Steelers 34, Chargers 21

Steelers finish 9-7 but miss playoffs

Should we expect this at the start of every decade? Many times when a team finishes the season 9-7, it's a good enough record to get into the playoffs (actually, two 8-8 teams went last year). But there are also many instances when 9-7 is not good enough. The Steelers finished 9-7 in 1980, and in 1990, and missed the playoffs both times. Now in 2000, it has happened again.

The Steelers needed three things to happen in order to qualify for the playoffs. They needed a win by the Ravens over the Jets, a win by the Vikings over the Colts, and of course a win by themselves over the lowly Chargers. Vinny Testaverde came through yet again for the Steelers. He threw three interceptions, including a very costly one that was returned for a TD right before halftime, as the Ravens defeated the Jets. That game was at 1:00, so that set the stage for the Steelers and Colts to play their games at 4:00. This Christmas Eve game got off to a wild start. On San Diego's first play from scrimmage, Ryan Leaf threw a 71 yard TD bomb to former Steeler Jeff "No-Hands" Grahm. On the ensuing kickoff, Will Blackwell broke some tackles and ran it back 98 yards for a TD! Will Blackwell?? Where did he come from? He was still on our team?! Right after that, Chargers DB Rodney Harrison picked off Kordell Stewart and ran it back 63 yards for a TD. Were we actually going to see a Steelers-Chargers pointfest? Well, the Steelers settled down after all those big plays and realized that there was no way they were going to lose to a 1-14 team. Stewart hit old man Courtney Hawkins on a 5 yard fade pass TD. After a Kris Brown FG gave the Steelers the lead, Stewart ran the ball 19 yards into the endzone to up the Steelers lead to 10 at the half.

The second half was more of the same. Kordell threw another interception to Harrison which the Chargers converted into a TD, but when you're destined for 1-15, you need much more than that. The Steelers drove 77 yards and Stewart had another rushing TD. They also added a late FG to win easily, ensuring their first winning season since 1997. So now they needed help from Minnesota, but that help never came. Because Tampa Bay and New Orleans both lost earlier in the day, the Vikings had nothing to play for. Win or lose, they already had their playoff position locked up. Coach Dennis Green wisely decided not to let his starters play too long. Led by Bubby Brister and a cast of backup players, the Vikings were no match for Peyton Manning and the Colts. Indianapolis won 31-10, and secured the sixth and final playoff spot in the AFC. The Steelers missed the playoffs for the third straight season.

So what can you say about the 2000 season now that it is over? You could look at it as a season of missed opportunity. If Kent Grahm doesn't take that sack in Cleveland, the Steelers are in the playoffs. If Philadelphia doesn't recover that onside kick, the Steelers are in the playoffs. If the defense stops Steve McNair on 4th and 8, the Steelers are in the playoffs. So you could correctly say that this season came down to a few close plays, and since the Steelers did not make them, that is why they missed the post-season. But that's not what I would say. Think back to the summer, when the Steelers had lost Tom Donahoe, when there was a massive brawl in the locker room, when the Steelers were in their darkest hour. Or think back to the end of September, when the Steelers were 0-3 and heading for their worst record in years. Who would have ever thought that we could go 9-7? What this team accomplished was amazing. No one expected this. The 2000 Steelers made it fun to be a football fan again in Pittsburgh. This was demonstrated by the thousands of Steelers fans that came out on Christmas Eve in San Diego to root for the Steelers. As the final seconds of their season ticked away, you could here a chant of "Here we go, Steelers" echoing from the crowd at Qualcomm Stadium. Players like Kordell Stewart, Jerome Bettis, and Jason Gildon all came back from the dead to revive a team that at one point had lost 10 out of its last 11 games. They also did this in the final year of Three Rivers Stadium, giving it the sendoff it deserved rather than the pitiful performance witnessed there in 1999. Most importantly, they gave us fans something we had completely lost - hope for the future. Here's the numbers from the last game of a remarkable 2000 season:

• Courtney Hawkins 5 rec, 71 yards, 1 TD
• Kordell Stewart: 10 rushes, 81 yards, 2 TD

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Tennessee shut out Dallas on Monday night. The Titans win the division for the first time in seven years. Baltimore beat the New York Jets and go into the playoffs for the first time ever as a very dangerous wild card. I would not be surprised if we see another all-Central Championship Game. Jacksonville lost to the New York Giants on Saturday. Cincinnati lost to Philadelphia capping off yet another miserable season. Cleveland had a bye.

Final 2000 AFC Central Division Standings

Steelers 24, Redskins 3

Goodbye forever

It's all over. The place that has given the city of Pittsburgh so many amazing memories over the last 30 years is now gone forever. The Steelers played their final game at Three Rivers Stadium, and they went out in grand style, blowing out the team that was suppposed to win the Super Bowl this year.

This was such a big event, and the Steelers knew it. You could tell that there was just no way they were going to let the fans down by losing this game. This game was not pretty however. It was raining all day long. There were numerous fumbles and slips as a result. The two teams came out and basically traded field goals early on. The Steelers offense was slow at first. In the second quarter, the Redskins had to punt from their own endzone, and Hank Poteat blew the game wide open by returning the kick 53 yards for a touchdown. It was the first punt return for a TD by a Steeler since 1995. The biggest play of the final game at Three Rivers was scored by a rookie who was a star at the University of Pittsburgh. How fitting is that? It gave me goosebumps. The Steelers then had all the momentum and emotion behind them. Chad Scott intercepted Jeff George at the Redskins 38 yard line, and the Steelers converted. Richard Huntley, who finally reminded everyone of why he was supposed to compete for the starting job this year, scored on a 3 yard TD run.

The second half was more of the same. Jeff George was knocked out of the game and replaced by Brad Johnson, who was equally ineffective. Washington had some great chances to get back into the game, but just like their season in general, they blew it. Josh Miller fumbled a punt deep in Steelers territory, but Stephen Davis fumbled it back on the next play. TE Stephen Alexander caught a pass and was running into the endzone when Jason Simmons knocked the ball out of his hands at the 2 yard line, forcing a touchback. The Redskins are a joke. Meanwhile, the Steelers gave the ball to the Bus. Jerome Bettis pounded the ball for 104 yards. At one point he went over to the sidelines and hugged Franco Harris, which was really a great image. Huntley also continued to run well, scoring on a beautiful 30 yard TD run, his second of the game. When the final whistle blew, it wasn't even close. The great part about beating Washington in a game of this magnitude was that it showed what a great organization the Pittsburgh Steelers are. Fox kept showing shots of Redskin$ owner Dan Snyder coupled with shots of Steelers owner Dan Rooney. I was at the game, so I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could probably guess. Dan Snyder represents all that is bad about pro sports today, while Dan Rooney represents all that is good. Snyder tried to build his team with money, and the result was a miserable excuse for a season that was summed up by this game. Rooney has built a team with football knowledge, and the result was a winning season that was summed up by this game. Everyone booed Snyder when he was on the scoreboard, and I'm sure they boo him even worse in D.C. Rooney on the other hand is beloved by the fans, and I'm glad everyone watching on national television got to see what a classy owner and team we have here.

After the game ended, the Steelers put on a somewhat disorganized ceremony. The highlight was of course the introduction of many former players. Almost all the greats from the 70's were there and Terry Bradshaw even sent a message via tape. There were also great players from the 80's and 90's, many of whom I hadn't heard about in years - players like Barry Foster, Louis Lipps, Mike Merriweather, and Ernie Mills. The 2000 team came out and joined all the former players. It was a proud moment for a city that cares so much about its football team. There were no incidents with the fans either. There was extra security at this game, but the most that happened were that a few people stole seats, and they were all stopped outside the gates after the game. I think overall everyone just wanted to savor the moment.

The last thing they did was set off fireworks and played Auld Lang Syne. That's when it hit me that I would never again see a Steelers game in Three Rivers Stadium. I can't even imagine them playing anywhere else. It was a fond farewell to a glorious past. Nothing will ever replace Three Rivers Stadium, but the new stadium will bring its own memories, and when it comes time to tear that place down, I hope it's just as difficult to say goodbye. Here's the numbers:

• Final Record at Three Rivers: 182-73

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Tennessee visits Cleveland, Cincinnati hosts Jacksonville, Baltimore visits Arizona

Steelers 10, Giants 30

Steelers slim playoff hopes fade

There has been so much excitement around here during the last few days over the return of Mario Lemieux, we almost forgot that the Steelers had a huge, must-win game on the road. However, the Steelers were completely outplayed, and now their chances for making the playoffs are all but over. There's not a whole lot you can say about this game. The Giants came out and started moving the ball. The defense held them to a few FG's and even stuffed them on 4th and goal from the 1, but eventually the Giants got into the endzone and took a 13-0 lead. The whole first half belonged to New York. They got great field position every time they got the ball. The Steelers meanwhile were forced to start inside their own 20 on several occasions. It was little things like this that gave the Giants their big early lead. Kris Brown kicked a FG before halftime to get the Steelers on the board.

Bill Cowher, who was visibly disgusted by his team's performance, told the TV guy that the first drive of the second half would be big for the Steelers. Well, it almost was. The Steelers drove down deep in Giants territory, but couldn't get into the endzone. Then Kris Brown missed the FG attempt, and New York marched right down the field and scored another TD. The game was pretty much over by that point. Kris Brown sealed it by missing another FG in the 3rd quarter. This was a blowout from the very start. Jerome Bettis got stuffed all day. Stewart played decently, but couldn't reproduce the magic he had last week. I have to give the Giants a lot of credit. Everyone thinks they are overrated because they played a soft schedule this year. I thought that too, but after seeing them just destroy the Steelers, it's obvious that they are real contenders in the NFC. They played such a solid game on both sides of the ball. They controlled the field position battle as well. Kerry Collins (Penn State sucks) threw for 333 yards and 2 TD's, and he was aided by two good running backs and an real underrated group of receivers. The Giants are the better team by far, and they proved it. So now the Steelers are all but out of the playoffs, but we knew that anyway. It's just more official now. You really can't lose your first three games, and lose all the close games we lost this year, and still expect to make the playoffs in the extrememly competitive AFC. That's ok - I still think this was a great comeback season. There are also two games left to try to finsish the season with a .500 or better record, which would be a big accomplishment. The focus will now be on next Saturday, when the Steelers will close out Three Rivers Stadium. The game won't mean much as far as the standings are concerned, but already it is going to be one of the biggest events this town has ever seen. Here's the numbers:

• Kordell Stewart: 20-34, 224 yards, 1 INT, 1 TD
• Earl Holmes: 9 tackles

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Tennessee beat Cincinnati, Jacksonville beat Arizona, Cleveland lost to Philadelphia, Baltimore beat San Diego

Steelers 21, Raiders 20

Just like old times!!!

How bad do you think Al Davis would like to tear down Three Rivers Stadium himself? The Steelers pulled off a huge come from behind upset of a hated rival, not to mention the team with the NFL's best record, and they did so in a scene of chaos that evoked memories of another Three Rivers classic between these two franchises. The Steelers got on the board first. Kordell Stewart continues to play his best ball of the last three seasons. He led a 70 yard opening drive that concluded with a beautiful 19 yard TD pass to Bobby Shaw on 3rd and long. However, a few drives later, the Raiders hit Stewart in the knee and he left the game. Reports said he was done for the day. So Kent Grahm came into the game and was just awful. On his first play, he threw a screen pass which was intercepted and returned for a TD by Eric Allen. The Raiders then realized they could easily pressure Grahm, and he spent the rest of the first half getting sacked. The Raiders meanwhile finally got their offense going. Up 10-7 with just a few minutes left in the half, potential league MVP Rich Gannon marched Oakland 87 yards on just 8 plays. The Steelers defense, which had been playing a decent game, sat back and played that damn prevent defense. Didn't they learn after the Philadelphia game? Just like the Eagles, the Raiders threw underneath on the spread out Steelers defense, and one of those underneath passes went 21 yards for a TD.

Down 17-7, the Steelers looked like they were finished, but as the 3rd quarter began, an amazing thing happened: Kordell Stewart came back into the game, drawing a huge ovation from us fans. If you would have told me three months ago that the whole stadium would have went nuts for Kordell coming back into a game, I would have laughed really hard. Stewart not only came back into the game - he started a comeback. The Steelers put together a 9 minute, 92 yard drive. Stewart had some great plays. On a 2nd and 16, he was hit, fumbled, picked up the ball, and ran 17 yards for the first down. After a few big passes from Kordell and some good runs by Jerome Bettis (who tore up Oakland's defense), Stewart hit Mark Bruener, who then proceeded to drag a Raiders defender into the endzone for a 6 yard TD reception. The defense then continued to hold Oakland in check. RB Tyrone Wheatley obviously had trouble with the weather. He dropped several passes and fumbled twice. In the 4th quarter, the Steelers took the lead. Kordell faked a few guys out on a nifty 17 yard TD run. The comeback was complete, but the game was far from over. High profile rookie kicker Sebastian Janikowski pulled the Raiders within one with his second FG of the day, but with about 4 minutes left, Janikowski missed a 44 yarder that would have given Oakland the lead. All this time, a good old fashioned Steelers-Raiders game had been threatening to break out. Regan Upshaw of the Raiders spit in Josh Miller's face! Oh yeah, you're a big man, Regan. You want some trouble so you spit on our punter. Our punter!! YOU GUTLESS LITTLE BITCH! Nothing ever changes, does it? The Raiders still have no class or sportsmanship whatsoever. Anyway, the Steelers held a 21-20 lead but the Raiders got the ball back with just over a minute left.

Now everyone knows the history here. The Raiders feel like they were slighted both in the Immaculate Reception game and the 1975 AFC Championship game (the "icy field" controversy). That made the strange ending of this game all the more fitting. The Raiders started to drive but twice the refs had to stop things. First Andre Rison appeared to fumble but they said he was down, and then Gannon threw an illegal forward pass which took the refs at least five minutes to sort out! The refs didn't necessarily blow any calls today, but they took several minutes to huddle up and figure out each and every call. It almost looked like they really didn't know what they were doing. Oakland eventually had 1st and 10 around midfield and the clock was ticking. On first down, Gannon spiked the ball. On second down, he completed a 9 yard pass. On third down, he threw an incompletion. That left 4th and 1, but the stadium scoreboard showed 3rd down. The sticks on the field said 4th down, but Gannon was apparently confused. He threw an incompletion, and with 2 seconds left, the Steelers took over on downs. But Gannon and some of the other Raiders thought they had another play. Janikowski marched out onto the field to attempt the game-winning FG! Gannon was enraged, yelling at the refs and holding up three fingers!! It was absolutely priceless! The Oakland Raiders had once again been defeated in Three Rivers Stadium in a scene of absolute bedlam and confusion. What made it even more strange was that the refs again took several minutes to finally figure out that indeed it was 4th down, and to do that the head referee had to get on the phone to talk to the ref upstairs, just like after the Immaculate Reception!

In the end the Steelers had pulled it off. Kordell Stewart won back a lot of us fans with his heroic performance, coming back from a bad knee to lead Pittsburgh to victory. It's too bad this wasn't the last game at Three Rivers, because it would have been a perfect ending. There is one more game, but this to me was kind of the end. The fans were so into this game as were the players. Lee Flowers even said some of his teammates had tears in their eyes. The top team in the AFC came into Three Rivers, and we sent them home a loser. It's happened many times before. Not only that, but somehow a little bit of pandemonium helped win it in the end. Everything that happened today just epitomized the spirit, the magic, and the mystique of Three Rivers Stadium. This game IS Three Rivers, and it's going to be all the more difficult to say goodbye in two weeks. Here's the numbers:

• Kordell Stewart: 14-23, 136 yards, 2 TD pass, 1 TD rush
• Jerome Bettis: 24 rushes, 128 yards

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Tennessee edged out Philadelphia, Jacksonville destroyed Cleveland, Cincinnati beat Arizona, Baltimore had a bye

Steelers 48, Bengals 28

The offense explodes

The first game between these two clubs was a 15-0 defensive punt-fest won by the Steelers. The second game could not have been more different, but the result was the same. The Steelers swept the Bengals for the first time since 1997 and snapped their three-game losing streak. The offense gets the credit for this victory. Kordell Stewart played arguably his best game in three years. The Steelers got the ball first and the offense came right out firing. First Hines Ward ran for 23 yards on a reverse, and then Stewart hit Ward for a 39 yard TD. But this game then turned into a scoring contest. The defense is still having problems against the run, and RB Brandon Bennet (who?) was able to burst right through them for a 37 yard TD run. The Steelers came right back with a 12 play, 80 yard drive that ended with a 1 yard TD run by Stewart. So then it was the Bengals turn to answer. The defense let Corey Dillon and the Bengals drive right back down the field for another TD. With the game tied at 14, the Steelers got a break. They were forced to punt, but the Bengals fumbled the return and the Steelers recovered at the 30 yard line. Stewart then found Mark Bruener, who tight-roped down the sidelines for an 11 yard TD. This was one turning point in the game. The defense then started to wake up a little. Kris Brown kicked a FG, and at halftime the Steelers had already matched their highest point total of the season with a 24-14 lead.

The Bengals weren't quite finished yet. They opened the 3rd quarter with an 80 yard TD drive. Once again, nobody could stop Corey Dillon, and it was a game again. However, Kordell Stewart answered. He threw a 45 yard TD bomb to Bobby Shaw which put the Steelers back in front by 10. Shaw was covered well on the play but Stewart threw a perfect pass. After that play, the Bengals completely self-destructed. Akili Smith fumbled on his own 7 yard line, and one play later Bettis ran it in for a TD. Then their center snapped the ball way over Smith's head. He tried to dive on the ball but missed. Jason Gildon dove on the ball, realized no one had touched him yet, and got up and ran the ball into the endzone. That iced the game. Kris Brown added one more FG to give the Steelers their highest scoring performance since 1995, when they scored 49 points at Cincinnati. I have to really hand it to Kordell. He looked like a great QB today. He threw some nice passes, but more importantly he made some really smart plays. He always seemed to know when to run and when to pass, and that is something I think he has struggled with in the past. Jerome Bettis also had a good day, and went over 1000 yards for the fifth straight season. It wasn't all good however. Remember that this was the lowly Bengals we were playing today. The defense still looks half-dead, which is really discouraging. Dillon had 128 yards and would have had much more if they hadn't fallen behind by so many points. The defense needs to get it together. What happened to the defense of four weeks ago that wouldn't allow a touchdown? Still, a win is a win, and now the Steelers are back to .500 heading into three tough games. They have also matched their win total from last season, so unless we drop the next four games, this season can be considered a step forward. Two final comments on this game: first, it was great to see all the Steelers fans out there today at Paul Brown Stadium. They kept showing all our fans on TV and at one point the announcer even sarcastically remarked, "I thought we were in Cincinnati!" It's a credit to the loyalty and commitment of Steelers fans, which is sometimes questioned by the moron sports writers in this town. Secondly, I am convinced that Corey Dillon is the best running back in football. He is most likely going somewhere else next year and I couldn't be happier for him, because the Bengals are wasting away what could be a glorious career for him. Here's the numbers:

• Kordell Stewart: 11-20, 182 yards, 3 TD pass, 1 TD rush
• Jerome Bettis: 23 rushes, 93 yards (1000 yards for the season)

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Tennessee lost to Jacksonville, Baltimore beat Cleveland

Steelers 24, Jaguars 34

It's happening again....

Can you say deja' vu? Everyone said it when we were 5-3. Everyone knew what happened the last two seasons when we were 5-3 at the halfway point and then collapsed down the stretch. Well, guess what folks - IT'S HAPPENING ALL OVER AGAIN. The Steelers made a bunch of mistakes and the defense completely broke down. As a result, the Jaguars convincingly handed the Steelers their second straight home loss. The game started off well for Pittsburgh. Kordell Stewart hit Hines Ward for a 32 yard TD. But after that, things started to turn sour for the Steelers. First old man Courtney Hawkins tipped a pass up in the air and it was picked off by Jaguars LB Kevin Hardy. Fred Taylor, who absolutely DESTROYED us tonight, converted the turnover into a TD. After a Kris Brown FG gave the Steelers a 10-7 lead, the Jaguars came back and got another TD from Taylor. Then at the end of the first half, the Steelers started driving, but this time it was Stewart who fumbled the ball. The Jags converted that into a FG and had a 17-10 lead at halftime.

In the 3rd quarter, the Steelers completely fell apart. After another Jags FG gave them a 10 point lead, Troy Edwards fumbled the ensuing kickoff and the Jags recovered. Once again, Fred Taylor ran all over our defense and scored another TD. Now down by 17, the Steelers again began driving into Jacksonville territory, but just like the rest of the night, they screwed it up. Bobby Shaw fumbled, and the opportunistic Jaguars gave the ball back to - guess who - Fred Taylor, who proceeded to score his FOURTH touchdown of the evening. When it was all said and done, Taylor had racked up 234 yards on the Steelers once-proud defense. It was the highest rushing total ever surrendered by a Steelers defense!! What a total collapse by the defense! This is EXACTLY what happened the last two seasons. When our defense goes in the tank, we are finished. The Steelers tried really hard to make a gallant comeback. Stewart ran for a 1 yard TD and a 45 yard TD. Down by only 10 points, the Steelers got the ball back, but then they realized that their offense just wasn't going to overcome a 24-point deficit. Stewart had Hines Ward WIDE OPEN for a long TD, but his throw was a bit off and Ward dropped the pass. When usually reliable Kris Brown missed the FG which would have cut Jacksonville's lead to 7, the game was over. The Steelers are now under .500 and are officially done as far as the playoffs are concerned. That's not the discouraging part of this though. The real sad thing is that the Steelers are throwing in the towell just like they did last year and the year before that. Our wide receivers really screwed up big time tonight. They were responsible for 3 of our 5 turnovers, and they dropped a bunch of passes. Meanwhile, the defense couldn't stop Fred Taylor, allowing him to make history against us. It was overall the worst game we played all season. At 4-7, the Jags are not a good team. We destroyed them at Jacksonville where we had never won before, but then we play them here and throw the game away. It sickens me that we are letting this happen again. I wasn't expecting the playoffs, but I was expecting us to keep up the tough defense and solid running that had won us five in a row. I thought we were better than this. I thought we had come a long way from 1999. I guess I was very, very wrong. Here's the numbers:

• Kordell Stewart: 13-27, 188 yards, 1 TD pass, 2 TD rush

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Tennessee beat Cleveland, Baltimore shut out Dallas, Cincinnati lost to New England

Steelers 23, Eagles 26 (OT)

Steelers blow 10 point lead in final 3 minutes

Unreal!! Here is the situation: the Steelers lead the Philadelphia Eagles by 10 with 3 minutes left in the game. Philadelphia has no timeouts left and the Steelers have one of the best defenses in the NFL. So of course, who wins? THE EAGLES!!! This is gonna be a hard one to swallow. Kordell Stewart gave the Eagles the first score of the game when an interception set up an Eagles FG. The refs gave the Eagles the second score of the game. They called three bad penalties on the Steelers in the same drive, the worst of which was a b.s. pass interference call on Chad Scott at the goaline. Scott barely had his hand on CJ, and they called a penalty. Three plays later McNabb threw a TD pass, ending the Steelers 21 quarter streak of not allowing a TD. We were just two quarters away from breaking the NFL record held by the 1976 Steelers. The offense then managed to get a pair of FG's, so it was 10-6 Eagles at halftime.

After an early 3rd quarter FG by Philly, the Steelers offense started to wake up. They put together a 68 yard drive that started with a big 33 yard completion to Courtney Hawkins (remember him? He's still on our team!). The refs then gave us back the TD that they stole from us when they called interference on the Eagles on a pass that was 10 yards over Hawkins' head. That was a 3rd down play and it gave us 1st and goal. Jerome Bettis, who had a big game, ran it into the endzone from 7 yards out and the game was tied. In the 4th quarter, the defense made what appeared to be the play of the game. Lee Flowers hit Philly's running back. The ball popped loose and Joey Porter picked it up and ran 32 yards for the TD. The Steelers had all the momentum. Later in the quarter, the offense hammered out a nice drive that ate a bunch of time off the clock and made the Eagles use all of their timeouts. Brown kicked a FG and with just over 3 minutes left, the game was over, right? Nope. The Eagles came right back and drove down the field for a TD. That drive included a crap personal foul call on Flowers (the refs were awful today), but there was still no excuse for letting them score in just 73 seconds. The Eagles then did an onside kick. They recovered it, but the refs ruled that they had touched it before it went 10 yards. So they did another one, and guess what - they freakin got it again!! Then they once again marched right down the field. As time expired in the 4th quarter, kicker David Akers tied the game. The Eagles then won the overtime coin toss, and for the third straight possession, the defense allowed them to easily drive down the field. Akers kicked the game winning FG, and to the absolute shock of the 56,000 of us at Three Rivers Stadium, the Steelers had lost. Philadelphia had their most improbable victory since the Miracle at the Meadowlands. This game was truly sickening. Make no mistake about it - this loss can be soley pinned on the defense. They had shut down the Eagles all day, just like they have to most of the other teams they have played this year. The offense gave them a two-score cushion to work with, and still they could not hang on. I'm sure everyone is sick of hearing me say this, but it's so true - you cannot be considered a good team in the NFL until you learn how to win close games. Four of our five losses this year have come either on the final play or in the final seconds of a game. The thing that concerns me most about this heartbreaking loss is that it is very similar to the Cleveland loss last year, and that loss was so demoralizing that it started a chain reaction that destroyed the Steelers season. We'll see if the Steelers have actually improved by the way they respond to this loss. Here's the numbers:

• Jerome Bettis: 30 rushes, 134 yards

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Tennessee lost to Baltimore, Cleveland beat New England, Jacksonville lost to Seattle

Steelers 7, Titans 9

Almost

The Steelers were definitely outplayed today, but in the end they nearly pulled off a huge road upset. However, they came up short and had their five game win streak snapped by the defending AFC champions. This was kind of a wierd game. The whole first half was, as the announcers called it, a "fist fight". It was all about the defense, which actually benefited the Steelers. The Titans had a great chance to score when Hank Poteat fumbled a punt inside the 20, but Joey Porter intercepted Steve McNair at the goal line. That was just one of the approximately 300 breaks the Steelers got today! Late in the first half, Kordell Stewart, who had a crappy game (7 for 22), threw an interception while being sacked, but the refs ruled that he was down. Another time he threw it right to Tennessee's defensive back, but the guy dropped it. Tennessee also had several big plays called back on penalties (they had 14 penalties total in the game). The Steelers couldn't do any better. Whenever they crossed midfield, they too either got penalties or did something else to self-destruct. The Titans got a late first half FG when McNair threw a jump ball to Chris Sanders at the 3 yard line. Credit the Steelers defense for holding them to just a FG.

The second half was exactly the same as the first. The Steelers got yet another huge break when Al Del Greco missed a chipshot FG. The Titans later got another FG (again, the defense didn't let them into the endzone when they got inside the 20), but still, it was really strange. It seemed like the Titans should have been up by about 30 points, but there we were in the 4th quarter and the Steelers were only down by 6. The defense did a great job once again. They held Eddie George in check. Yeah, he had 98 yards, but it took him 34 carries to get it. So down by 6, the Steelers offense suddenly woke up. They started actually using Bettis and drove down the field. Then on a big 3rd down play, Stewart hit Mark Bruener over the middle. Bruener broke away from two Titans defenders, got a good block from Burress, and was gone for a 30 yard TD!! Are you serious?! The Steelers had taken the lead! Mark Bruener is a great blocking TE, but that was by far the best play he has made as a receiver in the six seasons he has played here. It was unbelievable that the Steelers were actually winning this game with just minutes to go. It seemed way too good to be true, and of course, it was. Tennessee got the ball with about three minutes left and began driving. McNair kept hitting WR Derrick Mason, who was WIDE OPEN on every play. The Titans were down to their last play, a 4th and 8, when McNair again found Mason for a 17 yard gain. It was just like the first game - Steve McNair leading the Titans downfield in the final minutes to come from behind. Tennessee was in FG range, and with 8 seconds to go, they brought out their long-time kicker Del Greco. This time he didn't miss the chipshot 29 yarder. The Titans won 9-7 in a hard-fought defensive battle. The Steelers were so close to winning their biggest game of the last three years, but for the second time this year, they proved that they just aren't on the same level as the Titans. But you know what? It's ok, because this Steelers team has brought a lot of pride back to Pittsburgh. They aren't going to win the division or probably even make the playoffs, but they are no longer a team that we are embarrassed to watch. The defense let up at the end, but they still haven't allowed a touchdown in over a month. They are threatening to break the NFL record originally set by - who else - the 1976 Steelers. The offense still needs a lot of work, but this team is getting there. Even though the Titans tried to hand us the game and we still couldn't win it, I refuse to be negative about this game today. The Steelers took one of the best teams in the NFL down to the wire twice this year, and that says something. The fact that they lost both games just means that they aren't quite there yet - but they're on their way. Here's the numbers:

• Mark Bruener: 30 yard TD; first TD since 1998

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Cincinnati lost to Baltimore, Cleveland lost to the NY Giants, Jacksonville had a much needed bye

Steelers 9, Ravens 6

Five for October

This game went EXACTLY how everyone expected it to, and it ended with neither team breaking into double-digit points. All the Steelers had to do was to win the battle of field position, not turn the ball over, and convert on opportunities given to them by Baltimore's piss poor offense. They did just that, and they are now all alone in second place in the AFC Central. The game started off well for the Ravens. New starting QB Trent Dilfer drove the Ravens all the way down inside the Steelers 20 yard line, but - surprise - he fumbled the snap on 3rd and 2. Lee Flowers recovered and the Ravens were stopped. The whole rest of the first half was the expected defensive struggle. The Ravens had some good plays on offense, but never got real close to the endzone. Fortumately for them, they have a good kicker. Matt Stover (he's played for that team forever) kicked FG's of 51 and 49 yards to give the Ravens a 6-0 halftime lead. If it weren't for Stover, the Steelers would have had their third straight shutout.

Kordell Stewart had been doing his usual thing - not playing great but not screwing up, until he went deep early in the 3rd quarter. Hines Ward beat his man for a 45 yard TD reception, and all of a sudden the Steelers had struck. That is, until Kris Brown MISSED the PAT!!! C'mon Kris! It's the damn extra point! It's automatic! So instead of a 7-6 lead the Steelers were locked into a 6-6 tie. Fortunately, the Ravens blew it again. They fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Brown kicked a FG, so the Steelers were up by 3. It was then up to the defense, and once again they came through. Dewayne Washington, who's having a tremendous season, picked off Dildo in the endzone. The Ravens had one final chance to drive for the game-tying FG, but Dilfer, being the suckass QB that he is, missed a wide open Quadry Ismail on a play that would have got them to midfield. The defense then broke up a 4th down play, and the game was over. Baltimore has quite possibly the most pitiful offense in the NFL. This was the FIFTH straight game in which they failed to score a touchdown!! That's really sad for a team that was once 5-1. The Steelers on the other hand have now gone four straight games without allowing a touchdown. They are the first team to do that since the 1988 Vikings. It also caps an incredible October run by the Steelers. Yes, the Ravens are certainly on their way down, but try to think back to the end of September when the Steelers were 0-3. Could you ever have imagined that we would be 5-3 heading into Tennessee to actually challenge the defending AFC champions for the top spot in the division? If you answered yes to that question, then you're a liar. Give credit to Kordell Stewart. Once again his numbers were not astounding (9-18, 133 yards), but he didn't make mistakes and he made the play of the game by throwing the bomb to Ward. The defense however was responsible for the win, just like they have been most of this season. Here's the numbers:

• Joey Porter: 2 sacks
• Hines Ward: 2 rec, 55 yards, TD

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Cincinnati beat Cleveland, Jacksonville beat Dallas in OT, Tennessee beat Washington on Monday night

Steelers 22, Browns 0

Another shutout

It's only fitting that the final Pittsburgh-Cleveland game in Three Rivers Stadium ended in the same way most of the other ones did - with the Browns getting destroyed. The Steelers defense stepped up again and pitched back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1976 (the greatest defense in NFL history). This game was similar to last week's game against the Bengals. Neither team showed much offense, but the Steelers defense enabled them to win by a comfortable margin. The defense set up the first scoring opportunity of the game when Jason Gildon deflected Doug Pederson's pass into the hands of Levon Kirland. The offense could only convert it into three points however, and that seemed to be the theme of the whole game. The special teams also helped out the offense. Hank Poteat returned a punt all the way down to the Cleveland 10 yard line. Meanwhile, an ineffective Kent Grahm was replaced by Kordell Stewart. After six unsuccessful attempts at the endzone (because of a Browns penalty), the Steelers were faced with 4th and goal from the 1 yard line. With the crowd chanting "go", Cowher gambled and it paid off. Bettis dove into the endzone for what would turn out to be the game's only TD. Later in the 2nd quarter, Chad Scott picked off Pederson, but once again all we could get was a FG.

The second half saw the defense continue to dominate and the running game churned out the yardage while running the clock. Brent Alexander got himself an interception, and guess what - we kicked another FG! But it didn't matter, because Cleveland had absolutely no offense whatsoever. The Steelers did put together some halfway decent drives in the 4th quarter, even though they again both resulted in FG's. Kordell looked somewhat sharp (7-13), but it was once again Bettis and the running game that led the way. It wasn't pretty the rest of the way. A couple of fights broke out both on the field and in the stands (typical Cleveland losers always starting trouble). The second half was not real exciting football, but it enabled the Steelers to shut out the Browns for the second time in the last two seasons. This defense has now gone 10 quarters without allowing a single point. Yes, we were playing against Doug Pederson and the very depleted Cleveland offense, but it's still an impressive feat. The Steelers have now won four games in a row for the first time since 1997, and are in position to challenge Baltimore and Tennessee for the top two spots in the division. If you would have told me that we would be at this point when we were 0-3, I would have kicked you in the head. So now the big question is of course who will be the starting QB next week? Well, it's probably going to have to be Kordell. The way the Steelers are playing right now, they don't need the QB to hardly do anything. Grahm has looked awful since he came back from that injury, and Stewart has not made mistakes. He also has the capability to scramble, which fits our offense better at this time. Plus the next two games are on the road, where he always plays much better. Next week will be a big game, but for now the Steelers can enjoy this win. The Cleveland Browns finish 5-24 in Three Rivers Stadium!! You have to love that stat. Here's the numbers from the game:

• Defense: 3 INT; allowed just 104 yards
• Jerome Bettis: 33 rushes, 105 yards
• Kris Brown: 5 FG's

Also: I just wanted to give a quick congratulations to Gary Anderson, who today became the NFL's all-time leading scorer. Anderson of course played for the Steelers for 13 seasons and was a huge fan favorite, so it's nice to see him get this record.

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Baltimore lost to Tennessee, Jacksonville lost to Washington, and how about this: Corey Dillon broke Walter Payton's all-time single game rushing record as Cincinnati stunned Denver

Steelers 15, Bengals 0

Defense pitches shutout to win puntfest 2000

Man, what an ugly game that was. It's a good thing the defense showed up, because the offense sure didn't. The Steelers had a team record 12 punts, but thanks to some more great defense (and the fact that Cincinnati is so horrible), the Steelers climbed back to a .500 record. The game started off quickly enough. On the second play from scrimmage, Kent Grahm hit Hines Ward on a 77 yard TD pass. Ward made a nice play by breaking two tackles as soon as he made the catch. That was the Steelers longest play in quite some time. After that the offense was terrible. Kent Grahm started off the game looking incredibly sharp, but then started to falter, finishing 13-33 for 173 yards. Not to make excuses for him, but he was hurt the past couple weeks. Plus it was much more than just him. The Steelers kept getting penalties on key plays, and the receivers - especially Mr. $$$ number one pick - kept dropping passes. But fortunately, the defense bailed them out. Cincinnati blew their one chance to score points. After a 49 yard Peter Warrick run on a reverse put them in FG range, the Bengals chose to run a fake and it failed miserably. The defense then helped out some more late in the first half. Joey Porter, who had a great game, forced QB Akili Smith to fumble. Jason Gildon recovered, but the offense could only get a FG out of it. Still, it was 10-0 Steelers at halftime.

Steelers 20, Jets 3

Steelers stun undefeated Jets!

Wow, are you kidding me? After starting what looked to be a miserable season with three losses, the Pittsburgh Steelers have now pulled off two straight road upsets. Today they dominated a New York Jets teams that was previously undefeated. The Steelers once again got great performances from their defense and running game, and from Kordell Stewart, who again started for an injured Kent Grahm. I wanted to see how Vinny Testaverde performed against the team that haunted him for years, but I never got that chance. On the Jets first play from scrimmage, LB Jason Gildon knocked Testaverde out of the game with a pinched nerve in his hand. The Steelers defense then had their way with backup QB Ray Lucas. CB Dewayne Washington intercepted Lucas and returned the ball deep into Jets territory. That set up the first score of the game, a 43 yard Kris Brown FG. The Jets then had a chance to tie the game, but again Gildon made a big play by blocking John Hall's FG attempt. Give Gildon credit - he is another veteran who I said was washed up, but he's made some big plays this season. After the block, the Steelers offense went to work. They put together a time-consuming 13 play, 94 yard drive. Stewart completed 5 of 7 passes for 46 yards on the drive. He also ran for 20 yards. Jerome Bettis, who had another big game, ran for a 12 yard TD and the Steelers had a surprising 10 point lead. However, right before the half the Jets were able to drive for a FG, so they were within a touchdown at halftime.

The Steelers defense held onto that 10-3 lead throughout the 3rd quarter. They forced local football hero Curtis Martin to fumble, which is extremely rare. Martin was shut down most of the day. Although the Steelers offense did not convert on that turnover, they did put together another long, clock-eating drive. This one was 13 plays, 87 yards! Stewart confidently led the drive, and capped it off by throwing a 10 yard TD pass to Bobby Shaw. It was the Steelers first TD pass of the entire season. Down 17-3, the Jets tried to find a spark. After a long kickoff return by former Steeler Dwight Stone (yes, he's actually still in the NFL!!), Lucas went to a hurry-up offense. It was a good strategy, since the hurry-up offense at the end of the first half resulted in New York's only points. It worked for a while, but the defense struck again. Joey Porter nailed Lucas. He lost the football and Kevin Henry recovered. At this point, the Jets defense all but gave up. The Steelers ate 7 minuted off the clock in a drive which saw them convert three third down plays. Brown kicked another FG, and when Brent Alexander picked off Lucas on the ensuing drive, the game was over. The fact that the Steelers so thoroughly destroyed the AFC's only unbeaten team is truly unbelievable. This is old-fashioned Steelers football we're seeing right now. The defense has been incredible. Today they nearly pitched a shutout. They caused four New York turnovers, blocked a FG, and knocked Testaverde out of the game before he was even able to get started. Meanwhile, the Bus continues to look like the Bus of old. Same goes for the offesnive line. Third-stringer Larry Tharpe had to come in and play right tackle after Shar Pourdanish got injured, and he was effective. Kordell Stewart is making a strong argument to replace Kent Grahm. Stewart had modest but solid numbers, going 17-26 for 140 yards and a TD. The big number for Stewart was that the offense was 10 for 17 on 3rd down, and they held the ball for over 37 minutes. It was complete domination just like last week. The Steelers have to be feeling great right now, especially since they are coming home for two games against the bottom of the division. Just a few weeks ago, most of us had the Steelers written off as one of the NFL's doormats. Although it's only been two games (well, three if you count the good performance against Tennessee), the Steelers are writing an incredible comeback story. We'll see if it continues. Here's the numbers:

• Jerome Bettis: 25 rushes, 107 yards
• Defense: forced 4 turnovers; gave Vinny more nightmares

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Cleveland lost to Arizona, Cincinnati lost to Tennessee, Baltimore beat Jacksonville on Sunday night

Steelers 24, Jaguars 13

Steelers finally win in Jacksonville

After two solid games that both ended in losses, the Steelers finally put it all together today and not only got their first win of the 2000 season, but their first ever win at Jacksonville. Kordell Stewart started this game in place of an injured Kent Grahm. Stewart played solidly, but it was the running game and the defense that were the story today. The Steelers got off to a bad start. Jacksonville blocked a punt and recovered it at the Steelers 3 yard line. The defense however did not allow the Jaguars to get into the endzone. After Jacksonville blew their opportunity and had to settle for a FG, the Steelers put together a drive which was aided greatly by a Jaguars late hit penalty (which crybaby Couglin cried about for five minutes - "It's not fair [sniff][sniff]! It's just not fair!! Waaaaa!"). Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, who had 51 yards on just 7 carries, scored a TD from 5 yards out. It was the first time the Steelers had scored a TD against the Jaguars since November of 1998. In the 2nd quarter, the Steelers offense again mounted a long drive. This time it was Stewart who got into the running act, reeling off a 33 yarder. But the drive stalled inside the Jaguars 5 yard line and the Steelers had to settle for a FG. On the ensuing possesion, the defense stepped up big. Lee Flowers intercepted Brunell at the 25 yard line, and this time the Steelers capitalized with a Bettis TD. The Jagoffs snuck in another FG before the half, but it was still 17-6 Steelers.

The Steelers knew they had the game won as long as they could keep hammering the ball right down the Jaguars throats. That's exactly what they did in the 3rd quarter. Jerome Bettis has been on a tear the past three weeks. It's quite remarkable, considering the fact that just about everyone (especially me) had written him off as being washed up. Bettis led a 60 yard drive. He had a 20 yard run, and he capped the drive with a 3 yard TD. The rest of the game was easy. The defense continued to pound Brunell into the ground. They also held Fred Taylor to just 24 yards rushing, and they kept the always dangerous Jimmy Smith in check. The Bus meanwhile continued to run. The rest of the game included a big Plaxico Burress screw-up (see below) and a fluke little Jaguars TD with 9 seconds left in the game, but no real excitement beyond that. The Steelers soundly defeated their old rivals. They played possibly their most solid game of the last two seasons today. It was just like old times!! The offensive line blocked great. The running game racked up over 200 yards. The defense sacked Brunell 7 times and caused 2 turnovers. It was truly fun to watch this team again. It's funny how things happen in the NFL some times. When we were going to the Super Bowl and Jacksonville was an expansion team, we couldn't win there. No matter what the situation, we could never win at Jacksonville. Now this year - of all years - we finally win a game there and do so in convincing fashion. The Steelers really needed a big win like this after what happened in the first couple weeks. Don't get too excited yet. Next week the Steelers go to New York to take on the undefeated Jets. Still, even if this win doesn't turn our season around (which it probably won't), it was still great to stick it to the Jags, who are now under .500 for the first time since 1996. Coughlin better start worrying about his job security! Here's the numbers:

• Jerome Bettis: 28 rushes, 97 yards
• Defense: 7 sacks

Plaxico makes all-time blooper reel: Plaxico Burress won't be crying about not getting the ball anymore. Instead he'll be looking for the biggest rock to hide under. Late in the 4th quarter, the Steelers had a secure lead and were putting together a nice drive to add to that lead. Burress, who had already screwed up in the first half when he was stripped of the ball, caught a pass over the middle around the Jaguars 30 yard line. He dove on the ground, stood up, and spiked the ball. Problem? No one had touched him yet!!!! Jacksonville picked up the football on the bounce and ran it all the way back inside the Steelers 30 yard line!! Hey son - this ain't college ball anymore!! You're not down when your knee touches the ground! Although the Jaguars could not convert this opportunity into points, and the Steelers still won easily, this play will still be replayed everywhere for quite some time. It's going to be on EVERY NFL BLOOPER film you ever see! That one was an all-timer. It was like the guy for Minnesota who ran the wrong way. Actually, it was more reminiscent of Dave Smith, the Steelers wide receiver who spiked the ball backwards over his head on the 3 yard line against Kansas City in the early 70's. I kind of feel a little bit bad for him. He is a rookie after all. He's going to have to see this play now for the rest of his NFL career and beyond. Hopefully he'll become a star and then he'll be able to laugh at it someday.

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Baltimore shutout Cleveland (the Ravens THIRD shutout of this young season!), Miami beat Cincinnati, Tennessee beat the NY Giants

Steelers 20, Titans 23

Gutsy effort falls short

Hey - at least they got the FG attempt off this week!! The Steelers played a real gutsy game today against the defending AFC champions. You could look at this game as a second straight heartbreaking last-second loss, but I think it was a positive experience that this team (and we fans) needs right now. The game did not begin too positively however. Neil O'Donnell started this game for Tennessee, and he led the Titans on a long TD drive. The drive included a 67 yard pass to that bitch Carl Pickens. I can't tell you how sick I am of him wasting our secondary. It's been how many years now? Why can't we stop him?! The Steelers offense tried to get moving, but just like the first two games, they couldn't capitalize when they got inside the red zone. They kicked two FG's in the first half. The defense meanwhile began beating up on the Titans. They knocked TE Frank Wycheck out of the game. Chad Scott then picked off O'Donnell twice, once at the goaline. Down 10-6 near the end of the first half, the Steelers put together a nice drive but once again botched it. Bobby Shaw fumbled the ball at the Titans 10 yard line. Still, the Steelers were very much in the game at halftime and that bastard O'Donnell had thrown two interceptions to the same defensive back. I think I saw him do that once before - I can't remember where.....

After the Titans kicked a FG to extend their lead to seven, the Steelers again mounted a drive. This one culminated with what should have been a Hines Ward TD at the end of the 3rd quarter. After the refs screwed us (and then reviewed the play so they could screw us again), Kordell Stewart came in the game and dove in from the one yard line to tie the game at 13-13. The Titans then got a long kickoff return, but the defense didn't break. They only allowed a FG. The offense couldn't get much going, so the defense stepped up again. Dewayne Washington intercepted O'Donnell at midfield, and the Steelers were in business. Kent Grahm, who played his heart out (especially after what happened with him last week), drove the Steelers downfield. Bettis plowed into the endzone, and with five minutes left in the game, the Steelers had a 4 point lead! The Titans had one final shot with just over two minutes left. That's when the Steelers defense made thier fatal mistake - they hit O'Donnell too damn hard! Bleeding profusely from the mouth (what a beautiful sight), O'Donnell was forced to leave the game. That meant that Steve McNair then entered the game. McNair was hurt, but not to the point that where he couldn't play. It took him just over 35 seconds to march the Titans 70 yards down the field before throwing a TD pass to their TE, who was WIDE open in the endzone. I can't believe that. I've never seen a QB come in ice cold off the bench like that and so effortlessly lead his team all the way down the field for the go-ahead score! I'll give McNair credit. He won them this game. With just over a minute remaining, the Steelers still had a chance, but Kent Grahm was also kncoked out of the game (he got a nice standing ovation as he stumbled off the field - hopefully he'll remember it tomorrow!) So enter Kordell Stewart (oh no!!!). But Stewart did ok. He drove the Steelers down to the Titans 32 yard line. Ironically, we were in the same situation as last week - down 23-20 trying to set up for the game-tying FG. The Steelers did not get close enough however. Kris Brown's 50 yard attempt in the final seconds fell short of the goalposts, and Tennessee escaped with the victory.

There were some bright spots in this game. For one thing, the Steelers beat the hell out of O'Donnell. That should shut up all the idiots who complain about why we "should have never let such a great QB go". Captain Chokehard was up to his old tricks again today, and he's lucky that McNair bailed him out. In the end of course the Steelers still couldn't come up with what would've been a huge upset. If there's one constant that I've learned from watching NFL games for so many years, it's this: the good teams always find a way to win, and the bad teams always find a way to lose. That's the difference in the pro's, and the Steelers are one of the bad teams right now. That being said, I have to give this young Steelers team a lot of credit. Even though they lost today, they really showed a lot of heart, especially after what happened last week. They gave us fans at Three Rivers our money's worth. We got to see an entertaining game, and that's a rarity with the Steelers these days (especially at home). It proved to us that they still care whether or not they win games. I'll admit that I had begun to doubt that. Hopefully this game is something they can build on. I'll say one thing - the Titans won't ever take us lightly again. Their whole team got banged up badly in this game. Here's the numbers:

• Kent Grahm: 18-33; 254 yards
• Chad Scott: 2 INT's

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Cincinnati was shut out for the second straight week, this time by Baltimore, Cleveland lost to Oakland, Jacksonville lost to Indianapolis on Monday night

Steelers 20, Browns 23

What a sorry bunch of losers!!!

UNBELIEVABLE! The Steelers have found a way to sink lower than ever. This is by far the sorriest team we've fielded in decades. What happened at the end of today's game was probably the most pathetic display of clock management in NFL history. This game began with two Cleveland touchdowns. On their first two possessions, QB Tim Couch drove the Browns down the field for scores. Down 14-0 on the road, the Steelers finally woke up. Their offense put together their own drive, and Richard Huntley capped it off with a 4 yard TD run. The game then started to get interesting. LB Joey Porter leveled Cleveland punter Chris Gardocki twice. The Browns and their fans were not happy about it. Gardocki gave Porter the finger right in front of the TV camera! With chants of "Pittsburgh Sucks" echoing from the fans at Cleveland Browns Stadium, the old fashioned Pittsburgh-Cleveland rivalry was once again in full effect. The Steelers kicked a FG before halftime, making it a four point game.

Hines Ward, trying to prove that he got the shaft when he was demoted during the offseason, took the opening kickoff of the second half into Browns territory, and then caught a long pass which set up another Kris Brown FG. After a Browns FG, made it 17-13 Cleveland, the Steelers put together their best drive of the young season. Jerome Bettis had an incredible day, rushing for 122 yards. He was like the Bus of old, and he at least temporarily shut up all those people (including me) who said he is washed up. He capped off this long drive with a 10 yard TD run. The Steelers had their first lead of the game at 20-17. They then had a chance to pull away but blew it. After Chad Scott recovered a Cleveland fumble, Bettis attempted to throw a pass but it was picked off inside the 5 yard line. This was a stupid coaching mistake, but it was nothing compared to what would happen later on. Bettis had Plaxico Burress wide open in the endzone, but in his defense, Jerome is not a quarterback! So the Browns came back and drove again on a Steelers defense that was going back into sleep mode. They tied the game with another FG. As the game wound down to the final moments, the Browns found themselves pinned deep inside their own 5 yard line. But Tim Couch, who torched the Steelers for a career high 316 yards, hit Kevin Johnson on a 79 yard pass. Johnson beat Scott Shields, who was filling in for an injured Lee Flowers. Even though they completely broke down (again), the defense did not allow the Browns in the endzone. They had to settle for a FG, so the Steelers were down by three with just over two minutes left but had one final chance. They put together a great drive. Faced with 4th and 6, Kent Grahm hit Bobby Shaw for a big gain over the middle to get into Browns territory. A few plays later, Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala ran up the field for a 21 yard gain. The Steelers had 1st and goal from the Cleveland 10. Because they were screwing around wasting time during the drive, they only had about 30 seconds to work with and no timeouts, but that was still plenty of time to attempt a couple passes and still be able to kick the chip-shot FG that would send the game into OT, right?? On 1st down, the Steelers ran the ball! It got stuffed, and the clock ticked down to 14 seconds before Grahm spiked it. Why did they run? They also could have still run a play on 2nd down - they didn't need to spike it. On 3rd down, Grahm was pressured and instead of throwing it away, he was sacked!! Why didn't he get rid of the ball?! The field goal unit rushed onto the field, but there was not enough time to get the play off. The game ended right there on Cleveland's 10 yard line!!! This was the saddest, sorriest piece-of-crap coaching and playing performance I have ever witnessed in all my years as a Steelers fan. It was actually quite laughable. The Steelers held all the cards. The worst possible scenario was that they were going into overtime. I can't believe they screwed this up. This team is beyond pitiful. It's a shame they lost this game too, because it was starting to get fun with all the Steelers-Browns hatred and the rare great performance from Bettis. They really could have won back a lot of fans today, even if they would have lost in less dramatic fashion. They showed a lot of heart for a while, but in the end they realized that they are just a bunch of losers who don't understand how to win football games when they're handed the golden opportunity to do so. Any other week I may have been really upset about this game, but you know what? It doesn't matter, because yesterday Pitt shutout Penn State 12-0 in possibly their final game ever against each other!! Even the stupidity of the Steelers today cannot spoil for me what Pitt accomplished yesterday. I waited years for that! It's nice to at least have one football team that brings pride to our city, rather than complete embarrassment. I'm sick of the Steelers finding the most unheard of ways to lose games. I hope we go 0-16, just so we at least get a good college QB. Here's the numbers:

• Jerome Bettis: 23 rushes, 122 yards
• Hines Ward: 5 rec, 75 yards

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Cincinnati was shutout by Jacksonville, Baltimore lost to Miami on Sunday night, Tennessee has a bye

Week 2: BYE WEEK

Steelers 0, Ravens 16

Long Season Ahead

You know what usually helps you win football games? Scoring points!! The Steelers did not do any of that today, and opened their final season at Three Rivers with their first home shutout loss since 1989. It was a pitiful performance all around by a pitiful team. The Ravens defense was very impressive. They got to Kent Grahm early and often. Their first FG was set up when they sacked Grahm and caused him to fumble inside the Steelers 20 yard line. Our defense wasn't too horrible, although they let Priest Holmes run all over them for 119 yards. Their only major breakdown came in the first quarter. On a 1st and 25 play, Chad Scott was torched for a 54 yard TD by WR Quadry Ismail, the same guy who smoked our defense at home last season!! I can't tell you how much that pissed me off! Scott apparently thought he had help from the safety. The Steelers cornerbacks and safeties need to get on the same page. The offense meanwhile was a complete joke throughout the entire first half. They couldn't move the ball at all. They didn't even get a first down until the 2nd quarter, and when they finally did the crowd gave a huge sarcastic cheer. Baltimore added a couple of FG's, and had a 13-0 lead at halftime.

The Steelers continued to struggle on offense in the second half, but they did get a few chances to actually put points on the board. Their best drive of the game came in the 4th quarter. Grahm hit Bobby Shaw and Plaxico Burress (who had a decent NFL debut despite the fact that there was no offense) for a couple of big gains. After Jerome Bettis did nothing all day (9 yards on 8 carries), Richard Huntley also came in and had some nice rushes. I wish the Steelers would just admit that Bettis is finished and play Huntley full time. Anyway, the Steelers got down inside the Ravens 5 yard line. After a few unsuccessful shots at the endzone, the Ravens were called for pass interference, giving the Steelers four more shots from the one yard line. That's when Bill Cowher made a decision that he will surely be heavily criticized for - he brought Kordell Stewart into the game. Stewart was booed mercilessly the whole time he was in. He threw an incomplete pass and then fumbled the snap on the following play. Grahm came back in for 4th down but overthrew his receiver, and the Ravens hung on for a shutout. Cowher is an idiot if he really thought that his whole "Pittsburgh State" offense was going to work. You can't bring in a QB like that when he hasn't played the whole game, especially when it's Stewart and especially when it's at Three Rivers! The Steelers are a very bad football team this season, and we fans are in for a lot of frustration in the weeks ahead. Here's the numbers:

• Kent Grahm: 17-38, 199 yards
• Plaxico Burress: 4 rec, 77 yards

Elsewhere in the AFC Central: Jacksonville beat Cleveland, Tennessee lost to Buffalo on Sunday night, Cincinnati had a bye

Steelers 10, Redskins 17

Kent Grahm started this game, which was a shock to many people (especially Kordell Stewart). He completed a nice deep pass to Plaxico Burress to start the game, and then proceeded to get wasted by the Redskins million dollar defense. Jerome Bettis made a cameo apperance. It was kind of wierd to actually see the Bus playing in a football game. I almost didn't recognize him! Richard Huntley managed to make the blooper reel by having a pass bounce off of his chest and into the arms of a Redskins defender, who ran all the way downfield for a touchdown! Anyway, I've had enough of this pre-season crap. The Steelers still have a crappy QB situation and no more pre-season games are going to change that, so let's just get started with the real thing. Here's the numbers:

• Jason Simmons: 2 INT
• Courtney Hawkins: 2 rec, 79 yards, 1 TD

Steelers 23, Colts 24

The Steelers first team actually faced some rough competition in Mexico City Saturday night. The Indianapolis Colts, who are one of the favorites to win the AFC this year, showed why they are in a completely different league than the Steelers. Our special teams screwed up twice in the first quarter. Hank Poteat fumbled a punt return inside the Steelers 20, which led to a Colts TD. Then they let the Colts get a long punt return, which led to a second TD. The next time Indianapolis got the ball, safety Scott Shields totally bit on a play-action fake, and Peyton Manning hit Marvin Harrison with a beautiful 77 yard TD pass right down the middle of the field. Manning is already the next all-time great NFL QB. If they don't win the Super Bowl this year, they will eventually. Anyway, the Steelers defense all of a sudden didn't look quite as sharp as they had in the previous three games (surprise, surprise). Meanwhile the offense sucked it up again all through the first quarter. Finally, after we were down 21-0, Kordell Stewart led a couple of decent drives. Once again, Stewart played halfway decent (8-18, 82 yards) because the Steelers were not playing at Three Rivers Stadium. He still doesn't look sharp. He missed some wide open receivers, and he threw a costly interception in the end zone at the end of the first half. He lacks confidence, and he'll never be the QB the Steelers hope he can be. I know I say that every week, and I'll continue to say it until Cowher finally benches his sorry ass. Kent Grahm came in during the second half and looked much better than Stewart again (although it was against the Colts second team). He threw a nice TD pass to Malcom Johnson under heavy pressure from the defense. I like how our local Kordell-loving media always points out the fact that Grahm is immobile, and then he makes nice plays while being pressured. Another guy who played well in this game was WR Hines Ward. Ward was a starter last year but with the emergence of all these other guys, he has been forgotten about and relegated to a fourth-stringer. It was nice to see him show everyone that he is still capable of being a quality WR in our offense. In the end, the Steelers made it a close game. Rookie Tee Martin, fighting for that worthless third-string QB job, dove into the end zone with 10 seconds left in the game to bring the Steelers within one point. Not wanting to go into overtime in a pre-season game in Mexico, the Steelers went for two but came up short when RB Pepe Pearson was stuffed at the goaline. No matter, because nothing will change the fact that the upcoming season is really not something to look forward to. It's too bad the Steelers played so poorly, because almost all the 87,145 fans at Aztec Stadium were rooting for the Steelers. Apparently we're one of the most popular teams down there. I hope they realized that we suck before they came to this game, or else it must have been a huge disappointment for them: "Donde esta Terry Bradshaw? Senor Stewart es quarterback sucko!!" Here's the nombres:

• Kent Grahm: 8-10, 83 yards
• Hines Ward: 7 rec, 82 yards

Steelers 13, Panthers 0

Man, our offense still really sucks. They sure had us fooled for a minute or two after that first pre-season game, but now it's back to the same old crap we've suffered through for the past two years. Kordell Stewart looked like garbage again tonight, going 1-7. Sadly, that's one more pass than he completed last week. Suckass now has 8 yards passing over the last two weeks! I'm 100% convinced that he is incapable of playing inside Three Rivers Stadium. He just can't get past the fact that everyone hates him. You watch - he'll do halfway decent the last two pre-season games, because they're on the road. Then we'll come back here for the opener against Baltimore and he'll be totally impotent again. Kent Grahm did ok, but it's not enough to convince Cowher or anyone else to make him the starter. The offense in general was just miserable again. The game's only TD came on a Kordell run (the only thing he can do right) after Carolina had fumbled the snap inside their own 20. I don't get it. All these talented young receivers, and we look just as crappy as we did last year. On the bright side, the defense actually looks sharp. They pitched a shutout, but let's remember that this is pre-season, and the Panthers were resting many of their starters (including their all-pro QB). So now the Steelers are 3-0 in the pre-season, but you know what - nobody is excited because we still suck. It's important to keep in mind that it does not matter who wins or loses these pre-season games. It's how your players look that counts, and so far nobody on the offense is stepping it up. Here's the numbers:

• Kent Grahm: 10-19, 95 yards
• Kris Brown: 53 yard FG (he better get used to kicking from real far away)

Steelers 13, Dolphins 10

Wow, that was really boring, even for a pre-season game. After a decent showing last week, the Steelers offense looked to be in mid-season form in this game. Kordell Stewart sure lit it up, going 0-6 with an interception. Kent Grahm and Tee Martin didn't do any better. All three QB's combined for 28 yards. Actually, it was really the offensive line's fault. Stewart never had more than 2 seconds to get a pass off, and Grahm got sacked four times. The Marino-less Dolphins looked like they need some help on offense as well, but their first-team defense kicked the crap out of us. The lone positive point for the Steelers was RB Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala. He rushed for 122 yards, including a 60 yard run in the 4th quarter. He also scored the only Steelers TD. They had Fu playing as the backup fullback to Jon Witman (Penn State sucks). Now they're talking about making him the third string HB again, so he can never play like he did the last two seasons. Why can't he just start at FB? I know he's not a great blocker, but neither is Witman. He might actually do something halfway constructive there also, which would be more than Witman has done in his five sorry years with this team. So another meaningless practice game is in the books, but unfortunately we still have three more to go. Here's the numbers:

• Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala: 15 rushes, 122 yards, 1 TD

Steelers 38, Cowboys 10

Recap from this game was lost.....