Steelers 10, Ravens 13 (OT)

Disappointing season comes to a close

I was excited about this game. The Steelers had a miserable season, but they still had a chance to knock Baltimore out of the playoffs. All Cincinnati had to do was beat lowly Cleveland earlier in the day. However, the Bengals remembered that they are still the Bengals, and completely blew it. That pitiful loss gave the Ravens the AFC North crown before this game even began, so this turned out to be completely meaningless, but kind of fun nonetheless.

The first half saw lots of defense, as has been the norm with these two teams. Jamal Lewis scored the Ravens only TD, as he passed the 2000 yard mark for the season. Lewis had a chance to break the all-time single season rushing mark, and the guys on ESPN blew their wad over it the entire night. "Jamal Lewis is SO amazing, I love him, blah blah blah..." They had a ticker on the screen showing how many more yards he needed to break the mark set by Eric Dickerson in 1984, and to make matters worse, they had a live feed into Dickerson's living room, as the poor guy was banking on the Steelers no-clutch defense to preserve his slice of immortality.

The Steelers defense held Lewis in check after the first couple of series, but the offense could do nothing against The Murderer and company. Finally, Bill Cowher pulled out all the stops, and the result was the play of the year. Josh Miller prepared to punt the ball from his own 19 yard line in the 3rd quarter. Miller faked the punt and threw a pass to safety Chris Hope, who ran down the field for what seemed like an eternity. Hope dodged a few tacklers (some of whom hadn't even realized it was a fake), and went 81 yards for the Steelers TD. That's right folks - one of the longest passing plays in Steelers history will forever be in the record book as Josh Miller to Chris Hope, 81 yards vs. Baltimore! That was pure entertainment. The Steelers and Ravens then traded FG's, and the game went into OT. The Steelers won the toss but went three and out, and the Ravens then drove and ended the Steelers season on a Matt Stover FG to win 13-10.

The good news is that Jamal Lewis didn't get his record. I have nothing against Jamal, but I hate his team, and I wanted to kick my TV after listening to ESPN worship him all night long. The bad news is that the Ravens finally beat us in Baltimore (something they had not done since 1996) in Art Modell's last game as jerkoff owner. I'm not sure what The Genius was thinking. This game meant nothing, and he's got a playoff game against Tennessee next Saturday. Why wouldn't you rest some of your guys? Instead all of the starters not only played 4 quarters on a Sunday night game, but also an overtime period as well. I don't understand why beating a 6-10 Pittsburgh team is more important than winning a playoff game, but I guess that's why he is The Genius and I'm not.

So now the 2003 season is finally over. The most pathetic stat of the year was the Steelers inability to put together a winning streak of more than one game in a row, the first time that has happened since 1969. The front office obviously needs to make some big decisions concerning folks like Jerome Bettis, Jason Gildon, the offensive line, and the secondary. It should be an interesting off-season. Here are the numbers from tonight's final game:

• Josh Miller: 81 yards passing, 1 TD

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Cleveland beat Cincinnati

Steelers 40, Chargers 24

Frustrations taken out on lowly Chargers

The second half of the season has been a jekyl and hyde act for the Steelers. They look awful one week, then great the next week. This complete lack of consistency is the reason today's game meant very little. But the Steelers did play a great all-around game, even if it was against the pitiful Chargers.

The Steelers jumped put to a big 21-0 lead. Plaxico Burress pretended like it was week 1 all over again with two first half touchdowns. On the first, he just abused San Diego's cornerback, beating him to the outside after the catch. On the second, Tommy Maddox got CB Quentin Jammer to bite on a pump fake, and Plex was wide open in the endzone. In between those two scores, Jerome Bettis scored on a short TD. The Bus had a big day, rushing for over 100 yards and passing Marcus Allen for 7th on the all-time list (does he pass someone new each week? - Jim Brown is only like 12 yards away). Bettis is making a strong argument to be a Steeler next year, even if it's for less money. If not, then this was an appropriate Pittsburgh farewell for the Bus.

The defense seemed to go to sleep after the Steelers grabbed the big lead. They allowed San Diego to score 17 unanswered points, including a 57 yard TD pass in which no one was anywhere near the receiver. But then Deshea Townsend decided to single-handedly win the game. First he recovered a Drew Brees fumble in Chargers territory. That led to a 20 yard TD pass from Maddox to Hines Ward, who was selected to his 3rd straight Pro Bowl earlier this week. On the next drive, Townsend intercepted Brees and returned it to the 5 yard line. That led to a Jeff Reed FG. Then after a Ladainian Tomlinson TD made the game somewhat close again, Townsend picked off Brees a second time, and this time he took it all the way to the house to ice the game. All season long I have been lamenting the fact that the defense has no big-play guys who could take complete control of a game the way Carnell Lake and Rod Woodson used to do. That is exactly what Townsend did today, and it was great to see.

Although these games mean nothing, I think it's good to see the Steelers trying to salvage a halfway respectable record. It's also frustrating, because if they hold that last minute lead against Cincinnati, or if they score on one of their six chances inside the 10 against New York, or if Brent Alexander hangs onto that ball in Denver, or if we hold those 10-0 leads against KC and Tennessee, then we could be playing for the division title next week in Baltimore. However, all is not lost. If Cincinnati beats Cleveland next Sunday afternoon, then the Steelers have a chance to knock the Ravens out of the playoffs Sunday night! I hate to say it, but it would make our whole season worthwhile to ruin their season!! Here are the numbers from today:

• Jerome Bettis: 32 rushes, 116 yards, 1 TD
• Deshea Townsend: 2 INT, 1 Fumble Recovery, 1 TD

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Jamal Lewis beat Cleveland, Cincinnati lost to St. Louis

Steelers 0, Jets 6

Zzzzzzz....

This may have been the most boring game in Steelers history. This was originally going to be a big late-season game between two AFC contenders, but both the Steelers and Jets have had disappointing seasons, turning this into a meaningless dud. However, when I saw that there was a snow storm in Jersey, I thought maybe this could be fun. I was very, very wrong.

In the first half, the Jets kicked two field goals. That is literally all that happened. No turnovers, no big plays, nothing. Receivers were slipping and sliding all over the field, so the only way to move the ball was via the running game, and former Pitt star Curtis Martin tore up the Steelers defense with 228 total yards. It didn't help New York all that much though, as those two FG's would be all the points they could muster.

The Steelers had two great chances to win the game. In the 4th quarter, they reached the New York red zone twice, only to come away with nothing. On the first drive, they had SIX tries to get into the endzone from inside the 10 (because of a lucky penalty on the Jets), and they failed all six times! Then to add insult to injury, Jeff Reed missed the chipshot FG. Reed missed two FG's in this game, and it proved to be the difference. The Steelers then caught a second break as the Jets fumbled the ball deep in Steelers terrtory. Again they drove all the way down the field only to go four and out.

The Steelers were shut out for the first time since opening day of 2000, and they lost to the Jets for only the second time ever. This was a miserable game marred by awful weather conditions. That being said, the Steelers still blew it hard. Jeff Reed - I know it's tough to kick in the snow, but the Jets kicker made two FG's. You have to make them too, especially from 20 yards out. And the offense couldn't score even with six attempts? C'mon! It just sums up the whole season rather well. Is it really this hard to win two games in a row?!?! Here are the numbers:

• Jerome Bettis: 16 rushes, 68 yards
• Hines Ward: 5 rec, 68 yards

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Baltimore choked against Oakland, Cleveland lost to Denver in OT, Cincinnati beat San Francisco

Steelers 27, Raiders 7

Oakland even more pitiful than Pittsburgh

It's nice to see that even though their season is essentially over, the Steelers have not yet thrown in the towell. The Raiders obviously have, as they did nothing today to counter coach Bill Callahan's assessment that they are the "dumbest team in America".

Oakland drew first blood in this game, running the ball effectively on a drive that was capped by a 22 yard TD run by The Ghost of Tyrone Wheatley. It looked like it would be another long day for the Steelers defense, but then they remembered that they were playing against Rick Mirer at home and realized there was no way they could lose this game. The Steelers got on the board with a Jeff Reed FG, then they got one of those old-fashioned Jerome Bettis touchdowns where he bowls everyone over on his way to the endzone. The defense clamped down on Oakland after that. Dewayne Washington (back from the dead) intercepted Mirer late in the 2nd quarter, and the Steelers converted with a 14 yard TD pass to Plaxico Burress. It was a fade - the first time this season the Steelers have thrown the fade to 6'5" Plex.

Trailing 17-7 at halftime, Oakland decided that the second half wasn't worth playing. Antwaan Randle El, who had a HUGE game returning kicks, took one back 51 yards to set up another Steelers TD. Bettis also had a big day. He bacame the first Steeler this season to crack the 100 yard mark (if you can believe that), and passed Thurman Thomas for 9th place all-time in rushing yards. Meanwhile, the defense gave a rare good effort, holding Oakland to a measly 10 yards passing! They also sacked washed up Mirer 4 times.

These two teams have a lot in common. They both have had a lot of success the past couple of years, they both had high expectations this season, and they both have been colossal disappointments. However, at least the Steelers are still trying to sort of play. Hines Ward even noted that the Raiders seemed like they were "ready to go home" by the middle of the 3rd quarter. They are the same bunch of quitters, drug-addicts, cheaters, and all-around losers that they have been for the past 30 years. Commitment to Excellence my ass! Some things never change I guess. Here are the numbers:

• Jerome Bettis: 27 rushes, 106 yards, 1 TD
• Antwaan Randle El: 225 total yards

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Baltimore beat Cincinnati, Cleveland lost to St. Louis on Monday Night

Steelers 20, Bengals 24

Fans kicked in the nuts one last time

It's all over now. The shred of playoff hope that the Steelers were clinging on to was destroyed in brutal fashion today at Heinz Field. This game was sickening, and it shows just how far the Steelers have fallen.

The Steelers could do nothing right in the first half. Chad Scott got smoked twice, once on a 51 yards pass from Jon Kitna to Kelley Washington, then again on a 4 yard pass from Kitna to Chad Johnson. The Bengals were doing everything right, even running the ball successfully. Meanwhile, the Steeler offense looked putrid like last week. On their best drive (which came near halftime), they got inside the Bengals 5 only to see Randle El drop a TD pass and Charlie Batch (who temporarily replaced an injured Tommy Maddox) fumble the ball away. Cincinnati held a commanding 14-3 lead at halftime.

The Steelers had their backs against the wall yet again, but they came out a different team in the second half. They put together a 75 yard drive, but found themselves facing 4th and goal from the Cincy one yard line. Jerome Bettis pounded it thru, going over 12,000 career yards at the same time, cutting the lead to 14-10. The two teams traded field goals in the 4th quarter, and the Steelers had one chance to put together a drive in the final minutes. Down by 4, the offense had to score a touchdown, and they did it in dramatic fashion. Maddox led an 80 yard, 11 play drive in which he spread the ball around to all of his receivers. But the real star of the drive was Hines Ward, who has more heart than the rest of this pitiful team put together. Ward got kneed in the spine early in the drive, but stayed in to catch several key passes. He was hobbling around the field, but still managed to get open enough to catch a 16 yard TD pass with just 65 seconds remaining, putting the Steelers ahead by three! It was the drama that the Steelers had lacked all year. Maybe this would miraculously turn their season around. All they had to do was stop Kitna and the Bengals. I thought at worst they would maybe get into FG range and send the game into overtime. I never imagined that the defense would lay down, play dead, and show absolutely zero heart whatsoever. It only took the Bengals 4 plays - yes, 4 plays - to drive 52 yards down the field and win the game on an 18 yard TD pass with just 13 seconds remaining. What a complete joke.

I am sick of football. This season has been nothing but disappointment (I won't even go into my disgust over the Pitt game last night as the Steelers have provided sufficient frustration for everyone). I try not to care anymore, but this could have been huge. The Bengals came in to Pittsburgh wanting to take the torch away from the Steelers, and we had a chance to tell them it wouldn't be that easy. But then the defense remembered what a bunch of sorry-ass losers they are. They remembered how they can't make one single clutch play, even when the entire season is on the line. They let us fans down again and again and again and again. There is no more pride left in Steeler football, because the defense was always the source of that pride. I hate this team so much right now. I can understand when a team like the Penguins lose constantly, because they are young and in a rebuilding phase. But Mr. Rooney invested a lot of money in guys like Gildon, Porter, Scott, Smith, ect. And how do they earn their money? By letting Jon Freaking Kitna drive down the field in FOUR FREAKING PLAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!! If they each take about 500 grand out of their salaries to give us fans our money back, then maybe, just maybe, I will begin to forgive them. Otherwise they can all go to hell, because I am personally done sitting in the frigid cold or rain to watch this CRAP. Here are the numbers:

• Hines Ward: 13 rec, 149 yards, 1 TD

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Baltimore beat San Francisco, Cleveland lost to Seattle

Steelers 13, Browns 6

Defense makes special cameo appearance in Cleveland

The knock on the Steelers defense all season has been that they are unable to make big plays. Well, they made a bunch of them today, preventing the Browns from sweeping the Steelers for the first time since 1988. And the defense did this despite a lackluster performance by the offense.

This game did not feature too much excitement. Cleveland got on the board first by kicking two field goals, but the Steelers defense soon got into the game. They forced two fumbles deep in Browns territory, each resulting in scores. The first fumble led to a Tommy Maddox TD pass to The Ghost of Mark Bruener. It was nice to see Bruener catch a TD pass in what will surely be his final season as a Steeler (and possibly his final season in the NFL). The second fumble recovery resulted in a Jeff Reed FG, and the Steelers led 10-6 at halftime.

The Steelers offense could do nothing the entire game. Maddox was way off all day and finished with a putrid 73 yards passing. Jerome Bettis had a decent day, nearly gaining 100 yards, but in general the offense could not build on the lead. So the defense took matters into their own hands. The Browns drove deep into Steelers territory three times in the second half, and each time the defense came up huge. On the opening drive of the 3rd quarter, Cleveland had 2nd and goal at the Pittsburgh 1 yard line, but the Steelers stuffed them THREE straight times including a big stop on 4th down. On the Browns next drive, they again found themselves inside the 10 yard line, but Brent Alexander picked off Kelly Holcomb in the endzone. On Cleveland's next drive, Kendrick Clancy recovered a James Jackson fumble at the Steelers 27 yard line. Finally, the offense started moving the ball enough to get Reed his second FG of the game and put the Steelers up by 7. The Browns still had one final chance, but Chad Scott intercepted Holcomb on the Browns final drive, and Cleveland once again found themselves on the losing end of this rivalry.

This was a good win, but unfortunately the Steelers have gotten themselves into an awful situation where they must win virtually EVERY week from now until the end of the season (and hope the division leaders lose) to still have a shot at the post-season. They didn't get any help today as Seattle blew a big lead against Baltimore and San Diego folded against Cincinnati. The playoff hopes are close to dead, but at least we can take pride in the fact that we beat the Browns in Cleveland, and wiped out their slim playoff hopes as well. Most of all, it was great to see the defense play like the defense of old. If they could play like this all the time, the Steelers would have clinched a playoff spot by now! Hopefully they will keep this up, even if it doesn't mean anything. Here are the numbers:

• Defense: forced 5 turnovers
• Jerome Bettis: 93 yards

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Baltimore beat Seattle, Cincinnati beat San Diego

Steelers 14, 49ers 30

Golden opportunity blown

As awful as they have been this season, the Steelers knew they had a golden opportunity heading into this Monday Night game at San Francisco. With a win, Pittsburgh would be just ONE GAME out of first place. Could they pull it off? Could they come through in the clutch? Nope.

Stupid mistakes littered the first half for the Steelers. Chad Scott got smoked by Terrell Owens for a 61 yard TD. Jay Remersma let a pass bounce right off his chest and into the arms of a 49ers defender, which led to a FG and a 10-0 San Francisco lead. Jerome Bettis had a big gain get called back on a holding penalty. The Steelers converted a big 3rd down but had it negated by a motion penalty and eventually had to punt. The Niners went into the locker room with a 10-0 lead and the Steelers were left scratching their heads yet again.

The Steelers started to wake up in the second half. They drove down the field on their first possession of the 3rd quarter and scored on a short TD run by Bettis, cutting the lead to 10-7. But just when it looked like the Steelers were going to make it a game, everything fell apart in the span of 14 seconds. That's how long it took for the 49ers to score two touchdowns and put the game out of reach. First, former Pitt RB Kevan Barlow ripped off a 78 yard TD run. Way to give up a huge play yet AGAIN, defense. It's always great when a guy you cheered for in college just three years ago stabs the Steelers in the gut (i.e. Curtis Martin in the 1996 playoffs, or Danny Marino in the 1984 Championship Game). Like those playoff performances, Barlow's run may have ended the Steelers season, especially because Randle El fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and QB Tim Rattay converted on it with a quick TD pass. And just like that, the Steelers watched their slim playof hopes slip right through their fingers.

I'm getting so sick of the same thing week after week after week. Here is what always happens: the defense plays ok but gives up huge plays while not making any of their own. The offense is dismal and doesn't put up any points. And the whole team makes a bunch of stupid, costly mistakes. Well, it's over now. The rest of the season is all about draft position. Here are the numbers:

• Jerome Bettis: 1 TD

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Baltimore lost Miami, Cleveland beat Arizona, and Cincinnati upset undefeated Kansas City. Ladies and gentlemen: the Cincinnati Bengals are in FIRST PLACE!!!

Steelers 28, Cardinals 15

Steelers FINALLY win

Well it's about time!! The Steelers put together their most complete game since week 1 to defeat the Arizona Cardinals and snap a five game losing streak. Perhaps the most encouraging thing about this victory was the stellar play of the defense, which finally found a way to get pressure on the QB and not let Jeff Blake beat them with his arm yet again.

The Steelers offense was solid the whole game. In the first half, they put together a nice drive that was capped with a TD pass to... Chris Doering?? Whitey had caught a 53 yard bomb earlier in the game, and then he caught a 9 yard TD pass. It was like he was Steve Largent or something! The Cardinals had a golden chance to tie the game when Fatty fumbled YET AGAIN at the Steelers 17, but the defense held Arizona to a FG. Remember when Bettis never ever ever ever never fumbled? Well, he fumbles a lot now.

The Steelers put the game away in the 3rd quarter. Maddox hit Hines Ward for two TD's, one coming after the defense had forced a fumble. Then Antwaan Randle El made a brilliant move and took a punt back 52 yards for a TD. It was Randle El's second punt return for a TD in the last three weeks (look out Dante Hall!). The Cardinals got some cheap points, but it didn't matter.

The Steelers must have read my site this week! I said they couldn't put together a 60 minute game. I said the defense couldn't make big plays any more. And worst of all, I named Jason Gildon the most disappointing player of the year so far. Gildon not only had three sacks in this game, he also moved past L.C. Greenwood to become the Steelers all-time sack leader. Congratulations to Gildon, and to the Steelers for getting back on track. Yeah, it was against the lowly Cardinals, but this is a team who came into Heinz Field with a two game winning streak, and a QB (Blake) who has absolutely torched the Steelers in previous years. The AFC North is so awful that the Steelers may have a long shot at the playoffs if they keep this up. Only time will tell. Here are the numbers:

• Hines Ward: 64 yards, 2 TD
• Jason Gildon: 3 sacks, becomes all-time Steelers sack leader

On a separate note: Congrats to the Pitt Panthers, who beat Virginia Tech in one of the most thrilling games I have ever attended on Saturday night. This is the third year in a row that Pitt has beaten the most overrated team in college football, but this year's win was especially sweet given Tech's backstabbing move to the ACC. Don't let the door hit you on the way out, fellas. Hopefully the team that replaces you will give us more of a challenge.

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Baltimore lost to St. Louis, Cincinnati beat Houston, Cleveland lost to Kansas City

Steelers 16, Seahawks 23

Five in a row

What can you say about this team? I can't believe the Steelers are one of thw worst teams in the NFL, but that's what they are.

The first half of this game was real exciting. It was all field goals, as the Seahawks took a 6-3 lead into halftime. Chad Brown was all over the Steelers offense. Of all the free agents we've lost over the years, Brown is the one guy I wish we still had.

The second half was more interesting. The defense blew yet another chance to help the team win. Seattle drove down the field and scored the game's first TD, but Tommy Maddox and the offense came back and put together a drive of their own. Plex made a brilliant catch on a 37 yard bomb (after he had dropped a couple of passes earlier in the game), and then Hines Ward made an even better catch for the TD. The Steelers were down by 3 and needed a big stop by their defense. Well, you can guess what happened. Seattle marched right down the field with virtually no resistance. The big play was a pass over the middle where Dewayne Washington not only got smoked by the receiver, but stiff-armed to the ground as well. How many times have we seen that. The Seahawks scored and put the game away. The Steelers added another FG to bring them within seven, but it was too little too late.

The defense of 2002-03 just keeps making me sicker and sicker. I can handle when the offense doesn't produce (like in the first half of this game), because we've had plenty of that over the years. But the Pittsburgh Steelers whole history and tradition is built on strong defense, and this unit has taken that proud tradition and thrown it into the toilet. They blew it again today, giving up two touchdowns in the 4th quarter. The Steelers are officially done for 2003. Here are the numbers:

• Tommy Maddox: 21-35, 226 yards, 1 TD
• Hines Ward: 8 rec, 66 yards

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Baltimore beat Jacksonville, Cincinnati lost to Arizona, Cleveland had a bye

Steelers 21, Rams 33

Greatest Show too much for Steelers defense

They call the St. Louis Rams the "Greatest Show on Turf", and the Steelers defense found out why. Despite the fact that it was pouring down rain the whole game, hometown QB Marc Bulger torched the Steelers secondary in a forgettable 1000th game.

The Rams offense was hot early and they never slowed down the whole game. WR Tory Holt smoked Dewayne Washington (how many times do you think the phrase "so-in-so smoked Dewayne Washington" has been used in his six season with the Steelers), and the caught a 36 yard bomb to give the Rams a 7-0 lead. St. Louis would later put together another TD drive that featured more great passing by Bulger, but the Steelers hung in there. Antwaan Randle El returned a punt 84 yards for a TD, and Hines Ward caught a 9 yard TD. The Steelers defense continued to struggle, but they came up with two big goal line stops, which forced the Rams to kick two FG's instead of score two TD's.

Down 20-14, the Steelers mounted a great drive. They ran a long trick play with Randle El, and Maddox hit Ward again for a 22 yard TD. The Steelers had a 21-20 lead and seemed like they had captured the momentum, but then it all fell apart. The defense gave up two more Rams touchdowns, and the game was over. The Steelers dropped their 4th game in a row, and in the process hit a new low: last place in the NFL's worst division.

Our defense makes me sick. They have played ok this year at times, but today they showed that they are just as bad (if not worse) than they were last year. Every QB looks like a hall of famer against our secondary, and our front seven never gets any pressure. Why didn't the Steelers try to do something about this in the off-season? All they did was replace Lee Flowers. Obviously they needed to do more than that. In honor of the 1000th game, the Steelers had former players on hand. The site of players like Greg Lloyd made me recall how Bill Cowher's defense's of the 1990's made huge plays and won close games. This defense is not like that. There is no big play guy like Carnell Lake or Rod Woodson. There is no great pass rusher like Ray Seals or Kevin Greene. There isn't even a great role player like Chris Oldham or Gary Jones. All this defense does is play like garbage. I can't believe I sat in the rain for 3+ hours to watch this crap! Here are the numbers:

• Hines Ward: 5 rec, 90 yards, 2 TD

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Baltimore beat Denver, Cleveland lost to New England, Cincinnati beat Seattle

Week 7: BYE WEEK

Steelers 14, Broncos 17

Good effort, same painful result

The Steelers finally got their act together. They played great on defense. Tommy Maddox didn't throw any costly interceptions. The defense caused three turnovers. And the Steelers still lost for the third time in a row.

The Decaying Corpse of Steve Beuerlein started at QB for the injured Jake Plummer, and the Steelers were all over him. They intercepted him twice, but unfortunately all the offense could do with those big plays was kick two field goals. The Steelers still have no red zone offense. Denver put together one good TD drive in the first half, and they took a 7-6 lead into halftime, which really wasn't too bad given the Steelers recent games. This game featured lots of defense on both sides. The Steelers have no offensive line. Tommy Maddox was sacked 7 times, as the Steelers desperately tried to shuffle players around. At some point during the game, they moved Alan Faneca to tackle and Jeff Hartings to guard. I was expecting Josh Miller to come in and play center. I know they have injuries, but they also went into the season with no depth and backup players starting at the right tackle spot. Let this be a lesson for all you fans that complain when the Steelers draft a "boring" offensive lineman. The O-Line is one of the most important components of a team, and now we're seeing why.

The Steelers finally started moving the ball in the 4th quarter. They were in Denver territory, needing only a FG to take the lead, when disaster struck. Jerome Bettis, who NEVER ever fumbles, lost the ball for the first time in 220 carries. The Broncos used that momentum to finally burn the defense. Rod Smith made an amazing TD catch over the head of Dewayne Washington to give Denver a 14-6 lead. With their season on the line, the Steelers sucked it up and came back. They put together a 74 yard drive and capped it with a Jerome Bettis TD run, but they still needed the two point conversion to tie the game. They ran a fake reverse and gave the ball to Bettis. He was tackled short of the goal line, but rolled over Alan Faneca's leg and into the endzone. Faneca's leg kept him from hitting the ground at the one yard line. In other words, Faneca's leg almost saved the season! I say "almost" because there were still two minutes left in regulation. The old man started driving the Broncos down the field, as the defense went into prevent mode. I can't tell you how much I hate the prevent defense. The Broncos were in Steelers territory when Beuerlein overthrew his receiver and the ball landed right in Brent Alexander's arms, but Brent dropped the ball, and the result would be painful. Denver got 10 more yards to set up a potential game-winning FG with 5 seconds left. They also got some help from the refs with two cheap illegal contact calls against the Steelers defense. Dan Rooney said after the game that those calls "gave them the game", but the truth is that they would have got into FG range anyway, and Jason Elam can kick from just about anywhere. Elam drilled a 48 yard kick as time expired, and the Steelers were left shaking their heads.

This loss was painful, especially coming off the heels of Saturday's massively disappointing Pitt loss. The Steelers now head into the bye week with a 2-4 record, while Cleveland and Baltimore are way ahead in the standings. It doesn't look like the Steelers will be able to recover from this. The offensive line is so awful, and even when the rest of the team plays well, the Steelers still find a way to lose. Here are the numbers:

• Tommy Maddox: 19-30, 182 yards
• Hines Ward: 8 rec, 81 yards

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Cleveland beat Oakland, Baltimore beat Arizona

Steelers 13, Browns 33

Steelers look like crap

That was the most disgusting performance I have seen in a long time. The Steelers lost to the Browns for the first time in three years, and also lost their first game ever inside the AFC North. Cleveland jumped out to an early lead, and this time there was no miracle comeback.

After completely collapsing last season, the Steelers secondary had been playing well this year. Sure, they had given up some big plays, but for the most part they had held their opponents in check. That was not the case in this game. Tim Couch, an awful quarterback (as any loyal Browns fan will tell you), came out and burned the Steelers pass defense on the opening drive. The worst part was that Cleveland tried to run the ball several times with absolutely no success, and the Steelers still couldn't stop Couch even when they KNEW he was going to pass. They looked confused and left WR Andre Davis wide open for the game's first TD. Cleveland then jumped out to a 10-0 lead when Courtney Brown (Penn State sucks) blew past Todd Fordham and stripped Tommy Maddox of the ball, setting up an easy FG. Fordham can't block anyone. I understand letting Wayne Gandy go, but why didn't they replace him with someone? Instead they got some other team's old man backup, and now they're paying for it. Cleveland never looked back after that. The completely silenced a fired up crowd at Heinz Field. Couch threw for another TD in the first half, then ran for a third right before halftime after the Steelers had cut the lead with a Jerome Bettis TD. Even when the Steelers caught a break, they screwed it up. They recovered a fumbled punt deep in Browns territory, but only got a FG from it. They had an interception that was returned into Browns territory, but Burress dropped a 3rd down pass and again the offense only came away with 3 points. Meanwhile, Couch torched the defense in the first half, completing 16 of 17 passes. They made Tim Couch look like Johnny Unitas. Tim Couch!!

The Steelers were down 23-10 in the 3rd quarter, but still had a chance to come back and were driving. That's when Tommy Maddox made 64,000 people collectively throw up. Maddox was pressured and threw a HORRIBLE pass right to DB Daylon McClutcheon, who returned it 75 yards for the Cleveland TD. Unreal. That was simply unreal. Why does he keep doing this?? Is this some kind of sick joke? Does Maddox have any discipline whatsoever? Maddox has now thrown 8 interceptions, and 4 of them have been returned for touchdowns!! (I'm counting the one where the Tennessee guy got pushed out at the one yard line as a TD). I hate to say it, but maybe it's time to bench him. I love the guy and I know he is leading the league in several passing categories, but I have never seen one player do more to help us lose games. This is like a Kris Brown mental thing with him now, and I don't know if he can recover.

Nothing makes Pittsburgh fans more sick than getting routed by the Cleveland Browns on national TV. Everything fell apart - the offensive line, the QB, and especially the defense. A team finally decided to test the secondary, and they failed miserably. The coaching was awful in this game too. They kept throwing screen passes to Zeroue, who was the leading receiver for the game. What happened to our great group of receivers? Hines Ward looked awsome on the Steelers only TD drive, then they didn't throw to him for the rest of the game. The Steelers are in deep trouble. They have not only lost three times - they have been blown out in each loss. They just lost two big games at home, and now travel to Denver to play a very good Broncos team. The whole season is on the verge of falling apart. This is very, very discouraging. Here are the numbers:

• Jeff Reed: 2 FG

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Cincinnati lost to Buffalo in OT, Baltimore had a bye

Steelers 13, Titans 30

Big mistakes cost Steelers again

Was this a replay of the Chiefs game?!?! This is beyond frustrating. In each of their two losses, the Steelers have led big early in the game, played decent defense, but still managed to get blown out by shooting themselves in the foot.

The Steelers were all over Tennessee early in this game. They had two big drives to start the game - the first resulted in a FG and the second resulted in an Amos Zeroue TD run. But the impressive thing about those two drives is the time it ate up. The Steelers had the ball for 20+ minutes in the first half. Meanwhile, the defense was stopping Steve McNair and the Titans. The Steelers had the ball inside their own 5 with a 10-0 lead and facing a tired Titan defense. So what do they do? They attempt a couple of passes, and Tommy Maddox gets sacked for a safety. Then with the momentum of that score and the great field position of the ensuing free kick, the Titans were able to score a TD to cut the lead to 10-9. But the Steelers still had control. They kicked a FG and made it 13-9, and then got the ball back with just over one minute left in the first half. It was decision time - should the Steelers take their 4 point lead into the locker room, or should they gamble? Well, they gambled, and they lost big. Maddox threw an awful pass over the middle and it was picked off by Samari Rolle, who returned it to the one yard line setting up an easy TD. This is where the Steelers lost the game.

The Steelers could do nothing right in the second half. After Jeff Reed had an easy FG get blocked, the defense let McNair pass all over them for a TD. Down by 10, the Steelers still had a chance, but Tommy Maddox threw ANOTHER costly interception, and this time the Titans took it back all the way for the TD. Game over. What happened here? Granted, Scott and Washington gave up their usual long pass plays, but I thought the defense did ok against McNair. The guy is amazing when he plays us - he only threw one incompletion this whole game - but he didn't dominate the way he usually does. He didn't need to, because the Steelers offense did it for him. Marvel Smith was hurt for this game, and it showed. The line got beat up all day. They gave up the safety, they gave up a big pass rush which led to Tommy's second interception, and they gave up three sacks, all while getting called for several holding penalties. But the main goat of this game has to be Maddox. That interception at the end of the first half was inexcusable. If Kordell had done that, his life would not be safe tonight.

I just don't get this. The Steelers are playing well on both sides of the ball. The numbers look good on offense, and the defense is extremely improved over last year. But the Steelers are only 2-2, and it's because of stupid things like turnovers and kick returns. This has to be driving Bill Cowher crazy. This team is making college level mistakes, and it's costing them games. Meanwhile, give credit to Tennessee. Once again they found a way to win without looking flashy. That is what they do, which is why they rarely get the respect they deserve. I am SO SICK of losing to this team over and over and over and over again. Thank God they're not in our division anymore. Here are the numbers:

• Hines Ward: 9 rec, 76 yards
• Kendrell Bell: 8 tackles

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Cincinnati beat Cleveland, Baltimore lost to Kansas City

Steelers 17, Bengals 10

Cincinnati not good at football

There's nothing like a game at Cincinnati to get your team back on track after a loss! Everyone talked about getting the running game going this week, and it was the ground attack that came thru in a big way as the Steelers extended their undefeated streak against the AFC North to 9-0.

The Steelers began the game with a solid drive down the field, but once again they stalled in the red zone and this time it cost them as Jeff Reed missed a chipshot FG. Cincinnati tried to feed off the momentum and put together a long drive of their own, but they Bengaled it up in the end as Jon Kitna threw an interception to Jason Gildon. Why? Because Cincinnati is not good at football. In the 2nd quarter, the Steelers offense put together another good drive that stalled in FG range, but this time they did not attempt the FG. Instead they ran a fake, and holder Tommy Maddox found TE Jerame Tuman wide open for a big gain (oh those tricky Steelers special teams!). The Steelers would cap that drive with a touchdown. On 3rd and goal from the 7 yard line, Maddox hit Hines Ward on the 2 yard line. Ward was stopped cold but somehow FORCED his way into the endzone. He got smacked pretty good, got hurt, still got into the endzone, and came up smiling after it was all over. If you asked me to define Hines Ward's career in one play, this would be it.

After the Bengals cut the lead to 7-3 in the 3rd quarter, the Steelers finally unvieled their running game. Jerome Bettis came into the game and just ran all over the Bengals defense, much like he has done in years past. Pittsburgh put together an old-fashioned 12 play, 71 yard, 6.5 minute drive. The Bus scored the TD on 4th and goal from the one. Bettis could be EXTREMELY effective in this role. Think about it - Amos plays a solid couple of quarters, and then when the defense is nice and tired, Bettis comes in and runs right at them. Down by 14 points (after a 4th quarter Jeff Reed FG), the Bengals mounted a decent drive that was aided greatly by a big punt return (oh those horrible Steelers special teams). The Ghost of Peter Warrick scored a TD, but the Steelers were able to run out the entire final 6 minutes. The Bengals knew the Steelers would give the ball to Jerome to run the clock, but they couldn't stop him Why? Because Cincinnati is not good at football.

The Steelers won a game they were supposed to win and looked good in the process. It was great to see Zeroue and Bettis get the running game going, albeit against the Bungles. There were two other great things about this game. The first was seeing Joey Porter get a sack. This guy got shot just three short weeks ago, and he was in there today chasing down Kitna. The other great thing was seeing the Bengals set an all-time attendance record. Why was that so great? Because there were so many Steelers fans there. Every time we play there it feels like a home game. I'm sure there are fans in that town that come out to support the Bengals too, but that support is low. Why? Because Cincinnati is not good at football. Here are the numbers:

• Tommy Maddox: 21-34, 240 yards, 1 TD
• Zeroue/Bettis: combined 128 yards rushing

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Cleveland beat San Francisco, Baltimore beat San Diego

Steelers 20, Chiefs 41

Too many mistakes do in Steelers

When you play on the road against one of the best teams in the AFC, your margin for error is very small. The Steelers made some big plays today, but the Chiefs made more big plays. Kansas City capitalized off of Pittsburgh mistakes, and established themselves as one of the early super powers in the conference.

This game started off great. On the second play from scrimmage, Chad Scott intercepted a Trent Green pass and returned it 26 yards for a TD. What a great way to take that Arrowhead crowd out of the game. After a K.C. punt, Tommy Maddox hit Hines Ward on a 50 yard bomb. That set up a FG and the Steelers had a 10-0 lead and all the momentum. That's when everything began to turn around. Dante Hall took the ensuing kickoff back 100 yards for a Chiefs TD (despite a valiant tripping effort by PK Jeff Reed). The Steelers defense still played tough though. They intercepted Green again, and Maddox went for the jugular, hitting Plaxico Burress over the middle on a beautiful 33 yard TD pass. After that, the Chiefs high-powered offense finally got into gear. Priest Holmes started doing what he does best - flat out killing the other team's defense. Holmes scored a TD, and then Green threw for another TD, giving the Chiefs a 21-17 lead. Maddox then threw a pass that was a bit high and went thru Randle El's hands. DB Jerome Woods picked off the pass and returned it all the way for the score. The momentum had clearly swung, but the Steelers were still in the game. Jeff Reed drilled a 51 yard FG right before the half, and Pittsburgh was only down by 7 and about to get the second half kickoff.

However, in the second half, the Steelers continued to make more mistakes. Dante Hall had ANOTHER big return, this time on a punt. The special teams really blew it hard today. Hall's return set up an easy Holmes touchdown. The Steelers had a couple of chance to get back into the game, but threw those chances away. Maddox threw a Kordell-like interception at the goal line, throwing it up for grabs because he was under pressure. Verron Haynes fumbled deep in Kansas City territory. The Steelers were completely shut out in the second half, as the Chiefs cruised to a big victory.

This game looked like it was going to be the shootout everyone thought it was going to be. The Steelers had control for a while, but they let it slip away. They will go home knowing that this is a game they could have won had they played a solid game like last week. Give credit to the Steelers defense. Although Holmes ran for 122 yards and 3 TD's, they did a halfway decent job of containing the Chiefs offense. But in the end it was just a matter of the Steelers making WAY too many mistakes to get a win. Kansas City is a quality team and all indications are that they are going to be a force to be reckoned with. Here are the numbers:

• Tommy Maddox: 28-47, 336 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
• Hines Ward: 9 rec, 146 yards
• Plaxico Burress: 7 rec, 115 yards, 1 TD

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Cincinnati lost to Oakland, Cleveland lost to Baltimore as Jamal Lewis ran for an astounding 295 yards

Steelers 34, Ravens 15

No opening day jinx this year

The Steelers broke one streak today, but kept another one going strong. They broke their three year streak of bad opening day losses with a very sharp performance at home. Meanwhile, they kept their streak of complete domination over the Ravens alive and well. Is this still a rivalry? Doesn't a "rivalry" mean that both teams win games against each other? All the Ravens do is smack talk during the week, then get the crap beat out of them come Sunday. And The Genius actually thinks he's gonna win the division with these losers??

The Steelers offense came out on their first series and drove all the way inside the Baltimore 10 yard line, but had to settle for a FG. On the Ravens first possession, overrated rookie QB Kyle Boller was welcomed to the NFL by Kendrell Bell, who intercepted him and returned the ball deep into Ravens territory. But once again the Steelers had to settle for a FG, which was discouraging. The offense finally put it all together in the 2nd quarter. Tommy Maddox, who despite being 32 years old was starting his first ever NFL opener, hit Plaxico Burress on a 47 yard bomb. Plex simply owns CB Chris McAlister and the Ravens defense. McAlister is starting to reach epic Vinny Testaverde status of favorite opponent to play against. The bomb to Burress got the Steelers inside the 10, and Maddox capped the drive with a TD pass to Hines Ward. Meanwhile, the new run-by-comittee running game was in full force for the Steelers, with Zeroue, Bettis, and Haynes all getting a fair share of the workload and all looking decent. But the most encouraging thing was seeing the defense all over Baltimore in the first half, not allowing them anywhere near scoring range.

The Steelers broke the game wide open in the 3rd quarter. Maddox found a wide open Jay Riemersma for a 20 yard TD pass. Then after a Baltimore fumble, Maddox hit Hines Ward (again WIDE open) for a 28 yard TD. The Ravens had one good drive the whole game, and it came courtesy of Dewayne Washington. Good old #20 was called for pass interference several times in a row, and even rookie boy Kyle was smart enough to figure out that he could throw on Dewayne's side every time. Jamal Lewis, who had a halfway decent game, scored a TD to ruin the shutout. But that was really the only breakdown the defense had all day. Even Washington played ok during the rest of the game. The one real improvement I saw from the secondary today was the tackling. They made some real nice open field tackles, the kind Washington and company missed last season (see overtime of the Tennessee playoff game). Anyway, Amos Zeroue added a 4th quarter TD, and the Steelers scored 30+ points for the 4th straight game dating back to last season.

Overall, this was quite a game. Tommy looked unbelievably sharp, going 21 for 29. The receivers were on the top of their game, and the running backs all looked solid (with the lone mistake being a meaningless 4th quarter Verron Haynes fumble at the 2 yard line). It's fun to see the offense picking up right where they left off last year, but it was even better to see the defense dominate, especially since they were playing without Joey Porter. Pittsburgh is now 8-0 against the AFC North, and even though it was only the first game, Baltimore sure didn't look like they will present a challenge. Their offense is awful right now, and their secondary is very questionable. Still, it never gets old beating those guys. The funny thing is that they still talk trash all the time, like it's 2000 or something. The Genius and his boys are still living in the past. They need to fix their gaping holes before they even think about shooting their mouths off. Here are the numbers:

• Tommy Maddox: 21-29, 260 yards, 3 TD
• Hines Ward: 9 rec, 91 yards, 2 TD
• Plaxico Burress: 6 rec, 116 yards

Elsewhere in the AFC North: Cleveland lost to Indianapolis, Cincinnati lost to Denver

Steelers 14, Panthers 21

Ok, time to start the real games. The Steelers first team offense looked sharp tonight against a really good Panthers defense. Tommy Maddox went 4 for 5 and led the first scoring drive, which was capped by a nice 19 yard TD run by new starting RB Amos Zeroue. Then Charlie Batch came in and led another nice drive which included a long bomb flea-flicker pass to WR Chris Doering (who unfortunately was injured on the play). TE Matt Cushing helped his chances of making the team by catching a TD pass in the back of the endzone to cap the drive and give the Steelers a 14-0 lead. The defense looked good, especially on the blitz. But once again they had a breakdown drive, allowing new Panthers QB Jake Delhomme to burn them on a long end of the half TD drive. It was 14-7 Steelers at the half, and that's when I quit watching, because all the backups came in. Apparently the Panthers won the actual game, but as we all know that means nothing. It was nice to see the offense firing on all cylinders tonight. Maybe that will quiet some of the critics who get WAY too excited about what happens in pre-season. Of course, none of this still means anything right now, but we're only nine days away from the opener. NINE DAYS! Football is back. Here are the numbers:

• Tommy Maddox: 4-5, 65 yards

Steelers 15, Cowboys 14

The Steelers are slowly starting to shed the rust. They finally played a halfway decent pre-season game and came out with a late win. I know wins and losses don't count right now, but this will at least halt the inevitable news stories and phone calls to the talk shows about how the Steelers are in serious trouble because they haven't won a pre-season game. The defense did the same thing as last week - they looked sharp most of the time, but they had a "breakdown drive" where they let Quincy Carter and the mediocre Dallas offense march all over them. To make matters worse, Chad Scott was playing 10 yards off of Joey Galloway when he caught the game's first TD in the front corner of the endzone. Meanwhile, the offense looked ok, but had one really great drive in the first half. Tommy Maddox, who hasn't had the best pre-season ever so far, went 5-6 on the drive, and Plaxico Burress smoked the Cryboys for two TD passes on the drive (one was called back on a holding penalty). Burress has looked unstoppable so far this summer. I think this is the year he truly becomes one of the top 3 receivers in the league. Another guy who looked good last night was Jerome Bettis. After being demoted to second string a day earlier, the Bus looked like he had a lot to prove. On his first play in the game, he pancaked all-pro DL Laroi Glover, and then he ripped off three good runs. Maybe this was a good thing for Jerome.

In the second half, Dallas left their starter in, and they took the lead on the Steelers backups. But Frenchy came in at QB in the 4th quarter and led a game-winning drive that saw him go 6 of 6 for 57 yards. The Steelers went for two rather than risking overtime (no one wants overtime in the pre-season), and they converted. The Steelers still have some work to do, but I don't think it's looking too bad. Everyone in this town is already starting with their typical Pittsburgh pessimism, but despite the injuries and uncertainty at several key positions, I still say the outlook for 2003 is bright. Here are the numbers:

• Alonzo Jackson: 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble
• Tommy Maddox: 10-14, 142 yds, 1 TD

Steelers 16, Eagles 21

Man, that was another long, boring, sloppy pre-season game. It was made even longer by a 30 minute lightning delay in the middle of the game (it just never stops raining this summer). If this would have been a real game, I'd be really miffed by the fact that the refs took away THREE touchdowns from the Steelers in the first half. Hank Poteat returned a punt for a TD that was called back on a questionable block in the back penalty. James Farrior forced a fumble and returned it for a TD, but the refs ruled it an incomplete pass. And Antwaan Randle El caught a TD pass in the corner of the endzone that the refs somehow ruled out of bounds. But that's ok - the guys in stripes are rusty at this time of the year too. The Steelers offense came out slow again this week. It took Tommy Maddox a whole quarter before he finally completed a pass. The bright spots on the offense were Charlie Batch amd Antwaan Randle El, who both played well. The defense looked really sharp at times, especially given the fact that they were up against Donovan McNabb and one of teh best O-lines in football. But they also showed shades of 2002, allowing the Eagles to convert after a 1st and 20, and struggling a bit in the secondary as two Chad Scott pass interference calls led to the second Philly TD. So overall nothing to get too excited about as the season gets another week closer. Bill Cowher has complained that the horrible weather has slowed camp too much, and that the Steelers are "way behind" where they need to be. After seeing this game, I'd have to agree. Here are the numbers:

• Charlie Batch: 10-18, 94 yards

Steelers 13, Lions 26

The Steelers came out looking pretty lackluster for the first fake game of 2003. The offensive line, which has gotten a lot of attention this summer with the departure of Wayne Gandy and the medical concerns with Kendall Simmons, looked especially bad. They gave the QB's zero protection, and didn't help the RB's much either. The offense still managed to put together two good first half drives which resulted in FG's. The other good news was that the first team defense looked sharp. That will be the key this season - if the defense cannot recover from last year, the Steelers have no chance to compete in the AFC. So far so good for the D, although the Lions aren't much of a test. The second and third teams didn't fare well for the Steelers. First round pick Troy Polamalu got smoked once, and Frenchy did not do well after starting the second half at QB. The one bright spot for the scrubs was a 37 yard TD run by RB Donte Brown. Good for him. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the afternoon talk shows are flooded with phone calls from moron fans who want Bettis and Zeroue cut to make room for Brown. That's one of the 8,000 reasons why I detest pre-season. Anyway, the Steelers will get better with time. Here are the numbers:

• Plaxico Burress: 3 rec, 45 yards