Which Left? Leftwich!

The Steelers' defense is shaping up as something special, and that may be an understatement. And, no matter who wins the election today, Steelers' defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau should be the next Secretary of Defense.

The D held Clinton Portis, the NFL's leading rusher (by a wide margin) to only 51 yards. That's probably even more impressive than the seven sacks they tallied, or the two interceptions.

The Steelers' defense prevented Washington from even converting a third down until five minutes left in the third quarter.

The linebacking corps is exceptional. Lamarr Woodley, who had two sacks last night, continues to be a beast, as does James Harrison, who had nine tackles and 1.5 sacks -- and he absolutely tormented Pro Bowl tackle Chris Samuels, who was called for holding three (!) times. The captain of the defense, James Farrior, was all over the field, with 13 tackles and a shared sack. Throw in Lawrence Timmons and Larry Foote, and this group may be the best in the business. Yeah, they are.

Of course, then, too, the offense did its share, too, with backup QB Byron Leftwich stepping in and performing more than admirably. The man has a cannon attached to his right shoulder, but even more impressively, he performed with poise and a resourcefulness that jump-started the offense and instilled a sense of confidence in his teammates.

The Steelers did their part last night. Now it's up to the rest of us. Vote.

"Pittsburgh beat Washington in the NFL on Monday for a dominant victory that US presidential candidate Barack Obama will see as a good omen. For all but one of the last 17 presidential ballots since 1937, a Redskins victory has signalled a win for the party currently in power. Obama was pictured last week at a rally with a Steelers jersey bearing his name, given to him by team owner Dan Rooney. The "Redskin Rule" has held true for 71 years, since the team moved from Boston to the US capital. There was a caveat in 2004, when a Green Bay win should have signalled defeat for George W Bush, but some rule-backers note that Bush lost the popular vote in 2000, so his re-election was not a true repeat."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-nflbox4-2008nov04,0,777089.story