The Sports Monitor

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...