The Sports Monitor

We're 10 games into this football season and there still are many unknowns about this year's Steelers team. Questions about the defense, the ability to make the playoffs, the play calling, the offensive line, the health of key players, kickoff coverage and more. The list can go on, but I think you get the idea. However, there's one thing we're keenly aware of: This team is much different without Troy Polamalu. With Troy playing a full game, this team is undefeated. Without Troy playing a full game or even a half, the Steelers have lost to the likes of the Bears and the Chiefs. Not to mention the Bengals twice. It hasn't been pretty. The Steelers are 6-4 and have a now-important game with the 5-5 Ravens on Sunday night. A loss there, and the mighty Steelers will be in third place in the AFC North. Polamalu should miss that game and could miss the two others that follow -- at home against the Raiders and at the Browns. Coach Mike Tomlin and the players w...

The Steelers loss to the Bengals on Sunday wasn't all that surprising. The Bengals clearly are a good team, especially after beating the Ravens twice before taking out the Steelers 18-12 at Heinz Field and planting themselves firmly in first place of the AFC North. The big surprise for me was the conciliatory and somber tone in the Steelers' locker room after the game. "They're clearly the best team in the division," Ryan Clark said. It sounded like the Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs after getting trounced on their home field. Sunday's loss easily could have been a win. The defense was stout, even without Troy Polamalu for most of the day. The offense did move the ball, even without a running game. One touchdown in the red zone instead of a field goal, and just maybe, the outcome would have been different. But give the Bengals some props. They won. They outSteeler-ed the Steelers, as a Cincinnati newspaper headline screamed. It'...

Bill Belichick gambled against the Colts on Sunday night. Peyton Manning made him pay. Leading 34-28 with about 2 minutes left in the game, the Patriots faced a fourth-and-2 from their own 28. Common sense dictates punting from that spot and turning the game over to the defense. Belichick is anything but common. The Patriots gained 1 yard, the Colts got the ball and scored. Then the debate began. Was it a good call? There shouldn't be a debate. Such a call shouldn't be made. Only someone so full of himself would even consider going for it. Only someone with a warped sense of the sport would attempt to pull of such a stunt. "We tried to win the game on that play," Belichick said after the loss. Yeah, right. No. He tried to show his superiority. Now we have a better idea what kind of "genius" he really is. It's not very often when a coach truly is responsible for losing a game. Usually, it's the players' fault. Not this ti...

I don't put much stock into speeches before or during a sporting event. Usually, they're overrated and it's someone shouting at the top of their lungs. Such was the case at the opening of Monday Night Football where Broncos safety Brian Dawkins was trying to fire up his teammates before playing the Steelers. Well, it didn't work so well for Dawkins. The Steelers scored three touchdowns in the second half on their way to beating the Broncos, 28-10. And, man, what a half of football that was. The offense did what they wanted, piling up 321 yards (including 130 on the ground by Rashard Mendenhall) and the defense put the clamps on Denver. And it all got started after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger delivered a better speech than Dawkins. It looked like Ben wouldn't need that speech. After driving the Steelers toward an apparent touchdown and a commanding lead, Roethlisberger was hit, fumbled and the Broncos returned it for a touchdown and a 10-7 lead. It was a big m...