The Sports Monitor

Quick thoughts on the Steelers' 38-28 win over the Chargers on Sunday: Rashard Mendenhall had a great game (165 yards rushing, two touchdowns), but let's keep it in perspective. The Chargers have one of the worst run defenses in the league. They gave up nearly 150 yards against the Raiders in Week 1 and Dolphins last week, and 130 to the Ravens in Week 2. If Mendenhall, or Willie Parker, can consistently put up 100-yard games beyond the beyond the next two against the Lions and Browns, then I'll be convinced the line is better. If Mendenhall can have half the game like he had Sunday against the Vikings in Week 7, I'll be thoroughly impressed. Speaking of the offensive line, did Max Starks or anyone on the line pay off NBC announcer Chris Collinsworth to get compliments? If Mike Tomlin's benching of Mendenhall helped get this kind of production, then I can't wait to see Limas Sweed's next game. He was made inactive after dropping a touchdown pass against the ...

Random thoughts after the Steelers' 23-20 loss to the Bengals on Sunday: The Steelers need to line up linebacker James Harrison back on the outside. I don't understand why they're moving Harrison away from his strength. I don't know about you, but I got tired of hearing the announcers talk about how close the Bengals are from being undefeated, referencing the fluke play against the Broncos. If they want to play that game, give me a fourth-down stop against the Bears or Bengals and the Steelers would be 2-1. Of course, the Steelers easily could be 0-3 heading into the Chargers game Sunday. If they beat the Chargers, and it won't be easy, the Steelers will get games against the Lions and Browns. In case you were wondering, the Vikings, Broncos and Bengals follow. Willie Parker looked good in the first half, but didn't find as much room in the second half. The last time Parker faced the Bengals, he rushed for only 37 yards. I know he's still young and has talen...

It wasn't too hard trying to get over the Steelers' loss to the Bears this week. Maybe it's the thought of six Lombardi's in the team's offices that can calm one's mind. It could be knowing that the 17-14 loss easily could have been a win. Then there's the return of Troy Polamalu in a few weeks that will fix problems in the secondary. But the loss Sunday seemed easier to forget because of another early-season loss last year. In Week 3, the Steelers had a game they could have won, a Sept. 21 meeting with the Eagles. As it turned out, the offensive line couldn't protect quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (nine sacks) or create any openings for Willie Parker (13 carries, 20 yards). For me, that was a game that the Steelers could have won, but didn't. The offense struggled the following week against the Ravens on Monday night, but came through with a 23-20 win. The rest of the season wasn't too bad, either, if I remember correctly. Losing to the Bears wa...

There should be no surprise about the supposed decline of Steelers running back Willie Parker. Many people were unnerved about Parker's season-opening performance (13 carries, 19 yards) against the Tennessee Titans last week. But a quick look at Parker's 2008 performance might shed some light: at Eagles, 13 carries, 20 yards at Redskins, 21 carries, 70 yards vs. Bengals, 14 carries, 37 yards vs. Cowboys, 12 carries, 25 yards at Ravens 14 carries, 47 yards at Titans, 19 carries, 31 yards The overriding theme is Parker struggled against good defenses last season (you don't have to consider the Bengals a good defense). He rushed for at least 100 yards against the Browns twice, the Texans and the Chargers twice (once in the playoffs). And if you think the Chargers have a stout run defense, look at how the one-dimensional Raiders ran against them last night. So what the heck is wrong with Willie? As I mentioned in another column, it's hard to put it all on Parker. If you...