Bye Week FAQ

How do you feel?

I feel pretty good. I think I would actually feel more ill-at-ease if the Steelers were heading into the Browns game with a 4-0 record. I think there was bound to be a letdown on defense when Ben Roethlisberger came back because everyone would just assume that the offense was going to take it from here. But, after everyone had way too much faith in the offense after the Tampa game and they let the team down, I think that the whole team realizes that it's going to take a team effort for the balance of the season.

I'm also glad that the next game is against Cleveland. The Browns are starting Colt McCoy at quarterback and the Steelers should be fired up. Sure, the Browns beat the Bengals, but so did Tampa, so maybe the Bengals are back to being in the Land of Suck.

The one thing I know is that the hated Ravens are a good team. Very beatable, especially by the Steelers when they have the right quarterback, but they're not going to go away.

But, ultimately, I was heading into the season thinking that 2-2 would be a very respectable start, so I'm super happy at 3-1 and we got the letdown game out of the way.

You must feel pretty dumb about thinking the defense was going to suck.

That's not a question.

You must feel pretty dumb about thinking the defense was going to suck, right?

I do feel a little dumb about being so down on them early on the offseason. But, by the time the preseason came along, I was basically on the trolley, sipping some Kool Aid. I was sipping it because I saw Ed Buchette throw down about three cups and he was slouched over in the corner.

Right now, I'm still a little cautious given the fact that they've shown shades of 2009 already this season. The big issue with the defense is that they're old. The good news is that LaMarr Woodley is playing great, James Harrison has caught his eighth wind, and Lawrence Timmons is living up to his draft stock. The issue is that I think Larry Foote or Keyaron Fox may be better at the Buck linebacker position than Farrior at this point. I think he's hurting the defense more than he's helping.

As long as no one gets seriously hurt -- like injured reserve hurt -- on the defensive line and Troy and Ryan Clark stay healthy in the secondary, I think we will be good to go. The other thing that needs to start happening is to start getting the young guys more reps. I think they are ready, especially Ziggy Hood. I hate to say it, but he might be a better option at end than Aaron Smith or Brett Keisel at this point.

What are your thoughts on the offensive line?

So glad you asked. In 2008/2009 they were dreadful. Heading into the season, I thought they may have upgraded to decent. At this point, I would say that they are pretty good. Considering that the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII (yep, we won that game) with a dreadful offensive line, I am OK with pretty good.

The pass protection has gotten a lot better, particularly with regard to blitz recognition, but the big steps have been taken in the running game. Legursky and Pouncey are big time upgrades and Flozell Adams -- even though I don't trust his creaky, old body -- is basically a wash with Willie Colon. Maybe Adams is slightly better because he doesn't commit dumb penalties and is a little bigger and more physical.

Success in the running game is equal parts attitude, talent, and execution. The Steelers of the 70s really only ran counters and traps and everyone knew it. No one could stop it because they had a lot of good players and they executed the crap out of those plays. The Electric Company of the OJ Simpson days were unstoppable because they were super talented and they just knew that no one was going to be able to stop them.

The talent level is better this year, but I think the attitude has improved as well. Those linemen come out now expecting to be able to run the ball instead of waiting for the other shoe to drop. That will make a big difference for the balance of the season and (hopefully) in the playoffs.

Playoffs? Playoffs?!?! PLAYOFFS?!?!?

Yes. I said playoffs. With the remaining schedule and the fact that this team looks like it's for real, I think it's realistic to start thinking about the playoffs. I'm not making any Jim Fassell guarantees -- especially since the hated Ravens have a head-to-head win on the Steelers and they're not going away -- but it is looking very promising right now.

So... the offense is totally fixed now that Ben's back, right? Right?

Well, maybe. I know that the Steelers are currently ranked 31st in the league in pass offense right now. That will certainly improve. I know that they're struggling in the red zone and struggling in general to score points against anyone that isn't Tampa right now. That will improve. But, I can't say that sliding Roethlisberger in there will fix everything, but it will go a long way towards making the offense more potent and effective.

Right now, we'll just have to wait and see. His timing might be off -- though the bye week work they put in will help prevent that from happening -- and it will take him some time to re-adjust to the speed of the game and reading coverages in real time, but I think we'll definitely see a big spike in passing production.

Wow, you seem real positive. Any complaints?

The defense could still break my heart. At this point, I'm starting to trust them, I'm off the couch and back in the bedroom, but we're sleeping in separate beds. I just keep thinking back to last year and I don't want to set myself up to get hurt.

The return game is horrible. I know that Antonio Brown had a kick return for a touchdown against the Titans, but that was a trick play. Plus which, that dude is dead to me. In the game against the hated Ravens, he caught the final kickoff about seven yards deep in the end zone, hesitated -- at which point everyone in the stadium was screaming, "NO NO NO! DON'T RUN IT OUT!" -- and then ran the kick back to the 15. So, we lost about five seconds off the clock and five yards of field position. It's not as though Batch was going to drive the team down the field and get a field goal, but that was just stupid. Randle-El is a fair-catching machine.

Then, Stefan Logan had a 105 yard kickoff return for a touchdown this week. Not that I want Logan back, but that was just a groin shot that I didn't need.

And... Jeff Reed has me worried. He's missed four kicks already this year and he doesn't seem quite so automatic at Heinz Field anymore. I dropped him from my fantasy teams, but I still don't think we should even consider dropping him from the Steelers. I have faith that he will turn things around... just really hope he does it soon.

Finally, if this team is basically a carbon copy of the 2008 team only with a better offensive line, then I am SUPER happy about the fact that we can add "great punter" to that list, since Vulva is not hurt. He has been very impressive and I hope he punts for the team for a long, long time.