A SLIGHTLY different take on the Raider Game

As tempting as it was to post this under the picture of the buxom songstress, I cannot do so in all honesty.

As pathetic as the game was, as brutal to watch, It still, is not OVER.

It isn't even November. It CAN'T be over.

No, we must sit through nine more games.

The good news is they cannot possibly be any worse than this.

The bad news is we have to find out.

Why?

Because we are fans. We LOVE the Steelers. We will likely grit our teeth and bear with them for the rest of the year. It is not like this has never happened before.

For those of you who have conveniently forgotten, I give you December 6, 2002.

Houston Texans 47 yards total offense, 24 points
Pittsburgh Steelers 422 yards total offense, 6 points

We actually made the playoffs after that.

And ridiculous as it may appear, we STILL have a chance.

I wish we didn't.

Raiders 20, Steelers 13

Falcons 41, Steelers 38

I thought we had worked this out, but apparently not.

Three turnovers committed by the Pittsburgh Steelers were turned into three Michael Vick touchdown passes, making today's game yet another example of what happens when each game is not considered precious.

In today's devotional, five of the ten virgins chose to wait until later to gather the oil to power their lamps. That would be the attitude of a team which has been among the most successful in the past several seasons.

When a team is used to playing between 9-12 home games a year because of the unprecedented ability of their fan base to take over visiting stadiums, it can fall into a false sense of security.

When, even with a 2-4 record, that team can STILL be heralded as the premiere team in their division, it is easy to assume the light will come on before absolute darkness descends upon the land. That is not the attitude of a champion. Running off 5-6 wins in a row will not mean a whole lot in a few weeks, because the hole dug by fumbles and mental errors will be too deep to ascend out of.

On a brighter note, obscured in this defeat is the continuing growth of the receiving corps. Santonio Holmes has been as effective as a receiver as he has been unreliable as a punt returner. Nate Washington has improved each week, although if he could get people to let him do his dance alone after he scores, that would be better for all involved. Hines Ward seems to be healthy and performing as he always has. So long as teams put 8-10 defenders in the box to stop the run, their performance will be instrumental to the growth of this team.

Unlike my co-contributor, I believed after the Chargers loss that there was some room for error with a 1-3 record. I do not think 2-4 is not insurmountable either, given the teams that remain. What is certain, is that the Steelers will be spending a large part of January away from Heinz Field. What has yet to be determined is whether or not the Steelers will still be playing in January in Denver or Indianapolis or sitting at home watching with us.

Steelers 45, Chiefs 7

Perfection is a goal, not a residence. God tells us to strive for perfection even as he knows full well it is impossible to attain. He does this because it builds character in us. No matter what the circumstances might be, It is vital for us to always give our all, because God can only truly bless in the face of maximum effort. The Steelers chose to wait until the conventional wisdom of the NFL broke out their collective shovels and prepared to bury the Steelers under a pile of cliches, Super Bowl Hangover and the like.

What we witnessed on Sunday was a clear announcement that the rumors of the Steeler demise in 2006 are greatly exaggerated. The Kansas Chiefs are a good football team, even without their starting quarterback. They did not make an excessive number of mistakes, in fact, they did not turn the ball over at all. The Chiefs showed up at Heinz Field with an average effort against a Championship team playing with intensity and got embarrassed.

The Steelers have received the best effort of each team they played this year, from the Dolphins to the Jaguars to the Bengals to the Chargers. The good teams won because they wanted the game more than the Steeelers and they were inspired by the pedigree of their opponent. The Dolphins, as time has revealed, are simply a team lacking in many areas and their best wasn't good enough. The Jags, Bengals and Chargers are playoff caliber teams and an average effort from the Steelers wasn't enough to overcome their pursuit of excellence. On October 15, 2006, the Steelers could have handily beaten ANY team in the NFL with the effort they showed on the field against the Chiefs. This is underscored by the fact that Kendall Simmons and Joey Porter did not even dress for the game. Special mention goes to Chris Kemoeatu and Arnold Harrison who were especially noteworthy when pressed into starting duty. The game was reminiscent of the run that ended in Jerome Bettis hoisting the Super Bowl XL trophy. Hopefully, this will be the effort that we see from the Steelers week in and week out.

Chargers 23, Steelers 13

Ready the rotund woman.

You know it's going to be a long game when Alan Faneca consistently gets manhandled in the trenches - future Hall of Famer Alan Faneca. Granted, Faneca had to block Pro Bowl tackle Jamal Williams, but Faneca, Hartings and Associates have consistently blocked the best tackles, ends and linebackers that the NFL could throw at them over the last 5 years.

It may be that the Steelers' season of ascendancy coming to an end.

Big Ben was under duress almost every time he dropped back to pass and Fast Willie was frequently hit in the backfield before he could get going north and south. It was a bad day for the Steelers' offensive line, and a bad day in the trenches rarely results in victory - it usually cues a Lane Bryant wardrobe malfunction.

The fat lady has not yet sung over the Steelers season, but the orchestra is preparing a set-piece aria and a big-boned soprano is swigging lemon juice in preparation for the Steelers' 4:15 game against the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday. It's up to the Steelers to delay her entrance, stage left.

Check Yourself

During this bye week the Steelers had an opportunity to take a close look at two important rivals – the Baltimore Ravens and the San Diego Chargers – as they played each other this Sunday. However, neither of these teams is the most important team that the Steelers need to examine. The Steelers seriously need to examine themselves.

The Steelers have many strengths, from an athletic and mobile quarterback to the best pass-catching and linebacker-blocking wide receiver in football to an up-and-coming speed-burner at wide out and a defense that could almost hoist the Lombardi trophy by itself. Ken Whisenhunt’s play-calling is the envy of the league while Dick LeBeau invented the Zone Blitz and is yet improving upon his own creation. The kicking game is fairly reliable with Reed and Gardocki both earning their keep and the running game is steadily improving.

But the Steelers have also exhibited many weaknesses. The Steelers ought to be 3-0 during this bye week, but they have lost two games due to failures on offense and special teams. The defense did its job in holding Jacksonville to 9 points and limiting Cincinnati to 14 points prior to the special teams and offensive meltdowns in the second half of that game. Big Ben has been erratic with his passes, and many of his passes that have been close to the mark were dropped – everyone from the sure-handed veteran Hines Ward to the up-and-coming rookie Santonio Holmes. There has been an undeniable failure to execute on offense and the name “Colclough” has become an obscenity in some quarters of the Steeler Nation – he should never be seen fielding a punt for the Black and Gold again.

The Steelers have a golden opportunity this year to repeat as Super Bowl Champions. The Bengals have been exposed as paper tigers and the Ravens are one injury away from mediocrity. The Browns have the most potential to become a threat, but they have not yet realized their potential. The Steelers need to steel themselves for the fight ahead in order to take advantage of these opportunities before they dig a hole so deep that they cannot reach the playoffs.

The biggest threat to the Steelers’ success this year is the Steelers themselves. Dropped passes, missed blocks, and overthrown passes are the hallmarks of an unprepared team – you execute that which you practice – and the responsibility for that falls squarely on the shoulders of Coach Bill Cowher. Coach Cowher is responsible for getting the team ready to play on Sundays. Coach Cowher is responsible for selecting the personnel for special teams, offense, and defense. Coach Cowher is responsible for the performance of the Pittsburg Steelers, and to-date that performance has been pretty poor. Coach Cowher would be wise to remember the P⁶ axiom and insist upon perfect practice from his players – we are all witnesses to Pittsburgh’s poor performances.