Now that it's blown over a little...

..Let's take a look at what this loss means and what went wrong.

1. First thing's first, Limas Sweed is looking more and more like a bust in important moments. I want him to succeed for the team's sake, but he is proving we can't count on him.

2. Ben Roethlisberger is still amazing. He threw one interception because Holmes ran the wrong way (Don't believe me? Ben didn't even look for a target. He took the snap and threw the ball to a spot. That's a timing play and Tone was breaking downfield instead of being where the ball was going) and it's hardly the QB's fault if the defender manages to run it back. Beyond that, his passes were all just about perfectly on target. His mobility is as strong as ever and when he gets outside the pocket we should just start expecting TDs.

3. What was with the early penalties on Hines Ward? Refs sending him a message perhaps? I don't know what that was about, but congratulations to the man for picking up his 10,000th career yard.

4. You've all heard about the defensive collapse and I'm sure you don't want me to make you re-live it either. Let's face it, the short passing game is destroying the defense. Teams have taken note and we can expect it to work all season. Our normally dominant pass-rushers won't have time to get any pressure if the secondary can't take care of those short inside routes. San Diego is probably going to run this system on every single snap next week. Antonio Gates and Darren Sproles as middle/underneath options? Yikes.

5. This season is looking like a test for Tomlin. We saw how he handled success for two years, but how will he handle a potential losing streak? Will he be able to focus his team and rebound? Obviously I say yes, but I have nothing to back that with.

6. Also, yeah, Tomlin went for it on 4th and 4 and didn't make it. Shut up about it already. If the Steelers convert that, Mike Tomlin is a genius who plays aggressively early to win. But they didn't so now Tomlin is a fool who makes bad decisions and may not be able to lead a football team. Let's get some consistency here, guys.

All things considered, this isn't panic mode yet. The Steelers are only 1-2. They could still mathematically finish 14-2 and the playoffs aren't in jeopardy until loss #5 or 6, really. This will not be an easy season, but has anyone ever had that luxury? All we can do is stay loyal and root for the Steelers to pull through.

Here We Go.

I am going to punch a baby

Limas Sweed.

Ball in his hands. In the end zone.

You don't drop that ball, Limas. You just don't.

There is no excuse for that kind of second half collapse. The Steelers have to find a way to stop the quick passing game. Limas Sweed needs to shape up.

I don't even know. I need a drink.

Jay Cutler. Steelers lose.

I hate to do this, but the Steelers really did play well enough to win. Except for one. One player could have won the game, and didn't, while his Bears counterpart did. That player is Jeff Reed.

He knows it too.

Now I love Jeff Reed and I hate to blame him for a loss, and since I have a personal policy of not blaming the referees (not that that was an issue today) I need throw blame somewhere else. So in honor of this loss, I am making a new declaration: Jay Cutler is a Steeler-killer. Two years ago he tore it up against the Steeler defense and looked like an all-pro on Sunday night. Today wasn't quite the same but he still outplayed the Steeler defense.

I wasn't counting, but it seemed like the Steeler defense would get a guy or two in on Cutler only to miss him or just barely get a hand on him and see him escape to complete a pass, usually for a first down. I wonder if this is what it feels like to play Ben Roethlisberger? Either way, Jay Cutler more or less had his way with the defense today.

Did the lack of Troy Polamalu affect the defense's performance? Yes. Is it fair to use that as an excuse? Maybe. Cutler was finding the middle of the field wide open all day. Sometimes you wondered if the Steelers had simply forgotten to put in a replacement for 43. Still, I'd like to think that the defense can still win games without one or two players.

Speaking of, the Packers handled Jay Cutler, Jay Cutler handled the Steelers, and Cincinnati went into Lambeau Field today and came out with a win. Next week the Bengals are on the clock. Normally, as a Steeler fan, you kind of don't think about this game. But considering the chain I just mentioned, this matchup becomes a bit more interesting.

That's for another day though. One positive we can take from this Bears game is the improvement of the running game. Anyone else notice a few more holes opening up? Notice Parker breaking a few nice runs? Mendenhall improvising for a first down? All imprivements, and hopefully next week we can see even more from them.

Now there's a week to prepare for the Bengals. Bring it.

Week 2 Gameday: Chicago Bears

Three years ago, today's game between the Steelers and Bear would be likened to a boxing match between two brick walls. Last time these two teams met, we all saw an iconic image of Jerome Bettis running over Brian Urlacher for a touchdown in what may be the epitome of the proverbial "smash-mouth football" game.

Neither Jerome Bettis nor Brian Urlacher will be making an appearance in the game today. As Steeler fans, we can take some solace in the fact that Urlacher will not be playing (though it's never good to see a player of his style lose a year of his career). Does the loss of Urlacher mean the Steelers will be able to run the ball?

Probably not. With the run game in its current state, the Bears could probably line up in a nickel or dime defense the whole game and still hold Willie "I can be tackled by a housefly" Parker to negative yards. And why wouldn't they? The Steelers' success on offense is all about the passing game now.

In fact, Ben Roethlisberger and Jay Cutler have totally changed both of these franchises (though for better or for worse remains to be seen in Cutler's case). Roethlisberger is doing his best to become his idol, John Elway, in engineering comeback after comeback after comeback. Jay Cutler... isn't. He's expected to be the savior of the Bears franchise, but his only game so far was a pretty poor showing. One game means nothing though, and he's going to do his best to rebound against the Steeler defense.

I'll put my money on the QB with the rings. Go Steelers.

Here We Go.

Where do we stand?

So right now, the Pittsburgh Steelers are in a 7-way tie for first place in the AFC with the Broncos, Ravens, Jets, Colts, Patriots and Chargers. None of the other AFC teams really strike fear into opponents save for the Titans. Today we'll take a look at our AFC competition and try to figure out where the Steelers really stand among their peers.

1. The Tennessee Titans
We all know the Titans are a solid football team. Kerry Collins is somehow getting it done at QB, the running game is strong and their defense is still an excellent unit even with the loss of Albert Haynesworth. Playing in the AFC South is no easy task. They won't be the team they were in 2008, but they're still a contender. The good news is, they're out of our way for the regular season and we're a game and a half ahead right now.

2. The Denver Broncos
Denver struggled to beat Cincinnati and won on a fluke tipped pass for a touchdown. Joke.

3. The New York Jets
The Steelers won't play the Jets in the regular season, so this is less of an issue, but they could compete for a wildcard spot with Rex Ryan and the Jets' new defense. If Mark Sanchez holds it together at QB, this team looks good on paper. Again, not our problem until the postseason, assuming they make it to the end.

4. The Indianapolis Colts
Another team not on the Steelers' schedule, but the Colts will presumably take another division title and lose their first playoff game. I believe Peyton Manning is the best QB in the NFL (Brady barely calls any of his own plays) but since they aren't on our schedule, I'm only concerned with a playoff appearance, which they'll get to pretty easily for something like the 9th straight year, and then proceed to combust regardless of who they play.

5. The New England Patriots
Buffalo came so close to toppling this behemoth to open the season, but alas, Tom Brady worked his magic and wins with 13 points in two minutes. We won't see them in the regular season, but you can bet the road to the Superbowl will undoubtedly include a battle with the Patriots. I know, shocking. I'll alert the media.

6. The San Diego Chargers
This could be San Diego's year. Rather, it needs to be San Diego's year. They're a great, talented team that has just not managed to get their Superbowl yet. Time is running out for this team, and it's pretty much now or never to get their defense in order and make a run for the title. We'll see the Chargers in a few short weeks and I think that will be one of the more telling games of the season. It doesn't help their case that they almost lost to the Raiders on opening weekend, but then again they were 0-2 last season and put together their run at the end. This is a dangerous team.

7. The Baltimore Ravens
Okay, who are we kidding? When the schedule came out, Steeler fans and Ravens fans immediately circled two games: The two against each other. This rivalry has transcended the rest of the NFL. No game is quite as big, as meaningful as a matchup between Pittsburgh and Baltimore. The rest of the league got a taste of that when the rivalry reached the AFC Championship. The rest of the conference was insignificant. All that mattered was whether the Steelers or Ravens came out on top. That's what it's like every time we play them. If Joe Flacco can put together a game against the Steelers (as good as he is, he hasn't done that yet), the Ravens could be poised to finally take over the division, which would probably lead to a Superbowl in Baltimore. That is just unacceptable. Don't believe me? How did you feel suring the AFC Championship? Did you think that it was really the Superbowl? That the team that won the AFC would win it all? I think everyone kind of got that impression. The Steelers are the only thing standing between Baltimore and the Superbowl. Let's keep it that way.

The rest of the AFC competition is pretty thin. Chiefs, Raiders, Texans, Jaguars, Bills, Dolphins, Browns, Bengals. Any games we play against those teams, you've probably decided are going to be pretty simple wins.

Bears on Sunday, no Brian Urlacher. Not that we'll be doing any running anyway.

Here We Go.

Steelers win, but at what price?

I'm not usually very superstitious about sports. But one thing that just has an alarming consistency is the Madden Curse. If you're unfamiliar, every player that appears of the cover of the year's Madden game gets injured the following season. And this year, Troy Polamalu was on the cover of Madden 2010.

Polamalu out 3-6 weeks with an MCL sprain. That's a huge blow to this defense. And that couldn't have been more evident than when Kerry Collins picked apart the Steelers D in the last minute of the half and Justin Gage scored a TD. Justin Gage? Are you serious?

Though that brings me to the point that the Steelers' two minute drill is as lethal as ever (Yeah, Ward fumbled, but that's his first fumble since maybe his high school days so I'll give him that one). Of course, watching Ben carve up the Tennessee secondary late in the game reminds us all of the offensive success that eludes the Steelers on the ground.

News flash: The offensive line still sucks. No one could run. Moore, Parker, and Mendenhall all finished with maybe the worst rushing stats they could. Everyone who keeps saying that Rashard Mendenhall isn't living up to his hype is pretty much ignoring the O-line. Unless your name starts with Barry and ends with Sanders, you have to have blocking to get yards. You might get lucky once or twice, but when three defenders just walk right past your linemen, you're going to spend a lot of time on the ground.

So now that I've told you everything you already know, let's discuss something no Steeler fan wants to admit: The Steelers probably should have lost that game. Remember Rob Bironas missing two FGs from 31 and 37? Those are so makable it's unbelievable that he missed two. If he makes either, Tennesse wins 13-10 with no OT. How lucky are the Steelers that one of the league's better kickers missed two easy ones? But hey. A win is a win is a win. All that matters is that the Steelers are a game and a half ahead of Tennessee in the AFC. That could be big later in the season.

Let's also give some major props to Mike Wallace for wrestling the 3rd WR spot from Limas Sweed. I really didn't expect much from him this season, and I thought I'd be right when I saw Ben throw a ball way too short and Wallace didn't adjust to the route. He could have pretty easily come back to the pass, but he didn't and I figured, "Oh well, he's a rookie." But then he made up for it when he came with a big (though admittedly not incredibly complicated) catch in overtime to pretty much seal a successful FG and a win.

Bit of an area of concern: Seemed like a few too many defenders just forgot how to tackle. Hoping that's just first-game rust and it'll wear off in a hurry.

Next week we've got the Bears. I still don't know what to really expect yet from the Bears' offense with Jay Cutler at the helm, but I think we can safely assume Willie Parker won't get a 100-yard game with three TDs. If the defense adjusts to the loss of Polamalu and they just start tackling a little bit better, Pittsburgh should win another ugly, low-scoring game.

Wouldn't have it any other way.

Here We Go.

The Steelers will run a 4-3 defense in 2010

I'm pretty confident in it. (I could be recapping another meaningless preseason game or talking about the roster cuts, but neither of those ideas are unique, surprising, or really all that interesting at this point)

Anyway, as we all know, Casey Hampton's contract expires after the 2009 season. If the Steelers haven't re-signed him yet, it's unlikely they will. Hampton agreed in the Post Gazette. It isn't likely he'll be a Steeler much longer. And when you consider that the 3-4 defense starts up front with the nose tackle, how do you run it successfully without Big Snack?

Answer: You don't. You don't run a 3-4 anymore. A lot of Steelers purists will probably be outright offended at this idea, but those people are stupid people that don't realize Pittsburgh won 4 Superbowls on the strength of a 4-3 defense.

Right now, the Steelers' front seven consists of Smith-Hampton-Keisel and Woodley-Timmons-Farrior-Harrison. Without Hampton, that leaves a big hole at NT (literally). Rather than try and find another lineman of Hampton's caliber, which would be close to impossible, why not just put two guys in his spot? Ziggy Hood is a Steeler for a reason, and it probably isn't his Hampton-like size and speed. So if Hood is one replacement, who is the second? How about moving Aaron Smith a little bit more to the inside where he can continue to dominate the run game.

That leaves a hole at left defensive end. Related: Does everyone like LaMarr Woodley for his pass coverage or his ability to rush? Last I checked he had a lot more sacks than interceptions. He played DE in college. He's big and he's physical. He's just the kind of guy we all want in the backfield on every play. If he moves to end, his talent will be put to use sealing that edge and forcing traffic into Smith and Hood. We can assume Keisel will remain where he is, considering he just singed a 5-year extension.

So that leaves our linebacking corps to be Timmons-Farrior-Harrison. Honestly, are you complaining? Farrior will continue to be the smart, solid tackler in the middle while he's flanked by two freak athletes in Timmons and Harrison that can do whatever they want, be it rush, cover, or just beat people to death. That front seven will continue to be dominant enough that a lot of us will forget how much we relied on Casey Hampton this long.

Oh yeah, and Chris Hoke is still around, but he doesn't really wow you either. Solid backup, not good enough to be the centerpiece of the best defense in football.

Opener Thursday night. Gonna be an intense game. Don't forget to remind all the Ravens fans you know that their team backed out of this game because they didn't want to play the Steelers first thing.

Still planning on moving Fullmetal Football to PSN and blog there about Pitt as well, likely in different columns. Not sure when I'll be able to post again or even what the blog will look like when I do. I wish this had been resolved during offseason, but we'll deal.

Here We Go.