The Sports Monitor

There was lots of speculation about what was wrong with the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers. After Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, there's no mystery. The problem with the 2009 Steelers was the absence of safety Troy Polamalu. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Polamalu makes the Steelers. Without him, they simply are an average team. With him, he turns a team with a banged-up offensive line and a quarterback that looks like he can barely walk and breathe into a title contender. Polamalu's interception return for a touchdown Sunday kick-started the Steelers and turned the Bengals into the Bungles. Another Polamalu interception and a LaMarr Woodley pick-six later, and the Steelers beat the Bengals 23-7. It was quite a showing by the defense. And it all happened because of Polamalu. Polamalu's play the past couple weeks elevates him into the frontrunner for the defensive player of the year award. More importantly, it sets the Steelers up for a long pl...

To go from 6-2 and end up 6-5 is hard to take. A chance to win the division title was within the Steelers' grasp a couple weeks ago. Now, they need some help to get back into the division title chase and are simply relegated to contending for a wild-card playoff berth. That might be a bit of a fall for the Steelers, but you don't need to get a first-round bye in the playoffs to win the Super Bowl. The Cardinals made it to the big game last year after playing in the first round. And I think the Steelers did pretty well playing all of their games on the road before winning Super Bowl XL. The biggest need the Steelers have right now is to get Troy Polamalu healthy. The team can't win a game right now, let alone a playoff game, without him. A healthy Polamalu makes this team dangerous. That's why I'm not ready to hit the panic button on this season just yet. Polamalu's impact on the defense reminds me of the Colts' need for safety Bob Sanders when th...

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...

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 ...

The Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Chicago Bears will feature both teams trying to rally around their missing defensive stars. The Steelers will be without Troy Polamalu, who will be out the next three to six weeks with a knee ligament strain. The Bears will be without linebacker and face-of-the-franchise Brian Urlacher, who will miss the rest of the season with a dislocated wrist. Both teams struggled to run the ball in Week 1, too. Bears starter Matt Forte managed just 2.2 yards per carry in Sunday's loss to the Packers. That he still managed 25 carries was amazing. We all know about Willie Parker's game against the Titans. At quarterback, however, the teams couldn't be more opposite. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler threw four interceptions in his debut for his new team. The Steelers, of course, won on a field goal in overtime thanks to the clutch quarterback play of Ben Roethlisberger. Cutler finished 17-of-36 passing and had a quarterback rating of 44.6. Big Ben was ...

Thoughts from Week 1's 13-10 win over the Tennessee Titans: The Steelers running game was atrocious. I won't go into much detail, but Gene Collier sums it up nicely. Watching Rashard Mendenhall run, there seems to be a disturbing trend; he turns his back to the defense way too much. If Troy Polamalu is out the 3 to 6 weeks, it won't be a loss that derails any thoughts of a Super Bowl championship. Polamalu was a beast in the first half. It's a shame he didn't get to play a full game. He seemed poised for a monster year. Did you get to see America's Game on NFL Network? The Pittsburgh Steelers' season was featured the other night. It was worth watching. My favorite quote from Thursday's win came from James Harrison, talking to Sirius Radio about his thoughts after the Steelers won the coin toss to start overtime: "I took off my tape." Meaning he knew the game was over. Why did the Titans drop men into coverage late into the game? It gave B...