Oakland 20, Pittsburgh 13

Oh, the horror.

For a lesson on the death of hope, please review my writings on the first seven games of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2006 season. Game one, against Miami, promised a season of great things: the Steelers won, after all, without the quarterback who had led them to the Super Bowl with such passion and bravery only months before. Game two seemed a blip, a grinding effort against an impenetrable defense, and a much-needed refresher course in the demands of the NFL for the returning QB. Game three, against the Bengals, was disappointing, but, to feel all right, Steelers fans had only to look to a similarly disappointing loss to Cinci in 2005. Game four, a loss to San Diego, was another disappointment, but again we could point to a few key plays, and to a Charger defense that seemed unsolvable.

Game five, though, seemed to validate all of our faith: an absolute stomping of a team that, while not elite, is also certainly no bottom-feeder. Hurrah, we said. Big Ben is back. And he was back in game six, too, until he was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Still, only an astonishing performance by an astonishing player kept the Steelers from winning. We were tempted to call it an almost-win.

But hope died yesterday when Big Ben's fourth-down pass to Santonio Holmes was tipped away in the end zone by some no-name Raider. Or maybe it died with the second Roethlisberger interception, or the third, or the touchdown scored on the fourth. Or maybe it died when Nate Washington vainly and weakly tossed the ball over his head as he was being tackled on the 4 as time expired. But it died, and it is dead, and it will not be resurrected until August 2007.

The Raiders managed 98 total yards of offense. 98! Andrew Walter completed a total of five passes. (As ESPN's Len Pasquarelli points out, Raiders players caught only one fewer pass thrown by Big Ben.) Since 1978, only one other team has won a game despite gaining fewer than 100 yards. That team? The Houston Texans. Their opponent? The Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rather than run down of what went wrong, let me look forward to that time when hope will rise again. Here are three positions that the Steelers must fill next year:

1. Right tackle. Max Starks would make a good Houston Texan. He's decent, and he's huge, but he got abused by Derek Burgess yesterday. It's unlikely that the Steelers will fill this position via the draft; a rookie RT would be no upgrade. And, unfortunately, the free agency pool is awfully shallow at the position. Paging Mr. Trai Essex?

2. Outside Linebacker: Certainly, this is no knock on Joey Porter and Clark Haggans, who had between them 7 tackles, 4 sacks, and an interception. But Porter is approaching free agency, and his productivity isn't consistent. Further, the depth chart at the position is filled primarily with undrafted free agents; it's time to draft the player tht Alonzo Jackson never became.

3. Power Running Back: Willie Parker is proving that he can carry the load, but the Steelers have yet to find a hammer to replace Bettis. Davenport is a great back-up, but he runs too tall to get much push at the goal line. Verron Haynes has provided no evidence that he's ready for the role, and Staley will be gone after this year. Many are predicting that the Steelers will draft Michael Bush, the massive-yet-fleet back from Louisville who, if not for a broken leg, would almost surely be in the Heisman conversation. It seems unlikely, though, because Bush wouldn't be the featured back in Pittsburgh. But it does seem likely that the Steelers will target a power back in the middle rounds of the draft.

OT in the NFL

This may sound like sour grapes, but I swear I believed this before Sunday:

The NFL overtime system is crap.

Here's the problem: when teams only have to play for a field goal, it changes the way the game works. The game is essentially won 0n the coin flip; the first team with the ball wins most overtime games. Because teams only need a field goal, they play differently, and defenses must play differently, too. Worst, though, is the anticlimax of a hard-fought game ending on a 32-yard field goal kicked on third down. It's an injustice to the sport.

The college system, in which teams take turns from the opponent's 25, is better but not good enough. Kick offs and kick returns are too important (as the Steelers loss shows).

Here's my suggestion: if the team that wins the coinflip scores a touchdown, the game is over. If, though, the first team kicks a field goal, the other team gets the ball and the opportunity to score a game-winning touchdown. So a team with the ball on the edge of the red zone has a choice to make: 3 points and play defense? Or go for the TD? Much more exciting.

I know the arguments in favor of the current system: "Don't the defense get paid, too?" said Shannon Sharpe after the Steelers' loss Sunday. And, certainly, a timely stop would have put Pittsburgh in a position to win. But the problem is that, in the current system, the overtime ends just as it's beginning. Overtime isn't treated by teams like an extra quarter of play; it's treated like a one-minute drill without the time-outs.

Think if baseball did the equivalent: if a team scores in the top of the 10th, the game is over. The home team is out of luck. Bad idea, isn't it?

Then why do the same thing in football?

Steelers 38, Atlanta 41 (OT)

So. If I told you that Steelers quarterbacks combined to throw for over 430 yards and five touchdowns, that Big Ben had a perfect passer rating, that Hines Ward caught 8 passes for 171 yards and 3 TDs, would you smile? If I told you that Mike Vick started off 1-6, would you say, "that's my defense"?If I told you that Pittsburgh didn't punt in the first half and that, at one point in the first half, the Steelers had outgained the Falcons 205-63, would you say, "they're back"?

But the Steeler team that's back isn't the one that rumbled through the playoffs last year; the team that's back is the team that lost a shootout last year to the Bengals, the team that shot its own foot off against the Bengals this year. This team flopped and fumbled its way to an improbable loss at Atlanta a team by all measures inferior to the one that gasped on the floor of the Georgia Dome as Morten Anderson kicked a game-winning field goal over their heads.

At one minute in, the game looked in hand. The Steelers D dominated the Falcons and forced a quick punt. But Santonio Holmes continued an auspicious trend by fumbling that punt (why are his hands so greasy? is he eating croissants on the sidelines?) back to Atlanta. The Falcons struck quickly to take a 7-0 lead.

Still, it was hard to doubt the Steelers as they marched unimpeded downfield to a field goal, followed by two touchdown drives. Polamalu intercepted Vick. Atlanta amassed measly offense. But another fumble (this one by another repeat offender, Willie Parker) led to another Vick TD pass, and the game was closer at halftime than it had any reason to be.

And then these things happened: Big Ben got knocked out (literally); the running game stopped; the defense stopped; and the Falcons gained confidence. Suddenly, a team that had no business competing with the Steelers looked like the Bill Walsh 49ers. And the Steelers defense looked like poopoo.

End result? On a day that once promised the leveling of the Steelers and the Bengals at 3-3, the Bengals pulled out a late victory against a superior opponent, while the Steelers gagged against an inferior one. It's getting harder and harder to be optimistic; five losses will still get you in the playoffs, but.....

Steelers 45, Chiefs 7

Well, we all knew it would happen sooner or later, didn't we?

The Steelers put a mauling on the KC Chiefs unlike anything Dan Dierdorf and I have seen for a long, long time. I was reminded of the time my Intra-City Little League team, Chamber of Commerce, beat Rotary Club 51-7. They called the game early. Mercy Rule.

The Mercy Rule would not have been inappropriate on Sunday. The Steelers led 31-0 at the half, having scored on every possession and rolled up more yards than the Chiefs defense had allowed, on average, each of their first four games. The rest of the game got a little sloppy--four fumbles by the Steelers, though they lost only one--but it was also in hand. Kansas City managed 213 yards of offense, most of it in garbage time (by which I mean the second half), while the Steelers ended with 457. Larry Johnson ran 15 times for a total of 26 yards.

I'll say it again: you don't run on the Steelers.

Three who looked good:

Let's start with the most heartening statistics of the day: Big Ben was 16-19 for 238 yards and 2TDs. He looked like his old self, making sharp, strong throws and stepping assertively in the pocket. And the numbers bear it out.

The running game. Willie Parker went over 100 yards again, with 2 TDs, and Najeh Davenport (The Hamper Dumper!) chipped in for 78 and a TD. Willie is showing great toughness (testament to his time working with the Bus), and the Hamper Dumper showed impressive speed. He's a great complement.

Santonio Holmes. Ben wasn't the only one gaining confidence out there today. Holmes flashed his big-play ability all over the place, beginning with the third play from scrimmage.

Honorable mentions go to pretty much everyone else: the entire defense, the O-Line, Nate Washington, Hines Ward, Joey Porter on the sidelines, Cowher's serious face, etc.

Three who looked bad:

Two sets of hands: Santonio Holmes' and Willie Parkers'. Both fumbled twice. Let's hope it was a lack of concentration due to the lopsided score.

Ummm.... Only one sack for the defense? And that was Chad Brown (Chad Brown!) sacking Brody Croyle. But really: the Chiefs didn't give the Steelers a chance to sack; Damon Huard got rid of the ball fast every time. Not a strategy for success, though.

And, ummm, Jeff Reid missed a field goal.

To make a great day even better, this Steeler win came after losses by both the Ravens and the Bengals. Bruce Gradkowski, the rookie QB from Toledo whose hurt was public when the Steelers didn't draft him, earned his first win ever, against the Bengals.

Next week, the Steelers visit Atlanta. While Pittsburgh has never been a great dome team, Atlanta never really enjoys much of a home-field advantage. The Falcons lead the league in rushing, by a ton. But ask Larry Johnson, and he'll tell you: you don't run on the Steelers. Looks like a matchup that favors the good guys.

Something I've Been Thinking, Too.

In this week's ESPN NFL Power Rankings, the Steelers have dropped into the lower-half of the league, to #18 (a dispiritingly low ranking, to be sure, but the highest among teams with losing records). Beside the ranking, ESPN offers this commentary: "Maybe the Steelers miss Jerome Bettis more than they thought they would. The Bus not only got the tough yards, but he was the heart and soul of the team." Bettis was, indeed, the emotional glue that held last year's Steelers together. His calm focus, his passion, was an example to the rest. And no one--not Big Ben, not Hines Ward, not Joey Porter--has been able to take that role. Ben will probably be the one to do it, but he's obviously pretty freaked out right now. In the past, Ben may have benefited most from Bettis' presence in the locker room: Bettis was obviously Ben's mentor (see their tearful embrace after the Super Bowl). Ben may feel a little lost without him.

Thanks a Lot, Marty, part 2: Chargers 23, Steelers 13

Apparently, Marty Schottenheimer learned the same lesson everyone else learned after the Chargers' loss to the Ravens last week: "Martyball" doesn't work. Just when the Steelers had the Chargers where they wanted them--Pittsburgh was losing by four--Marty shocked the world by allowing his young quarterback to throw. And throw he did, with great success. As a result, the Chargers did the unthinkable: they held their lead.

Big Ben threw, too, and with more success, but not enough. He still has not thrown a touchdown pass this season, and he added two to his interception total. It was the first time this season, though, that Ben has looked comfortable; in the second quarter, I began to believe that the season was turning around.

And it may still--good on the Broncos for shutting down the Ravens last night--but it hasn't yet. Ben looks nervous in the pocket; he shuffles his feet, he flushes too quickly, he doesn't run with the same sort of reckless authority. He isn't mentally back. What will it take? Hopefully not much more.

The Steelers' D looked dominant in the first half of the game, until the Chargers figured out how to stop the blitz. Once they were able to give Philip Rivers (whom the Steelers prefered over Big Ben on draft day, the story goes) time to throw, he found his receivers. And they caught the ball.

Willie Reid looked good in his first action of the season, returning a punt 11 yards to set up the Steelers' only touchdown drive, but he suffered a foot injury that, according to Cowher, is potentially "significant."

The team still looks "close," though. They only need a few good things to happen--a long touchdown pass, maybe, or a score on defense--to regain confidence and momentum. Let's hope that happens soon.

Pats 38, Bengals 13

I'm not sure whether or not to be happy about this. A Bengals loss is always a reason to celebrate, but a Pats win (especially on the heels of the Bengals' win over the Steelers) guarantees that the sports un-intelligentsia will continue to worship at the crotch of Tom Brady and Bill Bellichek for at least another week. Blech.

Here's what I do know, though: the Pats won how? By running the ball, and by capitalizing on Carson Palmer's mistakes. Take the Bengals-Steelers game and subtract two red-zone INTs, and you have the Pats-Bengals game. Moral of the story? The Bengals aren't as good as everyone says.

But this is a strange league: the Rams beat the Broncos, who throttled the Pats, who crushed the Bengals, who stole one from the Steelers. Looks like the Rams are going to the Super Bowl.

Thanks a lot, Marty.

Well: the Ravens drove the field against the Chargers in the final two minutes this afternoon to take their first lead of the day with 30 seconds left. The idiot announcing the game kept praising Steve McNair (17/30, 158 yds) for his "poise" and "confidence." Whatever. You know who won it for the Ravens? Marty Schottenheimer, whose offense is so conservative it makes Bill Cowher look like Mike Martz. Case in point: after a penalty gave the Chargers first 1st and 25, Marty ran the ball on first down and second, setting up a third and 18 that, predictably, the Chargers didn't make. Had Marty any sack at all, or any killer instinct, the Ravens would have been out of their misery half-way through the 4th. The Raven offense continues to blow, a fact that Marty made sure will be overlooked for at least one more week.

The bright side, of course, is that the Steelers get the Chargers next week.

The Problem With Statistics

Right now I'm watching what is probably the week's most interesting game: Chargers at Ravens. The Chargers, at 2-0, have the league's best defense (statistically), while the Ravens, at 3-0, have the second-best. During the pre-game hype, some talking hairdo dismissed San Diego's ranking, pointing out that the Chargers have beaten two lousy teams, the Raiders and the Titans: hus, the argument went, the Chargers' status atop the league's defenses. The implication was that the Ravens' defense is much more legitimate.

But guess what? The Ravens' three opponents--Tampa, Cleveland, and Oakland--have yet to win a game among them. The combined record of the opponents in today's "epic struggle"? 0-11. So, by what standard are we judging these defenses "for real"?

Of course, the argument can easily be made that that 0-11 record has more to do with the defensive strengths of the Chargers and Ravens than the offensive ineptitude of their opponents. It's an argument that has at least some merit (though I doubt that any of those teams will emerge as an offensive powerhouse). But, at the very least, we need to reserve judgement.

(Something similar happens with rankings of run and pass defenses: the team with the best pass defense is often the team against which teams run successfully. Likewise, much of the Steelers' recent success against the run comes from two things: their relative struggles against the pass, and the leads that the offense has built early in games, which force teams to the air. But, also, you don't run on the Steelers.)