Bleacher Report - Pittsburgh Steelers

Cincinnati Bengals Success Linked To Shedding of Terrible Towel Curse

Todd Fleming — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:13:26 -0500

There has been plenty of commentary on the Cincinnati Bengals' sudden success.

One strain of thought is that Carson Palmer is finally fully back from his knee injury. Another school of thought is that the Bengals have had a string of good drafts that have replenished the talent on the roster.

Others have argued that the Bengals, a roster that once looked like a who’s who list of criminals in the NFL, have created a much more team-focused and disciplined roster.

And it would be foolish to overlook the impact of defense coordinator Mike Zimmer, who has built an AFC North caliber defense.

But, perhaps the most important reason that the Bengals are succeeding is because the curse of the terrible towel was officially lifted.

The curse was tied directly to former Bengals’ wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh, who had the audacity to wipe his feet with the towel following the Bengals’ victory over the Steelers in 2005. It was the last game the Steelers would lose that season and the start of nothing but trouble for the Bengals.

Incidentally, the Towel abusing incident carried out by the Titans in 2008 also marked the last time the Steelers would lose that season. So, the curse works in two directions. It brings fortune to the Steelers and ruin to the offender's team.

The Bengals chose not to resign he of the long last name in the off season, perhaps recognizing that it was time to move beyond the curse.

So, TJ took the curse and moved to Seattle.

The Seahawks, who had high hopes for recapturing he NFC West title, were last seen being smacked around like pinatas by the Cardinals for the second time this season.

The once proud 'Hawks are now 3-6 and effectively out of playoff contention, although Houshmandzadeh apparently hasn’t gotten the memo.

He was so inspired by the teams' beatdown that he boasted the Seahawks will not lose again this year, making that boast the very week his team is preparing to play at red hot Minnesota.

Who knew that the Terrible Towel Curse also kills brain cells?

The best thing the Seahawks can do is follow the Bengals lead and give Housh a one way ticket out of town. Only then can the healing truly begin.

The Titans might want to also consider dropping the cursed deadweight of Lendale White before he derails another promising season.

Come to think of it, that might not be altogether bad advice even aside from the curse considering his general lack of NFL talent.

Letting go of partner in crime Keith Bullock, who is a very good player, might be harder, but sometimes you have to make those tough decisions, like the Bengals did in letting the talented Housh fly the coop and take his troubles to the other coast.

The answer for how a team can get rid of the Terrible Towel curse is to get rid of the player or players that brought it on.

But, how can a player struck down with the curse shed it? Alas, there is no evidence that it can be done. Moving to a new city is clearly not the answer. Perhaps a pilgrimage to visit the grave of the late great Myron Cope to offer an apology would help.

There was some buzz this week about a group of Bengals’ fans burning the Terrible Towel and the potential return of the curse.

I’m not buying it. Fans drink beer and do nutty stuff. If you looked up NFL fan in Webster's, that is what it likely says. It is what makes the season so fun for the perpetual adolescents who form the core of most NFL fan bases, the Steelers' fans being a notable exception of course.

Imagine how you would feel as a Raiders or Browns fan if you couldn't drink beer and do nutty stuff. It just wouldn't be fair.

I don’t think a team can be held accountable, even by a curse, for something stupid done by a handful of fans with below room temperature IQs.

But, when a player makes the deliberate decision to desecrate and disrespect the towel, bad things always follow. It is one of the immutable laws of the universe.

So, congratulations to the Bengals for making the one decision that had to be made before they could pull out of the nosedive that has been their recent history.

The rest, as they say, is history. At least until they meet the Steelers in the playoffs.

Read more Pittsburgh Steelers news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Week 11 Predictions

Bobby Lewis — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:56:01 -0500

Last week's record: 7-8

Overall record: 97-47

Lock of the Week: 7-for-10

Miami (4-5) @ Carolina (4-5): Before Ronnie Brown was placed on IR, Miami was an easy pick. However, Brown is such a big part of the Dolphins' success that it will not be easy to replace him, especially during a short week. Carolina played their most complete game of the year last week and they're at home, so expect them to win a close one.

Carolina wins, 19-14

Washington (3-6) @ Dallas (6-3): Dallas slipped up a little bit in Green Bay, but they should get back on track here. Washington is pretty bad and there's no way that the Cowboys let them come into Cowboy Stadium and win this game. Dallas will blow this open in the second half.

Dallas wins, 30-13 (Lock of the Week)

Cleveland (1-8) @ Detroit (1-8): It's a sad state of affairs when the most relevant thing about the Browns right now involves LeBron James. Nonetheless, the Browns' offense is an embarrassment and Detroit is improving, so the home team takes it.

Detroit wins, 21-9

San Francisco (4-5) @ Green Bay (5-4): This is an extremely important game because the loser has a long, difficult climb into the playoffs. The Niners won last week, but they didn't play particularly well, while the Pack looked fantastic against Dallas. Green Bay can be inconsistent, but if they play anything like they did last week, don't expect them to lose.

Green Bay wins, 24-16

Pittsburgh (6-3) @ Kansas City (2-7): Unless the Chiefs play like they did against the Cowboys, this will be a blowout. Pittsburgh will probably come out a little upset after last week's loss, so Kansas City's offense will get beat up pretty badly.

Pittsburgh wins, 28-6

Seattle (3-6) @ Minnesota (8-1): The Seahawks will not win this game. Minnesota is playing on another level and Seattle is too beat up on defense to bottle up Brett Favre and his weapons. Seattle may keep it close for a little while, but they're not leaving with a win.

Minnesota wins, 27-17

Atlanta (5-4) @ New York Giants (5-4): The Giants have to win this game. They will not make the playoffs if they lose five in a row. Atlanta can still afford to eat a loss, if only for the psyche of the two teams. The Giants should win this on pure determination, as they understand how important this game is.

New York Giants win, 20-14

New Orleans (9-0) @ Tampa Bay (1-8): This is a trap game for the Saints. They have faced a string of bad teams and they have a big Monday night game next week with the Pats. There's a possibility, especially with how they've been playing lately, that they look past the improving Bucs and lose. It won't happen, but this will not be a blowout.

New Orleans wins, 26-17

Buffalo (3-6) @ Jacksonville (5-4): The Jags can really get on a roll if they beat Buffalo. Their remaining schedule isn't particularly tough and they are playing their best ball of the season. The key for Buffalo will be turnovers. They're good against the pass, but they won't stop Maurice Jones-Drew.

Jacksonville wins, 24-17

Indianapolis (9-0) @ Baltimore (5-4): This may end up being a blowout. Baltimore's defense is living off of reputation and Peyton Manning is playing at the highest level he's ever played. If Baltimore can get a couple of big plays on Indy's young secondary, they may be able to pull off the upset, but they couldn't even put up big numbers on Cleveland's sorry defense.

Indy wins, 34-24

Arizona (6-3) @ St. Louis (1-8): The Cardinals are beginning to hit their stride. St. Louis is starting to look like an NFL team and they took the Saints down to the wire last week. With that said, the Cards won't come out as sloppy as the Saints did, although Arizona would be wise to shut the door early.

Arizona wins, 27-17

San Diego (6-3) @ Denver (6-3): Denver's hopes may hinge on whether or not Kyle Orton is able to go. Chris Simms hasn't been the same since the serious injury he got in Tampa and he hasn't played in a big game in years. San Diego is on a hot streak, while Denver is in the midst of another collapse.

Denver won the first game, but this may be more important for them. Their defense has to become more aggressive and the offense must make big plays. Unfortunately for them, the Chargers will just be too much for them.

San Diego wins, 23-18

Cincinnati (7-2) @ Oakland (2-7): The Raiders have finally benched JaMarcus Russell in favor of Bruce Gradkowski, but ultimately, it won't matter. The Bengals are one of the best teams in the league and should win handily.

Cincy wins, 24-10

New York Jets (4-5) @ New England (6-3): Despite Bill Belichick's controversial decision, the Pats are still one of the best teams in the league and I'm sure they haven't forgotten all of the trash that the Jets talked leading up to their Week Two matchup. Nine weeks later, the Jets are a mess and the Pats are much better. Expect New England to blow this open late in the game.

New England wins, 35-21

Philadelphia (5-4) @ Chicago (4-5): This will come down to turnovers as both teams have a tendency to become very sloppy. Obviously, Brian Westbrook will not play, taking a weapon from Donovan McNabb, but McNabb should still have enough against Chicago's average defense.

Philly wins, 20-13

Tennessee (3-6) @ Houston (5-4): If Houston gives him a chance, Chris Johnson will take this game over. The Texans must contain him and make Vince Young to beat them, which Young has not been forced to do this year. Tennessee can't allow Houston's passing attack to get going, but they haven't showed they can do that either.

Houston wins, 28-24

Read more Pittsburgh Steelers news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Week 11 Picks and Predictions

Nick Signorelli — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:42:56 -0500

Overall: 75-39

Last Week: 10-5

Last week, in one of the craziest weeks for the league in terms of wins and losses, I pulled out one of my best records. I don't get it, either. Of my three upset specials of the week, I was right on two of them, which is pretty good, in my opinion.

So, before I break my arm patting myself on the back, I will get into this week's picks.

FIVE STAR PICK OF THE WEEK: Pittsburgh at Kansas City

This is not a good week to be the Kansas City Chiefs. After losing to the Bengals last week, the Steelers are going to come out and prove they are better than they played last week. With Dwayne Bowe suspended, the Chiefs lost the only punch they had.

Steelers win 33-10.

Seattle at Minnesota

The Vikings are one of the most dominant teams in the NFL, while the injury bug has landed in Seattle and infected the entire team. This game is going to be over early.

Vikings win 28-13.

Washington at Dallas

Dallas is another team that was embarrassed last week, and is looking to get back on track. The Redskins only beat the Broncos because of the injury to Kyle Orton. I picked up the Dallas defense in my fantasy league about a month ago for this game.

Cowboys win 31-17.

San Diego at Denver

The Chargers are on fire and the Broncos are on the brink. If the Chargers can beat Denver this week, the Broncos will implode. Take cover Denver, the implosion is coming!

Chargers win 31-10.

Arizona at St. Louis

The Cardinals have not lost on the road this year, and look to continue that trend against the Rams. The Rams are also in the running for the first pick in the draft, and whichever team wins the Browns / Lions game will be behind the Rams as well.

Cardinals win 35-13.

Cincinnati at Oakland

Forget the fact that the Bengals have never won in Oakland, forget the fact that the Bengals have never won more consecutive games on the road than the streak they are on, and forget the fact that Cedric Benson is banged up. The Bengals are playing fantastic, and the Raiders are, well, the Raiders.

Bengals win 31-10.

Philadelphia at Chicago

This is another matchup of two teams with multiple personalities. The dominating personality for the Eagles is good, while both personalities for the Bears are bad.

Eagles win 27-13.

Trap Games

Miami at Carolina (Thursday Night)

Will the Wildcat offense of the Dolphins be effective without Ronnie Brown in the back field? That will be the key in Thursday night's game. If Pat White can run the Wildcat, the Dolphins can win.

Dolphins win 17-13.

Cleveland at Detroit

The "battle for the first pick in the draft" bowl. This is going to be one of the worst games in a long time. The big thing really is, the over/under for this game is 38.5, so if anyone is THINKING about betting this game, go the under.

Lions win 13-10.

Buffalo at Jacksonville

With the new coach in Buffalo, some would think that the Bills could turn things around. If the new coach was that good, would the Bills have already started looking for his replacement?

Jaguars win 27-13.

Atlanta at New York Giants

A month ago, this game would have looked like a possible NFC Championship preview. Now both teams are fighting to make the playoffs. They both have shown weakness, but the Giants look more real.

Giants win 24-21.

New York Jets at New England

After losing a heartbreaking game to the Colts last week, the Patriots are going to close the door on a Jets team that has cooled off after its hot start. If you thought Rex Ryan was crying after losing last week, wait until the Patriots are done with New York.

Patriots win 31-13.

Tennessee at Houston

With the resurgence of the Titans under Vince Young, the Titans are trying to salvage a season in which they thought they had a legit shot at the Super Bowl. The Texans are hoping for their first winning record and still have an outside shot at the playoffs. This is going to be an amazing game.

Texans win 24-20.

Upset Specials of the Week:

Indianapolis at Baltimore

Some how, some way, the undefeated Indianapolis Colts are GETTING 1.5 points when they travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens this week. The Ravens are without Terrell Suggs, so the pass rush is going to be diminished, while Peyton Manning will have the time to pick apart the Ravens defense.

Colts win and cover 24-17.

San Francisco at Green Bay

The Packers have been struggling, but the 49ers have no real quarterback. Both teams are trying to salvage their seasons. Even though I believe the Packers are going to win the game, with a 6.5 point spread, I am picking 49ers to cover.

Packers win 21-17.

New Orleans at Tampa Bay

I am not for one second saying that the Bucs are going to win this game. The fact is the Saints have been in a lot of close games lately, and this is a divisional game. I still pick the Saints to win, but they will not cover the 11.5 points.

Saints win 27-20.

Read more Pittsburgh Steelers news on BleacherReport.com

Pittsburgh Steelers: Path To the Playoffs

Brian Lutz — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:52:22 -0500

"It used to be Pittsburgh's time, now it's Cincinnati's time, and it'll probably be that way for a while. They're like black and white TV, we're like color TV." -Chad Johnson, Dec. 4, 2005

Well, it only took three years, 11 months and 20 days, but Chad Johnson’s prediction that the Bengals would be the new emperors of the AFC North finally came true. With a gritty victory at Heinz Field last Sunday, the artists formerly known as the Bungles improved their record to 7-2 overall and a shocking 5-0 in the division, while the artist formerly known as Chad Johnson failed to make any bold predictions that may or may not come true in 2013.

It could be because of the emergence of Cedric Benson. It could be because Carson Palmer is healthy. Maybe it was the soul-baring experience of HBO’s Hard Knocks. Whatever is going on, the Cincinnati Bengals are unquestionably in the driver’s seat for the division title. A collapse over the final seven weeks wouldn’t be totally shocking—for they are still the Bengals, after all—but at this point, it’s not going to happen. Well, it’s unlikely anyway.

So that means, much like they did in 2005, Pittsburgh will have to claw their way into the playoffs and take their act on the road as a Wild Card. If they get that far.

As usual, the playoff picture in the AFC will be more crowded than the Southside of Pittsburgh on a Saturday night. Teams wishing to participate after Week 17 will need 10 wins at the very least, and because there are so many terrible teams this year, 10 wins may not even be good enough. The 10-6 Chiefs sat home in 2005. Last year the 11-5 Patriots didn’t get in.

Although it’s way too early to be talking about a Wild Card battle, we must, what with Cincy having already clinched the division. (Oh, they haven’t clinched? They’re not even close to clinching yet? They could still find a new, even more heartbreaking way to disappoint their fans? Well, that makes more sense.)

Anyway, Pittsburgh and Baltimore must be in the Wild Card discussion. The Texans are in good position but have never made the playoffs. The Jaguars are playing very well lately, but I don’t know if any team that lost 41-0 to the Seahawks should be taken seriously as a playoff team. Not yet, anyway.

There’s also the whole Denver-San Diego thing, which I’m already bored with. By default, one of them must win the division. But I can’t see either one finishing strong enough to make it as a Wild Card.

Anyway, back to the Steelers. There are really three major things they must do to right the ship and continue on the path to the playoffs.

1. Fix the Kickoff Team

The first casualty of the ongoing Kickoff Team Crisis of 2009 was backup linebacker Arnold Harrison. But he joins a long list of special teamers dismissed by Mike Tomlin.

Chukky Okobi, Chidi Iwuoma, Sean Morey, and Anthony Madison are among the special-teams stalwarts that didn’t make the cut under coach Tomlin, and though all those decisions were made years ago, they don’t look wise. The coverage units now seem to be lacking a certain something—tackling ability comes to mind—because Tomlin can no longer afford to put guys like Lawrence Timmons and Keyaron Fox out there.

For all those who want to put the blame on Jeff Reed, please remember he’s not paid to tackle. Good thing too, because he’d be broke. And while Stefan Logan has been generally fine as a return man, I don’t know if he should be counted on to make tackles.

2. Get More Carries for Lord Mendenhall

Until Sunday, Pittsburgh had not lost a game in which Rashard Mendenhall started at tailback. With Wille Parker looking either washed up or not healthy, and Mewelde Moore continuing to excel in his role as the third-down back, Mendenhall simply must get more carries.

I know this whole “run the ball more” mantra has been rehashed to death this week, but I really don’t know why Mendenhall isn’t getting more touches. Pittsburgh had four trips to the red zone, during which No. 34 only got three total carries.

Against San Diego in his first start, he was fed like a king, carrying the rock 29 times for 165 yards. Since then, he’s gotten 15, 17, 10, 22, and 13 carries. Before the Cincinnati game, his lowest output as starter was 36 yards, and he was averaging nearly six yards per carry, second in the NFL behind Chris Johnson.

I understand the thinking could be that the team does not want Mendenhall to get overworked. But it’s clear he’s getting underworked. The guy is 22 years old, missed most of last season, and watched much of the first two games as a spectator. There is no way he should have tired legs at any point from here on out. If he does, I’ll give everyone a free Duce Staley jersey.

3. Win the Games They Are Supposed To Win

This one goes without saying, but take note that Pittsburgh should be favored in every one of their remaining games except the first meeting with the Ravens in Baltimore. To go a step further, the Steelers have three games (Kansas City, Oakland, and Cleveland) that are surefire wins. Layups. Gimmes. Games that will be major, major upsets if the Steelers do not win.

But the Steelers still must play these games, and win, and any given Sunday and all that. The rest of the schedule is not easy. Green Bay looks to be a formidable opponent and a tough matchup. The Dolphins currently might be one of the best 4-5 teams in recent memory. That final game in Miami might very well be for a playoff spot. The two showdowns with Baltimore are pretty much toss-ups.

But there’s also one further thing the Steelers can do, which wouldn’t be the craziest thing to ever happen:

4. Watch With a Sardonic Eye as the Bengals Morph Back into the Bungles and Blow the Division

Following Sunday’s victory—arguably the biggest win for Cincinnati since that December win at Heinz Field so many moons ago—the Bengals and their fans have each made major mistakes that could cost them dearly.

First, the team signed disgruntled running back Larry Johnson, who had just been released from the Chiefs. Johnson is a selfish player who won’t be happy sitting on the bench, picking up the blitz, or doing the little things that matter. The Bengals seem like a pretty tight team, even with Chad Ocho-Circus. My guess is this Larry Johnson thing will go over about as well as when the Grizzlies signed Allen Iverson.

Second, video has just surfaced of some fine Cincinnati aristocrats burning a Terrible Towel. Keith Bullock and LenDale White have already released a statement, denying any involvement in the Towel-burning episode.

But as far as the Bengals fans go, they are awfully brash considering their team a) has made the playoffs once since 1990, b) has been swept by the Steelers five times in the past decade, c) is two plays away from being 5-4, d) has only a tenuous game-and-a half lead in the divison…really, I could probably go all the way to z), but I’ll spare you all that.

I’ll just say this: should the stars align for a third Bengals-Steelers game in the first round of the playoffs, the smart money is on Pittsburgh. And I’ll be watching on my black and white TV.

Read more Pittsburgh Steelers news on BleacherReport.com

The Steelers Must Rebound from a Subpar Performance

Vicki Farries — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:27:17 -0500

Now 6-3 (1-2 in the Division), the Steelers will have to rebound from a subpar performance.

It will be especially imperative they make the proper adjustments on special teams.

The Steelers finished 2008 with the AFC's No. 1 special teams in both kick and punt return defense.

As the NFL's best kickoff coverage unit in 2008, the Steelers gave up an average of 19.1 yards and no touchdowns.

This season, the Steelers are the fourth worst in kickoff coverage, yielding an average of 25.9 yards per return. Only the Raiders, with two, have permitted more than one kickoff return touchdown, and 23 of the league's 32 teams have allowed none.

The only time the Steelers allowed three touchdowns on kickoff returns in one season was in 1986 when they finished 6-10.

The Steelers have also allowed seven returns for touchdowns in the past seven games; three kickoffs, two interceptions and two punts.

So how do the Steelers overcome this problem?

Coach Mike Tomlin states "its detail. It's about shedding blocks and making tackles and being schematically sound.”

In addition, another disappointment is the performance of running back Stefan Logan on the return game.

Logan was given a roster spot from his performance during training camp and pre-season, but we Steeler fans have not seen that magic during the regular season.

It is true Logan has done a decent job in putting the offense in good field position. But he has not taken one to the house as was expected.

What is different now than when he performed during pre-season? Nine games into the regular season, there should be a comfort level into how he should approach the return game.

Do you get the feeling that Coach Tomlin maybe feeling the same disappointment? He did replace Logan with Wallace on a return, Sunday.

It’s not like the Steelers don’t have return guys who could get the same results as Logan i.e.; Mike Wallace, Joe Burnett (both who were accomplished on special teams in college) Mewelde Moore, or Santonio Holmes.

Next, Tomlin made a roster change by releasing LB Arnold Harrison to promote Donovan Woods from the practice squad.

Woods alongside Harrison was part of the heralded 2008 special teams unit.

Sunday, the Steelers will face the 2-7 Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs won their second game, Sunday defeating the Oakland Raiders 16-10 at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs will be led by quarterback Matt Cassel, who replacing the injured Tom Brady in New England last season, had his poorest game against the Steeler defense.

In the 33-10 loss, Cassel was sacked five times, intercepted twice and suffered three forced fumbles.

After eight games this season, Cassel’s QB rating is in a slow decline at 75.3 with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. He is completing only 55.6 percent of his passes.

The Chiefs rank 26^th in total offense and are in the bottom third defending the run and the pass.

The Chiefs produce an average 266.6 yards of offense per game; 166.6 yards passing, and 100 yards rushing.

Earlier this week, the Chiefs released running back Larry Johnson because of off-field issues.

Johnson has been replaced by Jammal Charles (5.4 yards/carry) who is also one of the teams’ leading receivers with 21 catches for 153 yards.

The Chiefs are thin at receiver, since their top receiver Dwayne Bowe (466 yards/receiving and four touchdowns) has been suspended due to taking a performance enhancing drug (diuretic).

The Chiefs defense ranks 23^rd in the NFL allowing 375.6 yards of total defense including 141.3 yards rushing and 243.2 passing.

Let us not forget, Head Coach Todd Haley faced the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII last February as offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals.

Although the Chiefs do not have the high powered offense the Cardinals possess, Haley probably has film to support what can be done to against the 3-4 Fire X Zone Blitz defense.

The Steelers have not lost to a team that finished with a losing record since 2007.

However, they also have a knack for playing down on their weaker opponents.

They proved that earlier this year unable to wrap up games until the fourth quarter against Detroit and Cleveland.

Coming off a disappointing performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, they should bounce back against what Coach Tomlin describes as “team in transition with a new front office and coaching staff.”

Read more Pittsburgh Steelers news on BleacherReport.com

Proof That Some ESPN Reporters Have No Clue What They're Talking About!

Nick Signorelli — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:38:12 -0500

Bleacher Report is a great site for aspiring journalists. Some of us already have our journalism degree, and are waiting for their "big break", while others do this because we love to write.

It is obvious, to me at least, that the journalism degree does not mean that the reporter has any idea what he is talking about. I have never called out a professional writer, but there is a first time for everything, so I am calling out one of the writers from ESPN.

I read an article on espn.com, from reporter David Fleming . Mr. Fleming writes about how smart the Cincinnati Bengals are for not only taking a chance on Larry Johnson, but for ignoring the past of many of the free agents the Bengals have brought in, and the many players with questionable character they have drafted.

I will say that I am very impressed with the play of the Bengals so far this season. They have swept both the Steelers and Ravens, which is a task that no one had thought was possible. But is that any reason to crown them as the model franchise that NFL teams should mold themselves after?

Lets take a look at the real model franchises in the NFL.

Pittsburgh Steelers . The only team in the NFL that has six Lombardi Trophies in their trophy case. They have had a total of three head coaches in the last 30+ years. They are a model of stability. They build their team through the draft, signing few free agents, and never break the bank on anyone they did not select in the draft.

New England Patriots . Since taking over in the late 1990's, Robert Kraft has been to five Super Bowls, winning three of them. They post the only undefeated regular season since the 1972 Dolphins.

Though they occasionally do sign players that have had a question or two in their past, everyone they bring in, buys into the system of Bill Belichick, and become a model citizen.

New York Giants . The Mara family has run a consistent tight ship. Signing one of the toughest head coaches, Tom Coughlin, to build a team of stability. When they did have a problem with one of their players, Plaxico Burress, he was suspended, then released prior to going to jail.

Indianapolis Colts . Another family run business, that builds their team through the draft. Hardly ever do you hear about a player on the Colts that is in any kind of legal trouble.

What do these teams have in common? They have won the last seven Super Bowls.

How have the Bengals and their brand of bringing in problem players done in that time? One playoff appearance, losing their first game.

Mr. Fleming says in his article, "So don't knock the Bengals for being one of the few teams out there who understand and exploit the character myth." I would like to take a look at some of those other teams that have brought in players with character issues.

Dallas Cowboys . Jerry Jones has done everything in his power to win a Super Bowl since Jimmy Johnson quit the team. He has brought in players like Terrel Owens and Pac Man Jones who have done nothing but divide the locker room.

How have the Cowboys done this decade? They have not won a playoff game.

Washington Redskins . Like Jerry Jones, Daniel Snyder has brought in players of questionable character, such as Fred Smoot (Vikings love boat scandal), and Albert Haynesworth (reckless driving).

How have the Redskins done this decade? One playoff victory.

Oakland Raiders . Al Davis is another owner that does not care about the character of his team. His head coach has been accused of spousal abuse, and of breaking the jaw on one of his assistants.

How have the Raiders done this decade? One Super Bowl loss.

Does this really show that the Bengals are on the right path to becoming a model franchise in the NFL? I don't think so. As a matter of fact, there are plenty of bad teams that do have a good year once in a while.

Cleveland Browns, 2007. Two years ago, the Cleveland Browns finished the season one game out of the playoffs. Many people thought they were a team on the rise, and would become perennial contenders.

How have the Browns done since? They finished the 2008 season picking in the top 5 of the draft, and they are on pace to be the worst team in the NFL this year.

Tennessee Titans, 2008. The Titans finished 2008 with the best record and home field advantage in the AFC. After being beat down by the Baltimore Ravens, their season ended on their home field.

They have won three games in a row, but it will take a miracle for them to make the playoffs.

Is it because the Titans and the Browns were really that good during those years? Or could it be that parity in the NFL gave each of them one good year, and reality sunk back in, and put them back to their original position in the pecking order?

If you look at the teams I named at first, Steelers, Patriots, Giants, Colts, you see that the common denominator of them is they have stability and quality people on their teams. Though there may be a questionable person or two on their rosters, they still have the stability to keep those players in line.

When you have a locker room with many players that have been in trouble, and are in trouble, you can not become a legitimate, long time competitor in the NFL.

The Cincinnati Bengals are doing good because the players ARE staying out of trouble so far. But could it have anything to do with the fact they have the third easiest schedule in the NFL? Could it be because they finished last year in third place in the AFC North, and are playing a third place schedule?

Is it even possible that the Bengals are just like the Browns of 2007 and the Titans of 2008, and will once again sink back into their rightful position in the pecking order of the NFL after this season?

All I know, if I were awarded an NFL expansion team, and I had to build my team like any other team in the NFL, it certainly will not be like the Bengals. It would be like the first group I mentioned.

And as for Mr. Flemings final thought, where he said, "There will be 31 teams out there wishing they were as clever as the Bengals." I think the only teams that will be wishing that are the perennial bottom dwellers, and the real championship calibre team will be glad they are built the way they are.

Read more Pittsburgh Steelers news on BleacherReport.com

Pittsburgh Steelers Ready to Roll Into Final Stretch

Todd Fleming — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:11:33 -0500

The day after the Steelers lose, the city of Pittsburgh and the extended Steelers Nation that circles the globe went into a collective and palpable state of depression. We are ready to grab pitchforks and all meet up at Bruce Arians' house.

Two days after the Steelers lose, we are still grumbling about all of the things that should have been done differently. But, at least this time around, some of our feelings have been dampened by having watched the Cleveland Browns on Monday night football. Who exactly was responsible for scheduling that team to play on Monday night?

I'm sure I'm not the only Steelers' fan who uttered a prayer of Thanksgiving that I'm not a Browns' fan.

Three days after a loss, we are well on our way to a full recovery. We start having thoughts like, "The game wasn't nearly as important as we thought it was." Or, "The Bengals? Even a blind squirrel finds a nut from time to time." Or, how about, "Big Ben was due for a bad day. Better to get it out of the way now."

Four days after a loss, our team is back to being a bullet-proof squad of immortals. There can be only one. Bring on the Chiefs! May they cower in fear. Canton should consider opening up another wing for these guys.

In all seriousness, Steelers' fans have plenty of reasons to remain very optimistic at this juncture in the season.

Except in rare cases, there is going to come a time during most seasons, even for the eventual Super Bowl winner, that the team is going to look nightmarishly bad. Ideally, that moment will not come during the playoffs.

The 2005 Super Bowl champion Steelers? How about a dreadful three game losing streak that dropped them to 7-5 in what appeared to be a much more competitive wild card environment than they face this year. They were declared dead and buried.

Even the most rose-colored glass wearing Steelers' fan had a hard time envisioning a scenario in which they could recover.

The 2008 Super Bowl champion Steelers? How about an early season thrashing by the Philadelphia Eagles that was one of the worst games I ever remember watching, a game in which Ben Roethlisberger should have received significant hazard pay.

If you would have told me after that game that the Steelers would win the Super Bowl, I would have suggested you stop skipping your meds. Take the feelings you had following the Bengals' game and multiply them by 10.

That is how I was feeling after that one.

Both of those Steelers' teams recovered just fine. And there is no reason to think that this year's team won't recover from the loss against the Bengals.

The defense is starting to resemble the squad that gave offensive coordinators and quarterbacks nightmares in 2008.

It's not there yet, but it is getting closer by the week.

The offense is more consistent and explosive than the 2008 version with an improved offensive line and a real running threat. And they have plenty of unrealized potential to improve. This is not an offense hitting its full potential just yet.

The special teams? Let's just skip on to the next point, please. Your best bet on kickoffs is to close your eyes and hope for the best. The good news? There is nowhere to go but up when it comes to the kickoff coverage.

While I don't think the Steelers will win the division, it is certainly not beyond the realm of the possible. They've already played all of their best opponents and are 6-1 against teams not named the Bengals. If they win out, chances are very high that they will win the division.

But, even if they go in as the sixth seeded wild card, do you really think that anyone will look forward to playing host to them in the playoffs?

It was a lesser Dick LeBeau led defense that treated Peyton Manning like a rag doll in 2005. I'm guessing Sir Peyton would rather not see the Steelers again in a critical playoff matchup. If he had happy feet with Joey Porter staring across the line at him, I'm not thinking he would relish staring into the axe murderer-like gaze of James Harrison.

The Bengals? I have a hunch that the third time would be the charm against Marvin Lewis's bunch. The Bengals are a very good football team, but I saw nothing in either game to lead me to believe that the Steelers can't beat them in Cincinnati.

The Patriots? That would be a tough matchup in Foxboro, but I'm guessing it would not be the Patriots' matchup of choice. Flashback to last year and remember the difficulties the Pats' offensive line had blocking the Steelers' linebackers.

Every team that wins a Super Bowl does it only after running a tough playoff gauntlet. This year will be no different.

There are plenty of very good teams in both the AFC and the NFC who have a good chance of coming out on top. The Steelers are definitely one of those teams.

There is plenty of football left, including two games against the Baltimore Ravens. But, if the Steelers get to the playoffs, they are built for success. They have a ton of playoff experience, a superb defense, and a quarterback who plays biggest on the biggest stages.

It is an unfortunate reality that only one fanbase will finish this season happy. I still like the odds that Steelers Nation will be celebrating come February.

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Week 11 Point Spread Picks for the NFL 81-61 to Date

thomas moreland — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:19:46 -0500

I survived some non-covers to go 8-7 last week. But overall, not bad so far at 20 games over .500.

Who are these people on Yahoo that have 120 wins and 22 losses? That's sick against the points.

Probably people with many, many identities and random picks. No earthling can pick games against the line like that.

Anyway, to the business at hand. Pittsburgh will beat Kansas City with many catches by Ward and Miller, and a healthy Mendenhall dose.

Kansas City lost Bowe for four games, plus Larry Johnson departs as well. Pittsburgh is not Oakland, and this should be over by halftime. Pittsburgh and I give the 10 points.

Ronnie Brown is out for Miami, so the defense will concentrate on Williams, and shutting down Henne's longer pass illusions. Carolina has no where to go but up. They are doing better.

The line is Carolina by three, which I suggest is the correct play on this game.

Dallas at home, should come back after scoring only seven last week against Green Bay. What's really up with that? The Packers lost to Tampa Bay.

Take Dallas in a good effort to cover the 11.

Detroit is favored by 3 1/2 points over Cleveland, and although Detroit should win, this spread is worrisome. Go with your good impulses and talent comparison on both teams. Detriot wins by 8-10 points.

The Packers are at home again for the second week in a row, hosting the San Francisco 49ers. Singletary will have these guys ready to rock. I like the Niners as an underdog getting 6 1/2 points.

Minnesota is at home against Seattle and 11 should be a decent number to take the Vikings to dominate this game. Something along the lines of 31-10 could be the score of this one.

The Giants are favored by 6.5 over Atlanta, and I think the Giants will win, but by less than the spread. I like Atlanta to step it up and compete to the end in this one.

New Orleans is in Tampa Bay, who has become competitive in the last three games. Josh Freeman is stepping up, and is a good quarterback to grab in fantasy if you have an underperformer to drop.

However, New Orleans will have way to much for this defense to deal with. Take New Orleans to keep on rolling over the Bucs. The line is 11.5.

Jacksonville, although playing better, is favored by too many giving 8.5 to Buffalo. I think Buffalo hangs in there in this one, and could play well enough to keep it close.

Just seems like too many points to a team that lost to Seattle 42-0.

Baltimore is fighting for it's playoff life and finds a 9-0 Indianapolis knocking. The Ravens are favored by one. As I, and the oddsmakers know, Indy will lose one soon—as defensive injuries mount, plus running back issues. Take the Ravens in a small upset.

Arizona is really stepping it up and should be good to go against the Rams , and are favored by nine.

San Diego is favored on the road over Denver. San Diego is hot and lookling to get a one game division lead. Denver has lost three in a row. I like San Diego in this one by a couple of points.

The red hot Bengals will beat the Raiders, by a few. Nine and a half seems like a lot, but we shall see how Carson Palmer plays leading that division. Don't get complacent, Bengals. You will see Pittsburgh one more time when it really counts. Take the Bengals in this one.

New England has a home game against the not so high flying Jets, now at 4-5. New England is favored by 11.5, but who can bet on the Jets except Jet fans? Take New England and give the points.

Philadelphia is in Chicago and needs to step it up this week. Chicago is hopeless, and Philadelphia is a better team. This will be it if the Eagles can't get a win. I will take McNabb to manage this game properly and the Eagle defense to hold Forte to a minimum of damage. The Eagles win by 4.

Houston can really make a serious playoff run with a win against the surging Titans, now at 3-6, while Houston is 5-4 and hungry. All of a sudden, if Tennessee wins they are only one game behind Houston. Things change in a hurry in the NFL sometimes.

I will take Houston to get the win, and make a playoff run this season. That is, make the playoffs for the first time.

Have a nice week.

Thomas [NFL Mikee] Moreland

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A Report Card for AFC Head Coaches

Nick Antonicello — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:57:28 -0500

Of the 16 head coaches in the American Football Conference, only 7 enjoy winning records. A testament to the revolving door mentality of owners and their insistence on trying to develop new coaches versus investing in those winners who are now analysts instead of teachers of the game. Despite his decision to got for it on fourth down as if he were the Dallas Carter coach in Friday Night Lights, Bill Belichick is 144-89 with a .618 winning percentage who has no peer in today's coaching ranks. Currently 6-3, Belichick 33-8 over the last three seasons.

Begin Slideshow

Looking for the Positives in the Steelers Loss To Cincy

George Kroger — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:39:12 -0500

The Pittsburgh Steelers 18-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was a crushing defeat (to say the least). Not only did they fail to take the division lead, but also they lost to the Bengals for the second time this season, something that hasn’t happened since the 1998 season (one of Bill Cowher’s down years).

There are obviously many negatives that came out of this game. Most notably was the horrendous (to put it mildly) play calling from Bruce Arians, which has been well documented on this site (and not just this past week).

Arians (and the kick-off coverage team) aside, the most distributing aspect of this game was how bad Ben Roethlisberger played. He looked panicky when dropping back, was constantly looking to the covered man when there was an open receiver, never threw to the check down back when the rush was coming (part of this is the play calling), and most importantly, was very inaccurate.

All of these are traits that we’ve seen in previous years from Ben, but not this season, one in which an MVP mention would not be laughed at. If I were quarterback coach for a day, I’d have Ben work on nothing but the deep ball—it seems to be his biggest weakness.

On Sunday, he was short twice to Mike Wallace when he was behind the defense and long when the coverage was tight and an under throw was more appropriate. I'm thinking/hoping this was a one game aberration that will get corrected in Kansas City.

So, what about the positives?

1. The defense has played very well and seems to be getting progressively better each week. As the days start to get colder, this will be increasingly important to the Steelers. The defense should be able to keep the Steelers in any game (regular season or playoffs).

The only concern is Troy Polamalu’s knee. The defense doesn’t fall apart when he’s out, but it dearly misses his intimidation and big play ability. They are just not as feared without Troy.

2. The Steelers lost to a good team. A loss is never a good thing, but I think it’s a better sign for a good team to lose to another good then to lose to a bad team. And as difficult as this is to say, the Bengals are a good team.

The Steelers and Bengals look like they have the two best defenses in the AFC. Both teams are built to win playoff games: play hard, tough, physical defense and score enough on offense to win (although, the Steelers offense should be putting up big numbers, if not for Arians).

You can’t win every game. This last week should just go as one of those Ls that every team will get during the course of a year.

3. As odd as this may sound, a division crown is not out of reach. The Steelers have two grudge matches against the Baltimore Ravens, which are always physical, but the Ravens don’t look as good as they have in the past (and I’m not just talking about the way they handled The Clowns, who would have trouble against the local Pop Warner team). The rest of the schedule looks to be pretty easy for the Steelers.

Games still need to be played, but it would not be too much of a stretch to say that the Steelers will win out and end up with a record of 13-3.

The Bengals also have some very easy games on their schedule, but they close with three of the last four on the road against good teams—Minnesota, San Diego, and the NY Jets (well, two good teams anyway).

It also wouldn’t be a stretch to say that they’ll lose two of those three games (Minnesota and San Diego) and end up with a record of 12-4.

Stranger things have happened.

The bottom line is the Steelers are still in good shape to return the Super Bowl. There are only two things standing in their way:

Bruce Arians and the location where his head is stuck
Mental mistakes—this not only includes giving up returns for touchdown, but also offensive lineman (yes, you Kemo and Max) having temporary amnesia about how to block an on-rushing defensive lineman

The Steelers get one week to recover, and then face the Ravens at Baltimore. I think we’ll know more about any positives the Steelers have after that game.

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Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Arians, and Troy Polamalu: Steelers Game Notes

Josh Wetmore — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:50:37 -0500

I had to go way back into the archive to remember my format for writing up a Steelers loss. Here's what the research produced:

Fatal Error

The Pittsburgh Steelers' special teams fails again and lets the Bengals' Bernard Scott return a first half kickoff for a touchdown. And yes, they let him do it. Just watch Jeff Reed run across the field only to go right past Scott without even an effort to tackle him.

Valiant Effort

The Steelers' overall defense. While no single player had an outstanding game, the unit only allowed 218 yards of total offense to the Bengals, who average 334.2 yards per game. No one on Cincinnati's offense had a great game, unless you argue that Carson Palmer had a good game just because he didn't turn it over.

Exposed Weakness

Bruce Arians: This isn't really a new weakness, but one that has been overlooked during what was a five-game win steak. Arians has admitted to getting too greedy and looking for big plays when he shouldn't be. What worries me is that he hasn't learned. Arians took one of the NFL's most talented offenses and made it look like the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Will someone please fire this guy already?

Game Notes

While Bruce Arian's play calling was atrocious in this game, pretty much the only offensive player who didn't have their worst game of the season was Mewelde Moore. Moore seems like the Hines Ward of the backfield. He isn't flashy but he gets the job done and does everything well.
Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Wallace need to work more together on their timing during the week. As another brilliant Steelers mind pointed out to me, even during their good games Big Ben doesn't appear to be able to hit Wallace in stride. Maybe Ben just doesn't have the right chemistry with Wallace yet or maybe he's continuously underestimates Wallace's speed. Either way they need to work together to overcome that.
Wallace's disappearance in the game is understandable, but how do both Hines Ward and Heath Miller completely disappear for an entire game? The two combined for only 50 yards of offense. It's hard to believe the Bengals' defense, while much improved, was good enough to shut down both for an entire game.
If the production, or lack thereof, isn't enough to make Steeler fans puke, the 80 yards rushing should be. Amazingly, despite the low total, the Steelers running backs averaged four yards per carry. That's not half bad. Why Bruce Arians only called 16 running plays?
Only five of the 16 run plays were in the red zone during the Steelers' four appearances there. Sorry to keep asking rhetorical questions, but does that make any sense to anyone?
It's also dumbfounding how bad the Steelers' kick coverage unit has been this season. They have allowed three kick returns for touchdowns this season. All of them have come at crucial times in games and have either cost, or come close to costing, the team a win.
The Steelers defense is continuing to follow its season-long trend of shutting down running backs and deep passes, but giving up tons of short passes and intermediate passes, especially on third down. The conclusion seems to be that they'll take away big plays and the running game and pray the opposing QB isn't good enough to methodically pick apart the shorter coverage.
Troy Polamalu usually makes the QB's task of picking apart the short coverage a lot harder. Just ask Kyle Orton and Kerry Collins. Too bad he doesn't have the same effect from the sidelines.
Polamalu's injury aside, there should be no qualms about the Steelers defensive personnel, except for maybe William Gay. Gay has shown the ability to cover receivers and can tackle fairly well, but he's also been picked on a lot this season, particularly on curl routes and out routes. Hopefully he'll learn to jump those better.
The other problem in the secondary is the stone hands of both Gay and Ike Taylor. Taylor's bad hands have been well documented throughout his career and Gay looks like he has the same issues.

What Steelers Fans Should Think

Be upset at the Steelers poor special teams. Tomlin still has two special teams coaches on his staff. Clearly neither of them is very good at teaching kick coverage.
Be disappointed in Stefan Logan, who looked like Darren Sproles during the preseason and looks completely average as both a kick and punt returner so far this season. Mike Wallace replaced him as a kick returner by the end of the game on Sunday.
The Steelers are still a better team than the Bengals. Cincinnati won both games without Polamalu on the field and during two of the Steelers worst games offensively. Look for a repeat of 2005 if the two meet in the playoffs.
Fans shouldn't, however, take the Bengals lightly. No one should. They have proven that they are a quality team in the NFL this year. The only thing they haven't proven is their ability to win in the playoffs. Time will tell if they can or not.

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Is the Bandwagon Broken? Steelers and Bengals Fans Prepare!

Nick Signorelli — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:43:22 -0500

There are three different types of fans in the NFL.

One, the true fan. The true fan is there through the thick and thin, the good and the bad, the ups and the downs. Cincy fans that have been Cincy fans for their lives, or at least the last 10 years, are currently having the time of their lives. Congrats to all of you, enjoy the ride, you deserve it!

Two, the spectator fan. As Colin Cowherd of ESPN Radio stated a couple weeks ago, he does not have one specific team he roots for. Each year, he takes the team that is doing good, and follows them. According to him, this way he never has the real ups and downs of cheering for one team.

Three, the bandwagon hoppers. These, in my opinion, are the dregs of society. They cheer for a team as long as they are doing good, but as soon as things start to go south, they quickly bail on the team, and act as if they never cheered for them in the first place. They then pick another "flavor of the month," and stand behind them, as if it was always their team.

Even though Steeler Nation is strong, we have more than our fair share of these bandwagon hoppers. It comes with the territory of being one of the elite teams. New England, Indianapolis, and Dallas have the most action on these bandwagons, along with the Steelers. It is just hard to figure out who these hoppers are when your team is normally good.

Now that the Bengals have swept the season series with the Steelers, it is starting to become clear that the bandwagon of the Steelers is starting to clear up. People are starting to jump off, and I think that is fantastic!

Now, don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being critical of your team when they are not doing good. I myself just wrote an article on how Bruce Arians needs to be fired . I also know the Steelers are not going to fire him, which now presents me with two options. One—hop off the bandwagon, or two—accept the fact that my team has a deficiency that they are going to have to overcome in order to win the Super Bowl again.

I put myself in that second category. Am I certain that the Steelers are going to the Super Bowl? Absolutely not. Am I saying they don't have a chance? Not at all.

All of those people, and you know who you are, that are saying the Steelers CAN NOT make it to the Super Bowl, are in the first group. To look at the Steelers and say that there are teams that we just can not defeat, then you obviously have not watched this team, and have no idea of how the NFL works.

On any given Sunday, the Steelers can beat any team in the NFL.

I am not just saying this because I am a fan of the Steelers; watch ESPN. Mark Schreleth said the same thing. In describing how the Bengals are playing, he said they are successful because they are playing LIKE THE STEELERS!

The fact is, you can be a fan and be a critic at the same time. Fans of the Browns are a perfect example of this. As much flack as Browns fans get for their team being so bad, there is not a team in the NFL that has fans as loyal as those in Cleveland. They hope for their team to be good, and even though they are not, they still write their articles, and cheer for their team.

The big difference between being a fan and being a realistic fan, is to know what your team is really capable of. Browns fans can look at their team and hope that they will turn it around. Steelers fans look at their team and see the potential to be great.

My only point is to say, if you are a REAL fan, look at the Steelers and their potential and respect the fact that this team does have the ability to go on the road, and beat any team in the NFL. Just like they did when they won Super Bowl XL.

If you can't do that, then you can count yourself as a bandwagon hopper. Just do yourselves a favor, don't go and spend too much money on Cincinnati Bengals attire; they have yet to prove what the Steelers have—that they can be champions—even slotted as a wild card team.

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Pittsburgh Steelers: Special Problems, Offensive Offense Doom Steelers

Nick DeWitt — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:13:38 -0500

There are three phases to every football game.

Sunday, the Steelers failed miserably in two of those phases and wore down in the third phase. That added up to an 18-12 loss to division-leading Cincinnati.

It wasn't just that the Steelers lost.

It was that they were beaten by a team that was playing their game, at their stadium, better than they were.

Cincinnati physically beat the Steelers on Sunday. There were no high offensive totals for Carson Palmer or Chad Ochocinco. There was no big day from Cedric Benson.

There was (another) long kick return for a touchdown and a suffocating defensive effort that tallied a turnover, four sacks, and an amazing ten passes defensed.

That, plus a usually dominant running game, is how the Steelers have destroyed teams for the better part of the last half century.

Let's break down what we found out Sunday.

Offense

The Steelers gaudy offensive statistics were bound to start falling back to Earth. Falling would have been normal. Crashing down like the aircraft carrier in 2012 ? That wasn't something anyone saw coming.

The Steelers failed to move the ball offensively, having an offensive day that was the worst in nearly a decade by this unit.

Ben Roethlisberger, usually accurate, threw high, wide, short, and low of his receivers when they managed to get open, completing 20 of his 40 attempts for 174 yards and an interception.

The rushing attack, keyed lately by an emergent Rashard Mendenhall, managed only 80 yards. Mendenhall managed only 36 on 13 carries.

The receivers couldn't get open.

When they did and the ball came to them, they couldn't hang on. Usually steady Mike Wallace struggled. Hines Ward was often the victim of blanket coverage. Santonio Holmes had the best day with seven catches and 88 yards, but even his performance was lackluster.

Of all the offensive components, it was the offensive line, however, that shocked me the most. Steady and even spectacular since the opening game against Tennessee, the Steelers' line looked lost and out of sync.

Roethlisberger was sacked four times and was regularly stuck in a collapsing pocket. The four sacks tied a season high for the Steelers offense (the other four sack game was by the Titans).

Overall, the offense was just offensive.

Defense

Troy Polamalu is hurt. Again.

Still, the Steelers defense played well. Dick LeBeau's usual goal is to allow less than 17 points defensively. He achieved it Sunday. The defense allowed four field goals (12 points) on Sunday. One of those came after a Roethlisberger interception which gave the Bengals the ball already in range.

So let's say they legitimately gave up nine points.

That's a pretty good day.

And it would have been great had the Steelers won.

But the defense did have a letdown. It was on the Bengal's final scoring drive, late in the fourth.

At that point, the Bengals led 15-12. They were starting relatively deep in their own end.

Then it happened. A few cracks for Bernard Scott to run through, a bad personal foul against James Harrison, and another field goal later, the Bengals suddenly put the Steelers firmly against the wall.

The defense can't be blamed, however. One bad (and not really bad) drive doesn't make a whole game.

Carson Palmer was held to pedestrian totals (18 of 30, 178 yards) and was sacked twice. Cedric Benson wasn't a factor before getting hurt (33 yards on 13 carries) and Bernard Scott wasn't a factor after (22 yards on seven carries). Chad Ochocinco was also missing from the highlight reel, recording only two catches for 29 yards.

The Steelers didn't allow a touchdown by the Bengals offense. The shortest field goal (throwing out the 23 yard boot after the turnover) was 32 yards. The defense was, in every respect, very much on their game.

Do I nitpick and say they should have tried to pressure more? I could. But then I'd just be nitpicking when there's something more important to dissect.

Special Teams

Let's start with the good.

Jeff Reed and Daniel Sepulveda were weapons on Sunday. Reed kicked four field goals and was his usual steady self. Sepulveda had five punts, all excellent, including a 55 yard boot.

Here's the lackluster.

Stefan Logan was pedestrian. His speed pays off on occasion, but the Bengals wrapped him up for the most part. He did have a 30 yard kickoff return and a 25-yard punt return, both good. Like the defense, he can't be blamed for the loss.

Now let's look at the bad.

The coverage teams were poor once again. For the third time in four games, the Steelers allowed a return for a touchdown.

For the third time in four games, the touchdown occurred after several players missed tackles.

For the third time in four games, the touchdown completely robbed the Steelers of momentum.

For the first time, however, it cost them the game.

The Steelers lost by six points. Those six points were achieved when Bernard Scott, a rookie, ran 96 yards on a Jeff Reed kickoff.

Reed couldn't even slow Scott down, but no kicker should be making tackles. Blaming Reed for the return is like blaming a fire on the match that started it. The real culprits get overlooked.

This, as they say, is getting old.

The Big Picture and What Can Be Done About It

The offensive flameout could and probably is a blip on the radar and due more to a stellar game by the Bengals' defense than anything. The offense should experience a revival against the Chiefs this weekend.

Ben Roethlisberger must be more accurate with his throws. He had a rare off day which, again, is more likely the exception rather than the rule.

Along the line, the Steelers have to commit fewer mental mistakes. Chris Kemoeatu must continue to improve but also to play within himself. Willie Colon is still a liability, but was joined mysteriously by Max Starks on the turnstile list this week.

The running game will go as the line goes. The Bengals are a punishing defensive front. I didn't expect the running game to put up almost 200 yards again, but I did expect a more complete effort, particularly from Rashard Mendenhall. Mendenhall looked tired Sunday.

The defense will be tested, as Troy Polamalu is expected to miss at least one game and possibly more after re-injuring his balky left knee. But the defense was relatively good without Polamalu on Sunday.

They should be able to weather that storm.

As I've said before, one player cannot define a unit, let alone a team, unless it's a quarterback. Ten other players on the defense need to step up. They all have proved before that they are capable of such success.

The coverage units?

That's a problem. With a capital "P" that rhymes with "T" which stands for trouble.

Arnold Harrison was cut earlier today, the first casualty of what has become a dismal unit. He'll be replaced by Donovan Woods. Time will tell if Woods is an upgrade or not.

The veteran starters are speaking out, saying that the young players on the coverage teams need to want it more and that they would be willing to step in for anyone who isn't ready to cover kicks or punts.

Now, before people start saying "divisive locker room" and other things, don't misread the intent of the Steelers' veterans. This is leadership. The veterans are standing up and taking charge, just as Mike Tomlin expects them to do.

Tomlin needs to step in too, along with his special teams coaches, and get these coverage units on track before they allow another back-breaking, embarrassing touchdown that costs Pittsburgh a game.

What's Next?

Well, to put it in simple terms, a bad Kansas City team.

But to be a little bit more specific: a trap game.

Kansas City will be desperate to win at home against the reigning champions. Think about how big a boost that would be.

The Steelers better arrive equally desperate. If they are to still win the AFC North, it is very likely they will have to win their remaining seven contests, all against teams with worse records than theirs.

It starts Sunday with the Chiefs.

My Guess

I'm not going to be bold an predict that the Steelers blow away Kansas City. I'm sure the line will give them a wide berth, but the Steelers routinely pander to their competition, so it's safer to predict a closer contest.

I'm going to say the Steelers still win handily, 28-9, and get themselves back on a winning track.

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NFL Week 10 Wrap-Up

Bobby Lewis — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:39:41 -0500

Week 10 produced a lot of interesting results, but none more than a little game in Indianapolis that NBC kindly reminded us was the "Rivalry of the Decade" a thousand times.

I'll let you know now that the recap for that one will be more of a rant than a recap.

San Francisco (4-5) def. Chicago (4-5), 10-6: Most fans know that Jay Cutler has been labeled as a "gunslinger." We know that he won't hesitate to take risks, but these games are becoming too much of a norm. Two of the picks were not his fault, but two were also in the red zone.

Interceptions in the red zone are bad enough, but two in one game is unacceptable. He now has 17 picks through nine games. The Bears knew what they were getting with him, but somebody in that organization needs to tell him that punting and kicking field goals isn't always a bad thing.

Tennessee (3-6) def. Buffalo (3-6), 41-17: Buffalo kept this close, but their defense let them down in the fourth. Chris Johnson continued his tear through the league and suddenly the Titans have won three straight. They won't make the playoffs, but this is a nice rebound, especially for Vince Young.

New Orleans (9-0) def. St. Louis (1-8), 28-23: This was certainly closer than most thought it would be. The Rams gave the Saints all they could handle and a little more. Saints' fans could look at this one of two ways: They won without their A-game or they barely eked a game out against a bad team and it's becoming a trend. Either way, the Saints are still undefeated.

Miami (4-5) def. Tampa Bay (1-8), 25-23: The Bucs have looked like a different team with the rook under center. Granted, it's only been two games, but they are clearly playing better. Miami was able to engineer the game-winning drive, but both teams can come out of this happy with themselves.

Minnesota (8-1) def. Detroit (1-8), 27-10: This game's final score is a tad deceiving as it was a little closer than the score shows. Nonetheless, it was still an impressive performance by the rested Vikings. It is also very clear that the Lions are making progress.

Jacksonville (5-4) def. New York Jets (4-5), 24-22: The Jets continue to find ways to lose. For the first few weeks of the season, the Jets' defense was great—not so much anymore. Maurice Jones-Drew continued his terrific play running all over the Jets.

On the other hand, Jones-Drew stopping on the one-yard line was completely idiotic. Apparently it was a coach's decision, but that doesn't mean it's a good one. Doing that when you're winning is smart, not when you're trailing.

Cincinnati (7-2) def. Pittsburgh (6-3), 18-12: After a very impressive performance, the Bengals now have the inside track to the AFC North crown and also a first round bye with New England's loss. They showed how good their defense is, playing a bend-but-don't-break style.

Pittsburgh did not play a bad game, but they were unable to convert in the red zone (as was Cincy, but they had the kickoff return). They also went away from the running game, which Bruce Arians has a tendency of doing. For Rashard Mendenhall to have fewer than 15 carries is asinine. The Steelers can still win the division, but Cincy will have to slip up, which isn't looking likely right now.

Washington (3-6) def. Denver (6-3), 27-17: Things seemed to be moving along fine for Denver until Kyle Orton got hurt. Now Denver finds itself in an unsettling position. A month ago, they were sitting on top of the world. Now, they're in trouble with San Diego looming. Chris Simms didn't play well, although some of that can be attributed to rust.

Nonetheless, the Broncos have work to do before their showdown with the Chargers next week.

Carolina (4-5) def. Atlanta (5-4), 28-19: This was the best Jake Delhomme has looked in a long time. He was efficient and he led his team to a victory over a good team. Carolina has quietly gotten back into the playoff race, while Atlanta lost a game they probably should have won. Losing Michael Turner is just salt in their wounds.

Kansas City (2-7) def. Oakland (2-7), 16-10: This game was predictably bad. There was nothing significant out of this game. Moving on.

Green Bay (5-4) def. Dallas (6-3), 17-7: This wasn't necessarily about Dallas playing bad, but Green Bay's defense playing terrifically. This was basically a shutout in a game the Pack needed. The past few weeks haven't been very kind to them and beating a good team in this fashion is a good way to get back on track.

For Dallas, this should only be a minor setback, although it will test their mental toughness.

Arizona (6-3) def. Seattle (3-6), 31-20: This was simply a case of the better team overpowering the weaker team. The Seahawks couldn't hang with the Cards, who are on a bit of a roll now.

San Diego (6-3) def. Philadelphia (5-4), 31-23: Andy Reid will never win a Super Bowl if he keeps calling games like this.

Once again, Reid fell in love with the pass, slinging the rock over 50 times. San Diego jumped out to a big lead because Philly couldn't punch it in and the hole was too deep for Philly to get out of, despite the comeback.

Indianapolis (9-0) def. New England (6-3), 35-34: Bill Belichick is a great coach. I don't care for him, but he's great at what he does. However, his choice to go for it on fourth down late in the game was one of the worst in-game decisions I've ever seen.

Belichick said he did it because he was going for the win. That's a lie.

He did it because Peyton Manning has put the fear of God into his heart. Belichick had no confidence in his defense stopping Manning, despite the fact that they had played relatively well for most of the night.

First of all, if you're going to run the play, don't make it a two-yard route. If it's a four or five-yard route, there is no dispute as to whether or not Kevin Faulk's forward progress warranted a first down.

Secondly, the minute Belichick made his decision, he took the game out of his defense's hands. Yes, they still could have stopped Manning & Co., but when Indy came out onto the field for their final drive, their victory seemed almost inevitable.

Indy was moving the ball a lot better in the fourth than they had for the first three quarters, but it's ridiculous to give Manning the ball with 29 yards between himself and victory as opposed to 70 or 80 yards.

The Pats were the best team on the field, but their coach took the game out of his players' hands with an idiotic decision.

If these two teams meet again before February, it will be in Indianapolis and this one call will undoubtedly give the Colts a little bit more confidence.

Rant over.

Baltimore (5-4) def. Cleveland (1-8), 16-0: Cleveland has one of the worst offenses I've ever seen. This was pretty ugly and their offense only added to that. This was an important win for Baltimore with the Colts, Steelers, and Packers coming up in the next three weeks.

Top 12 Teams (Last week's ranking)

New Orleans Saints (1): They are living dangerously, but good teams can afford to do that. Next week: at Tampa Bay (1-8)
Indianapolis Colts (2): Great teams find ways to win when they are outplayed, which is exactly what Indy did against New England. Next week: at Baltimore (5-4)
Minnesota Vikings (4): This is shaping up to be a great month for the Vikes as they'll be able to take it easy next week. Next week: vs. Seattle (3-6)
Cincinnati Bengals (6): They will go undefeated in the AFC North. Think about that for a little while. Next week: at Oakland (2-7)
New England Patriots (5): Normally, I'd drop a team after a loss, but they were clearly the better team in Indianapolis. Next week: vs. New York Jets (5-4)
Pittsburgh Steelers (3): This will be a setback for the Steelers if they continue to shy away from the running game like they did against the Bengals. Next week: at Kansas City (2-7)
Arizona Cardinals (7): There was nothing impressive about their victory, but they didn't lose, so they stay put. Next week: at St. Louis (1-8)
Dallas Cowboys (8): They stay in this spot by default, although their loss wasn't a bad one. Next week: vs. Washington (3-6)
San Diego Chargers (NR): I don't know if they are the ninth-best team in the league, but I couldn't leave Philly here and all the teams from 10-12 who played last week lost. They have a huge game next week. Next week: at Denver (6-3)
Philadelphia Eagles (9): Again, I don't know if they deserve this spot, but I don't feel comfortable moving the Texans up two spots without playing. Next week: at Chicago (4-5)
Houston Texans (12): They took Indy to the limit two weeks ago, but the real test will be how they play after a tough loss. Next week: vs. Tennessee (3-6)
Atlanta Falcons (10): This is their first bad loss of the year. Like Houston, how they rebound will be important. Next week: at New York Giants (5-4)

Team to Drop Out of the Top 12

Denver Broncos: If Kyle Orton's injury keeps him out of next week's division showdown, they may witness their playoff hopes fade very quickly. They need to stop the bleeding immediately.

That will put a bow on this week. Since the NFL feels the need to put another meaningless game on Thursday, picks will be in that afternoon. As always, check them out if you have a few to spare.

Read more Pittsburgh Steelers news on BleacherReport.com

Pittsburgh Steelers' Game Quick Hits: The Awesome and Not-So Awesome

Shelley — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:56:38 -0500

Like most avid Steelers fans, my mood during the week is dependent upon whether the Steelers win or lose, and to be frank, I was so disgusted with the game on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals that I wasn't even sure I could come up with anything that the Steelers did that was "Awesome".

But I have taken a day to breathe, to calm the impulse to scream for Bruce Arians' head, and to remember more clearly what I truly witnessed. The following few items are what I could come up with. Enjoy, and let me know if you think of anything, no matter how minuscule, that the Steelers did that was encouraging.

Awesome: Steelers normal uniforms. Finally. I'm tired of all the throw-back jerseys and have never been a fan of the Steelers' dark brown throwbacks. Steelers jerseys should be black and gold, period. So it was nice to see the team transformed back into 'normal' gear.

Not-So Awesome: The offensive line reminded me of Swiss cheese once again. And then they were shredded by the Bengal's defense. Shredded Swiss cheese...who has use for that?

Awesome: There were a few key defensive back pass deflections that occurred. William Gay had a couple in the first quarter that were particularly nice, and Ike Taylor had a great one in the red zone.

Not-so Awesome: Jeff Reed failing to even attempt to tackle the Bengal's Bernard Scott on his 96-yard kickoff return. Wasn't Jeff Reed, once upon a time, known for being more physical than other kickers? It's hard not to believe that all that tequila stripped him of his brain cells and of anything else resembling effort.

Awesome: I'm already scraping the bottom of the barrel for 'positives' that came out in the game. But I think we'll devote this one to potential. Specifically, to Mike Wallace's potential as a punt and kickoff returner. His only return of Sunday's game was for 26 yards—which, considering our special teams play at the moment, is not too shabby.

Not-So Awesome: Stefan Logan. Not his lack of yardage on returns nor his occasionally shaky ball protection, nor even his semi-muffed catch of a punt return on Sunday. But he's on this list today specifically for his decision to take a kickoff return out of the end zone after he muffed it!

He got, I believe , a bit past the 11-yard line. Wow. Color me merry. Had he knelt, as we all know, our offense would have started at 20-yard line instead. Logan's decision was not 'football smart,' and as we saw with the introduction of Wallace into the returning game, that the Coaches didn't think it was a smart move either.

Awesome: (think, think-think, think... there's got to be something...) Ryan Clark had a decent day with a few key stops on third downs, including one in the red zone that forced the Bengals to settle for a field goal instead of a touchdown.

It was nice to see him flying around again, quietly getting the job done without having to worry about whether another portion of his anatomy would need to be removed. No interceptions by Clark, but I'll definitely take his solid play during such a defense-dependent game.

Not-So Awesome: There's a quote from Ben Roethlisberger saying that he felt 'weird' before and during the game—that something was off. Well, we could tell.

Normally with Roethlisberger, statistics don't tell the whole story, but on Sunday they sure did. A couple times he missed an open Santonio Holmes in the end zone and then overthrew the other receivers in the end zone whom he did throw to. Several of his passes were just off the mark, which, given what we know of his accuracy [see Super Bowl XLIII ], was quite perplexing.

Note: I am aware that Holmes missed another touchdown catch in the end zone, which could be why Roethlisberger declined to throw toward him. But it really all just comes down to the offense as a group being completely off the mark. It was like some weird twilight zone where our offense just kept bouncing off each other and into walls.

Or like they all placed their foreheads down on baseball bats, spun around the bats several times and then tried to walk in a straight line and predictably got nowhere, except on the ground or running into each other. Completely fruitless.

Awesome: As a Pro-Steelers' article this is not quite appropriate, but it must be acknowledged. Bengal's Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer is going through what I can only imagine is hell. His wife tragically and unexpectedly passed away five weeks ago, and yet his defense is rolling strong after years of being completely ineffective . That is truly amazing and inspiring.

Not-So Awesome: Troy Polamalu was re-injured. Our defense stayed fairly strong on Sunday, refusing to surrender a touchdown, but they still gave up four field goals, and the Bengals' offense remained on the field for a significant amount of time. Polamalu's absence was noticeable and, should he be out for any period of time, will definitely be noticeable in future games.

Awesome: Aaron Smith is one of the most underrated players of the game. Yet without him our defensive front is still stuffing the run. The Bengals' offense, which had the NFL's leading rusher, was held to just 61 yards rushing.

Our defense has now held the NFL's top rushers (Tennessee Titan's Chris Johnson, Minnesota Viking's Adrian Peterson, and the Cincinnati Bengal's Cedric Benson--twice ), each to under 100 yards rushing per game. That is definitely awesome.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Need to Adjust Goals and Refocus Efforts

Brian Carson — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:32:10 -0500

After a typically grueling AFC North battle on Sunday, the reality of what just happened to the Pittsburgh Steelers hit them like a splash of cold water to the face.

The facts are true and cannot be altered. Wishing and praying won't change circumstances.

The Steelers will not win the division—that honor belongs to the Cincinnati Bengals—and now face the challenge of defending their world championship via the wild card route. Not what the franchise envisioned when the season began, for sure, but stone cold reality has a way of dashing one's dreams sometimes.

The Bengals own the AFC North. There's zero doubt about that now. Any hope the Steeler Nation has of a collapse won't happen, unless Carson Palmer goes down in a heap once again.

Cincinnati owns two wins each over Pittsburgh and Baltimore, are 5-0 in the division, and have a cupcake schedule down the stretch. The record of their last seven opponents is a paltry 24-37 combined, with only the Vikings and the Chargers as serious threats. The Bengals' next three games are against Oakland (2-7), Cleveland (1-7), and Detroit (1-8).

Of course, miracles can happen, but I highly doubt it in this case. This isn't the typical Cincinnati team we're used to. The Bengals came to town and beat Pittsburgh by playing Steeler football—fast, physical, and in your face. They aren't going to fade away.

Technically, the Bengals have a two-game lead in the division. Pittsburgh can't afford to lose another game.

One Steeler has already come to terms with the situation.

"I mean, they're going to be division champs," Steelers S Ryan Clark said. "[We] already know we have to beat them with the overall record. That's tough. We have to win out. Don't get me wrong, I'd give one of my arms to play them again."

All hope is not gone.

The Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2006 as a wild card entry and have the talent to make a run at it again, but the 2009 version has some glaring weaknesses the 2005-06 squad didn't have.

The special teams' coverage units are horrible. The three touchdowns they've given up this season is all the evidence you need. Add an offensive coordinator who abandons the run when adversity strikes, along with a team that loses its composure late in games and turns the ball over too much, and you have a recipe for an early playoff exit or, worse, no playoff berth at all.

It also doesn't help the cause knowing Troy Polamalu hasn't been 100 percent all season and probably won't be the rest of the way.

Some things can be changed right now.

Mike Tomlin cannot allow Rashard Mendenhall to touch the football only 13 times. It's inexcusable. He's been the team's best offensive player the last four or five weeks, and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians takes the ball out of his hands. Unreal.

Arians called 40 passes and only 18 runs against the Bengals. That won't get a win against a good team. You need some sort of balance to succeed in the NFL. Being one-dimensional gets you nothing but beat.

The red zone offense must improve. Against the Bengals, the Steelers had a total of 16 yards, counting sacks and penalties, in the red area. Four red zone trips, four field goals. There's the game in a nutshell.

Pittsburgh gets a break in its schedule and a chance to right the ship with three of its next four games against teams with losing records: Kansas City (2-7), Oakland (2-7), and Cleveland (1-7).

What has to happen now is an adjustment of goals, attitude, and a refocused commitment to excellence. The Steelers must play with a sense of urgency. Every game counts. There is no margin for error.

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Bruce Arians Needs to Be Fired: Today!

Nick Signorelli — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:40:54 -0500

Wondering why I used a picture of the Cleveland Browns in this article about the Steelers?

You guessed it, that man in the middle is none other than Bruce Arians, the Steelers current offensive coordinator.

Arians got his start in Cleveland, and the man to his left? That is right, Tim Couch. The Browns first selection coming back into the NFL. What did Arians do for his career? Ruined it!

Sundays game against the Bengals again resulted in another loss by the Steelers, and again, it is thanks to the horrible play calling of the offensive coordinator—Bruce Arians.

There is little question as to the offensive weapons that play on the Steelers. Big Ben Roethlisberger is one of the top quarterbacks playing in the NFL. He has size, arm strength, and an uncanny ability to get himself out of trouble when things break down.

There are two Super Bowl MVP's that start at wide-out. Hines Ward is sure-handed and will take a crushing hit for a few extra yards. Santonio Holmes has speed that can humiliate some of the best corners in the NFL. Don't believe me? Ask Champ Baily what it was like trying to cover him.

The running game has last years first-round pick, Rashard Mendenhall, who is slowly becoming a real threat with the ball in his hand. Heath Miller, one of the best tight ends in the game, has hands as steady as a brain surgeon.

The offensive line, though they take heat for most of Big Ben's sacks, have been reliable this year, both in pass protection and run blocking.

So, why have the Steelers lost three games this year, including two to the Cincinnati Bengals? The horrible play calling from none other than Bruce Arians.

Sunday against the Bengals, the Steelers had to settle for four field goals, with the team marching into the red zone on all four of the field goal attempts. On all four of those possessions, and on the last drive of the game, I called out every play that was going to be run, and did not get a single one wrong !

The predictability of the offensive play calling is so bad that someone that did no film study, or looked at nothing other than the Steelers previous games, could pick out all the plays that were being called. What do you think a professional defensive coordinator do?

There is no creativity at all with the Steelers offensive attack. There are no trick plays, no wildcat, no nothing. I am not saying the Steelers should try to trick teams every game, but why not throw an occasional trick play in, just to keep the other teams defense honest? Because Bruce Arians does not want to.

The Steelers offense is it's best when they go no-huddle. When they do, no one in the league has been able to stop it. Why don't we do it more often? Because Bruce Arians does not want to. Why do you think that is? Because Bruce Arians does not get to call the plays.

I firmly believe that anyone could come in and do as good of a job calling plays as Bruce Arians is. ANYONE! There are plenty of people that are available, such as Jim Haslett, who used to be an offensive coordinator for the Steelers, or even Mike Martz may be available. The fact is, Arians is in over his head and has a job that he can not handle.

As I re-read this article, what comes across as the sad part is, the Steelers are 6-3. They could be so much worse, and they would be with out Ben and the crew, and the no-huddle offense.

It is time for the Steelers to take the next step, and that step is to get rid of the man that is calling all the wrong plays.

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Steelers Report Card/Week 10: Lame Effort Has Stupor Steelers on Brink

Paul Ladewski — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:25:07 -0500

Here’s my take on the Steelers’ 18-12 defeat against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday afternoon:

1. Let’s get real here. The Steelers season is over and done with for all intents and purposes. So long. Buh-bye. Nice knowin' ya.

At 6-3, the Steelers trail the Bengals by two games in the AFC North race because they lose the head-to-head tiebreaker. Have you seen the cupcakes on the Bengals schedule? If they don’t finish with a 12-4 record—minimum—then I’ll kiss Chad Ochocinco on the cheek.

OK, I won’t kiss Chad Ochocinco on the cheek.

The Steelers almost can’t help but win 10 or 11 games, which should be enough for a wild-card invitation, but that won’t cut it this time. This team isn’t good enough to beat the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots on the road, and that’s probably what it will take to be Super again. What I’m sayin’ is, go ahead and book that Caribbean cruise in mid-January.

2. What has to peeve off Steelers World as much as the final score was the way its heroes went about their most important game of the year thus far. The home team was blah from the get-go, and it makes zero sense given what was at stake here.

Where was the fire? The attitude? The intensity?

Ryan Clark, Santonio Holmes, Brett Keisel and a couple or three others brought it, as they say. Everyone else wimped out pretty much.

3. The key matchup paired Bengals d-coordinator Mike Zimmer against Steelers o-coordinator Bruce Arians, and I don’t have to tell you how that turned out, do I?

Zimmer and his bunch had two priorities: First, keep quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the pocket, and second, keep Big Ben in the pocket. Rather than make adjustments, Arians turned and said, “OK, hit me here now!”

4. This season the no-huddle offense has been the Steelers most productive scheme by far, and it was obvious that they needed to change the tempo as early as the second quarter.

So where was it, may I ask?

The Steelers took a slingshot into the biggest game of the season, not a hammer and drill.

5. In fairness, Arians is handcuffed by an ordinary o-line that limits the game plan. But unless he screamed to personnel chief Kevin Colbert before the draft, “Get me a kick-butt o-lineman, dammit!” I don’t feel sorry for him one bit.

6. What is it that third-round draft pick Kraig Urbik does for a living, anyway?

7. Does anyone do less to get more publicity than Ochocinco these days? Other than Terrell Owens, I mean? Ochostinko finished with two pass receptions—two fewer than his number of illegitimate kids—and I barely recall him being on the field.

8. Is it as obvious to you as it is to me that placekicker Jeff Reed is intent to avoid contact because of his free-agent status? His feeble attempt to tackle some rookie named Bernard Scott wasn’t as pathetic as his whiff on Minnesota Vikings rookie Percy Harvin a few weeks ago, but it was darn close.

Then there’s safety Troy Polamalu, who refuses to avoid contact at all costs.

I hope that I’m wrong here, but I don’t expect Polamalu to play more than another one or two seasons. His kamikaze style won’t allow it. Plus, the guy has too much mileage on him already.

9. Head coach Mike Tomlin wants possible solutions for the pathetic kickoff team, and here’s mine: Kick the ball out of bounds every time. Better to give the ball to an opponent at its 40-yard line than your 2 1/2-yard line for the extra point, ya think?

10. Hey, look, the Kansas City Chiefs already took the opening kickoff to the house on Sunday!

The grades:

Offense regulars

WR Hines Ward: C

Weekly grades: B/B/C/B/A/A/D/A/C

Season average: B

LT Max Starks: C

Weekly grades: B/F/C/B/C/C/C/A/C

Season average: C

LG Chris Komoeatu: D

Weekly grades: D/C/B/A/B/B/B/C/D

Season average: C+

C Justin Hartwig: D

Weekly grades: F/C/B/A/B/B/B/A/D

Season average: C+

RG Trai Essex: F

Weekly grades: C/B/C/B/D/D/C/C/F

Season average: C

RT Willie Colon: F

Weekly grades: D/B/C/A/C/C/A/A/F

Season average: C+

TE Heath Miller: D

Weekly grades: A/B/B/A/A/A/A/C/D

Season average: B

WR Santonio Holmes: B

Weekly grades: A/D/F/C/B/A/C/A/B

Season average: C+

WR Mike Wallace: D

Weekly grades: B/C/A/B/B/B/A/A/D

Season average: B

QB Ben Roethlisberger: D

Weekly grades: A/B/A/A/B/B/B/B/D

Season average: B

RB Rashard Mendenhall: C

Weekly grades: C/B/INC/A/A/D/D/A/C

Season average: C+

RB Mewelde Moore: B

Weekly grades: B/C/C/A/B/B/B/B/B

Season average: B

Defense regulars

LE Travis Kirschke: DNP

Weekly grades: C/B/C/C/B/B/B/DNP/DNP

Season average: C+

NT Casey Hampton: B

Weekly grades: B/B/B/C/B/A/C/A/B

Season average: B

RE Brett Keisel: B

Weekly grades: A/B/C/B/B/A/A/A/B

Season average: B+

LOLB Lamarr Woodley: B

Weekly grades: D/D/D/D/C/B/B/B/B

Season average: C

LILB James Farrior: B

Weekly grades: B/A/C/B/C/A/A/B/B

Season average: B

LILB Keyaron Fox: F

Weekly grades: A/A/C/C/B/D/A/A/F

Season average: C+

RILB Lawrence Timmons: B

Weekly grades: DNP/B/B/D/B/A/B/DNP/B

Season average: B

ROLB James Harrison: C

Weekly grades: A/B/A/A/A/B/A/A/C

Season average: B+

LCB William Gay: B

Weekly grades: C/C/B/B/B/C/D/C/B

Season average: C+

RCB Ike Taylor: A

Weekly grades: C/B/A/A/B/D/B/C/A

Season average: B

SS Troy Polamalu: INC

Weekly grades: A/DNP/DNP/DNP/DNP/A/A/A/INC

Season average: A

FS Ryan Clark: A

Weekly grades: B/B/A/B/A/B/B/DNP/A

Season average: B+

Special teams regulars

PK Jeff Reed: C

Weekly grades: B/F/C/A/B/B/D/B/C

Season average: C+

P Daniel Sepulveda: A

Weekly grades: A/A/A/A/B/B/B/A/A

Season average: B+

KR Stefan Logan: C

Weekly grades: B/D/A/C/B/B/B/C/C

Season average: C+

PR Stefan Logan: B

Weekly grades: C/C/C/F/C/INC/C/B/B

Season average: C

Coaches

HC Mike Tomlin: D

Weekly grades: B/C/D/A/C/B/B/A/D

Season average: C+

OC Bruce Arians: F

Weekly grades: C/D/C/A/B/A/C/B/F

Season average: C+

DC Dick LeBeau: A

Weekly grades: A/B/C/B/B/A/B/A/A

Season average: B+

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NFL: AFC Playoff Picture Is Taking Shape

Nick Signorelli — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:12:07 -0500

With more than half of the 2009 season in the books, it is time to start preparing for the NFL's postseason. Week 10 was a roller coaster for some teams, while others started setting themselves apart from the pack.

No. 1 Seed - Indianapolis Colts (9-0). After a STUNNING win against the New England Patriots, one that saw Bill Belichick literally give the Indianapolis Colts life inside their own 30-yard line, the Colts are in position to have smooth sailing all the way to the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

The Patriots had the chance to position themselves only one game behind the Colts, and the bad decision by Bill Belichick could cost the Patriots playoff seeding, and a bye week down the road.

Now the question is, can the Colts remain undefeated?

No. 2 Seed - Cincinnati Bengals (7-2). As shocking as this is to write, that is now where the Bengals have positioned themselves. With a 7-2 record, and a divisional record of 5-0, they will hold tie breakers over the Steelers and Ravens, plus in conference, they are 5-2, with an easy schedule remaining.

No. 3 Seed - New England Patriots (6-3). Losing to the Indianapolis Colts Sunday night hurt the Patriots for numerous reasons. Trailing the Colts by four games (by virtue of the head to head tie breaker), there is no way the Patriots will be able to catch the Colts, but the loss gives the Bengals a better record than the Patriots.

No. 4 Seed - San Diego Chargers (6-3). The Chargers and Broncos are deadlocked and face each other in Week 11. The Chargers are on a four-game win streak, and are looking for another division crown.

No. 5 Seed - Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3). After losing to the Bengals on Sunday, the Steelers are now playing for a wild card spot. They currently hold the head-to-head tie breaker with both the Chargers and Broncos (head-to-head match up), so regardless of who wins the battle for the No. 5 seed over either of them. The hardest remaining games on tap for the Steelers are two games against the Ravens.

No. 6 Seed - Denver Broncos (6-3). Since the Broncos started out the season on fire, winning their first six games, they have lost three in a row. The losses to the Steelers and Ravens will hurt in the battle for playoff positioning. The Broncos best chance to make the playoffs will be to win the division, because if it comes down to tie breakers, the Broncos could be sitting at home come January.

Still in the hunt.

Baltimore Ravens (5-4). I am assuming the Ravens will beat the Browns on Monday Night Football because, well, they are the Browns. The Ravens have been winning with offense, and still have a defense that is near the top of the league. All the Ravens have to do it finish with the same record as the Broncos for them to be playing in January. With two big games against the Steelers still to be played, the Seeding could be switched.

Jacksonville Jaguars (5-4). With a 3-1 home record, and a 2-3 road record, the Jaguars are going to have to start winning on the road if they want to make the playoffs. Even if they get there, they will still have to go on the road in the playoffs, which means IF they make it, it will be an early exit.

Houston Texans (5-4). The Texans are on pace for their best record in team history, and could sneak into the playoffs as a wild card team. They have no chance of catching the Colts, but still are in the hunt for the first playoff appearance ever.

The AFC North and AFC South are both in position to possibly send three teams to the playoffs this year. The top two seeds are more than likely to come from these divisions as well. Is it the East and West divisions of the AFC are just that weak, or is it just the North and South are that good?

There are still seven games to play, and a lot can happen in those seven weeks. This is how the AFC Playoff field would look if the playoffs started today.

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Steelers' Day After: Bruce Arians Once Again Costs Pittsburgh

Lee Heisler — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:08:41 -0500

First and foremost, give credit to the Cincinnati Bengals for coming into a hostile environment, staying calm, taking advantage of opportunities, and getting the win.

The Bengals player of the game should be Bruce Arians. He was able to singlehandedly stop the Steelers offense. With 40 passes and only 17 rushes, he made the Steelers a one-dimensional team—to the delight of the Bengals defense, because that is the goal of every defense.

I'm also going to call out Mike Tomlin, because he sat by and let it happen. As a former defensive coordinator himself, he should know this. Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher wouldn't have let this happen. It's okay to be a passing team, but you have to keep the defense honest.

For example, the Bengals continued to run the ball even if it wasn't successful to slow the Steelers' pass rush. Late in the game, the Bengals were able to have more success running the ball and taking time off the clock because the running game tires the defense.

Besides refusing to run the ball, Arians stuck with the empty backfield, even though three out of the first five times the Steelers used that formation, it resulted in sacks. The other two resulted in a batted ball and a four-yard gain on a pass to Heath Miller.

So why stick with it? The Bengals blitzed like mad, so why not go to the coaching 101 book and counter that with moving the pocket, screens, and draws? Instead Arians countered with deep routes and long developing plays?! Makes no sense to me!

Arians too often abandons the run and becomes enamored with the deep passing game, which other teams see and take advantage of. Give credit to the Bengals for the win, but Arians once again proved that he is a well below average offensive coordinator.

This my backs up my theory that the Steelers too often have to overcome Arians' poor decisions and that they win in spite of him, not because of him.

Also, it's time to take away Stefan Logan's hat on gameday. He has made very few "splash" plays in the return game (which is why he made the team), makes bad decisions in the return game, and is not very good on the coverage units. Give his gameday roster spot to a LB in order to improve the coverage unit. Let Mewelde Moore and Mike Wallace handle the return duties.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Fans, Relax, Breath, It Happens

Kevin LaMantia — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:30:13 -0500

Today the Pittsburgh Steelers suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of the Cincinnati Bengals. But do not fret; every team has its bumps in the road. There are still seven games to play this season.

The offensive play calling was very unimaginative, extremely predictable. That happens when receivers do not get open and the line has a rough day. If the team can't get at rhythm to it, it's doomed to predictability.

When the receivers, particularly Santonio Holmes, have terrible days and couldn't catch swine flu if they tried, it happens.

Ben Roethlisberger, I'm sure, would love to forget about this game. He definitely wasn't on point like we fans are accustomed to him being. Again, it happens. That's why the season is 16 games.

One thing I do know is that Roethlisberger always bounces back with a great game. Fortunately for the Steelers, the next game is against the hapless Chiefs. What better way to get passed a bad loss than a terrible team.

Hopefully Troy Polamalu won't be out for too long, as the defensive scheme really falls apart without him in the game. If that isn't the definition of MVP, then I don't know what is.

Now with that out of the way, let's get down to business. There are some things the Steelers need to make changes at.

First and foremost, Jeff Reed needs to no longer be on kickoffs. He simply doesn't get it done. If you're not going to even attempt to tackle a returner, what use are you? Try out Daniel Sepulveda and see if he can kick the ball deeper, because we all know he will at least attempt to tackle a returner.

Roethlisberger needs to understand that he will never overthrow Mike Wallace down the field, never. He's simply too fast. Just bomb the ball down the field and allow him to run under the ball. Continuing with the receivers, Holmes needs to get his head straight. Some games he catches everything that comes his way, other games he lets balls go through his hands. In his words, "That's how you be great," well show me!

But on to the gist of this article, or rant if you will, it's a long season. The Steelers are still in the hunt for a playoff spot with a fairly easy schedule. Win the games you should and at least split with the Ravens and you'll make the playoffs.

What better way to get revenge than ruining another good season by the Bengals than by dominating them in the postseason.

Breath, relax, the Steelers will be fine. It happens.

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Steelers Will Need to Follow 2005 Route to Return to Super Bowl

Todd Fleming — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:47:41 -0500

Every team has a mulligan in them somewhere. Sometimes a team survives its mulligan (see the Saints today). Sometimes a team doesn’t.

Today’s game was the Steelers’ mulligan, coming after an impressive five-game win streak. They were awful on offense and special teams.

Only a very solid defensive performance kept this from being a rout.

While the Bengals have a good defense, I don’t think they are as good as the Steelers made them look today.

Can the Steelers recover to win the division? Not likely.

Looking at the Bengals' schedule, it is hard to imagine a scenario where they lose more than three of their remaining games, and even that is wishful thinking. The toughest three teams left are the Minnesota Vikings, San Diego Chargers, and New York Jets, all of whom the Bengals play on the road.

The Vikings and Chargers will likely be favored at home later in the season against the Bengals. Those are likely the only two games in which the Bengals will be underdogs.

Their other opponents? The fearsome foursome of the Raiders, Browns, Lions, and Chiefs. Looking at the Bengals’ season, they have a tendency to play to the level of their opponents, both good and bad. But it seems a long shot.

Should the stars align and the Bengals lose three games, the Steelers would win the division if they only dropped one more game. It is possible.

The toughest team left on their schedule is the Ravens, who they play twice. The rest of their opponents range from the ghastly to just not very good. There is a home game against the Green Bay Packers, who handled the Cowboys today, but the Packers' offensive line makes the Steelers’ maulers look downright scary by comparison.

The most likely scenario has the Bengals winning the division at 12-4. The Steelers, at 11-5, would settle for the fifth or sixth seed.

With wins over both Denver and San Diego, the Steelers remain well positioned in the wild card race when it comes to tiebreakers. That means that their route to another Super Bowl will look a lot more like 2005 than 2008, with the Steelers forced to go on the road against some very good football teams.

A few thoughts on the game:

This was one of the worst performances I can remember ever seeing from Ben Roethlisberger. He was wildly off target all night, and that was only when he was able to find a Steeler even remotely open to pitch the ball at.

Getting knocked to the ground repeatedly will do that to a quarterback.

The closest comparison I can think of is the Eagles fiasco last season. That’s the silver lining. That game was even more wretched, and the Steelers recovered just fine from it.

Big Ben wasn’t alone in having his worst game of the year. Several of his offensive compatriots were right there with him.

One of the most perplexing questions from this game is the decision by the Steelers to not shift to a no-huddle approach to try to jump-start the offense and force the Bengals to adjust on defense. I think the most likely culprit for that is a mixture of pride and self-preservation on the part of Bruce Arians.

Arians has to realize that most people are noticing how much better the offense has looked when he isn’t the one calling the plays. Professional pride would dictate a desire to be the one calling the plays, especially since it is in his job description.

If that is the case, I think it is shortsighted by Arians. He will not survive as offensive coordinator with too many days like today.

Santonio Holmes has now dropped two touchdown passes that he has let sail through his hands this season. Both games finished in the L column. If it had been Limas Sweed who dropped that touchdown, we would be howling in outrage.

But Holmes built up a reservoir of goodwill following his performance throughout the playoffs last year. If he wants to emerge as a Hall of Fame-caliber receiver in this league, as he has stated, he has to make those catches.

The Steelers’ defense played exceptionally well for most of the game, but they had their worst moments with the game on the line. The retaliatory penalty on James Harrison was the backbreaker, pushing the Bengals into Steelers’ territory, allowing them to take more time of the clock, and ultimately resulting in three more points on the scoreboard.

I hate to see those kinds of penalties called. Harrison, who had his usual strong game up to that point, needs to be smarter than that.

Every kickoff for these Steelers is a horror show. We need to start cueing the Friday the 13th music whenever they kick off.

It was only a matter of time before a returned kickoff helped determine the outcome of one of their games. But the horror of the kicking game went beyond that.

Even on their “good” kickoffs, they still spotted excellent field position to the Bengals repeatedly. They have to fix that glaring problem, and fix it soon.

It is hard to find a single player on offense that actually played well. Monday night hangover? Maybe. A really pathetic performance? Absolutely.

The Bengals deserve acclaim for sweeping both the Ravens and the Steelers in the same season. That is an impressive achievement any way you look at it.

Congrats to Marvin Lewis and his squad. I always like to see a team who sticks with a head coach when everyone is saying he should be fired be rewarded for it. That appears to be the case for the Bengals.

If I was an owner and had a head coaching vacancy at the end of this season, I would give a serious look in the direction of Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer.

This is one that the Steelers need to put in the rearview mirror in a hurry. There is still plenty of football left to play, and who knows? They may get a third crack at these Bengals before we write the book on this season.

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The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Arians

Joseph Sirimarco — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:49:42 -0500

What are we to make of the Steelers' schizophrenic offense this season?

Good one game, bad the next. Bad in the first half, good in the second. This offense does not look like it is being run by an offensive coordinator. It looks like it is being run by TWO offensive coordinators. Namely, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Arians.

Just a couple of examples should suffice, one against a bad team and one against a good team.

Against Detroit: The Steelers lead had just been cut to 14-13 after an interception returned for a touchdown. Ben asks Mike Tomlin to go to the no-huddle. Quicker than the blink of a gnat's eyelash, the Steelers are leading 28-13.

Against Denver: Same thing. Terrible first half offense. In the second half, an interception returned for a touchdown to give Denver a 10-7 lead. Immediately afterward, two drives using the no-huddle, two touchdowns.

And speaking of the no-huddle, last season the Steelers played eight games (including the Super Bowl) in which they had to drive for the winning score in the last three minutes or so of the game. They won six of those games. In all six they used the no-huddle with Ben calling the plays. In the other two they did not use the no-huddle, Mr. Arians called the plays, and they lost.

The Steelers did not win because of Mr. Arians last year. They won in spite of him. Mr. Arians' offense did not win the Super Bowl last year. Ben's offense did.

The offensive play calling and performance in the most recent loss to Cincinnati is just the latest evidence of this.

Against Cincinnati this week:

Passing: 20/40, 174 yards
Rushing: 18 rushes, 80 yards, 4.5 yards/rush. (Excluding Ben's scrambles: 16 rushes, 65 yards, 4.0625 yards/rush)

And no use of the no-huddle offense.

In five third down situations, with two or three yards to go, Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Arians called for a shotgun formation with no running backs or one running back in blocking position.

The results?

Five blitzes by the Bengals defense, two passes knocked down by the pass rush, two passes hurried and thrown high for incompletions, one pass deflected by a linebacker in coverage and intercepted.

Five third downs, two or three yards to go, four or so yards/rush average, and not one running play called? Did Mr. Arians replay Minnesota's play-calling at the Steelers one yard line before making his play calls?

With an inconsistent passing game that was obviously struggling against a decent Bengals defense, did logic and past evidence prevail and cause Dr. Jekyll to consider more timely running plays or the no-huddle to put pressure on the Bengals defense?

No.

In the last two minutes of the game, when the Steelers needed a touchdown drive to win, did logic and past evidence prevail and cause Dr. Jekyll to consider the no-huddle to put pressure on the Bengals defense?

No.

Instead, Dr. Jekyll turned the offense over to Mr. Arians. Should we have expected a different outcome than failure and a loss?

No.

And please, don't give me any of that nonsense like "This isn't your father's Pittsburgh Steelers anymore," "The Steelers are a passing team now" or "The Steelers aren't a power running team anymore." That is wishful thinking, not a reasoned, logical conclusion based solely on the evidence of what does and does not work.

Whether or not the Steelers are a running team or a passing team is irrelevant. The only thing that is relevant is what is successful. When Mr. Arians calls the plays and relies heavily on the pass, it hasn't been successful compared to balanced play calling.

Consider: Regardless of overall passing or rushing yardage, or yards per pass or rush, in the Steelers' wins this season, the ratio of passing plays to rushing plays has been between 1.0 and about 1.5. In the Steelers' losses, the pass/rush ratio has been 2.0 or greater. And, by the way, this was also true for most of last season's games as well.

Even when the yards per rush has not been all that good, the running game has been good enough much of the time to get tough yards and to get the first down when needed.

Good enough, that is, when Dr. Jekyll makes decisions based on the evidence of what does and does not work, rather than turn the offense over to Mr. Arians to do as he pleases.

And please, don't tell me that not having Troy Polamalu in the game has been the reason for the losses. The defense has played well enough to win every game that Troy has missed, including the most recent loss to Cincinnati. In each of those games, one more touchdown, one less screw-up in the red zone, one less Mr. Arians brain cramp on third down and two yards to go, and the Steelers would be undefeated.

For the Steelers to win the division and be assured of a playoff spot, they must now win the division outright based on overall record, which means that the Bengals must lose at least two more games.

The Bengals' remaining schedule is a cakewalk, except for games against Minnesota and San Diego. Minnesota has the defense to beat the Bengals. San Diego does not. So, the chances for the Steelers to win the division are small.

And now, they have to worry about just making the playoffs even as a wildcard.

If the Steelers are going to win it all, they'll have to win in spite of the offensive play calling. It looks like 2005 all over again.

Enough already.

Turnovers and other mistakes can be overcome. A schizophrenic maniac for an offensive coordinator cannot. Dr. Jekyll had his chance and turned it down. Mr. Arians must go.

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It's Official: Pittsburgh Steelers Offense Is Punchless With Bruce Arians

Chris Staaf — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:14:01 -0500

If you are a member of Steeler Nation, the impossible happened today. The Pittsburgh Steelers got swept by the Cincinnati Bengals today 18-12, thus giving the Bengals the inside edge to the AFC North.

However, for people who have been following the Steelers closely since the Mike Tomlin era began in 2007, a game like this was inevitable.

Last season and some games this season, the Steelers overcame bad offensive playcalling by offensive coordinator Bruce Arians . Today, it was not possible.

Four trips to the red zone netted just 12 points for the Steelers offense. Against a solid team like the Bengals, that will never win games.

Today's game is not about the Bengals taking control of the division and sweeping the Ravens and Steelers for the first time ever.

It was more about how badly Ben Roethlisberger played and how worse than usual the playcalling was today. As bad as this loss was, perhaps there will be a silver lining.

Perhaps the Steelers offensive leaders like Hines Ward and Roethlisberger will finally realize this notion. When Bruce Arians calls the plays, the Steelers have one of the five worst offenses in football.

The question is, when will priority of winning games take over the friendship Roethlisberger has with Arians?

18 runs to 44 pass attempts? Are you kidding me? Rashard Mendenhall only got 13 rushes after a 155-yard game last Monday in Denver. Did he not pay attention to details again this week? That is inexcusable, and it has to fall on Arians.

Now I am not advocating the Steelers go to the no-huddle full time, but it was clear today that the no-huddle (when Arians is not calling the plays) needs to be a bigger part of the offense.

Same goes for the running game with Mendenhall, who never got a chance to get going.

B en Roethlisberger and the receivers deserve some blame too. After all, Roethlisberger played his worst game of the season today and the receivers did not help him out that much.

The Steelers' biggest play today was a pass-interference penalty for Mike Wallace that could have gone either way. That is just sad.

However, it goes back to play calling. Since he won't be fired any time soon, he should be "encouraged" to run the ball more.

If this really is Mike Tomlin's team, then we should see a different and tougher approach on offense next week against the Kansas City Chiefs .

The defense for the most part did their jobs, holding the Bengals running game in check and not allowing Carson Palmer to complete deep passes. After a shaky start, the third down defense got much better.

All in all, the defense played well without Troy Polamalu , holding the Bengals to four field goals. As for Polamalu, let's all hope that he is OK to go for the stretch run (i.e., both games against the still-tough Baltimore Ravens ).

The special teams is once again atrocious. That kick return by Bernard Scott was so much like Tab Perry 's return against the Steelers in 2005. Percy Harvin, Joshua Cribbs , and now Bernard Scott ?

I know one man does not make an entire unit, but given the poor decisions and poor ball security that Stefan Logan has shown through nine games this season (this time bringing the ball out of the end zone after he muffed the kick and only getting to the 15 yard line), Anthony Madison should be signed by Thanksgiving.

The Steelers have seen too many games lost on special teams play and this year, it could happen again.

With Mike Wallace returning one kick today, it might have been a preview for future change in that position.

Logan has not done anything to cement his role as the kick and punt returner so I think if he does nothing again or worse, keep bringing the ball out of the deep end zone like he has done the past few weeks, then cut him loose and sign Madison to bolster the special teams.

The Steelers have the Chiefs next week, which could be a good thing. For one, the Chiefs are not a very good team and it could help to work out all the kinks.

However, if Arians does not change his playcalling philosophy and run a balanced offense, the Steelers could drop one in Kansas City. Let's all hope some changes come before it's too late.

Next game: Sunday, Nov. 22, at Kansas City Chiefs @ 1 p.m.

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Bengals-Steelers Week 10: Live Notes and Updates from the First Half

Dan Parzych — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:41:26 -0500

In one of the most anticipated matchups in Week 10 (along with the Peyton Manning going against Tom Brady in Sunday Night Football), the 6-2 Cincinnati Bengals and the 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers both look to take control of the AFC North with a win today.

Here are live notes and updates from the first half between the Bengals and Steelers.

First Quarter

14:55—A nice opening kickoff by Bernard Scott for 21 yards to the Steelers 30. Let the battle for bragging rights in the AFC North begin.

14:44—Palmer looks for Laveranues Coles up the middle but William Gay does a great job breaking up the pass, nearly coming away with the interception.

14:37—What a play by Palmer, who finds Chad Ochocinco for 16 yards on a 3rd-and-10 to pick up the first down, the Bengals first of the day.

13:32—Palmer finds wide receiver Andre Caldwell on 2nd-and-6 for an eight-yard gain and another Bengals first down. So far, they have opened the game with five straight passes against the Steelers No. 1 ranked rushing defense.

12:23—For the second time this drive, Gay nearly comes away with an interception off Palmer as he breaks up a pass intended for Coles.

12:17—What a catch by Coles, who brings down a 12-yard pass by Palmer in double coverage and manages to get his feet down before going out of bounds. The replay shows his feet weren't down in time, but Palmer manages to get the play off before Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin can throw the red flag.

10:53—Palmer needs to be more careful with his passes as Ike Taylor knocks down the third pass of the opening drive in on a 3rd-and-14 intended for Ochocinco. Let's see if Bengals kicker Shayne Graham can capitalize on the field goal.

10:49—The kick had the distance, but hits the right upright as Graham misses a 51-yard field goal. So much for the Bengals jumping out to an early 3-0 lead. The Steelers will take over on their own 33.

10:40—Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger drops a quick pass off to wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who moves down the right sideline for 11 yards and a first down. A nice opening play on offense for the Steelers.

8:52—On 3rd-and-1, Mewelde Moore breaks loose and runs for 12 yards and a Steelers first down. 1st-and-10 at the Bengals 27 yard line.

7:42—The Bengals defense gets to Roethlisberger for the first time today as Jonathan Fenene sacks him for a five-yard loss. Big third down coming up now for the Bengals

6:40—On 3rd-and-13, Roethisberger finds an opening and scrambles for a 15-yard gain to the Bengals 15 yard line. So much for the Bengals taking advantage of a 3rd-and-long situation.

4:46—Big play for the Bengals defense on 3rd-and-5 as Chinedum Ndukwe knocks down Roethlisberger's pass. The Steelers are forced to kick the field goal as Jeff Reed nails one from 28 yards to give Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead.

4:26—Wow! Scott takes the kickoff by Reed and returns it 96 yards for the touchdown after a couple of nice moves to find an opening down the left side of the field. The rookie from Abilene Christian records his first career touchdown to give the Bengals the lead, leaving the fans at Heinz Field stunned. Lucky for them, the field goal attempt fails after Kevin Huber bobbles the ball. Instead of leading 7-3, the Bengals settle with a 6-3 lead.

3:36—The Bengals defense gets to Roethlisberger for the second time today as Dhani Jones comes down with the sack, setting up a 3rd-and-14 for the Steelers.

2:57—Roethisberger finds Holmes down the middle and the refs appear to give him a generous spot for the first down. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis quickly throws out the challenge flag and it pays off. After further review, the refs spot the ball at the 40 instead of the 42, leaving the Steelers with a 4th-and-2 instead of a first down. Looks like the Bengals will be getting the ball back.

2:21—The announcers on CBS just informed the audience that Troy Polamalu will be out for the remainder of the game after tweaking his knee. This could have a huge effect on the outcome of today's game considering Polamalu is arguably the best safety in the league.

1:48—Benson runs for nine yards and a first down on a 2nd-and-8, his longest run of the day so far. The Steelers defense is showing him why they're the best in the league at stopping the run.

00:26—Caldwell hauls in a six-yard reception for the first down and the final play of the first quarter. After one quarter of play, the Bengals lead the Steelers 6-3.

Second Quarter

13:29—What a play by Coles on 3rd-and-3, who uses his quickness to pick up 25 yards down the left side of the field and another Bengals first down.

12:12—On 3rd-and-14, Palmer looks for Caldwell down the middle but fails to connect as he was in double coverage. Instead of a 53-yard field goal, Lewis decides the Bengals are safer punting the ball considering Heinz Field is always a difficult place to kick the ball.

11:55—On the first play of the drive, Steelers tight end Heath Miller breaks a tackle from Jonathan Joseph and gains enough yards for a first down at the Bengals 21 yard line. On the next play, Roethlisberger finds Holmes for an 11-yard gain and another Steelers first down.

10:06—Roethlisberger appears to be sacked for the third time today, but he manages to find Hines Ward for a quick screen pass. Unfortunately, he only gets one yard out of it and the Steelers will face 3rd-and-6.

9:28—The Bengals defense comes through on third down as Roethlisberger fails to find Holmes across the middle of the field. The Steelers are forced to punt once again.

9:06—Ochocinco runs a beautiful route down the middle, but he fails to bring in the pass thrown by Palmer which would have given the Bengals a first down. A few plays later, Palmer overthrows a ball intended for Ochocinco again on third down, forcing the Bengals to punt to the Steelers.

8:05—Stefan Logan provides the Steelers with a nice 25-yard punt return to the Bengals 46 yard line. Should be interesting to see if the Steelers can take advantage of the great field position this drive.

7:41—Rashard Mendenhall opens the drive with a 10-yard run and a first down for the Steelers, helping them get closer to at least field goal range.

7:00—Roethlisberger may be one of the best quarterbacks in the league when it comes to scrambling around before throwing the ball down the field. In what appears to be a lost play, he finds Holmes for a 21-yard pass to move to the Bengals 15.

4:54—The Steelers get lucky as Roethlisberger looks for Holmes in the end zone and almost throws an interception with two Bengals defenders present. A big third down play coming up here.

4:46—Fenene comes up with his second sack of the day for the Bengals, preventing the Steelers from finding the end zone and settling for a field goal. With 4:13 left in the first half, this game has lived up to the hype so far with the Bengals and Steelers tied 6-6.

4:06—Another key injury for this game. This time, it's on the Bengals side as the announcers just told the audience that Benson is questionable to return with a hip strain.

4:02--Okay, so Benson already appears to be back in the game for the Bengals. It's obvious something is wrong with his hip and it shows in his run. If Benson is out, it will be a huge hit for the Bengals.

3:05—The Steelers defense applies the pressure to Palmer and brings him down for the 10-yard loss as James Harrison is credited with the sack. The Bengals are forced to punt again, giving the Steelers less than three minutes to move the ball down field before halftime.

1:55—Roethlisberger looks for Mike Wallace deep down the field, but the pass is incomplete. Along with the incomplete pass, Miller is called for offensive holding, pushing the Steelers back to their own 24-yard line.

1:44--The Steelers catch a huge break as Roethlisberger goes deep to Wallace and draws the pass interference on Ndukwe. The gamble by Roethlisberger results in a 46-yard penalty and puts them deep in Bengals' territory.

00:59—Roethlisberger finds Ward in the middle of the field for another first down. Now the Steelers are looking at a 1st-and-goal at the Bengals 8 yard line.

00:50—What a big play for the Bengals defense as they get to Roethlisberger for the fourth time today. Robert Geathers records his first sack of the day for the Bengals.

00:16—The Bengals catch a break as Holmes is unable to bring the ball down in the end zone on third down, forcing Reed to kick another field goal. A field goal is better than a touchdown any time on defense, and the Bengals have to be pleased that the Steelers' lead in 9-6 instead of 13-6.

00:00—The Bengals decide not to risk anything and just kneel to run the clock out. At halftime, the Bengals trail the Steelers 9-6 in a battle for first place in the AFC North.

Dan Parzych is the founder of WhoDeyBengals.com

Questions? Comments? Email him at djp746@gmail.com

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Are the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers Better Than the 2008 Champions?

Nick Signorelli — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:16:27 -0500

Prior to the start of the 2008 season, no one was talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers. At least not in a good way. ESPN had the Steelers ranked at No. 7.

All the talk was about how the New England Patriots coming off a perfect regular season, and the talk was about the Patriots being able to repeat that feat. Who could blame them? The Patriots sported the easiest schedule in the NFL.

The Steelers, on the other hand, had the hardest schedule. Not just of the year, but the hardest schedule in nearly 30 years. There is no way the Steelers would be good enough to make it to Tampa Bay for Super Bowl XLIII.

After the first weekend of the NFL season, all of the talk started to change. Tom Brady went down to a torn ACL, and the race to Tampa was on for the rest of the teams in the NFL.

But still, the schedule was so hard, the Steelers would need a minor miracle to make it to the Super Bowl.

Maybe God is a Steelers fan, maybe the stars were aligned just right, or maybe, just maybe, the 2008 Steelers were destined.

The Steelers defense went on to be one of the most dominant defenses in recent history. All of those teams that made up the hardest schedule in 30 years, started falling. The Chargers, then the Cowboys, the Ravens...TWICE.

The Steelers pound their way through the playoffs. The Chargers again, and the Ravens for the third time.

After defeating the Arizona Cardinals, the Steelers were again Super Bowl Champions.

There is no goal to achieve in the NFL better than winning the Super Bowl, none. Dan Marino said he would trade every record he had to win just one Super Bowl.

So, at 6-2, with a game against the Bengals Sunday, how can I talk about this team being better? Simple, they are!

Comparing the defense to last years, is the hardest to do. Last year's Steelers were so dominant, people compared it to the Steelers of the 70's. And THAT was an amazing defense.

The 2008 Steelers finished the season with the top overall ranked defense, allowing only 3,795 yards, 382 yards less than the second place Ravens. They allowed 157 passing yards per game, and only 80 rushing yards per game.

This year, the defense is allowing 214 passing yards per game, and 70 rushing yards per game. The 2009 Steelers are allowing more yards per game, but four of those games were played without Troy Polamalu. And if you don't think that counts, look at the yardage in the games he missed.

Chicago - 275 yards, 231 passing.

Cincinnati - 273 yards, 173 passing.

San Diego - 497 yards, 320 passing.

Other than the Bengals, the Steelers gave up WAY more passing yards, in those games, way over their average. The Steelers rushing yards against didn't change, but the passing yards were up.

The biggest difference is the offense. The 2008 version was the 22nd-ranked offense in the league. They were ranked 17th passing with 3,301 yards, and rushed for 1,690 yards, which was good enough for 23rd.

This year's Steelers are ranked seventh overall, with 2,134 passing yards which is ranked seventh, and 922 yards rushing, which is ranked 15th.

At their current pace, the Steelers will pass for 4,264 yards, which is 963 yards more through the air, and 1,844 rushing yards, which is 154 more rushing yards than last year. This is not only an improvement of 1,107, it is dominating on the other side of the ball.

Last year, there were many games that the Steelers won that were attributed directly to the defense, and the defense deserved it. But no longer does the defense have to do it alone.

Ben Roethlisberger has improved his completion percentage from 59.9%, to 70.6%, and his QB rating from 80.1, to 104.1.

Rashard Mendenhall is averaging 5.7 yards per carry this year, to Willie Parker's 3.8 of last year.

And as for points, the 2008 team scored 347 points while this years team has scored 195, and is on pace to score 390. That is averaging over four points a game.

So, though the defense may not be as great as the defense of 2008, the offense is considerably better, in all phases of the game.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Look To Baffle the Cincinnati Bengals

TJ Jenkins — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:17:26 -0500

The funny thing about the Pittsburgh Steelers is they've almost done a complete turnaround from last season, and it's proven successful.

No longer are they leading the league in all major defensive categories, but at the same time, they're not near the middle of the road in all offensive categories either.

They boast both the fifth ranked offense in the league and the fifth ranked defense in the league. Could a team be more complete?

Perhaps the biggest thing to watch for on Sunday is the Pittsburgh run defense, which is allowing just 70.4 yards per game. The Cincinnati Bengals are rushing for around 130 yards per game.

Cincinnati running back Cedric Benson seems to have found himself again, and is making as strong a case as anyone for Comeback Player Of The Year (I'm looking at you, Tom Brady), and will look to leave his mark on the defending Super Bowl Champions.

The difference between this game and the last time the two teams went head to head is almost the same difference as black is to white, or day is to night.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been transforming, evolving if you will.

No longer do they allow teams to come back on them in the fourth quarter and no longer is the defense taking a Baltimore Ravens-esque step back. Sunday, when the two teams sitting atop of the AFC North division clash, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will be there.

You can bet that is weighing heavily on Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer's mind.

The Bengals and Palmer are looking to win the division for the first time since 2005. During that postseason they were beat by the Steelers and Palmer went down in the first quarter after a Kimo von-Oelhoffen hit to the knee. The Steelers of course went on to win Super Bowl XL.

The funny thing about that is that if Palmer had not of been injured, the complexion of that game may have been very different. On the play that Palmer was hurt, he completed a 66-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Henry. With plays like that, there is no way the Steel City comes out of that game victorious.

But the past is the past. It doesn't mean anything now.

And that's exactly the attitude we see in the NFL. Team's need to be looking to the future, and once the game comes, they look at the present. You've got to keep looking ahead and forging your name alongside those of the greats.

The talk around the internet is all about this being a "must win" game for the Steelers. Well, what about the Bengals?

Is it not a must win for them as well? Because I for one think it is.

If they beat Pittsburgh Sunday, they'll have the AFC North essentially locked away and will have swept the World Champions this season. With a loss, they go back to being the "same old Bengals" that we've seen time and again over the years.

For all of the teams that I hype, the Bengals have never been a part of that illustrious group. A group that includes (but is not limited to) the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens.

I've never been one to talk much on the Bengals because I generally find myself saying something disparaging about them. That of course is not fair, nor is it professional, so I generally keep my mouth shut.

I will say this though, Marvin Lewis has that group playing well and stifled any and all distractions from Chad Ochocinco—I still hate calling him that by the way—telling him that he was not allowed to send any gifts to the Steelers secondary.

Lewis knows how big this game is. The players know how big this game is. The only matchup getting more hype this week is the Patriots/Colts game, and rightfully so.

Should the Steelers win this game, they will more than likely see a top-three seed in the AFC come playoff time, and more than likely have shut the Bengals down for the season.

But, there's a reason that the game has to be played.

The Steelers secondary is going to have to hit the Bengals receivers hard, early, and often. If they allow Ochocinco to burn them, then this one's going in favor of the Bengals. But should the secondary step up against Palmer and company, then the Steelers will win this game.

Good luck Ike Taylor, hopefully you don't have any mental lapses as you've been prone to this season for some odd reason.

Now, I know what some are thinking.

"The Bengals are only ranked 18th in passing offense this year, how on Earth does stopping the pass win the game?"

Due to the fact that the Steelers front seven will more than likely be able to stuff Benson and keep the Bengals well below their running average, it's going to force them to throw the ball more. Applying pressure on Palmer is key. Force him into quick throws and mistakes.

The biggest thing to watch for is going to be the Steelers pass defense against the short slant patterns that have been tearing them apart all season. I see it, so I KNOW the Bengals coaching staff and Palmer see it. Look for them to get the ball to their receivers quickly.

The good news for the Steelers is that the Bengals are allowing nearly 250 yards per game through the air, the bad news is that they're second behind the Steelers in rush defense.

Rashard Mendenhall is going to have his work cut out for him, but I'm sure the vision of Larry Johnson in the front row wearing a No. 34 jersey is reassuring. He absolutely MUST hold onto the ball in this game, it cannot be put in the hands of the Bengals on a foolish play.

Also, I'd like to see some hard nosed running out of him, instead of breaking a big run and stepping out of bounds while the team is trying to RUN THE CLOCK.

Ben Roethlisberger is going to have to put points on the board, and there's really no reason to think that he can't do so. With targets like Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, Mendenhall, and Mewelde Moore; even JaMarcus Russell could get some nice passing stats.

Like Mendenhall, No. 7 is going to have to protect the ball and keep it out of the Cincinnati defense's hands. A turnover in this game could prove deadly for the Steel City.

History doesn't mean much, but it's fun to look at, right? The Bengals haven't beaten the Steelers twice in a row since 1998. Hopefully, that 1998 doesn't turn into 2009.

I think the Steelers gut up and take this one. I see them playing their hearts out and gutting a win out for the loyal fans they've secured over the years by being such a dominant force in the AFC.

TJ's Prediction: Steelers 24 Bengals 21

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Why The Bengals Will Not Beat the Steelers On Sunday

Nick Signorelli — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:17:03 -0500

There was a question posted by B. Clifton Burke, asking, "Why Not ", about the chances of the Bengals winning in Pittsburgh this Sunday, for sole position of first place in the AFC North.

Instead of simply commenting to him, which I started, but it was WAY too long, I decided to write my reply in an article.

And I promise not to use, a) because they're the Bengals, b) because it's the Steelers, or c) because it's a big game on the road.

This Sunday, when the Bengals travel to Heinz Field, they will not be playing the same team they played in week three.

When the Steelers have the ball:

The Steelers offense is no longer the one dimensional running game, where they run on first and second down, and hope to convert throwing on third. The offensive weapons start with Ben Roethlisberger.

Big Ben has a passer rating of 103.3, and has completed 70.6 percent of his passes (the same percentage as Peyton Manning—Tied for best in the NFL). The weapons he has at his disposal are unlike any QB that has suited up for the Steelers since the dynasty days of the 1970's.

Split out wide, there are two, count them, TWO Super Bowl MVP's to catch passes, and force the safety to play honest, and not stack the box to prevent the run. In addition, rookie Mike Wallace, who had 102 receiving yards the last time these two teams met up, and Heath Miller who has 43 receptions for 371 yards and four scores.

Add to that, last years first round draft pick, Rashard Mendenhall is now playing like a first round pick should, rushing for over five yards per carry, unlike when Slow Willie Parker was in the game the first time these two teams met.

With the losses of Antwan Odom, Keith Rivers, and Roy Williams, who had a total of 17 tackles in the first game, those players, who are a big reason for the Bengals success so far, are going to have to be made up by someone.

They are going to HAVE to stop the Steelers running game, and have to do so without committing extra pressure with their secondary. If the Bengals are to stop the high powered Steelers offense, they are going to have to do it head up.

When the Bengals have the ball:

The success the Bengals have on offense is going to rely on the running game, and Cedric Benson specifically. Benson is second in the NFL, with only Titans RB Chris Johnson ahead of him. Benson showed up the Ravens in both of their meetings, by not only rushing for over 100 yards in each game, but being the only player in over 40 games to achieve that status.

IF, and it is a big IF, Benson can find success in their ground game, that will force the Steelers to commit either Ryan Clark and/or Troy Polamalu to stopping the run, which will leave either Chad Ochocinco or Laverneous Coles in man to man coverage, and Carson Palmer has the ability to get them the ball.

The Steelers defensive line, though old and banged up, has done an amazing job, leading the Steelers to the fourth ranked defense in the NFL, and first against the run.(Yes, the Bengals are second against the rush, but the Steelers lead them by 108 yards.)

When looking at the first time these two played in Cincinnati, the one key person from the Steelers that was missing was Troy Polamalu. When Carson Palmer hit Andre Caldwell for the winning score, there was no Troy Polamalu in the game. The pass that Caldwell caught was in the zone that Polamalu would have been playing.

The fact is, this Steelers team is playing as good, if not better than the unit that won the Super Bowl last year, and nothing like the unit that the Bengals beat earlier this year. With Polamalu back, there have been no fourth quarter let down, where teams (like the Bengals) have come back and won at the end.

Dick LeBeau has opened up the defensive play book, and offensive teams with plenty of weapons, (Vikings, Broncos) have gotten knocked down to Earth, as will the Bengals on Sunday.

I said prior to the season that the Bengals were going to be a surprise team this season, and I even said they had a chance to make the playoffs. I did say the Ravens would be better than them, but the Bengals have proven they are superior to the Ravens.

If the Bengals can some how beat the Steelers this Sunday in Pittsburgh, they will have the inside track to winning the AFC North, forcing the Steelers to compete for a Wild Card playoff birth. If the Bengals lose, then Pittsburgh will again be atop of the AFC North, and the Bengals will be forced to look at themselves in the mirror, and wonder if they are as good as they thought they were.

My prediction? Big Ben will throw for over 300 yards, and Rashard Mendenhall will rush for 125. Carson Palmer will pass for 225 yards, and Cedric Benson will rush for 75. Pittsburgh wins 34-21.

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Cincinnati Bengals Week 10 Preview: Tell Me Why Not.

B. Clifton Burke — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:52:41 -0500

The way to approach this weekend's epic struggle in Pittsburgh is to ask yourself: “Why won't the Bengals win?”

If your response consisted of: a) because they're the Bengals, b) because it's the Steelers, or c) because it's a big game on the road, please leave now. Cincinnati has spent this season dispelling exactly that kind of hogwash, and it doesn't lend itself to very interesting conversation anyway.

Of course there are legitimate concerns for the Bengals heading into their biggest game in three years.

The defense is beginning to show signs of wear and tear. Three starters (Antwan Odom, Roy Williams and now Keith Rivers) are out and plenty of others are sore and hurting. Pittsburgh once again seems comfortable with its running game now that Rashard Mendenhall has emerged as another one of those squat, tough runners possesing both wheels and power.

The Steelers' run-blocking is in a commanding rhythm after consecutively bullying two tough defenses in Minnesota and Denver. A battered Bengals unit could have problems stopping a young, fresh tailback running behind a rugged and confident line like Pittsburgh's.

Another area of concern for the Bengals defense is covering rookie receiver, Mike Wallace. This sleek cruise-missile in the slot position has become a serious deep threat, averaging over 17 yards a catch, and is the perfect complement to Ben Roethlisberger's ability to scramble and improvise.

Wallace already had over 100 yards against the Bengals in Week Three, blazing past our own speedster, Johnathan Joseph, on one memorable long ball in the first half. The Steelers like to use Wallace on deep crossing routes that open up once Big Ben starts to rumble out of the pocket. Our own rookie, conerback Morgan Trent, will likely be tested on these kinds of plays and the Bengal safeties will have to lend extra support against deeper patterns.

If Pittsburgh can effectively run the ball, the Steelers' offense will roll to a big day; if they're forced to pass, Mike Zimmer can send extra pressure and force Roethlisberger into making wild decisions on the fly. The key to stopping any NFL offense is to force them into throwing downs and preying on the predictability of the pass. Cincinnati is ranked second at stopping the run, but this will be one of their stiffer challenges of the season.

On offense, losing Chris Henry is certainly unfortunate but not ruinous. There are two high-profile draft picks in Jerome Simpson and Chase Coffman just hanging out on the sidelines ready to catch passes. Practice-squad guy Maurice Purify has impressed those who watch him in practice everyday and may be another Marvin gem, but it would be nice to see the other kids get a chance, especially Coffman. I can see Simpson not being prepared for the NFL—he played at Coastal Carolina—but Coffman set records in the Big 12 with Missouri and shouldn't be shell shocked by the pros.

Either way, the real reason that losing Henry won't make much of a difference is because the Bengals are now a running team. Cedric Benson is our own Boxer the Draft-Horse, pulling the offensive sled behind him and racking up crucial yards along the way.

We've all witnessed the philosophical shift away from relying on Carson Palmer's arm, and the game-plan will not change against the Steelers just because they're tops at stopping the run. The new script says that Benson gets it 30 times a game until he drops, and Palmer wins on third down.

The theory ignores its inherent predictability and emphasizes the long-term effects it has on opponents. The Bengals perform better later in the game, echoing Marvin Lewis' recent mantra of “make your last play better than your first play.” In the fourth quarter, the offense has consistently appear to be the physically tougher team, gashing opponents with chunks of rushing yardage and finishing with wins.

Both of these teams know what's coming on Sunday; it's unlikely that either will be caught off guard. No one is looking past this game because it's the game. It's going to be a bloodthirsty cage match; Mad Marvin and the Thunder Dome. Only the most bad-assed will survive such a familiar and intimate fight. It comes down to discipline, will-power and toughness. So ask yourself one more question before you go: Who has demonstrated more toughness this season than the Bengals?

Bengals 21, Steelers 13

Mojokong—No premonitions this week; just an educated guess.

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Film Study: Mendenhall, Wallace Among First Half Surprises For Steelers

Nick DeWitt — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:32:16 -0500

Eight games into their season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have definitely received two very early Christmas presents in rookie receiver Mike Wallace and second-year back Rashard Mendenhall.

Both players were virtually afterthoughts when the roster was finalized in September. Mendenhall was returning from a shoulder injury and had just put in his second lackluster training camp in Pittsburgh. Wallace was a third-round pick not expected to make much of a contribution behind Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and second-year receiver Limas Sweed.

After eight weeks, everything has changed.

Sweed, after dropping a sure touchdown against Cincinnati, was benched in favor of the surprising Wallace.

When the already ineffective Willie Parker went down with an injury, Mendenhall was asked to step in and replace him.

Both players have performed far above expectations.

Wallace possesses a rare combination of speed, savvy, and sure hands. He has become a favorite target of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in game-changing situations and also on third downs. Roethlisberger likes to throw the deep ball and Wallace gives him a target with breakaway speed.

Mendenhall possesses quickness, good speed, and the ability to run through tackles. He's hard to bring down and always keeps his legs churning. He is a complete back, able to run up the middle and gain tough yards while still having the speed and quickness to turn the corner on the outside.

What makes both players more special, however, is how well they have replaced those players for whom they've stepped in.

Mendenhall gives the Steelers the complete back that Willie Parker is not. Parker has seemingly lost a step and has become overly injury prone since a broken fibula ended his 2007 season prematurely. Parker was unable to stay healthy in 2008 and in 2009 was unable to stay healthy or generate a consistent rushing attack.

Parker was also never able to gain yards up the middle, something Mendenhall has proven to excel at doing. While Parker may see the field again this year, it is unlikely he will see it as often as Mendenhall, who has certainly taken over as the Steelers top rusher.

Wallace had already made a few nice plays as the Steelers' fourth receiver, but it was when Limas Sweed was benched that Wallace got a chance to play regularly.

Wallace has since shined, catching 25 balls for 473 yards and three scores. His speed, like Mendenhall's versatility, makes the Steelers a more dynamic offensive unit. While Wallace doesn't have the size of a prototypical receiver, he makes up for it with skill, good hands, and an innate ability to find the open spots in coverage.

Not to be missed among the Steelers' surprises this season is the offensive line. After struggling through the first two games, the unit has improved and gelled into one of the league's best. Some of the success enjoyed by Mendenhall is no doubt due to the great blocking he has received.

Maligned for much of the 2008 season and viewed as a big weakness coming into this year, the line has defied the odds.

Individually, Chris Kemoeatu, Max Starks and injury replacement Trai Essex have been the biggest stars. Kemoeatu, criticized last year for taking penalties and missing blocks, is now counted on the same way Alan Faneca was before him.

Kemoeatu is extremely important to the Steelers' ground attack. The Steelers trend toward running to the right. To accomplish this, the left guard is expected to pull and help the right side of the line in run blocking. Kemoeatu has excelled at this role.

Starks, the team's transition and franchise player in 2008 and 2009, respectively, has also shined in his first full season as the starting left tackle. Replacing the departed Marvel Smith, Starks has been healthy, stable, and effective while protecting Ben Roethlisberger's blind side.

Essex is possibly the most surprising. Never given an opportunity to start regularly, Essex was pressed into service after Darnell Stapleton went down for the season. Replacing Stapleton, arguably the line's weakest link in 2008, Essex proved that he was a capable blocker. While it's too early to tell, it is likely that Essex has secured the spot for the foreseeable future.

At 6-2, the Steelers are pretty much where they expected to be. A win Sunday against the Bengals would put them in the driver's seat in the division. The team seems a lock to make the playoffs either way, with winning a second title wholly possible.

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