The Sports Monitor

I never understood the Steelers' fascination with their backup quarterbacks. They've had either Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich for what seems like ages now. And when the Steelers really needed a backup, Leftwich couldn't deliver. Leftwich rambled 31 yards for a touchdown Sunday against the Ravens, but other than that burst, the Steelers couldn't do anything on offense in a 13-10 loss that puts them in a bad position in the AFC North. Leftwich, with his long delivery, looks better suited for the Pirates' bullpen than behind center. He went 18-for-39 passing for 201 yards, but couldn't help a Steelers' offense that looks lost right now. The Ravens came into the game with a weak defense. The thought was Leftwich could manage the game, the Steelers could find a running back to rely on and they'd escape with a win. It didn't work out that way. And it looks like we could see Batch at QB this week -- or someone else. The Steelers are wor...

Some passing thoughts after the Steelers' 17-14 loss to the Bears on Sunday: Against a better defense than he faced last week when throwing four interceptions, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler found his rhythm against the Steelers. Cutler was 27-of-38 for 236 yards and a 104.7 rating. Cutler was sacked just once. Yeah, just once. Ben Roethlisberger's rating was 80.8. Rashard Mendenhall's 39-yard run was nice, but his other two carries totaled zero yards. Steelers receiver Mike Wallace was singled out on the post-game radio broadcast. Wallace's 10-yard catch was nice, but they wanted to see him fight for the first down. What happens if Wallace would have fumbled trying to get those extra 2 yards? My guess is he would be been questioned for not running out of bounds. Roethlisberger was sacked twice, which is good, but that fourth-quarter sack on third-and-8 from the Bears' 10 hurt -- especially when Jeff Reed missed the field goal on the next play. I'd expect Reed to ...