The Sports Monitor

I've seen enough of Jeff Reed. I grew tired of him last season when he gave half-hearted effort while trying to tackle the opposing team on kickoff returns. He put more effort into beating up towel dispensers than going after kick returners. I could let that pass. Besides, if the returner gets tackled earlier, then Reed wouldn't be put into that position. Make the kicks and everything is cool with me. Well, he's not making the kicks, which is the key job for a kicker. Sunday's miss (from 26 yards) against the Patriots was Reed's seventh in nine games. I'm sure his comments complaining about the fans and the Heinz Field turf didn't endear him to many. Now come reports that the Steelers are going to bring in some kickers Tuesday. If the Steelers are lucky, they'll have a new kicker Tuesday night.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of hearing about a Super Bowl hangover. And judging by the way the Steelers played Sunday against the Chargers, I think they are, too. The Steelers disposed of the Chargers 38-28 Sunday, putting them just a game behind the Bengals and Ravens in the AFC North Division. For 30 minutes, the Steelers played at a very high level. In fact, it would be hard to think they could play better than they did. So, it was natural for them to hit a lull against the Chargers. Compliment San Diego for not folding in the second half. A lesser team would have taken their medicine and made plans to their flight back home after trailing 28-0. The Chargers fought back. But the Steelers responded. Just like giving props to San Diego, give Pittsburgh credit for staying composed and icing the game at the end. A lesser team easily could have collapsed after all that went San Diego's way in the fourth quarter. Jeff Reed's game-clinching kick was nice, showing ...

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 ...