Nyet to the Jets!

New York Jets fans deserve better than the dreck they've been served under the ownership of Woody Johnson. 

Today, the dreadful Jets, losers of eight consecutive games, appear rudderless.  The team has some good individual players, but they appear to be playing as individuals, not as a unified team. That indicates lack of leadership on the field, in the locker room and on the sidelines.

For all of Rex Ryan's blustery bravado, his words seem hollow at this point. He seems unable to ignite his players, although they have lost close games to New England and Denver. 

One glaring problem is the quarterback position. The Jets bet heavily, and badly, on Geno Smith.  It appears he does not have the stuff the be an NFL quarterback, not yet, and maybe not ever. 

Just as fatally for the Jets, they placed their backup chips on Michael Vick, who has always tantalized with spasmodic flashes of flick-of-the-wrist laser throws downfield and speed of foot. But there's something wrong with Vick, and always has been. His notorious involvement in, and leadership of, a criminally loathsome dog-fighting ring, suggests "psychopath." Since then, of course, he served his time in prison and was reinstated to the NFL, has received big-money contracts, and doesn't need any of us. And he acts like it. Does anybody really think he is any kind of leader? Does he do anything in the community? Maybe he does; maybe he doesn't.

Joe Willie Namath

But if anybody in the Jets' management structure ever really believed Vick was going to be a supportive backup to Geno Smith, imparting veteran wisdom and showing Smith how to be a professional quarterback in the NFL, well, they deserve what they're getting. It's actually painful to watch.

Vick is not a very good quarterback. He's never been an accurate passer, and he's never exhibited consistent ball protection. He fumbles too often and throws too many incompletions and interceptions. He's not a very good quarterback, and he's made a lot money conning people into believing he can be a good NFL QB. 

That's the Jets' biggest on-the-field problem: Quarterback. Other than that, who knows? Joey Porter's Pit Bulls suspect the Organizational problems start at the very top, in owner Woody Johnson's office, and that today, Johnson is merely seeing the results of the poor decisions he has made, from the choice of a GM on down, throughout the organization. 

Jets fans deserve better.

Jets Dreck

There's been more than a little talk this week in Pittsburgh mainstream media that the Jets have some weapons and could provide a stern test for the Steelers.

No, that's not going to happen.  Any team quarterbacked by the execrable Michael Vick is not going to beat Pittsburgh, not this week.

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls said so.

The Jets Won a Game

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls wasted some time watching Sunday's dreadful mess that was the matchup of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. the Cleveland Browns, and even though that wretchedness somehow qualified as an NFL game, it's hard to believe the Steelers found a way to lose to the Buccaneers a few short weeks ago (Sept. 28th, at Heinz Field).

If the Steelers could lose to that mistake-prone squad, they could lose to anybody.

Coda

On the other hand, there are the New York Jets. 

The Jets somehow found a way to beat Oakland in Week One, and the Raiders somehow beat the Steelers last year, and the Steelers have shown an unfortunate tendency to lose to inferior teams during Mike Tomlin's tenure, so -- anything's possible. Isn't it?

Yes, the Jets have won a game in this 2014 season that New York linebacker-DE Quinton Coples called "an unbelievable nightmare."

In the season opener, with the now-benched Geno Smith at quarterback, the Jets defeated the Raiders by a score of 19-14 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Rookie quarterback Derek Carr made his NFL debut for Oakland, completing 20 of 32 pass attempts for just 151 yards (two TDs; no interceptions).

Soon-to-be-fired head coach Dennis Allen didn't help Carr much by having his running backs attempt to run the ball only 14 times (for a pitiful 25 yards), so the Jets dominated Time-of-Possession with almost 35 minutes on offense. In the fourth quarter, Jets' running back Chris Ivory busted a 71-yard touchdown run to give New York a 19-7 lead, and that was pretty much the ballgame. Even in victory, the Jets had 11 penalties for 105 yards.

Still, for one glorious week, the New York Jets had the NFL's top-rated defense: first in rushing defense, first in passing defense and first in total defense.

How did the Jets beat Oakland? Following the game, Raiders coach Dennis Allen said of the Jets, “I thought they won the line of scrimmage battle ... on both sides of the football."

Granted, the Jets do have some good players on both their offensive and defensive lines. Center Nick Mangold has been one of the top players at his position since entering the NFL, and Steeler fans know what left guard Willie Colon is all about, for better or worse. On the other side, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson is a certified beast.

Otherwise, the Jets have problems, and they are many -- from the front office to the head coach and throughout the roster -- especially at the quarterback position, where Michael Vick is now the starter. No wonder the Jets seem beset by bad karma.

If you can manage it, enrich your life today by adopting a stray dog from a shelter such as the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania or Animal Friends. And, if you can swing it, try to support organizations like the ASPCA and the Humane Society.

When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way

Under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have a disturbingly maddening tendency to lose to or struggle with teams they should handle easily. Losing to Tampa Bay at home this year was just one glaring example.  Barely getting by Jacksonville was another.  Losing last year at Oakland, and to Miami at home in December. And too many other losses to bad teams to remunerate here.

Which brings us to ... this week's opponent, the New York Jets, J-E-T-S! Jets, Jets, Jets!! The hapless Jets, losers of eight straight.

The Jets put the "dys" in "dysfunction." They are the dysfunction at the junction.

Over his last two games, Ben Roethlisberger has thrown 12 touchdown passes -- the same number New York Jets quarterbacks have thrown in the team's past 15 games.

With their most recent loss on Sunday, the Jets have lost eight straight games. Head buffoon coach Rex Ryan's career coaching record is now 47-48, five years into his tenure with the laughingstock Jets.

The Jets haven't had a winning season since 2010. New York media and fans have been howling for weeks that Ryan and hapless GM John Idzik should be fired. You can read more about it at the fan-sponsored site, FireJohnIdzik.com. Or here, in a recent column by Mike Vaccaro in the New York Post, or here, or here, in any number of equally scathing columns in the New York Daily News and other outlets in the NYC metro area.

On Oct. 18, Rex Ryan said, "This season has been a big failure." Nice leadership, Rex.

Following last Sunday's loss to Kansas City, Ryan actually said of his team, "These are mighty men. I hope to hell we don't have to endure too many more losses, but we will, if that's the case."

Well, Rex, get ready to endure.

MetLife Stadium on Sunday could have more Steeler fans in it than Jets fans. It is as it should be.

On a roll

So the Ravens are comfortable playing at Heinz Field, eh?

The Steelers took inspiration from Joe Greene Sunday night and rolled past the butt-ugly Ravens, 43-23 at Heinz Field. The Black n' Gold could not lose that game on the night Greene's number was retired, and they won in style.

That's the way to do it. Now the Steelers have evened the score with the Ravens on the season. Each team won on its home field, and each won by 20 points. It's better to have the second win.  Now, the Steelers are even in the division (2-2), with two games vs. the Bengals remaining. Now, happily, the Ravens sit in last place in the division standings, the only team in the AFC North with four losses. Good.

The Chief greeting Joe Greene after a win.

After Joe Greene, the story of the night was the Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown show. Roethlisberger is now the only quarterback in NFL history to throw six touchdowns in consecutive games. Brown caught 11 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, James Harrison is playing like the legendary James Harrison and, against the Ravens, he played as if he would have fit right in on one of Joe Greene's teams of the 1970s. Fierce and intense once again, Harrison brought it last night with seven tackles, two sacks and four hits on Joe Flacco. Pretty good for a 36-year-old man.

"We're very comfortable in that stadium," John Harbaugh said of Heinz Field earlier in the week. "We understand what it takes to win there. We've won there."

Joe Greene, shaking hands with Fats Holmes

Not on Sunday night. Now, the Ravens are on a two-game losing streak, thanks largely to Roethlisberger (25-for-37, 340 yards, six touchdowns, three sacks, 136.3 rating). The Ravens have a fairly easy schedule the rest of the way, though, so it's too soon to write them off. They have the Titans at home next Sunday, and then a bye week. Then, it will be the Saints, Dolphins, Chargers, Jaguars, Texans, Browns.

The Steelers go on the road for their next two games against the Jets and Titans; and then their bye week. After the bye, it gets tougher: Saints at home; at Cincinnati; at Atlanta; and the Chiefs and Bengals at Heinz Field.

Game Day 9: Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

Can't Lose This Game.

Shazier or Mosley?

Ryan Shazier played really well in the
August 16th pre-season game vs. Buffalo

This would be a good time for Ryan Shazier to have a breakout game.

Back in May, during the NFL Draft, the Steelers made a choice: They selected Shazier over Alabama's C.J. Mosley, who won the Butkus Award as the nation's best college linebacker in 2013. The Ravens drafted Mosley two picks later.

It's way too early to say one or the other is going to have the better career. So far, Shazier's been hampered by injuries since early in training camp. Mosley has played his way into consideration for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Ravens' website has article on "Why the Steelers Passed on C.J. Mosley."  It's worth a look, but consider the source.

It's Hallowed Eve: Buenos de Los Muertos

It’s Hallowed Eve, also known as All Hallow’s Eve, or Halloween, the eve of All Saints Day … or The Feast in Celebration of the Day of the Dead … or, Dia de Los Muertos, as it is known in Mexico, where skulls are considered a symbol of life and regeneration.

"Sugar skulls"... a good name for a band.

This celebration of Hallow’ed Eve is rooted in Christianity, since it is on the eve of All Saints Day (Nov. 1), which honors those who have made it to heaven and “attained the beatific vision,” which Joey Porter’s Pit Bulls would like to see some day.

The subsequent All Souls Day (Nov. 2) commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been made it to heaven ‘cause they ain’t yet purified and sanctified, ‘n ‘at.

Got it? Saints first, Souls to follow. "We ain’t jaggin’ around."

Anyway, the celebration of Hallowed Eve dates more than 2,000 years to ancient Ireland and Scotland. The Celts believed their departed family and friends returned home during harvest time to eat and drink before going to heaven. Being harvest time, food was more plentiful, and some was left out in the evening for the souls of The Departed.

So, in this way, it was in Ireland and Scotland and England that All Hallow’s Eve became a combination of merriment and prayer; prayer and merriment.

Following the break with the Holy See, however, England’s Queen Elizabeth forbade all observances connected with All Souls' Day.

Tight-ass, no-fun prude, she was.  What was the "Holy See" anyway? It was probably when the Queen said, "See? See-ee? I told you the Browns could get it together to beat the Steelers this year!  I told you so. I TOLD you so!"

Still, kids eventually started dressing like ghosts, goblins, witches, etc, to have fun and play along with the notion of the dead returning to their homes. The pranksters would demand treats of neighbors … or, you guessed it, threaten to play some sort mischievous "trick" on them.

Soul, soul, an apple or two,

If you haven't an apple, a pear will do,

One for Peter, two for Paul,

Three for the Man Who made us all.

"St. John's Infirmary"

I went down to the St James Infirmary,

Saw my baby there,

Stretched out on a long white table,

So sweet ... so cold ... so fair.

Let her go ... let her go ... God bless her,

Wherever she may be,

She can look this wide world over,

But she’ll never find a sweet man like me.

When I die want you to dress me in straight lace shoes.

I wanna a boxback coat and a Stetson hat,

Put a $20 gold piece on my watch chain,

So the boys’ll know that I’ll be back.

– Louis Armstrong, “St. James Infirmary”

Kickin' up a storm

Steelers-Ravens games are typically close, often within a three-point margin, with Baltimore's 20-point win on Sept. 11th being more the exception than the rule.

If Sunday night's game comes down to a long field goal attempt -- 50 yards or more -- the Steelers may or may not send Shaun Suisham out to try one. They kept him on the sideline late in the first half vs. the Colts last Sunday when the opportunity for a 51-yard attempt presented itself.

The Ravens would not have hesitated to send kicker Justin Tucker out on the field in that situation.

Justin Tucker, doing his thing

Last Sunday in Cincinnati, Tucker kicked field goals of 45, 50 and 53 yards. Last year, he made 33 consecutive field goals, including a 61-yarder at Ford Field (indoors) last December. In that game, he became the only kicker in NFL history to kick FGs from 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 yards in a single game.

Now in his third year, Tucker has made all eight field goal attempts in his career vs. the Steelers, including the three he's tried at Heinz Field. In the Nov. 28th game at Baltimore last year, he kicked five field goals to key the Ravens' 22-20 win over the Steelers. He had 133 points his rookie season in 2012 and 140 points last year.

Tucker is making a strong case as arguably the best kicker in the NFL. As noted by ESPN's Jamison Henley, "The Ravens have shown a lot of confidence in Tucker this season, and his six attempts from 50 yards or longer are tied with Atlanta's Matt Bryant for the most in the NFL. Tucker has converted 10 of his 11 last field-goal tries, and his only miss was a 64-yarder that got blocked. He is 18-of-21 (85.7 percent) on the season after making his first Pro Bowl last season."

A 51-yard FG attempt too long?
One of the few unfortunate decisions the Steelers' coaching staff made on Sunday vs. the Colts came shortly before the end of the first half. Indianapolis had just gone 80 yards in eight plays to narrow the blowout score to 35-17, still within shouting distance.

After the the Steelers got the ball back with 1:56 left on the clock, they drove to the Indianapolis 34-yard line, where the drive stalled with 41 seconds left in the first half. At that point, rather than having Shaun Suisham attempt a 51-yard field goal, which would have been probably just a bit out of his range, the coaches instructed Ben Roethlisberger to attempt a pooch punt. It was blocked.

The Colts took over, and Andrew Luck drove them down to the Pittsburgh five-yard line, where Adam Vinatieri kicked a field goal with one second left to make it a two-score game at halftime.

That was 10 unanswered points before halftime, usually not a good thing. As it turned out, the Steelers took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched right downfield en route to another touchdown, but that late field goal in the first half was unnecessary and made things uncomfortable later in the second half, until Andrew Luck was called for a safety in the end zone with 12:44 left in the fourth quarter and the Colts down by just eight -- a one-score game. The decision to pooch punt before the first half was a contributing factor to the game being so close at that point.

It seemed a curious call at the time: Most observers would have said, "Either go for it on fourth-and-four, have Brad Wing punt it, or have Suisham attempt a 51-yard field goal."

The Baltimore Ravens would have had no qualms about sending out Tucker to attempt a 51-yarder. He's a key asset for the Ravens, just as the incredibly reliable Suisham is for the Steelers. Tucker just has a little more leg, and that could be a factor.

Baltimore will be tough, but the Ravens are hurting at key positions

A lot has happened since the Steelers' Week 2 loss at Baltimore. Having just come off the second-half of the home opener vs. Cleveland, during which the Browns thoroughly outplayed the Steelers, the Black 'n Gold looked shaky and uneven, even flat, during its Sept. 11th visit to Baltimore. The Ravens were in control just about the whole game, winning 26-6 and rushing for 157 yards.

Justin Brown's early fumble set the tone in Week Two. 

The Steelers opened the game with a promising drive that ended abruptly when wide receiver Justin Brown fumbled deep in Baltimore territory. That fumble breathed life into the Ravens, got the home crowd into the game and completely reversed momentum. The Steelers never recovered.

Joe Flacco marched the Ravens right downfield, capping the drive with a two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Owen Daniels. The Steelers never recovered, and Baltimore dominated the rest of the way.

You'll recall that linebacker Courtney Upshaw hit Ben Roethlisberger hit hard early in that game, and the Steelers' quarterback never looked the same after that hit to the sternum. For that matter, Roethlisberger didn't look right for a couple weeks afterward.

The Steelers turned over the ball three times in that game. Le'Veon Bell had only 11 carries for 59 yards. For the night, the Steelers tried just 18 runs vs. 36 by the Ravens.

The Steelers mounted only 301 yards of total offense, which is less than half what they put up on Sunday vs. the Colts. The Steelers also racked up nine penalties to foreshadow what would become a troubling trend. Everything was a struggle in that game. Baltimore won by 20 points.

It may not be much "easier" this Sunday night vs. the visiting Ravens -- games against Baltimore are never easy -- but much has changed since that Sept. 11th beatdown in Baltimore.

Baltimore is hurting at tight end
For one thing, the Ravens have had some key injuries, just like every NFL team.

Both starting tight ends, Dennis Pitta and Owen Daniels, are hurt. Pitta's career is in jeopardy after fracturing and dislocating his hip the following week against Cleveland. That's the second consecutive year he's had the same injury. He's been a good one, but Pitta's successor, Daniels, was just about as good and an ideal replacement. He's an excellent receiver and had two touchdowns vs. the Steelers in Week 2.

For the last couple weeks, however, Daniels has also been hurt. Daniels missed last Sunday's game in Cincinnati after having his knee scoped during the week. His status for Sunday's game is up in the air.

The loss of Pitta and (potentially) Daniels really hurts the Ravens. Joe Flacco relies on his tight ends. And, although Flacco throws as good a deep ball as anybody in the NFL, the tight ends are arguably the key to Baltimore's offense.

Without Pitta and Daniels, we expect Baltimore to rely more heavily on its running game and swing passes, shuttle passes, screens and outlet passes to the running backs.

The Ravens Are Hurting at Corner, Too
Just as troubling for the Ravens is the loss of starting cornerback Jimmy Smith, who will miss the next few weeks with a sprained foot suffered in the loss to the Bengals. The former first-rounder was playing the best ball of his career this year. Although the other starting corner, Lardarius Webb, likely will match up with Antonio Brown, not having Smith on the other side really hurts the Ravens.

The Ravens lack depth at the position. Backup Dominique Franks, who was signed off the street five weeks into the season, got burned on a long bomb to A.J. Green, and if the Steelers look at Martavis Bryant as "A.J. Green Lite," then Franks may be targeted similarly on Sunday night. Then again, the Ravens may play backup corner Chykie Brown, who was inactive the last two weeks. Their options are limited.

Also worth noting, the Ravens are hurting on the offensive line. Last Sunday vs. the Bengals, they played two rookies on the left side of the offensive line. While the rooks played reasonably well, James Harrison is rounding into form.

This should be interesting.

"Martavious"

Martavis Bryant bringing one in vs. the Colts.

Coach Mike Tomlin called Martavis Bryant "Martavious" today.

"Martavious." Sounds like a Roman gladiator. "All hail Martavious!"

If Bryant keeps scoring touchdowns at the pace he's set so far -- three TDs on seven catches -- everybody else might start calling him "Martavious," too.

And there'd be no better time to start than Sunday night vs. the Ravens. Three touchdowns on seven receptions would be a good start.

The Smiths

The Baltimore Ravens have four Smiths on the roster, for crying out loud.

There's Daryl Smith (linebacker) and Jimmy Smith (injured cornerback) and Torrey Smith (youngish wide receiver) and Steve Smith (old wide receiver and, oh, make that, Steve Smith Senior -- what an A-Hole).

Daryl Smith starts at inside linebacker, and he's still pretty good, even at 32. The other inside linebacker, by the way, is rookie C.J. Mosley, whom Baltimoreans proclaim is the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. It should be interesting to see how his counterpart on the Steelers, Ryan Shazier, responds to that gauntlet thrown his way.

Jimmy Smith will be a non-factor on Sunday because he won't play. He was hurt in Sunday's loss to the Bengals.

For all Steve Smith Senior's general douchebaggery, Steve Smith and Torrey Smith present a formidable combo at wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens. And Steve Smith (Sr.) will be the first to tell you he's under-appreciated, disrespected and plays with a chip on his shoulder, blah, blah, blah. His act gets tiresome, but he can still play -- and he can still push off with the best of them.

Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh, in typical Harbaugh hyperbole, called Smith's 80-yard touchdown that was called back because of offensive pass interference on Smith, "One of the greatest plays I've ever seen."

The officials may or may not have got the call wrong. Depending on your perspective, it looks like Smith definitely pushed off, but it also looks like Bengals safety George Iloka flopped intentionally to draw a flag -- he went down way too easily -- and that call probably wouldn't have been made if the game had been in Baltimore instead of Cincinnati.

In any case, Smith is a notorious push-off artist, and the officials are definitely calling these sorts of penalties more aggressively this year. Smith probably doesn't make that catch if he hadn't pushed off. Boo-hooo.

By the way, the Indianapolis Colts' defense earlier this month limited Steve Smith Sr. to five receptions for 34 yards in a game just a few weeks ago -- yeah, those same Colts we saw the Steelers obliterate on Sunday. You never know.

Wow!!!

Ben Roethlisberger was on the money all day long.

To say Ben Roethlisberger was at the top of his game is an understatement, if that's possible.

Six touchdown passes; 40-49 for 522 yards passing; a whopping 25 first downs passing; a staggering 639 total net yards offense; 51 points on the board; and Roethlisberger would have had even better stats if not for at least three drops by receivers he hit in stride and on the money. Roethlisberger was spot on from the jump, and he just kept clicking. He took no sacks and threw no interceptions.

Give Todd Haley credit, too. Whatever Haley called worked, and Roethlisberger didn't miss. The Steelers toyed with a Colts' defense that shut out the Cincinnati Bengals just one week before.

Not only did Roethlisberger become the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 500 yards in two separate games, he joined Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to win 100 games in 150 or fewer starts.

Big Play William Gay, scoring on his interception.

Although the Colts put 34 points on the board, the defense played with intensity. William Gay's pick-six was arguably the key defensive play of the day. Also encouraging was the welcome presence and activity of the linebackers: Jason Worilds, James Harrison, Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams and Arthur Moats made their presence felt the entire game. They were visible.

The only blemishes for the Steelers were self-inflicted -- penalties, a couple of fumbles and the ill-conceived pooch punt before the end of the first half. Cortez Allen was exploited for some big plays, but, really, there's not much to complain about in the Steelers' 51-34 win over the Colts.

Before the game, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls said this game would reveal what this team is made of; that this would be a defining game for the 2014 Steelers. The team answered the challenge emphatically. Now they'll want to replicate that intensity and quality of performance, and make it consistent.

Next up: Baltimore Ravens at Heinz Field, next Sunday night.

Game Day 8: Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers

After today, the season's half done.  

After today, we will have a much clearer sense of just what sort of team the Steelers have. Or will we? Last year, the Steelers were reeling at the halfway mark but went 6-2 against a fairly soft schedule in the second half of the season.

People talked about that 6-2 record as if it should have augured well for this season -- but what sticks in Joey Porter's Pit Bulls' craw is that abysmal loss at home vs. the Miami Dolphins in the December cold and swirling snow. That was a low point, as was the Week 8 loss to the Raiders in Oakland.

Now, here we are in Week 8 of the 2014 season, with the stench from losses to Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Baltimore still fouling the air and the Steelers facing a major challenge today from a very good Colts squad.

Which Steelers' team will show up today? It's not a stretch to say this will be a defining game for the 2014 Steelers.

Win, and Steeler Nation can feel reasonably upbeat about the second half of the season, starting with the Baltimore Ravens next week at Heinz Field. If the Steelers lose today, however, question marks will continue to swirl around this team. Lose by 20 points or more, as the Steelers did to the Browns and Ravens earlier this year ... well, if that happens, buckle your seat belts, fellas, 'cause it's going to be a bumpy ride the rest of the way.

It's time to step up and put on the Big Boy Pads, starting today vs. the Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts' Defense May be Better Than Their Offense

Vontae Davis rocks Giovanni Bernard

The Indianapolis Colts bring the NFL's second-rated offense to Heinz Field on Sunday, so it's almost easy to overlook how good their fourth-rated defense has been this year. It is jelling into a unit that has to be in the conversation as possibly the best defense in the NFL today.

It's getting better as the season goes on. The Colts not only shut out Cincinnati last Sunday, they completely stymied the Bengals. Even without injured receiver A.J. Green, nobody would deny the Bengals have a lot of talent; they entered that game against the Colts ranked No. 5 in the NFL on offense.

Yet the Colts forced the Bengals to three-and-out 10 times, held the Bengals to just 1-of-13 on third-down conversions, and kept Cincinnati on the wrong side of the 50-yard line until the fourth quarter.  Time of possession for the Bengals: 20:17.

Vontae Davis and Josh Gordy contesting a pass attempt.

That's dominant.

No doubt that performance has gotten the attention of Todd Haley, Ben Roethlisberger and company. But it wasn't just the Cincinnati game; the Colts have been coming together on defense all year.

It's a cohesive unit that is getting better and better.

Safety Sergio Brown: "Our secondary is playing lights out. Our linebackers are playing lights out. Our defensive line is playing lights out.''

Give Chuck Pagano credit. The former Ravens defensive coordinator is doing exactly what he set out to do when hired to become head coach of the Colts, which is to build a defense modeled after the dominant squad he led in Baltimore.

Patience Required

Down goes Dalton.

If the Steelers' overall game plan is to limit Andrew Luck's time on the field, it will be up to Roethlisberger to orchestrate an offense that can convert third downs regularly and score touchdowns instead of field goals. Haley and Roethlisberger are going to have to be patient. They are going to have to resist the temptation to force plays that aren't there.

Blunt Force
With that in mind, this is the perfect game for the Steelers to finally put running back LeGarrette Blount to work in earnest, early and often. Blount has had more than eight carries only once this season, and that was just 10 carries vs. Carolina (for 118 yards). It's time to give him some work.

"Blunt Force" may be the Steelers' best weapon against the Colts.

Lots of Receiving Options for Andrew Luck

T.Y. Hilton

T.Y. Hilton is a problem. He is the deep threat for the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL's top-rated passing game.

Two weeks ago vs. the same Houston Texans team the Steelers defeated last Sunday, Hilton caught passes of 49, 40, 37 and 33 yards. Over Hilton's last three games, he has caught at least seven passes a game, averaging 140 yards receiving per game. He's trouble.

How the Steelers counter that threat will be largely dependent on cornerback Brice McCain getting help from the safeties -- we're looking at you, Mike Mitchell.

Hilton may be Indianapolis's most dangerous deep threat, but he certainly is not the Colts' only receiving option. With running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson combining for 43 catches this season, and with tight ends Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener combining for 38 catches, the Colts present a diversified passing attack.

And the thing about the tight ends, they're not used solely for short, move-the-sticks checkdown throws: Allen averages 14.5 yards per reception, which says he gets downfield (like Cleveland's Jordan Cameron, who gave the Steelers fits). Fleener averages a very respectable 12.6 yards per catch, in the mold of Carolina tight end Greg Olson.

We haven't even mentioned future Hall of Famer Reggie Wayne, who may be sidelined with an elbow injury. If he can't play, expect veteran Hakeem Nicks and rookie third-round draft pick Donte Moncrief, from Ole Miss, to play instead of Wayne, who has been the target of one of every five passes the Colts have thrown this season.

Donte Moncrief vs. Jacksonville

Moncrief is 6'2" and 221 pounds and runs a 4.4 40. He and the Steelers' rookie fourth-rounder, Martavis Bryant, were often mentioned in the same grouping of tall, fast but unpolished wide receivers coming out for last May's draft.

Moncrief appears to be a bit ahead of Bryant in his development so far. He has nine receptions this year, and this week offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton had this to say about Moncrief:  "He's ahead of schedule. He's a guy that we feel like at any given moment we can plug him in and he'll be ready to go out there and perform at the level that's expected."

Head coach Chuck Pagano said this about Moncrief: "From the minute he got here, we knew we had a long, athletic guy that could run, a guy that was mature beyond his years. We're getting him a little bit of burn, he is going to continue to get a little bit more action as we move forward. Obviously he's got playmaking ability and again, the game's not too big for him."

Dissa 'n Datta: Points per Game, etc.

Scoring defense: 

• The Indianapolis Colts' defense is ranked fourth in the NFL, allowing 19.4 points per game. 

• The Steelers' defense is ranked 16th, allowing 23.1 points per game.

Scoring offense: 

• Indianapolis's offense has scored an average of 30.9 points per game, ranked second in the NFL behind Denver's 31.5 points scored per game.

• The Steelers have scored an average of 22.0 points per game, tied with the New York Giants for 21st in the NFL.

Stats for Sacks: 

• On offense, the Colts have allowed 11 sacks. 

• On defense, the Steelers have sacked the QB 10 times.

• On offense, the Steelers have allowed 20 sacks. 

• On defense, the Colts have sacked opposing quarterbacks 21 times.

That's nearly proportionally inverse (stats for sacks) on both sides of the ball.

Common Opponents: 

• The Steelers and Colts have played three common opponents: Baltimore, Jacksonville and Houston. 

• The Colts beat all three teams; the Steelers lost to Baltimore.

The Steelers' defense had better be ready

Beating the Steelers by at least 20 points in each game, the Ravens and Browns both administered whippings on the Steelers this season.

The Indianapolis Colts will be Pittsburgh's stiffest test so far. 

Following losses to Denver and Philadelphia, the Colts are a hot team with five straight wins. The Colts are coming off a 28-0 shellacking of the Cincinnati Bengals. They've put up 30 or more points five times, including games where they've racked up 44 points (vs. Jacksonville) and 41 points (vs. Tennessee).

Visiting Heinz Field late Sunday afternoon, here's how the 5-2 Colts stack up vs. the 4-3 Steelers in four of the NFL broadest team statistical categories:

• First in passing offense (329.6 yards per game) vs. the Steelers' 13th-ranked passing defense (230.9 ypg)

• Fifth in passing defense (214.4 ypg) vs. the Steelers' 8th-ranked passing defense (230.9 ypg)

• Ninth in rushing yards per game (123.3 ypg) vs. the Steelers' 14th-ranked rushing defense (114.1 ypg)

• Ninth in rushing defense (128.6 ypg) vs. the Steelers' 9th-ranked rushing game (123.3 ypg).

On defense, the Colts don't have any mega-stars like J.J. Watt, but they've been playing good, solid team defense -- as evidenced by Sunday's shutout of the Bengals.

On offense, the leader of course is Andrew Luck. Receiver T.Y. Hilton is emerging as a big-time playmaking deep threat.

Their receiving corps is deep: In addition to Hilton (47 receptions; 15.1 ypc), there's Reggie Wayne (38 catches; 11.4 ypc); tight end Dwayne Allen (21 catches; 14.5 ypc); tight end Coby Fleener (17 catches; 12.6 ypc); Hakeem Nicks (17 catches; 8.3 ypc); and rookie Donte Moncrief (9 catches; 11.4 ypc).

Not to be overlooked, running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson have combined for 43 catches in seven games.

The Steelers' defense is going to have their hands full.

Big-time plays, takeaways and lucky bounces

Three touchdowns scored in 73 seconds late in the second quarter. Bing bang boom. That was the difference in the game. 

Martavis Bryant: Touchdown!

Ben Roethlisberger was opportunistic and spot on when he absolutely needed to be, with drop-a-dime, Big-Time-Franchise-Quarterback passes on the money to Martavis Bryant for a 35-yard touchdown and Antonio Brown.

Running back Le'Veon Bell was evasive, slippery and clutch the whole game, with 88 yards receiving, 55 yards rushing and a touchdown reception.

Todd Haley made a brilliant play call in the red zone that would have been called absurdly idiotic if it had been intercepted instead of going for a touchdown pass thrown by Antonio Brown to Lance Moore. Haley would have been tarred, feathered and pilloried if that pass had been intercepted. Antonio Brown, though, threw a perfect pass that Moore caught. Everything worked on that play, thank goodness.

Antonio Brown, running free

And the defense played takeaway, for once. The bounces went their way. Fumbles recovered, and the ball that bounced off Lawrence Timmons' head into Brett Keisel's arms cannot be scripted. Then Keisel did his best J.J. Watt impersonation on the return.

Speaking of Watt, he was held more or less in check most of the night -- if you count a fumble recovery, a sack and a hard hit on Roethlisberger being held in check. Still, for that guy, yeah, that's being held in check. Somebody (Haley, Mike Munchak, the offensive line, et al, collectively) deserves credit for that. Team effort.

Room for Improvement, with Better Teams Coming
For all of the big plays, opportunistic breaks, lucky bounces and solid game-planning, it took all of that to keep the Houston Texans at bay in a one-score win at home on a Monday night. Not all was lollipops and roses: Arian Foster averaged 5.1 yards per carry for 102 yards. Pittsburgh's defense had only one sack and allowed a 33-yard run and pass plays of 32, 24, 18 and 15 yards. Ben Roethlisberger was sacked three times and fumbled the ball once. The Steelers got next to nothing on their kickoff returns, again, and that is now a trend.

Better teams are coming to Heinz Field, beginning next Sunday with the 5-2 Indianapolis Colts, who shut out and thoroughly humiliated the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. One game at a time, though, and there's lots to feel good about this desperately needed win over the Texans.

Now, it's time to build on the good vibes and get another win. Beat the Colts and then the Baltimore Ravens the following week, and we can begin to consider the Steelers legitimate contenders this year. It's a tall order but within grasp.

Game Day 7: Texans at Pittsburgh

It will be interesting to see tonight how the Steelers respond to the widespread criticism levied at them recently. It wasn't only Hines Ward and Bill Cowher who called them "soft," which the rest of the world could see anyway. Their own coach, Mike Tomlin, told them they aren't tough enough, mentally and physically, according to Antonio Brown.

No doubt, the Steelers have some very talented players (Brown, Roethlisberger, Polamalu, Bell, Timmons, etc.).  Just not enough of them. So, it may not even be a mater of toughness. If the team doesn't have enough talent, the Steelers are going to have trouble even with another so-so team like the Houston Texans.

Tonight, we will find out whether the Steelers are merely mediocre or just a lousy football team.

Still Searching: A Question of Identity

Zeke's Coffee opens its new drive-through location on
Broad Street near the East Liberty Post Office 

The defense is a problem,"obviously," to borrow Mike Tomlin's oft-used fall-back word. The defense has been soft against the run and loose in pass coverage. And there's been precious little pass rush. Jason Worilds has done next to nothing six games into a contract "walk" year (during which he's being paid $11 million).

"Obviously," too, the offense is a problem. There have been flashes: The Steelers rank second in the NFL with 11 plays (eight passes; three runs) of 30 yards or longer. But the Steelers rank 20th in the NFL in points scored at 20.7 points per game.

That last stat is unfortunate when your defense allows 23.2 points per game (14th in the NFL).

It looks like the Steelers have to outscore opponents, and this is yet another week where some match-ups on offense appear to favor Pittsburgh.

The Texans' defense have allowed more plays of 30-plus yards than any other NFL team. That seems to favor the Steelers, eh?

Yes, BUT ONLY IF the Steelers' offensive gives Ben Roethlisberger enough time to throw. The Texans do have J.J. Watt, and he alone could be enough to disrupt Roethlisberger's timing with his receivers -- which, as we have seen recently, hasn't exactly been orchestrated with any sort of reliability.

That offensive line the Steelers have been trotting out has two players who received big-money contract extensions during the off-season: Maurkice Pouncey and Marcus Gilbert. Yet the Steelers failed to get enough of a push up front that they failed to score against the Browns on three rush attempts inside the 10-yard line. On the other side of the ball, Pittsburgh's defense failed to stop Cleveland's three runs by Ben Tate and Isaiah Crowell inside the Steelers' 10-yard line.

No wonder Bill Cowher and Hines Ward called them soft.

Everybody's been wondering what sort of identity the Steelers have on offense -- because they don't have one. Ramon Foster said this week that it's "versatile."

Nice try, Ramon.

As Joey Porter's Pit Bulls wrote a few weeks before the Jacksonville game:

"The overall tenor and identity of the offense, though, is more or less set by the coordinator, head coach and quarterback. Three years after Haley's arrival, it is fair to say the Steelers still lack a cohesive, consistent identity on offense. 

"This week's visit to Jacksonville presents a perfect opportunity to set a tone and establish some continuity and a sense of identity."

Substitute "Houston" for "Jacksonville" in that last sentence, and we will say, once again, "Now's your chance, Todd Haley."

The Elevator Music isn't what it used to be

The volume button on the "elevator music" washing over the Steelers has been dialed up from a dull roar to a cacophonous crescendo. 

"I don't worry about that; that's elevator music," Mike Tomlin said about criticism of the Steelers' play from former player Hines Ward and ex-coach Bill Cowher, both of whom described the Steelers as playing "soft."

Our fair city.

That kind of elevator music is what you get, Mike, when you get crushed in a Thursday night game against Baltimore; lose at home to woeful Tampa Bay; barely eke out a win over dreadful Jacksonville; and allow a resurgent Cleveland squad to romp and stomp your team although the Browns' roster is largely comprised of rookies and undrafted free agents led by a quarterback you released less than two years ago.

The elevator won't stop until at least Monday night, when the Steelers take on the Houston Texans, against whom they've had spotty success over the years. Like the Steelers, the 3-3 Texans do some things well and some things not so well.

It's Time to Change Some Things
Whatever happens on Monday night, no ending coda for the elevator music is likely to happen unless the Steelers fix some of their most pressing issues, lack of talent notwithstanding.

Where do we start? Offense?

Questionable play-calling aside, Ben Roethlisberger has been sacked 17 times, second-most in the NFL. Even with J.J. Watt looming, is that a problem that can be fixed?

Sure.

When you run the ball, you don't get sacked. We're not saying run the ball 100 percent of the time, but if the Steelers are looking to forge an identity, they could take a cue from this year's Dallas Cowboys, of all teams, who have lost just once and have shown a commitment to the run rarely seen anymore.

We thought for sure the Steelers would use a no-huddle running game more this year, especially at home. One example of a team that does that is Chip Kelly's Philadelphia Eagles: On Sunday night vs. the New York Giants, the Eagles ran the ball often out of the no-huddle, gained 11 rushing first downs and racked up 203 yards on the ground.

On defense, it's past time for the Steelers to switch up personnel. Whatever fascination the decision-makers have with Cam Thomas, it's time to try somebody else. The same goes for at least a couple of other positions. What are they clinging to?

It's time for the players to step up, and the coaches, too.  Switch up the personnel, adjust the schemes, do something. Play defense. As Chuck Noll said, "Whatever it takes."

Chalk Talk: Mike Mitchell was out of the picture

Steelers' radio broadcaster Tunch Ilkin does a fantastic job in the booth every week, on his radio talk show, and also in his weekly Chalk Talk video-breakdowns of key plays every week on Steelers.com.

Mike Mitchell is on far left of screen, moving toward
Travis Benjamin, who is being trailed by Cortez Allen and
Troy Polamalu in the big circle in the center of the screen,
while Jordan Cameron, in the small circle near the
40-yard marker, make his way to the far sideline.

Following Sunday's game against the Browns, Tunch took a look at the key 45-yard pass play to Cleveland tight end Jordan Cameron immediately following Pittsburgh's botched field goal attempt early in the second quarter.

The Browns set up the Steelers for this misdirection play by their previous commitment to the run (including prior games); their earlier play calls in this game; the three tight-end formation; effective play-action; the movement off the line of scrimmage; and the absolutely perfect execution by Brian Hoyer, Jordan Cameron, Travis Benjamin and everyone else in a Cleveland uniform. Flawless execution on a well-schemed play.

On the Steelers' side of the ball, eh, confusion reigned, and the execution was, shall we say, less than perfect.  In his excellent review of the video, Tunch points out the position of several Steelers and says, "I am not sure who was supposed to be covering him (Jordan Cameron)."

That's because it looks like there were 10 defenders on the field. Why? Safety Mike Mitchell was so far downfield and moving in the wrong direction to boot that he was literally out of the screen on the video. You'll see at about at the 2:33 mark of the video, Mitchell's shadow shows up on the far left of the screen, though, so we know he was actually on the field.

Mitchell just wasn't anywhere near where the ball ended up -- he was moving to the complete opposite side of the field away from Cameron -- along with fellow safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Cortez Allen. With those two already covering Benjamin, why was Mitchell also going there? And why did leave his side of the field completely wide open? What was he thinking?

Not good judgment or instincts, apparently, on the part of Mitchell.

Lots of wide-open pasture for Jordan Cameron.
Mike Mitchell, meanwhile, is to the far left of the screen , moving in the opposite direction

Again, to review: It was first and 10 at the Steelers' 47-yard line. Cleveland sets up in a three tight end formation, giving the appearance of a running play, with wide receiver Travis Benjamin split wide right. Jordan Cameron is the near tight end off the left tackle. As the ball is snapped, the line flows right, but Benjamin streaks downfield on a slant post while Cameron meanders sneakily on a cross in the opposite direction across the back of the line behind the linebackers. Cameron pivots and makes his way downfield along the right sideline. He gets wide open. Why?

Because, if you look at Tunch's video, in the pre-snap formation, Mike Mitchell had lined up 20 yards downfield on Benjamin's side, where Cameron ended up. As the soon as the ball was snapped, Mitchell immediately started dropping back even further and moving to his right. In other words, he followed Benjamin, who was streaking across the field toward the far corner, providing unneeded backup to both Cortez Allen and Troy Polamalu, who were also in trail.

Despite all the attention, by the way, Benjamin was still wide open, and Hoyer could have hit him just as easily as Jordan. That's because neither Cortez Allen nor Troy Polamalu could keep up with the speedy Benjamin, and Mitchell was nowhere near him, either.

By the time Hoyer released the ball, Mitchell was so far downfield, about 40 yards, he was completely out of the picture. His shadow was still there, on the far left side of the screen, so you could see that he was moving in the direction of Benjamin -- and completely in the opposite direction of Cameron.

And that's how Jordan Cameron got so wide open. A breakdown in the Steelers' secondary, and to our untrained eye, it looks like Mike Mitchell should have stayed on his side of the field and at least tried to close some ground to cover the wide-open Jordan Cameron.  Had he been over there, Mitchell might have at least stopped some of the yards after catch. That 45-yard completion completely turned the momentum of the game, and it was all downhill from there.

You can watch Tunch's entire "Chalk Talk" video of the play at this link. It's instructive, revealing and ultimately dismaying. As Tunch said, "After that, it was Katie bar the door."

A Lot of "Obviously" and Do Tell?

Odds and ends, dissa and datta ...

Mike Tomlin offered much of the familiar blah, blah, blah during his weekly media session, with a lot of "obviously."

Remember last week, before the game, when Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine hinted that the Browns were aware of several "tells" from Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers' offense? Everybody dismissed that talk as so much gamesmanship, but ... 

Following Sunday's loss to the Browns, Cleveland linebacker Karlos Dansby had this to say:

“We were out-executing them,” said Dansby. “We were beating them to the punch. We knew how they wanted to attack us. We were just well prepared.”

Hmmm, maybe there was something to all those veiled references about Roethlisberger's "tells," and maybe Todd Haley's play-calling tendencies, too.

Dansby finished the game with 11 tackles and his 40th career sack. He's provided smarts, toughness and veteran leadership for the Browns, kind of how James Farrior was for the Steelers. Too bad the Steelers didn't sign Dansby when he became a free agent after Arizona let him walk two years ago. He would have been a perfect fit.

For that matter, veteran safety Donte Whitner has also added toughness and leadership to Cleveland's secondary. He would look good in a Steelers' uniform about now, too. Mike Mitchell, the free-agent safety the Steelers signed in the off-season doesn't seem to be working out too well, with just one example to follow in our next post examining the first big pass to Jordan Cameron.