the re-addition of Troy Polamalu. I think that, ultimately, Smith's loss is going to be our gain, but I think that's in the long term. In the short term, the defense is going to be disoriented -- even more than they've been thus far -- and they're going to give up gaps and make mistakes. In the short term, they're going to expect Troy to come flying in, but, in the short term, he's not going to be well enough and adjusted enough to do that. Everyone needs time when they come back to the office from a vacation to get re-adjusted and football players are no different.

I think that they score on us quite a little bit and possibly Joshua Cribbs scores on a return. But, I think that we're too much better from top to bottom to lose a game to a team that's crazed and pissed off and that's it. They're not anywhere near as talented as we are and that will prove itself out throughout the course of the game.

This game is extremely important to the Cleveland Browns, but it is also important to the Pittsburgh Steelers. They know how important it is to show up for division games. They know how important it is to not host Minnesota next week at .500. They know they can't fall behind the pace in the division.

The Steelers will take care of business on Sunday, but it won't be easy. It won't be as easy as the 14 point line (which is ridiculous, by the way) seems to suggest.

Prediction: Steelers 27, Browns 21.

Steelers vs. Lions Review

Well, I was in Seattle and didn't catch the game because I was taking a tour of Underground Seattle.

It's actually a very cool tourism destination with enough different, fun things to do that pretty much anyone can go there and find something interesting to occupy their time. They're still bitter about that whole Super Bowl XL thing (which the Steelers won, by the way), which isn't cool, but I ran into a lot of very nice people and had a ton of great food.

From what I heard, the Steelers looked great in the first three quarters, then almost choked everything away in the fourth quarter. The hell you say! The more I think about it, the more I think the theories that I have about the Steeler defense are correct.

I would like to take this opportunity to also point out that star defensive lineman and former Pro Bowler Aaron Smith was placed on injured reserve today.

That doesn't help, but it may be helpful to get some youth infused on that line, see what Ziggy Hood can do, or possibly Nick Eason. I think there will be a dropoff, of course, because Aaron Smith is really, really good at what he does. But the silver lining there is that both Hood and Eason are about 15 years younger than Smith, so at least they'll be consistent. They'll be consistently worse than Smith at the beginning of the game, but they'll still have plenty left in the tank in the fourth quarter.

This is not to say that we should hope that all members of the over 30 gang get hurt, it's just to say that Smith getting hurt now and getting put on IR now will suck less than, say, him getting hurt and getting put on IR towards the end of the 2007 season. That was disastrous. This is just highly inconvenient. And, who knows, if Hood goes in and plays great, that could mean that the 2009 draft class was a success. Mendenhall is starting to bail out the 2008 class, Vulva, Gay, and Timmons (sounds like a malpractice firm that only goes after OBGYNs) bailed out the 2007 class, and Hood, Joe Burnett, and Mike Wallace could make the 2009 class not so bad.

Ultimately, the personality of the team is changing. Tomlin has said numerous times that every season is different, every season has its own personality, and everything develops in its own time.

This team is very different from the 2008 team, obviously, but we're not sure what the personality of it is yet. All I know is that we aren't likely to see another 13-9 victory or a 10-6 victory, or a 15-6 loss. We have already allowed 20 or more points in a game three times (three times in a row, actually) and we only did that five times total in 2008. But, we've also scored 28 or more points twice (again, in a row) and we only did that four times all of last season.

The team is changing, the personality is forming, and we should have a better idea of where they are and what they're like by the time the bye week rolls around.

It'll be interesting to see how they deal with a fiesty, but crappy adversary (Cleveland) and a team that has looked great so far but maybe leans on the running game too much and won't be able to count on their quarterback as the season wears on (Minnesota).

After that, we get a frisky Broncos team and a revenge game against the Bengals. The next month or so will determine the course of the season and the personality of the team. I'm looking forward to seeing how they respond and how everything shakes out.

I'm really, really scared that it might be bad, but I'm looking forward to it.

Steelers vs. Lions Preview

Seriously? It's the Lions.

Thus far this century, they're 41-107. That's a .277 winning percentage. That means that, on average, they're 4-12 since 2000. That's worse than the Pirates.

I know they're at home.

I know we're the defending champs and we have a bullseye on our chests.

I know they signed Larry Foote and he knows our defense inside and out.

I also know that Troy should be back for this game.

I also know that the players know they won by ten last week and aren't satisfied (for the most part).

I also know that the Lions have won 11 out of their last 52 games. They went 0-16 last season.

I know we choked away a loss against the Bengals, but this is a less talented team than the one the Bengals have.

Just trust me. We're 10 1/2 point favorites on the road.

I think we cover.

I think we make Matthew Stafford our bitch.

I think we roll.

I think I said this for the Bengals game.

Prediction:
Steelers 34, Lions 13

Steelers vs. Chargers Review

First of all, I would like to point out that I am now 13-1 overall and 4-0 against the San Diego Chargers. You're welcome.

Second of all, I would like to point out the following: The Steelers were up 28-0 and 35-14 at different points throughout the course of this game, but neither myself nor anyone in the stadium felt completely comfortable that the outcome of the game was secured until Jeff Reed kicked a field goal with 43 seconds remaining.

Sure, the Stefan Logan fumble was fluky play. Sure, if you're a Chargers fan, you feel as though there's no doubt that the play called on the field was accurate and that it was a fumble recovered for a touchdown. Sure, if you're a Steelers fan, you feel supremely violated by the refs. The point is that the play was challenged, the refs took a look at it, and were unable to conclusively overrule the play as called. If it was called down by contact, they probably couldn't have overruled that, either. So it was close.

Sure, the Chargers recovered an onside kick, which almost never happens.

But what we can take away from this Steelers victory are the following points:

1. We won by ten points in a game that we dominated and everyone was upset about it.
2. When Jacob Hester scored on the aforementioned fumble recovery, there was a loud popping sound that could be heard in Heinz Field and that popping sound was the sphincters of everyone in the stadium puckering.

When that fumble happened and the Chargers looked unstoppable on offense, everyone -- everyone that stayed, that is -- had the same thoughts running through their heads. "Ah, crap. Not again. This is not happening again. Is this happening again? I think it's happening again."

Consider:

1. We had 510 yards of total offense. I had to check the box score, I'm not going to lie. I have to admit, though, that I thought the number was higher. At the end of the third quarter, I seriously thought we had 500 yards of total offense.
2. Through the first three quarters, we held the vaunted Chargers offense to seven points. Seven.
3. We had 177 yards rushing. Of those 177 yards, 165 came from a guy that a number of people had labeled as a bust and that Mike Tomlin had benched the week before.
4. Given all that, we felt the need to run a trick play on first and goal from the six to score a touchdown.

Just a weird, weird game. We pushed around a once proud defense. We kicked the hell out of the prohibitive favorite to win the AFC West entering the season. And we felt bad about it. And, yet, we were justified.

This brings about two key questions that seek to set the collective minds of Steeler Nation at ease:

1. Is the running game back?
2. Can we trust the defense?

Well, for number one, I really don't know. The offensive line looked good, Mendenhall looked sharp, but the Chargers were undermanned and we were fired up. Really, Bam Morris or Barry Foster would've looked good given those circumstances.

We're not going to get a real answer in the next two weeks because we play Detroit, then Cleveland, and both of those teams suck.

Then, we play Minnesota. At home. We will know then. For sures. I have circled that date on my calender and I hope the Steelers offensive line has as well.

For number two, I... I have to say no. I think there are a couple of factors in play here.

Factor Number One is that the average age of the defensive line is death, so they're bound to wear down over the course of the game. Even though we only have three defensive linemen, the key to the success of any 3-4 team is the three guys up front. Our three guys up front are old. They're tired. They have two rings each and there's only so much you can do to motivate a guy given those parameters. Even when someone like Mike Tomlin or Dick LeBeau is feeding them the "one game at a time, one play at a time" rhetoric, it only goes so far.

Are they washed up? Are they not worth it? Of course not. When playing to the best of their abilities, they're still really damn good. I think the first three quarters of each of the last three games proves that. They're just old. They're millionaires. They have two rings. I'd get in their faces and yell at them and slap them around, but they're bigger than me.

Factor Number Two is that the offense is starting to come into its own. It's evolving. It's becoming the focus of the team. After all the great drives and clutch plays of the past 23 games (2008 season plus playoffs plus four games this year), the defense has come to depend on the offense. Previously, in 2007 and 2006, they had no one to depend on but themselves. I think you see this happening a little bit with the hated Ravens as well. For years, the defense couldn't let up, couldn't yield, because they'd be writing checks the offense couldn't cash. Now? They have a unibrowed golden boy and they can afford to let this receiver slip by or that tackle go unmade.

I don't like to mention this, but the hated Ravens have a bunch of young guys on defense. Guys that are hungry. Guys that don't have two rings and millions and millions of dollars in the bank. They'll come back angry and hungry because they have unfinished business ahead of them. Our guys? You can't make that same claim about them.

The Steelers are currently among the worst defenses in terms of points in every fantasy league I'm involved in. They're not getting sacks. They're not getting shutouts or keeping points off the board. They're not forcing turnovers. They're not scoring touchdowns. They're also not available as a free agent.

Maybe that's because I live in Pittsburgh and everyone still has faith that they'll turn it around. Maybe that's because everyone's hoping that everything will turn around once Troy comes back (expected to happen this weekend against Detroit!) Maybe, collectively, we're ignoring Factor One and Factor Two.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope that the factors I've talked about aren't the issue. I hope it's something else, anything else. I hope that, as Tomlin has said, the personality and makeup of a team develops over the course of a season and this is our early wakeup call. I hope I'm totally full of bullshit and I'm just being reactionary.

But, I don't think I am. And that sucks.