The Steelers ended a fairly one-sided relationship with CB Ricardo Colclough Tuesday.

The veteran got his paycheck, but never provided any reason to think he was worth the second-round pick the team used on him in 2004.

His tenure came to an end largely because of the emergence of rookie fifth-round pick William Gay from Louisville. In CB Bryant McFadden’s recent absence due to an ankle injury, Gay was activated to play the nickel position. Colclough did not dress in the team’s first four games, but was active for the final three, logging one tackle in the Steelers’ 21-0 win over Seattle in Week 5.

The Steelers signed veteran CB and former Steeler Anthony Madison to fill Colclough’s roster spot. Madison, an undrafted rookie in 2006, was cut this pre-season and spent a week with Tampa Bay this year before being released on Sept. 12.

Colclough was a highly touted prospect from Division II Tusculum in 2004, but most likely will only be remembered for a muffed punt in the second half against Cincinnati last season. The turnover came soon after a Bengals touchdown, swinging all momentum to Cincinnati’s favor. They won 28-20, scoring touchdowns from nine yards and 54 yards away in just 54 game seconds.

Tuesday’s release seals Colclough’s status as one of the rare second-round picks who don’t pan out under GM Kevin Colbert. LB Alonzo Jackson is the only other second round pick not still playing today. Since Colbert took over for Tom Donahoe in 2000, the Steelers have taken former Pro Bowler and current starting LT Marvel Smith (2000), Defensive Rookie of the Year Kendrell Bell (2001), multi-faceted WR Antwaan Randle-El (2002), Jackson (2003), Colclough (2004), CB Bryant McFadden (2005) and OLB LaMarr Woodley (2007). They traded their second round pick as part of a package for the New York Giants first round pick in 2006 (No. 25 overall), and took WR Santonio Holmes.

Signs of Drafter’s Remorse existed in 2006, as a year after Colclough’s rookie season, they drafted McFadden in the second round. He has since pushed veteran CB Deshea Townsend for a starting spot, and Colclough has rarely played outside of special teams.

James at the Steel Tradition makes a good point. New England Head Coach Bill Belichick has found a spot for a few former Steelers cast-offs. Among those, two CBs, Chad Scott and Hank Poteat (now with the Jets), P Josh Miller and OLB/TE Mike Vrabel.

Dawson nominated, awaiting his snub

The political selection process of the Pro Football Hall of Fame began Tuesday with the announcement of the nominations. Among the list, C Dermontti Dawson is among the former Steelers nominated more than once.

Couple him with G Randall McDaniel of the Vikings and Buccaneers, and you have the main reason why I have difficulty placing much stock in the Hall of Fame. Not for the people inducted, mind you, but the simple fact that two players like Dawson and McDaniel who dominated their positions throughout their careers have to wait behind skill position players from marquee teams like WR Michael Irvin - a 2007 Inductee.

Flat-out ridiculous.

Dawson was in Honolulu so often, he achieved resident status. He was without question the best center of his era, and anchored several outstanding Steelers running teams. He had to suffer through some lean years, but still played in four AFC Championship games and one Super Bowl. A very intelligent and even better athlete, Dawson became the standard at his position. The Steelers pulled him around on running plays, leading the blocking as if he was a guard.

While the Steelers have only officially retired Ernie Stautner’s No. 70, the team has taken several numbers out of circulation since the Super Bowl days of the 1970s. You won’t see anyone wear No. 63 anymore, either.

First-time nominees linked to the Steelers include Player Personnel Director Art Rooney, Jr., LB Levon Kirkland and LB Hardy Nickerson. Also on this list are LB Kevin Greene, S Donnie Shell and coach Buddy Parker.

Romo’s deal sets the table for Roethlisberger

It’s a great day for Cowboys QB Tony Romo, who inked a six-year $67 million contract - $30 million guaranteed - with Dallas. A great feel-good story, Romo went undrafted from Northern Illinois, and has taken the league by surprise since taking over in Dallas for Drew Bledsoe.

Ben’s gonna want him some.

While Romo has been to a Pro Bowl in the QB-depleted NFC in 2006, Roethlisberger wears an important piece of jewelry, and, going into Week 9, is three TD passes short of his career high of 18.

Clearly, his agent, Leigh Steinberg, will want Romo’s deal, plus a little bit more. After all, a team has to pay its QB a little more to compensate for the weight of that ring.

There are only seven active QBs who have won a Super Bowl: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Brad Johnson, Kurt Warner, Trent Dilfer and Roethlisberger. Brady, Manning and Favre all make over $12 million a year on average over the life of their contracts. Johnson backs Romo up in Dallas after a horrible 2006 in Minnesota. Dilfer is starting for injured franchise QB Alex Smith in San Francisco. Ditto for Warner in replacement of Matt Leinart in Arizona.

The question is how much closer is Roethlisberger in terms of value to institution guys like Brady, Manning and Favre (or Super Bowl-less Carson Palmer and Drew Brees) than to more “system” guys like Dilfer and Johnson - guys who did enough on offense to let their defense win it.

Seems he’s smack-dab in the middle, but if he stays on the torrid pace he’s gotten off to this year, you’re looking at a deal noticeably higher than Romo’s.

As Jason from the Blitzburgh Report notes, Romo is still largely unproven. He’s talented, but he doesn’t even come close to comparison to Roethlisberger in terms of games won and playoff performance.

Jerry Jones and Romo proved in Dallas the franchise QBs hold all the leverage, and ownership really can’t do anything but give him a huge extension. Roethlisberger’s rookie contract is up at the end of the 2008 season. Look for that extension to get signed before next off-season, and it will make SS Troy Polamalu’s deal look like my salary in comparison.

Congratulations to Die Hard Steel and Sports Cartel

We felt it’s important to recognize Our Fearless Blog Leader Stephen, the head of the Sports Cartel Network (and Ravens blogger). Through his efforts, Die Hard Steel now has a Google Page Rank of 4. A pretty impressive accomplishment, considering the vast amount of Steelers information available on the the world wide google-nets, and the general stupidity of DHS’s author. And Coletrain.

You’ll be seeing some cool new ads on here in the coming weeks, so you’ll have to pay attention to them, if for no other reason than to admire the technical superiority of the ad’s design.

Anyway…Stephen will be walking the plank soon…

“<AHEMdon’t do itCOUGH> “

“She’s comin’ down the aisle, Beanie, let it go.”

…so in honor of that, we decided to make a bet on the Steelers/Ravens game on Monday night. The winner gets carte blanche over one post on the loser’s site.

I’m not asking for any jinx material (it’ll be a tough game like always…Billick still managed to field a team that kicked Pittsburgh’s ass all over two stadiums last year), but just in preparation, let’s start getting some ideas on paper on what we’re going to write on Ravens TD Tuesday morning.

Coletrain can sympathize with the Steelers’ recent history. A big Yankees guy, Girardi is in, Donny Baseball is out (flashes of Grimm-enhunt), and the Red Sox are World Champions. I just threw up a little in my mouth. Anyway, the Rankings must go on…Legs Coletrain is a professional. Sort of.

Written by Coletrain

1. Patriots - Who comes up passing on 4th down up 38 points? Those crazy Pats, of course. No matter if you love them or hate them, they are steamrolling over everybody. The Colts are the only team that has a chance at beating them. Only a chance.

2. Colts - The offense hasn’t really taken off yet, which is scary considering this team scores points at will. It’s really amazing how better the defense is with Bob Sanders. He makes the whole unit play better football.

3. Cowboys - If any stretch is going to make or break their season, this is it. They face the Eagles, Giants, and Redskins the next three weeks. Even though they have won their last 2 out of 3, they haven’t looked that great doing it.

4. Steelers - the Steelers further displayed their scary defense against the Bengals, allowing only 13 points to a very explosive offense. The next 5 weeks should be when they run away with the division, facing teams that are either inconsistent or just plain bad.

5. Packers - They did what the Steelers couldn’t - get a win in Denver (19-13 in OT). This year could be the complete opposite of last year. Last year, they started off bad but got extremely hot to end the season. This year, it seems they have been cooling down after a hot start.

6. Giants - Guess what? The defense that was laughably bad the first two games are now scary good. The big reason why they have now won 6 in a row. And having Brandon Jacobs in your backfield doesn’t hurt either.

7. Titans - My God, Vince Young has been horrible throwing the football. Even so, he’s still a game changer. The defense is the reason why this team is 5-2. That and the running game has been a huge plus.

8. Jaguars - This team never fails to be overlooked. Garrard being out is a huge problem but the running game and the solid defense will keep this tough team in games. The win against the Bucs had to feel good.

9. Lions - The Lions are 5-2, people. Even without any defense. Holding the Bears to seven points isn’t a huge feat, but it’s a start. Both their losses have come from 2 NFC East teams (Eagles and Redskins). So if it keeps going like that, the Lions will go 12-4.

10. Chargers - They’re back! Those Chargers have looked scary again, outscoring their opponents 104-27 in the last three weeks. Granted, the combined records of those three teams (Broncos, Raiders, and Texans) are 8-13, but it’s still impressive.

11. Redskins - The defense has been great, not counting the 52-7 beat down. But that was against the Pats, so it’s not that horrible. Still bad though. If the defense doesn’t show up for this team anymore, they are in trouble because they have no offense.

12. Seahawks - This team has been struggling with the running game. But Shaun Alexander has to turn it on sometime, doesn’t he? He better, if the Seahawks want to go far into the playoffs. One thing to look forward to is their schedule, which should be a cakewalk.

13. Buccaneers - This team is 4-4, but you have to look beyond the record. The combined record of teams they lost to (Seahawks, Colts, Lions, and Jaguars) is 21-7. And the loss against the Jaguars was only by a point. This is a solid football team.

14. Ravens - This team should have a much better record. The first half of their schedule had 5-2 or 6-1 written all over it, but instead they are 4-3 and trying to stay in the playoff hunt. This team has been far too inconsistent so far. Now they face the Steel Curtain.

15. Panthers - They lost to the Colts, but it’s not like that’s a shocker. The QB position is now a mess. Vinny Testaverde can still throw, but he is not a starting QB anymore. If the running game cools off, then so will the team.

16. Browns - Yes, you are reading this right. The Browns are this high. Derek Anderson continues to fly under everyone’s radar. He is 2nd in the league in TD passes, throwing 17 this year already.   Even with having the worst defense in the NFL, they are playing some exiting football.

17. Chiefs - Yes, the Vikings’ Adrian Peterson has been fantastic this year, but let’s not forget about the boost WR Dwayne Bowe has given Kansas City’s Larry-Johnsoned offense. The rookie is top 10 in the league in receiving yards for the surprising division-leading Chiefs.

18. Broncos - The huge win against the Steelers had to boost their confidence,  especially since this team has had a lot on its mind.  They just fell short of replicating it against Green Bay. Jay Cutler has to be so happy he has this running game to work with.

19. Cardinals - The Cards have to bank on Kurt Warner bringing stability to the QB job. If he doesn’t, they’re in deep trouble. Edgerrin James has been moving the ground attack and the pass D is really good. Tampa Bay will be a tough test.

20. Eagles - QBs have been pretty successful against this team. Except for the Vikings, of course. It seems they can’t get the big play at the big moment. If they lose to the ‘Boys and ‘Skins the next two weeks, their division hopes are all but lost.

21. Saints - The Saints have won three in a row now, against one good team and two not so good teams. The offense has been slowly getting back on track and the defense has been average. But if the offense somehow goes back to the way it was last year, they could very well still win this division.

22. Bears - Quite the fall from grace. The Bears are battling injuries all over the field, and sitting at 3-5. This makes Week 8’s showdown with the Raiders crucial if they want to stay on life support in the NFC North.

23. Texans - This shallow team has basically fallen out of it now. At least it has seemed that way. They have lost 3 games in a row. Two by blowouts and one to a team that was missing their starting QB. Matt Schaub has fallen very fast and they have no running game to fall back on.

24. Bills - This team is showing a lot of fire. You can see it in their play. After upsetting the Ravens and holding the Jets to 3 points, they are actually mediocre now, not terrible. Trent Edwards has had his good moments and his bad moments.

25. Bengals - If it wasn’t for Cleveland, this team would have the worst defense in the NFL. Actually, this team and the Browns are very similar. They even play in the same division. And exist in the same state….anyway, the only difference is that the Browns can offset their defense shortcomings with their offense and clean play. The Bengals, on the other hand, can not.

26. 49ers - It looks like we have found the most overrated team coming into the 2007 NFL season. The offense sucks on ice, and even the defense has been disappointing. This team just looks broken. They have a chance against the Falcons.

27. Raiders - Daunte Culpepper started off very fresh but he has stumbled lately. And Josh McCown isn’t an MVP himself. The defense has actually been very good all of the sudden but the offense has cooled down drastically.
 
28. Vikings - Not signing an experienced QB in the off season has turned out to be a horrible move. Tarvaris Jackson doesn’t look like the answer yet and this team is the worst in all of football in stopping the pass.

29. Falcons - So this team signs Byron Leftwich to turn on the offense and what happens? He goes down with an ankle injury. Welcome back Mr. Harrington. No area of this team is above mediocre.

30. Jets - Mangini pulled a Lovie Smith, keeping the struggling QB as the starter. Only this time, the team is playing horrible football. The Jets have just been overpowered in every aspect of the game. Now they face the very good D of the Skins. Kellen Clemens gets the nod this week against Washington. Might as well keep Pennington in.

31. Rams - Will the bye week help? Chances are…no. Not that fans will notice, the games will likely be blacked out for the rest of the year. This team is broken and pounded with injuries. They have maybe one of the worst offensive lines ever and the defense isn’t helping matters.

32. Dolphins - The worst team in football right here. They have nothing on either side of the ball, and have a tough division leader to deal with. Both of the NFL’s worst teams have a bye week coming up. After that, they go back to losing.

Coletrain is a contributing writer to Die Hard Steel. The Coletrain Report will appear Tuesdays through the season. He can be reached at Mojorising@optonline.net

Week 7

Week 6

Week 5

Week 4

Week 3

Guess what? People are mad at Bill Belichick. Why? Well, let’s just say he’s made a few interesting decisions lately. Some say he’s justified. Some say he’s a jerk. Coolong says he’s an evil genius…and he’s doing it on purpose.

Imagine your buddy just got back in town after six months with the Peace Corps in Uganda. He did not have Internet access and has not watched one second of television.

S/he asks you, “hey, what’s up with the NFL this year?”

What do you mention first, the Patriots are 7-0, looking to go undefeated, or the soap opera unfolding behind their team?

If you don’t say the latter, you’re lying.

The Patriots have provided the most compelling sports drama since O.J.’s joyride. We have not been this hooked on forming opinions on a team since the White House Cowboys back in 1995.

Here’s a different slant. Put your Propaganda Hats on, cuz I’m just spit-ballin’ here. Spy/VideoGate was all completely orchestrated. It was planned. He did it on purpose.

Belichick wanted to get caught filming Mangini’s signals. He was daring the league to do something about it. He’s a three-time Super Bowl champion coach, and widely considered the best in the business. What could they possibly do to him? More importantly, how much could he gain from getting caught?

He wanted to get busted and fined in an effort to unify his team, because, as nice as it might be, the Fan Favorite angle doesn’t motivate teams. the “Us. vs. The World” angle does.

Stand together for something, or fall divided for nothing.

How could the Patriots possibly achieve the underdog complex with the talent they brought in? It’s very simple, make everyone hate you so much that all you ever read or hear about the team is negative.

Previously Belichick had been accused to having staff members film signals from the coaching box or crow’s nests. He had been warned about this before, and every coach in the league knew he was doing it.

It’s not like Belichick put a guy underneath a pulled up piece of SportTurf with binoculars and camoflage. He put a guy directly on the Jets sidelines. He might as well have worn a flashing sign. It’s a tad excessive, no? I refuse to believe Belichick honestly didn’t think he was allowed to do that, and did not think he wouldn’t get caught. There’s a method to his voyeurism.

The line of divide in SpyGate comes down to Patriots Supporters saying it doesn’t provide them with much of an advantage, and Anti-Patriots Fans say cheating is cheating, regardless of what he gained from it. At first glance, both sides are probably right.

What he gained, however, is exactly what’s compelling about this, and it has nothing to do with what was on that camera. It has provided an already sickeningly talented team with a reason to want to completely decimate the opposition.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell went after the max fine on Belichick and took a draft pick away from the team not so much because what he did was clearly illegal, but because the nerve and audacity of what he did was beyond anything the league had seen up to that point.

Plain and simple, Belichick wanted to get caught, because he wanted the negative attention. He wanted someone in authority to challenge their rule over the league the majority of the past six seasons.

The backlash of that was exactly what Belichick wanted: Everyone hates the Patriots. That is how you motivate a team that’s already won three championships to want to win a fourth.

Look at it this way: The Patriots lose a first-round draft pick. They’ve traded away as many first round picks as they’ve used the last few years anyway. This says nothing of the fact Moss only has a one-year deal. He’s going to want something of a raise in the off-season, considering he’s having the greatest year of any WR in history. They’re going to have to dig into the couch cusions for the cash to keep him. First round picks cost money. There’s no rookie salary cap, or cash pool. It’s all under the same structure, so I bet they aren’t even really batting an eyelash at losing what’s likely to be the 32nd pick in the draft. It’s more money to keep Moss.

Oh yeah, the Pats have 2-4 San Francisco’s first round pick. They finish in the top five along with the teams who are currently slated to finish there, get ready to hear Goodell choke through the words “with the fifth pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots select…Darren McFadden, running back, University of Arkansas.”

Besides, ask the Vikings what happens when you let Moss go, thinking you can replace him in the draft. Troy Williamson didn’t even have a catch against the Eagles on Sunday.

Belichick is still primed to coach the first undefeated team in a 16 game season. He’s got his team actually thinking, despite the insane amount of talent they have on the roster, they are the underdogs.

Turning into Darth Belichick and creating the Empire is the logical move for them. If turning from Hero to Face is what this team needed to get the ruthless swagger needed to go undefeated, then it was the right move. I’m not suggesting this team isn’t good enough to win without mind games, but anything worth doing is worth doing right.

Or wrong, depending on your perspective. Belichick is an Evil Genius, he’s going to win like one.

Look at their last two games. The Patriots have come under fire for what could be seen as unsportsmanlike score-running against Miami and Washington. Folks in Boston will say it’s nothing more than the coach requiring his players to do their job; score points.

Against Washington, the Patriots faced a 4th and 2 situation deep in Washington’s territory when the game was completely out of question. Seems to the reasonable-minded person that kicking a field goal would satisfy that “score points” job description. Belichick not only went for it, but he called Brady’s number, If it was in the first quarter, would any coach go for it? No, he would kick it, so it’s not at all defensible to suggest they are paid to score points.

He was making a statement. And he knows that statement will merit an enormous amount of animosity against him and against his teams. He’s reinforcing the belief he instilled in his team by getting the media to hate them even more.

Just like that, the Patriots have the necessary chip on their shoulders. Everyone is against them. “It’s Us vs. The World,” Beantown cries.

Every Super Bowl champion has had an overlying motivational factor. The champions all have that inferiority angle - no one expects them to win, they’re the underdog, we’re sick of Peyton Manning and his commercials, etc. It’s easy to point to that as the vehicle in which the team rode to the pinnacle of the league. The Steelers used the “Us vs. the World” mentality along with Jerome Bettis’ pending retirement as extra incentive to play harder.

United they stand, divided they follow the Bengals’ plan of failure.

Belichick’s team lost the past two seasons because they were the media darlings of the league; the dynasty. They’ve had targets on their back for so long, it would have taken an incredible amount of focus and passion to continuously take the direct shots from the best in the AFC and survive. They fell short against the Colts, mostly because the Colts - despite playing at home - had the underdog motivation. Their bullying rival Patriots did not have the edge in talent, and the Colts had the chip on their shoulder pads.

While Dungy took Lombardi home last year, Belichick pulled out all the stops to make sure his team was brainwashed into believing people actually didn’t expect them to win. He helped orchestrate a horribly one-sided trade for Moss, and created negative opinion by not commenting on Moss’s past. He acted as if they knew about his troubles, and weren’t completely secure in their decision just yet.

He helped fuel speculation by letting rumors about Moss even possibly getting cut during training camp linger and gain steam. He played possum about Moss’s hamstring injury until the timing was perfect to pull a complete 180 on the league.

Not only did he know full well his Patriots were going to kick the tar out of the Jets, but by putting his guy on the sideline with a camera, he made sure his team was the focal point of every angry NFL columnist and broadcaster alive. That negativity and hatred toward he and his franchise was then gift-wrapped and distributed to every player in that locker room.

By getting caught, the media fueled so much anti-Patriots sentiment, all Belichick has to do is coach to that animosity, and utter that one single guaranteed motivational phrase.

“It’s us against the world.”

“WHO DEY?” WE D…eh, who cares? Pittsburgh has answered this question plenty of times over the past three seasons. While it may not have been the actual knock-out punch to the Bengals season, it’s about as close as the final breath they’ll take before being eliminated from the playoffs again. Pittsburgh moves to 5-2 with a perfect offensive balance, and a shut-down secondary.  

The Steelers answered any questions about their offensive strategy simply by splitting the production right down the middle. They can run to set up the pass, and they can pass to set up the run. And no one in the Queen City is asking “Who Dey?” any more. The phrase should quietly die out, just like Larry the Cable Guy’s “Git ‘Er Done!”

Besides one questionable turnover by QB Ben Roethlisberger, the offense was flawless, and perfectly balanced. Two touchdown catches by Hines Ward and 126 rushing yards and a touchdown from Willie Parker paced Pittsburgh (5-2) to an emphatic 24-13 win against the overwhelmed Bengals (2-5) Sunday.

It is the Steelers’ seventh consecutive win at Paul Brown Stadium, a.k.a., “The Jungle,” which was empty by midway through the fourth quarter.

Roethlisberger looked unstoppable during the final three Steelers possessions of the first half, but the break of the game came when Bengals coach Marvin Lewis opted for a field goal when down 14-3 with 2:30 left in the second quarter.

Shayne Graham booted it through the uprights to pull it to 14-6, but Roethlisberger - with three timeouts and the two minute warning - simply marched the team 67 yards in 2:12, and RB Willie Parker scored his second TD of the year from 1 yard out.

Cincinnati made it interesting toward the end, capitalizing on a poor Roethlisberger interception deep in Cincinnati territory. After CB Deltha O’Neal’s gift pick, Palmer marched the Bengals 88 yards in 17 plays, resulting in a 9-yard T.J. Houshmandzadeh touchdown catch.

Pittsburgh upped its lead to 24-13 on the ensuing drive, and Cincinnati was on the move until OLB James Harrison ripped the ball out of RB Kenny Watson’s hands.

It was fitting in a way, because with that turnover goes Cincinnati’s season. Rest assured, with the amount of money the Bengals have put into their players, coach Marvin Lewis will be out of a job at the end of this season. His defense was completely overmatched, most notably on third downs, where Pittsburgh converted 8-of-11 opportunities.

Their secondary was beaten badly by double-moves just like they were against the Jets, as Ward’s first touchdown came after breaking O’Neal’s ankles on a corner route into the end zone. WR Santonio Holmes burned S Madieu Williams on a move back to the inside for a 41 yard completion setting up the Steelers’ first scoring drive.  

Roethlisberger and Parker toeing “elite” line

The Steelers finally got Parker in the end zone, as he continues to back up his 2006 Pro Bowl selection with consistently outstanding performances. Parker’s 122 yards on the ground give him 722 on the year - which will keep him among the top five rushers in the NFL.

He only has two touchdowns, but with as dominant as Roethlisberger has been, the Steelers just don’t see as many snaps inside the five as most are used to seeing. Roethlisberger’s two touchdown passes give him 15 for the season - three off his career high of 18 last year. On his interception, he was forced to his right, and scrambling (as is his modus operendi like it was his rookie year) to avoid pressure, he threw it to the one place his receiver couldn’t catch it. Even with that, though, Roethlisberger’s numbers were good enough for another 100+ rating game, and will keep him among the top 5 in passers in the NFL.

Get well soon, Aaron Smith

The Steelers defense did a fantastic job, but the nearly non-existant pass rush can be attributed to the lack of underrated DE Aaron Smith. The former Pro Bowler missed his first game in the previous 115, and the Steelers registered zero sacks for the first time this season. That illustrates how well the secondary played, but Palmer’s jersey is far too clean to believe how relatively ineffective the Bengals offense was.

Unfortunately, Smith’s absence proves far more of how valuable he is than his best game ever could. Nowhere is this more obvious than RB Kenny Watson’s 88 yard on the ground, and had a legitimate shot to break the Steelers’ streak of not allowing a 100 yard rusher in the fourth quarter.

He fumbled on a shovel-pass from Palmer, and wouldn’t have had the chance to break 100 yards on that possession. Cincinnati’s offensive line was starting to wear down Pittsburgh’s defense, and one more possession would have resulted in 100 yards on the game for Watson.

Bengals hurt themselves by…hurting themselves

Watson was shaken up after his fumble, and it seemed at first that Harrison had knocked the wind out of him. Upon the replay, however, it was the most vicious hit Palmer ever delivered. Palmer, trying to dive over Watson to recover the fumble, drove his knee square into Watson’s facemask, knocking his head straight back. Watson was down, and needed the trainers to help him off the field.

On an equally bizarro play earlier, Bengals WR Chad Johnson had Palmer’s pass bounce off his face mask, and he spun around, and went into the ground chin or mouth first. He immediately brought his hands to his mouth or chin, and it looked like Steelers SS Troy Polamalu picked up something smallish - not his mouthguard - and gave it to Johnson before he left the field.

Was it his gold teeth? It will be interesting to hear about that.

(Editor’s note: Thanks to Ryan Wilson, here it is)

Speaking of injuries…

Another game, another Steeler starter down. This time, FB Dan Kreider injured his ankle on the first possession of the game, and did not return. Smith was hurt during the first series against Denver in Week 7.

Ed Bouchette of the P-G quoted Tomlin as saying they planned on Kreider being a big part of the gameplan.  Kreider had wrested the starting job away from Carey Davis, as Sunday was his second consecutive start. Kreider was taken off the field on a cart.

Tomlin usually announces the extent of injuries at Tuesday’s press conference.

Nickel back Bryant McFadden did not play for the third consecutive game.

Housh unimpressed

Houshmandzadeh had seven catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. Ocho Cinco had five catches for 51 yards, and for the sixth straight game against Pittsburgh, he did not have a touchdown.

After the game, Housh told T-R reporter John Harris that the Steelers secondary is “alright. They’re nothing special.”

In response to that, I could watch this all day.

Housh’s touchdown came when the game was all but over, and considering the beating FS Anthony Smith gave him, it seems the Bengals highly touted offense is what is truly average in the AFC North this year.  

Face of the North

The Steelers took a strong hold of the AFC North with their second divisional win, but the story this week is the Cleveland Browns being on the happy side of .500 going into Week 8 for the first time since 2002. They defeated a hapless Rams team to move to 4-3, and a tie with Baltimore for second.

Pittsburgh hosts the Hated Ravens on Monday Night Football on Nov. 5.

Stats that Matter

Sunday’s 109.5 rating was the fifth time this season Roethlisberger posted over 100 in a game. He is fourth in the NFL at 102.2. Peyton Manning and David Garrard are tied for second at 102.9.

Parker’s 126 yards moves him to second in the NFL with 726, trailing only Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson at 740.

Ward/Santonio: 14 catches 175 yards, two touchdowns

Housh/Chad: 12 catches 132 yards, one touchdown

Defense: 1st yards per game (256.9), 3rd rush yards per game (75.5), 5th pass yards per game (179.1), 1st points per game (13).

Offense: 4th yards per game (361.1), 1st rush yards per game (159.1) 21st pass yards per game (202), 5th points per game (26.3).

Interesting Links

Adam Gretz points points out the Steelers play selection from the first half

Blitzburgh Report says Parker is back to his Pro Bowl ways

David Francis wonders, is it time to start worrying about the Browns? Perhaps

DaTruth doesn’t like DaNickel

Headline of the Day: “Big Ben 9, Ohio 0″ courtesy of One For The Other Thumb

DC Steeler Nation points out Chad’s new celebration dance…absolutely hilarious…

P-G reporter Ed Bouchette spells out clearly how one-sided the “rivalry” between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati has been, and if not for a 16-13 Pittsburgh loss to Baltimore in 2005, Cincinnati would, to this day, still have nothing to so for this alleged success they’ve had (better divisional record gave the Bengals the title).

He’s just brawlin’!

Bouchette doesn’t mince words, and he’s not making bold statements without supporting them. He dubs Paul Brown Stadium (PBS) PittsBurgh Stadium, and notes Steelers LB Larry Foote is 6-0 there in his career.

Steelers just now becoming Cincinnati’s nightmare?

I’m not sure if Lonnie Wheeler of the Cincinnati Post just started covering the NFL, but he notes in his column how the Steelers have brutalized the Bengals the last few seasons.

Not exactly breaking news, but definitely needs to be mentioned in Cincinnati.

He writes:

Last year, last game, Bengals-Steelers. Pittsburgh, losing record. Cincinnati, winning record. Pittsburgh can’t make the playoffs. Cincinnati can.

Game in Cincinnati.

Overtime. Santonio Holmes. Ohio State. Rookie. Open.

Ben Roethlisberger. Miami. Quarterback. Sees him.

Bengals eliminated.

By the Steelers.

Again.

With all due respect to Wheeler - and Roethlisberger - it wasn’t so much that Holmes was open.  (Here…watch the replay) The kid runs like a deer in heat when he’s in open space, and the Bengals defensive backs can’t wrap up. Holmes caught a short swing pass, and took it to the house.

 I still have the P-G photo of Holmes going over the pylon right by then-rookie CB Jonathan Joseph as my background.

It’s still to this day one of my favorite Steelers games ever. The way it ended, the magnitude of the moment considering everyone knew Cowher was “retiring,” the fact it ended Cincinnati’s season, how much momentum it created going into 2007, the fact Willie Parker’s goal line fumble would have killed just about every other non-playoff team in Week 17, just not the Steelers…just a great game.

Key Match-ups show Steelers need to attack O’Neal

This moron is still writing for Steel City Insider. No one has enjoyed Jim Wexell’s road trip more than him, believe me.  

All-Time Not So Much team

Not sure how I missed this one, but I got a huge kick out of both Steeler Tribute’s All Suck Team and Blog ‘N Gold’s Not So Much team.

As you read this, I am still laughing at Tribute’s inclusion of a link to buy the jersey of the player nominated for their All Suck team at the bottom of a brief and extremely unflattering (but hilarious) bio for each candidate.

Yes, I want a Tim Worley jersey. And guys, I mentioned this to Blog ‘N Gold as well, yes, Todd Fordham is the worst player in franchise history, as well as the only player the Steelers have ever had who could definitively own the label of Worst Player in the NFL in a season (2003).

LeBeau was in charge the last time the Bengals beat the Steelers in Cincy

If anyone is clearly on the positive side of this one-way “rivalry,” it’s Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

The last time the Bengals beat Pittsburgh in Cincinnati was Dec. 30, 2001, and LeBeau was the Bengals’ head coach. It was a throw-away game for the Steelers (and not including a food poisoning incident in 2002, the only Steelers game I haven’t watched since 1994) as they had already wrapped up home field advantage for the playoffs. ‘Course, LeBeau wasn’t with the Steelers in 2002 or 2003. The point is, though, LeBeau is on the winning side of this “rivalry,”

Oh yeah, Pittsburgh has Cincinnati’s legendary quarterback on their sideline too.

Red Zone match-up will be critical

Kevin Goheen of the Cincinnati Post points out the Bengals and the Minnesota Vikings have the highest offensive red zone percentage in the league. They have 11 touchdowns and six field goals on 17 trips inside their opponent’s 20 yard line.

The Steelers’ defense is not only allowing a league-low 13 points per game, but they’ve only let opponents inside the 20 yard line 10 times this year.

Time will tell if today or last week were Turning Point games

The Steel Tradition’s David Francis brings up an interesting historical perspective on Turning Point games - two each season, both are are starting point of a trend of Steelers play, both good and bad.

Looking at the 2005 regular season, the Steelers hit their lowest low in a 38-31 Week 13 loss vs. Cincinnati. The Bengals ended up winning the division by virtue of a tie-breaker (see above). But before Pittsburgh routed them in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, the other Turning Point game, as defined by Francis, was an emphatic wintery win at Heinz Field over the eventual NFC North champion Chicago.  

Pittsburgh won that game pretty handily, and while the road to the playoffs was well-documented, sometimes it gets missed that the Steelers beat the best team in the NFC up to that point in a Must-Win game. What makes it bigger, they had Minnesota, Detroit and Cleveland remaining - all three very beatable teams. But they had Chicago in the middle of their disastrous three-game losing streak. To make those winnable games worth anything, they had to beat Chicago, which they did quite handily.

I love thinking about that team.

As for this year, a win today could show how resilliant a team the Steelers are, considering they will have won both games that followed losses, and given them a bit stronger foothold on top of the AFC North - making it a strong candidate for a Turning Point game. A loss, however, makes the Denver game a clear Turning Point game, and opens the North up for all four teams.

I hate how all-or-nothing the NFL can be sometimes.

Birthday wishes owed

A belated birthday tribute to SteelerBro, who turned, like, 58 or something (probably 34) on Friday. He is busy raising his goblet of rock in Kansas City this weekend, and asks that no communication on the game be made until he gets back to St. Paul and watches it in its entirety. This means we will discuss the game when I get up at 5 a.m. Monday - that’s about when he usually goes to bed. Most wouldn’t hear this and think he’s older than me.

Also, it was seldom-mentioned SteelerGoose’s birthday yesterday, just a day and two years seperated from her older sibling, SteelerBro. Calls to her home number yesterday went unanswered, and Die Hard Steel doesn’t believe in leaving messages. We’ll have to get her comment before today’s game. SteelerGoose is currently preggo with SteelerNephew (he better be a he, anyway), so we’ll see how much heat I take for the nickname drop.

More coming…

My latest key match-ups column for Steel City Insider is up…read and enjoy!

As reported earlier and confirmed by the NFL, Steelers DE Aaron Smith (knee) will not play Sunday at Cincinnati, and FS Ryan Clark (abdomen) and CB Bryant McFadden (ankle) are listed as doubtful.

The P-G reported Friday that all three are out. it will be the first game Smith has missed since 1999. He will be replaced by DE Nick Eason, who will make his first start for the Steelers since he joined the team this off-season. Anthony Smith will replace Clark. The two have split time through the second half of last season until now.

Mark Curnutte of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes the Bengals will be without RT Willie Anderson, and LBs Ahmad Brooks and Caleb Miller. The Bengals also listed RB Rudi Johnson as doubtful, strongly indicating RB Kenny Watson will get the nod again. He had 30 carries for 130 yards and three touchdowns last week against the Jets. The Bengals drafted RB Kenny Irons in the second round of the 2007 draft, but lost him in preseason to a knee injury. Watson, a Penn State product, has filled in well, rushing for 313 yards on 66 carries (4.7 yards per carry). Johnson was averaging a dismal 3 yards per carry on 62 carries.

As usual, Palmer not criticized 

ESPN’s John Clayton has the Steelers at Bengals game as No. 7 in his First and 10 column. In that, he writes:

Injuries have forced QB Carson Palmer to work without a legitimate three-receiver offense the first half of the season…

So wait…the fact his rating has dipped 4.8 points (93.8 to 89.1) from last year is because he doesn’t have a “legitimate” third WR? Suspended Chris Henry comes back in Week 10, and probably will help, but what QB getting paid $10 million a season has to have another elite WR on the field in order to succeed? You’re telling me having two Pro Bowl WRs isn’t enough? Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has a 101.1 rating, and if the voting took place today, he might have one TE (Heath Miller) in the Pro Bowl, and no WRs.

Puh-leeze.  Clayton sounds like your garden variety Bengals Whining Fan. You could call this a chicken vs. the egg argument; are the Bengals not playing well because Carson Palmer isn’t, or is Palmer not playing well because his team isn’t? Injuries abound on the team, and incidents and blow-ups involving WR Chad Johnson have caused distraction, but Palmer clearly isn’t as locked in as he has been in years past.

A game against Pittsburgh usually means a strong performance from Palmer, and with recent exposure of Pittsburgh’s short-zone pass defense plays right into his hand.

When Pittsburgh has stopped Palmer, it usually is a result of a dominant pass rush. Even King Brady isn’t all that effective lying on his back. Hit him early, hit him hard, watch him wilt.

Cincy media remember Tomlin well

Yes, my unabashed hero-worship of Coach Tomlin continues. Here’s a fantastic piece from the Cincinnati Enquirer giving a look back at Tomlin during his time at the University of Cincinnati.

Except for the fact the writer, John Erardi, seems to indicate that Steelers K Jeff Reed was added to the team just this year, it’s a very well-written and thorough story about even more people who loved playing for Tomlin.

I only bring this up because it’s yet another example of Tomlin’s management intelligence, and it’s impossible to think this man won’t win big very soon.

Hell, he even had Faneca singing his praises, and he seems to be a tough guy to sell. He does it through constant reinforcement of fundamentals, a limitless amount of positive energy and a genuine love for what he does for a living.

Now, he just needs to settle down a little bit during the game to go over challenge scenarios…but that’s a different animal.

Chad will talk about Chad, and so will everyone else, but it’s Houshmandzadeh who carries the big stick against Pittsburgh. With injuries all around, the Bengals best chance might be to get Ochenta y Cuatro 10 catches or more Sunday against the Steelers.  

It’s well-documented that, in Steelers/Bengals games, Ocho Cinco equals cero. It’s Ochenta y Cuatro who lights up the stat board.

Bengals new main receiving option, T.J. Houshmandzadeh is having a phenominal season for the ice cold Bengals. His consistency and incredible all-around ability has even given the Bengals enough leverage to discussing the possibility of dealing flamboyant WR Chad Johnson this off-season.

(Some don’t agree, and go as far as to showing his refusal to accept blogs as part of credible media and resorting to name-calling. I love Chad Apologists.)

The story is usually the same in regards to both match-ups these AFC North foes battle each year: Chad comes in as the focal point of the passing game, gets shut down, and Houshmadzadeh quietly has a huge game. In Cincinnati’s Week 3 win over Pittsburgh last year, Houshmandzadeh had nine catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns. In three games against Pittsburgh in 2005, he had 16 catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns.

Johnson has scored one touchdown against the Steelers in their previous seven meetings - in a 19-14 Week 11 loss in 2004.

While the Bengals were able to get their deplorable rushing game on track against the hapless Jets last week (41 carries for 177 yards and three TDs), RT Willie Anderson will miss his third consecutive start (he started 116 straight games prior to that) this week. Even with the Jets game, the Bengals are averaging 98 yards a game on the ground. That’s good enough for 21st in the league.

Housh has picked up a lot of the slack so far, and judging by the Steelers’ difficulties with Brandon Marshall and Brandon Stokely last week in a 31-28 loss at Denver, expect the Bengals to attack almost entirely through the air.

Housh will be a huge part of that. Even with Johnson’s fantastic talent, it’s clear that Housh has been more of the reliable force for the Bengals. With Cincinnati’s relative lack of ability to get the run established, coupled with the fact the Steelers average a little over 75 yards a game on the ground (third-lowest in the league), Cincinnati’s best chance against Pittsburgh’s defense is to throw and throw, then throw.

While Housh is a great big-play receiver - just like Johnson - it’s his exploitation of zone coverage against Pittsburgh that has given him so much success. He’s fitting into that role this year as well, as he is on pace to catch well over 100 passes, but is only averaging 10.7 yards per reception.  

It’s not that Chad hasn’t been effective. He’s averaging 17 yards a catch, and is second in the NFL with 680 yards receiving. It’s that Housh shreds the Steelers. Perennial Pro Bowl QB Carson Palmer seems to be pushing more than he has in the past, and has had blowouts with Johnson on a few occaisions this year. His rating has dropped below 90 for the first time in three seasons, and has an uncharacteristic nine interceptions (89.1 rating).

Judging by the film available on how Denver’s Jay Cutler ripped the Steelers hearts out with intermediate routes, and Housh’s proven ability to come up with big catches down the seam, it may be that Housh, and not Chad, becomes the focal point of the Bengals’ aerial attack Sunday.

It may be a question of how much time Palmer will have, though. Time in the pocket as well as time on the field. Sunday against the Jets was one of two games this season where the Bengals have won the time of possession battle (the other was against Seattle in Week 3) . Their run game is basically non-existant, and their linebacking corps was thin to start the season, and they’ll likely be without Ahmad Brooks and Caleb Miller again.

It might be worth bringing up that Cincinnati’s run defense is 27th in the league, but we saw what happens when the Steelers face a poor run defense last week, when QB Ben Roethlisberger threw 24 passes in the first half against Denver.

A 50+ pass attempt game might be just what they need against a suddenly suspect Steelers pass defense. If Palmer is going to chuck it that many times, more of them will go to Housh in the medium middle area than Chad down the sidelines.

According to AP reports, FS Ryan Clark did not return with the team to Pittsburgh following Sunday’s 31-28 loss to Denver due to a spleen inflammation. The report says Steelers coach Mike Tomlin confirmed he wasn’t injured during the game, but Clark has a pre-existing blood condition that apparently was aggrivated by dehydration and the high altitude.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Chris Simms had his spleen removed after suffering multiple hits in a game last season. He is currently on IR.

The spleen serves as the organ that destroys and recycles old red blood cells, and aids the body as an emergency pool of blood in situations of blood loss. In Clark’s case, the fact that it became inflammed is serious. At that point, it could rupture, which would likely have required Clark to undergo emergency surgery, which is what happened to Simms.

Clark is expected to play Sunday, provided he gets medical clearance to do so. Mike Bires of the Beaver County Times quoted Tomlin:

“All indications are that Ryan is going to be OK,” Tomlin said. “We erred on the side of caution in terms of putting him on an airplane after the football game. His spirits are good. We’ll evaluate him the early part of this week. There’s a good chance he could play provided he pass the battery of tests we’re going to put him through.” 

Aaron Smith listed as doubtful for Sunday

Tomlin isn’t optimistic that the sprained MCL DE Aaron Smith suffered early against the Broncos will be healed enough to get him on the field for Sunday’s AFC North showdown with the Bengals.

He will be replaced by Nick Eason in the starting lineup.

It’s all about Meat Loaf for Coletrain this week. That might explain why it took Coolong the length of Paradise By the Dashboard Light to go over his weekly Power Rankings. To sumise…Bat Out of Hell, Patriots, good. Miami, bad. There are 30 other teams with some lesser known observations below.  

1. Patriots - Running up the score or not, it really doesn’t matter in the long run. The Colts are the only team that has a chance to stop this powerhouse. Tom Brady is on pace for 61 TDs. Just ridiculous. Moss and Welker have combined for 1,256 yards. Going into Week 8. These numbers aren’t even realistic (Editor’s Note: I once racked up 2,700 yards and 31 TDs through seven games with QB “Wes Mantooth” in Madden 06. Brady’s got nuthin’ on the Evening News Team…)

2. Colts - This team is better then last year, which is when they won the Super Bowl. The offense is superb and the defense is actually really good. The schedule is entering the tough stretch, but they’ll be ready. Just look at what they did to AFC South “rival” Jacksonville Monday night: 29-7, and if it wasn’t for the dank Fla. humidity, they wouldn’t have broken a sweat.

3. Cowboys - After 2 tough games (even though they won one of those tough games), they bounced back against the Vikings, outscoring them 17-0 in the 2nd half. The offense is in the top 3 in the NFL and the defense is very solid. They have 3 games in a row now against their own division.

4. Packers - Favre hasn’t been great, but he has made the big passes. But this team has own share of worries. The running game could be the worst in the NFL and next they face the Broncos. If the running game doesn’t step up, then they might be putting too much on Favre.

5. Steelers - The loss to the Broncos was a shocker. That great defense evaporated, as they gave up 31 points to a team that had been on the edge of a meltdown all season. Roethlisberger has been all or nothing this season. Facing the Bengals next should be just what the Steelers need.

6. Titans - No Vince Young, no problem. With the help of LenDale White and Rob Birones’ leg sending 8 balls through the uprights, the Titans got a huge victory. The crazy victory is a testament to the breaks going to the fundamentally sound football team with a great coach.

7. Jaguars - Monday night was a tough loss, (29-7 vs. Indianapolis), but this team is an extremely solid group that plays tough, tight football. Maurice Jones-Drew is an animal with the pigskin in his hands. They just might have to do the job without QB David Garrard, who suffered a sprained ankle and could miss next week’s game against Tampa Bay.

8. Giants - It’s funny. The defense for the first 2 weeks was laughably despicable. But ever since then, it’s been a scary unit. Eli Manning still isn’t great yet, but he’s stepping up at the right times. And the running game has been surprisingly explosive.

9. Redskins - You can clearly see the NFC East is the best division in football. Three out of the four teams in that division in the top 10. The Skins almost repeated their Week 3 performance, nearly coughing up a game to the Cardinals with a 21-6 lead going in the 4th quarter. In Week 3, they gave up a lead to those Giants. But hey, they still won. Now they face the Pats. Uh…Oh…

10. Panthers - They come in at 10, but how long will they stay here? Vinny Testaverde will never die. He will play forever. This team has a great running game, but they might not last long. The QB situation can get very messy very quickly and the Colts and Titans are on deck.

11. Ravens - This is a wacky team. The defense has virtually no weakness but the offense looks like statues moving around on little carts. Basically, really stiff. The loss to the Bills was a tough one. With the talent they have, they should’ve won that game.

12. Lions - The win against the Bucs proved this team can challenge for a wild card this year. The offense seems to be good enough to overcome the suspect defense. This team should do very good against the Bears. Match up’s well for them.

13. Seahawks - I think this team is ready to bolt toward another division title. Their schedule for the next 4 weeks is a piece of cake, RB Shaun Alexander is bound to pick it back up and Hasselbeck has been good.  

14. Buccaneers - Give Gruden credit. He has made this a mistake-free football team. The offense doesn’t care anyone, but the defense will keep them in any game. Jeff Garcia still hasn’t thrown an interception.

15. Chiefs - This team isn’t that impressive. They aren’t bad but they’re not that good. They have no strength but no glaring weakness. Larry Johnson has finally gotten on the board for TDs. That should help. And the QB position is in shambles, so lucky for them they have rookie WR Dwayne Bowe and TE Tony Gonzalez.

16. Bears - Brain Griese has been good for the Bears. They got him going at the right time, as he’s finally added some stability to this team’s offense. The defending NFC Champs are showing some fight after a dead start. They’ve won their last 2 out of 3 including barely losing to the Vikings.

17. Chargers - This team looks like it has righted the ship. Phillip Rivers is starting to look…like an actual QB in the NFL. LT is always dynamite and you can’t run against this unit. In the weak division they are in, coming back from that terrible start doesn’t seem that hard.

18. Cardinals - They’re now down to their 3rd QB. They started off with a young, smart QB coming into his own and a wise vet. Now they have Tim Rattay, who is neither. Go figure. If it wasn’t for that defense, they would be in some trouble. Thank God for that bye week.

19. Broncos - Maybe they are a little too low. The victory over the Steelers was impressive with all the issues they have had come to them. This team can run well and their pass defense has done a great job without CB Champ Bailey. Too bad they can’t stop RBs.

20. Texans - QB Matt Schaub is beat up, which isn’t good. And Ahman Green isn’t running well anymore. And the defense isn’t that good. Yet, somehow, this team plays some good football. They have a good receiving core though.

21. Eagles - A extremely tough loss at home against the Bears. McNabb has been pretty good, the running game has been tough to handle, and the defense is pesky. So…why are they 2-4? I have no idea. McNabb seems to be having a hard time completing the big passes.

22. Browns - Derek Anderson has thrown for 1,496 yards and 14 TDs. He has more touchdowns then Peyton Manning. That’s one crazy stat. The offense has been so great it has been able to make everyone oblivious to the God-awful defense. If that unit improves, this team is moving on up. To the east side. To a de-luxe apartment…you get the idea.

23. Saints - This team is not dead yet. Close, but not yet. They are finally starting to play like a team. The offense still hasn’t put up great numbers but the defense has picked its game up. Now they face the dull 49ers. Speaking of which…

24. 49ers - Only one way to describe the offense- the absolute worst. All there is to it. This team can’t score points. No surprise when you have Trent Dilfer under center. The defense is good, but that can only help so much.

25. Vikings - Adrian Peterson is a monster. He looks unstoppable. He is the one bright spot for this offense. Tarvaris Jackson has been flat-out bad and the defense isn’t much better. The passing D is the worst in the NFL. This team has some potential but they just can’t seem to get it done at times.

26. Bills - Trent Edwards may be the guy this team needs. No matter what, the win against the Ravens was very encouraging for this team. If this team didn’t get hammered by injuries, they would no doubt be better.

27. Bengals - They beat the Jets, but they spotted one of the league’s worst teams a 23-10 lead and needed a strong comeback in the fourth quarter to get the W. This isn’t exactly breaking news in Cincinnati, but the offense is great. Their defense has, and will  continue to keep holding them back. Marvin Lewis is aggravated and I wouldn’t blame him with this messy team.

28. Raiders - Culpepper has started to look like he was when he was wearing those purple uniforms. This is refreshing to see for the Raiders. LaMont Jordon has so far bounced back from a frustrating 2006. Just like the team.

29. Falcons - Harrington has been a surprise. This time, in the good way. Not in the “Oh my God, where the hell was he throwing to?” kind of way. But that’s been pretty much it. They have way too many issues to fix to be competitive this year. And the running game is depleted.

30. Jets - This team is actually hard to watch. They have been figuring out different ways to lose. PUT CLEMENS IN ALREADY! Obviously what’s going on now is not working. Add the fact that this team can’t seem to do anything right in the 2nd half of these games. This team has been like the Armando Benitez of football. Stop choking.

31. Rams - This team can disrupt the passing game really good. That’s pretty much all they have going for them. They can’t pass, they can’t run, they just can’t play football this year. Peter King of Sports Illustrated said the Rams could have the worst offensive line in the history of the league. Ouch!

32. Dolphins - You can clearly see the AFC East is the worst division in football. I’ve got 3 out of the 4 teams in that division in the bottom 10. Sorry, I just couldn’t put the Pats down here. Wish I could. Ronnie Brown has had a very good year thus far. It was something for Dolphins fans to at to smile about…until he had season-ending knee surgery.   And the hits just keep comin’ for Cam down on South Beach.