Why's Everyone So Glum?

The New England Patriots possess the best passing game I've seen since the days of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, John Taylor, Brent Jones and Roger Craig.

They're built to throw long, throw short, throw inside, throw outside, throw quick, throw slowly, whatever. They're near impossible to stop, and they make no effort to do anything else, such as that archaic old ploy called running the ball. They've mastered one aspect of football, and it's set them apart in their quest for their 4th championship of this decade. Before, the Pats were one of many good teams who all had a shot at a Super Bowl. Big game team? Yes. Clutch team? Yes. Dominant team? Nope. It's all changed, and it will take a herculean effort by some team to put a halt to their growing unbeaten streak. It's happened before. It can happen again. It can happen with the Steelers.

The Steelers need to go back to school in order to keep Eric from taking control of Madison Hotels. Kindergarten started yesterday, and there were a host of lessons to be learned.

1. The Steelers can run the ball at will against the Patriots, but it might be too slow a means of operation to combat the Patriots' full-throttle attack. Did the game change when the Steelers' first drive resulted in a field goal? I for one considered it a failure. You have to score touchdowns against the Pats, because they'll score touchdowns on you. The running game will work all day long against the Pats, but your team better have a 14 point lead before you start to get balanced and play more conservative football.

2. It's a fire or ice proposition against the Patriots' passing game. Early on, Dick Lebeau played a lot of press coverage and allowed Ike Taylor to take his shot against Randy Moss. Everything changed after the play action touchdown in which both Taylor and Anthony Smith bit. After that play, the Steelers backed off and played right into the Patriots' game: they gave up the underneath stuff, allowing the Pats to kill clock while still moving the ball. They're too good in the short game to play the way the Steelers play Cincinnati. Brady is far more accurate than Carson Palmer, and the offense is far too precise to count on the offense making a mistake in the midst of a 10 or 12 play drive. Lebeau pushed his corners back, and pretty soon the DB's weren't even getting a chance to lay the wood. Lebeau cannot be as passive if there is a next time, big plays or not.

3. The days of Bill Belichick feasting on opponents' quarterbacks are done, at least where Ben Roethlisberger is concerned. Ben wasn't perfect, but he was confident. He got little help from his wideouts, which is a recurring theme. Stick the 2007 Ben in the 2004 AFC Championship game instead of the rookie Ben, and it's a Steelers blowout win. Ben needs to be allowed to sink or swim on his own against the Pats, because (like an NBA point guard) he needs to be in control of the tempo, an element of the game that is ever changing against a team like the Pats. That means more no-huddle, more passing and an attempt to get more possessions, not less. It's like the old Loyola Marymount basketball team from the Paul Westhead days. You could walk the ball up the court against them all day long, but as soon as you lost possession they were running it up the court as fast as they could. Play their game until you've got a lead, and then start slowing it down.

4. The Patriots play 4-down offensive football. Their calls reflect the fact that they'll go for it on 4th down on the opponents' side of the football field. The Steelers need to do the same if they want to beat the Pats, and they had a chance to yesterday. During the last "real" possession of the 2nd half, the Steelers were faced with 3rd and 2 on the Pats' 26 yard line, down 17-10 with 2:36 remaining. A run there would have either resulted in a first down or set up a possible 4th and short. You have to go for 4th and short when you've got a chance to score, because you can be sure that the Patriots aren't kicking in that situation. Running the ball would have set up a 4th down attempt, and could have resulted in a tying touchdown before the half. The worst thing that could have happened with a run is getting stopped for a loss, in which case you still tick time off the clock or make the Pats burn a TO. The pass call there was the turning point of the game to me, because it was a three-down, kick the field goal decision. Next time, there can be no fear or conservatism.

5. The Pats don't take bad penalties, they don't lose yardage and they don't make mental mistakes. The same things that doomed Bill Cowher doomed Mike Tomlin. Why? Is it the players? Are they just naturally undisciplined? Are they snake-bit, such as William Gay, who seems to attract special teams penalties (and gaffes) like hair to a balloon rubbed on a sweater? Is it Tomlin? The position coaches? Whatever it is, the team needs to stop inflicting damage upon itself.

I'm certainly disappointed in the loss - it was a game where despite great play by the home team, the Steelers still had many chances to change the course of the game. But it's like tennis. When you break Pete Sampras' serve, you better make it count by holding serve yourself. Unfortunately, when the defense broke serve early, the offense couldn't hold serve.

Later, when you need them most, those breaks are hard to come by.

The Steelers need to learn, and move on.

The Fine Five

1. Patriots

How many points would the Patriots score on their own defense? 50? 70?

Bah, humbug.

2. Dallas

Dallas had their own scare, and they're not unlike the Patriots. They've got a stellar receiving corps that still is missing Terry Glenn, with one guy that can just take over a game at any time in Terrell Owens. Also, their defense is closer to porous than to stout, much like the Patriots.

3. Indianapolis

The Colts are doing it right by continuing to give Marvin Harrison time to rest, because they're still winning. As a bonus, Anthony Gonzalez is going to be real comfortable against nickel backs when Harrison returns.

4. Green Bay

I've got this funny feeling about the NFC winning the Super Bowl. It can't be Dallas (would make 6 championships, which is worse to me than NE getting to #4 this decade). Could it be the Green Bay Packers, who I dogged in this column early in the season? Well Brett Favre hasn't fallen apart yet, and the running game is getting better as the season goes on.

5. Jacksonville

It would be very disconcerting if the Steelers go from losing a game of aerial ballet to the Patriots one week, to getting out-muscled next week against the Jags.

Quotes of the Week

"Much talking is the cause of danger. Silence is the means of avoiding misfortune. The talkative parrot is shut up in a cage. Other birds, without speech, fly freely about."

Sakya Pandita, 11th Century Tibetan Scholar, to Anthony Smith.

I don't care much about guarantees, but that's exactly what makes them a waste of time.

The Awards Section

Offensive Player of the Week

Willie Parker. He needs to run that hard, that smart and that fast every week. Keep it up, Willie.

Defensive Player(s) of the Week

Deshea Townsend. He was doing a wonderful job against Wes Welker until he fell victim to friendly fire.

Special Teams Player of the Week

This award has been canceled.

Goat of the Week

Dick Lebeau. Sorry, Coach. Under difficult circumstances, you flinched.

Stat of the Week

The Steelers are 9-4. At this point in the season a year ago, they were 6-7. Sorry for not scouring the fooball world for an obscure stat this week, but this is the most important one in my mind. Neither Rome (Georgia), Athens (Texas) or Paris (Tennessee) were built in a day.

Factoid of the Week That I Hope Interests Someone Besides Me

Those of you with curb side garbage pickup should count your blessings. In rural North Carolina with our system of Staffed Recycling Centers, "honey, take out the trash" means hauling it to the station wagon, enduring the smell (1 year old son, hello) on the way to the dump and then doing it all over again next week.

Ten Things I Know I Think

1. I like Tyrone Carter, but some of the things he was asked to do yesterday didn't fit his skill set, especially against a Patriots' offense that eats safeties for breakfast. I wouldn't mind seeing Deshea Townsend get a good share of snaps at free safety against New England's base offense, whether Troy Polamalu were to return for a potential rematch or not.

2. Sean Mahan played his best game of the season, I believe. Vince Wilfork was held in check all day, with his only damage coming at the hands of Alan Faneca. Willie Colon struggled some with Mike Vrabel.

3. The Steelers are prone to taking stupid penalties at very bad times. I'm a Mike Tomlin supporter/apologist all the way, but I really hope he's holding these guys (William Gay running OOB on a punt return) accountable in private, because he certainly doesn't do it in public.

4. I'm done with Nate Washington. The perennial tease is now more like a let-down, prone to dropped balls and abhorrent of contact. I dub him Paper Nate Washington.

5. I think I say it every week, but WR is a huge need in this offseason. I really like Lawrence Timmons and his potential, but it's not even debatable that Dwayne Bowe would have made the most impact on this team, certainly more than the offensive linemen who were available at #15. It's a copycat league. The other powers have a surfeit of riches at the WR position. It's time to do likewise.

(Around the League)

6. It got lost in the Vikings' blowout win against the 49ers, a day in which Chester Taylor rushed for 101 yards on 8 carries, but Adrian Peterson had the worst rushing day of a running back all year, gaining only 3 yards on 14 carries.

7. San Diego lucked out against the Titans, scoring the final 20 points of the game. Vince Young is very beat up at this point in the season. I think his body type going to be a problem for a guy who gets hit so much, and it's only going to get worse as his career progresses.

8. John Beck. Cleo Lemon. Brock Berlin. Billy Volek. Kerry Collins. Andrew Walter. Josh McCown. Luke McCown. Sage Rosenfels. Vinny Testeverde. Matt Moore. Quinn Gray. Shaun Hill. Trent Dilfer. Jim Sorgi. Troy Smith. What do they all have in common? All of them took snaps from center at some point yesterday.

9. Jacksonville won't run on the Steelers. I'll tell you that much, though I'm actually afraid of all the height they bring at receiver, with three guys over 6'4", plus a 6'7" tight end. Even Matt Jones made a play in the endzone yesterday, and Reggie Williams has been playing well for weeks.

10. If you would have told me that Indianapolis would sack Kyle Boller 4 times, but Manning would be kept upright all night long against the Baltimore defense, I would have never believed you.

Who I Like Tonight, and I Don't Mean Roger Goodell

The new television situation isn't working for anyone. Not NBC, not ESPN and not the viewers who are without NFLN. Well, I guess it is working out for someone - the league. They have a monopoly, and no amount of Atlanta/New Orleans games on Monday night is going to change it.

There's no such thing as a problem when the dollars are rolling in.