Steelers need to find a new "Steeler Way"

If there's anything I hate hearing more than "Pirates Navy SEAL training" it's the phrase "the Steeler way."  

The Steeler way is an unofficial code of discipline that fans and the organization have dubbed as being the model way for franchise behavior on and off the field.

Give me a break.

You know what the "Steeler way" is?  It's allowing a player like Alameda Ta'amu to come back after a two game suspension for his drunk driving spree through the Southside two weeks ago.  Ta'amu, a fourth round pick in last April's draft, was charged with three felonies -including assault and evading police- along with a score of other charges.  

As a rookie, he's made zero impact on the field and due to the steep learning curve and his performances in practice, he's not going to see the field anytime soon.  When asked about the incident, Mike Tomlin cited that Ta'amu was dealing with off the field, on the field and NFL problems; or, to sum it all up:

"Such is life."

Really, coach?  That's it?  How about a real response other than suspending the guy for two games that he wouldn't play in anyway?  It's bad enough the Steelers are among one of the worst penalized teams in the league, but, at times, you almost get the sense that the players know nothing will come of their bad decisions.

To be fair to Mike Tomlin, in this day and age, that's the way players act.  The current "Steeler way" is the NFL way as well.  Players get arrested and reinstated with minimal punishment all the time.  Jerome Simpson spent 15 days in jail for selling marijuana, yet here he is, back in the league donning purple and gold.  Heck, Donte Stallworth KILLED A GUY.  

But that doesn't excuse Tomlin's team for its antics.  As entertaining as the players make the game by dancing around and interacting with the crowd, there's no reason for Antonio Brown to run the last 20 yards backwards into the end zone.  Furthermore, if he does get penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct (and he was), Brown should not be on the field the following series.  In that situation last Sunday, Brown was targeted on the first passing play since his penalty.  Where's the accountability? 

Then there's the new slogan created by the Steelers and UPMC, "Don't hit the head, don't use the head."  Well, clearly that message was lost long ago on Ryan Clark who continuously gets fined for his hits and even concussed himself last weekend.  In other worse, practice what you preach!  Coach, if you say you're going to take players off the field for penalties, then do it.  

It's up to the current Steelers to set the tone for the "Steeler way" again.  Obviously, Mike Tomlin cannot prevent his players from getting in trouble off the field, nor can he prevent them from being penalized on it.  However, when his players do get out of hand, he needs to be stricter with his disciplinary actions.  Otherwise, the "Steeler way" will be lost to more than just a few critical followers of the franchise and the penalties will cost the team more than just a few yards.

Pirates' Training Program WAY Overblown

Warning: What you are about to read is different from what many others have written on this subject.  If you are expecting this post to lay blame on twenty years of losing because of four days of training, or pander to the "I hate Bob Nutting just because its easy" crowd, please turn back now.

There's a lot of things the Pirates have done wrong over the last two decades to get to where they are today.  The combination of being a small market team, failing to draft the right players, and failing to develop talent has led to the worst losing streak in sports history.  At this point in time, the franchise has a lot of talent but sorely lacks development among some of the most basic fundamentals; discipline at the plate, stealing bases, and throwing out base runners.

They also lack something else: toughness.

That's about as clear as the whites in the eyes of the 25 players on the major league roster when the season turns to August.  For two years now, the Pirates have built up a winning record only to see it evaporate in the final two months of the season.  As the games got bigger and bigger, the Pirates got smaller and smaller.

Head of Pirates' development, Kyle Stark, thought it would be a good idea to invoke some Navy SEAL training into the program to create more mental toughness.

For the last two years, the minor league players have engaged in "Hell's Week", a three day exercise program supposedly designed after the BUD/S program the SEALs use.  According to Dejan Kovacevic, this is a typical day for the Pirates during "Hell's Week"...or three days:

•  Wake up and 5 am
• Clean Locker/Room
• Pushups and Sit-ups
• Serpentine on the grass
• Crab Walk
• Run along the beach carrying a telephone pole 
• Pushing a truck tire
• Get sprayed with a hose
• Dive into a sand pile

If this is supposed to be a representation of the Navy SEALs training program, it is in name only.  In fact, if the Pirates called it "Fluffy sleep land training" with the same exercises, I'm confident people would be too critical over how easy the players have it.

After reading article upon article from people bashing the Pirates over this training program, one thing has become apparent.  None of them understand what actual Navy SEALs training looks like.  To get an idea, there's an excellent documentary on what they go through here.

This is day one of in BUD/S:

• Wake up at 0500
• Run back and forth around the housing compound.  If they fail to do it in a certain time, they have to do it over again.
• Jumping jacks, pushups, planking (2 min increments), leg lifts while being sprayed with a hose.
• Pull ups, diving through a water-filled raft, then more pull ups.
• Dips 
• Class muster
• Run 4 miles in 32 minutes on beach
• Jump into ocean then cover themselves head to toe in sand
• Mountain climbers
• 0925 6-man raft races.  Trainees must race to get over the 10-15 foot waves in a rubber raft.  Push ups for the losers.  Multiple races.
• 1300 inspection.  Punishment is pushups.
• 1450 running with telephone poles. Note: poles weigh 150; however, if units fail to keep their arms straight, they will have to lift "Old Misery", a 450 pound pole, and hold it up for 45 seconds. 

That's day one, folks.  That's training to become a Navy SEAL.

To be fair, the Pirates are training for a sport while the Navy SEALs are training to fight around the world.  Asking the Pirates to replicate that type of training would be futile and it would increase the chances of an injury.  

Still, the purpose of the training is not just physical conditioning but mental conditioning.  Most kids drafted out of high school or college have little experience in failing.  Players like Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon have been the best on the field since they started playing baseball at a young age.  Asking your body to push itself beyond your comfort zone is a great way to push the mind as well.

The Pirates made a mistake with the "SEALs" training program; they allowed Gregory Polanco to participate despite recovering from a sprained ankle.  Anyone with nagging injures should not be allowed to participate because, overall, having a player on the field is way more important than any exercises required for conditioning.

But the overall message has been lost by the media covering this situation.  Instead of expressing outrage over allowing Polanco to participate, everyone is wrapped up in the training program, despite the fact that multiple teams have done this before.  It sounds like a witch hunt to have the front office fired for failing to produce a winning season.  

With all this being said, the Pirates should can this program.  The idea of having athletes train under adverse conditions is a good one; however, with the egos, agents and money, the message will never be received.  Players don't like being told what to do.  They want to be coddled.  The training program should not be viewed as a waste of time, nor should anyone sane believe this is getting in the way of learning how to steal a base.  Asking players to do push ups at dawn is hardly appalling.  

The Pirates have a lot of development issues, but this training program isn't one of them.

Expect a High Scoring Affair with Pittsburgh-Washington

Unlike previous seasons, the Steelers have been unpredictable on a week to week basis this year.  The same team that blew leads against the hapless Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders also won against the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals.  A team that allowed Carson Palmer to throw for three touchdowns (no other team has allowed 2) in Week 3 only to see Andy Dalton throw for 105 yards last week.  

What about this week?

The Steelers certainly have an uphill battle against the Washington Redskins.  The Redskins are first in the NFL in rushing thanks to rookies Alfred Morris and quarterback Robert Griffin III.  It will be up to Pittsburgh's ninth ranked rushing defense to slow down the Redskins which, if they do, they'll be the first team all season to do so. 

Two years ago, the Steelers would have easily stone-walled RGIII and the rest of the Washington offense; however, times have changed and the current defense is further away from their record-breaking ground totals than time would suggest.  James Farrior and Aaron Smith have retired, James Harrison and Casey Hampton (aside from one play) look past their primes, Troy Polamalu is injured, and young guys like Ziggy Hood have been bad.

Not exactly the best squad to send out against the top rushing team in the league.  So, how do you beat the Washington Redskins?  Outscore them.

Seriously.  Allowing 328.4 passing yards per game, the Redskins own the worst passing defense in the league.  Just watch Victor Cruz's 77 yard touchdown against Washington last week to win the game for the New York Giants.  Or, go back two weeks to see this stellar group donning burgundy and gold give up 352 yards to Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings.

Led by Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have the 6th ranked passing offense in the NFL with Ben having his best season to date.  With all the weapons at Roethlisberger's disposal, this should be a game where the offense puts up 35-40 points regardless of who is the starting running back.  The offense can redeem themselves from their embarrassing performance against the Tennessee Titans two weeks ago.

This is an opportunity for the Steelers to get over the .500 hump for the first time all season.  Fortunately, they are playing at home where they are winners in 9 of their last 10 games.  The Steelers are 4.5 point favorites according to the latest lines.  It's hard to say whether or not they'll cover, but it seems awfully safe to say both teams will combine for more than 48 points.    

Steelers Stay in the Hunt Thanks to Poor AFC

I expected a lot of things out of the 2012 season.  A bad AFC was not one of them.

Even though the Steelers have started the season with a 3-3 record, they are not only battling for a playoff spot but also a division title!  Is it absurd to be somewhat overzealous by that previous statement?  After all, the NFL is only seven weeks into the season.

Well, no it's not absurd.

Not when there are only three teams in the whole conference that possess a winning record.  This is especially worth noting when two of those teams (Ravens and Patriots) are far from the elite standard they use to hold themselves to.  It use to take a 5-1 start to stay on pace for a division title.

The Baltimore Ravens lost Ray Lewis and Ladarius Webb for the season during last week's win against the Dallas Cowboys.  While Ray Lewis is far from the player he use to be, he is still the heart and soul of the defense.  That could not have been more clear after seeing the Texans put up 40+ points against Baltimore yesterday.  They may have gotten back Terrell Suggs but overall, the defense is too old to dominate.  That puts the onus back on Joe Flacco and the offense.  While Joe has certainly improved his play over the years, Cam Cameron is still the offensive coordinator and Cam is about as aggressive as...well something that's not very aggressive.  They may have the talent to put up big points, but they don't have the scheme to win a lot of shootouts.

The New England Patriots have had the same problem since Spygate: no defense.  Tom Brady will get his numbers and the team will continue to rack up points.  But the defense will not be able to stop a good offense.  They are currently ranked 29th in pass defense.

From there, it's just a slew of teams that are 3-3 and 3-4.  The race is certainly wide open and it seems highly doubtful that 11 wins will be the pre-requisite to make the playoffs like it was in 2008-2009.

Why?  Well it comes down to two factors: defenses and quarterbacks.

Only six AFC teams represent the top half of the league in yards allowed and only the Texans and Steelers rank in the top ten.  When you look at how the Steelers did against the likes of Matt Hasselbeck and Carson Palmer, it's hard to argue that they are still a top ten defense.  Meanwhile, the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens are ranked 23rd and 26th, respectively.

When looking at the elite quarterbacks in the league, Tom Brady is certainly still one of them.  You could argue Ben Roethlisberger has been the second best quarterback in the AFC this season or third behind Peyton Manning.  After that, there's a lot of question marks.  Ryan Tannehill, Blaine Gabbert, Carson Palmer, Tim Hasselbeck, Brandon Weeden, and Mark Sanchez are all pretty brutal, yet they start for AFC teams.  Matt Schaub and Joe Flacco are game managers for rushing offenses.  Andy Dalton and Andrew Luck are still learning how to play in the NFL so their inconsistencies are at least excusable.  That leaves Philip Rivers, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Matt Cassel.  Yikes.

Compare those names to the NFC quarterbacks and it hardly seems fair.  Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, and Drew Brees are clearly in the elite class.  When you look at RG3 and Cam Newton, you see double threat players who have the overall talent to either make plays in the air or on the ground.  Throw in Eli Manning who has won two Super Bowls in the last 4 years, Matthew Stafford who had 40 touchdowns last year, and Alex Smith who has a 93.6 passer rating, and you can see which conference has more explosive offenses.

The good news is, the Steelers play in the AFC during an era where the great teams of a few years ago are getting old and the young talented teams are far and few between.  Or, as some would call it, "the 1980's."  Is this a Super Bowl year of the Steelers?  Highly doubtful.  But they can make the playoffs, even with eight or nine wins by the end of the season.

NHL Submits 50/50 Offer to NHLPA

Maybe it was the cancellation of two weeks of games or the $250 million the league has already lost in revenue thanks to having no preseason.  Whatever it was, the NHL finally "gave in" and submitted a proposal to the NHLPA to split hockey-related revenue 50-50.

According to Darren Dreger at TSN, the NHLPA is expected to submit a counter proposal in the next 24-48 hours but all signs point to significant progress being made.

Originally, the players were earning 57% of hockey revenue but, since it was resulting in net losses for more than half the league, the owners wanted a change.  Their original proposal called for 47% of revenue to go to the players.  After a few months of strained negotiations, the owners agreed to offer a split.

Even more encouraging, is that both sides appear eager to play a full 82 game regular season.  If both sides can come to an agreement soon, the league could start as early as November 2nd after a week of training camp.  Starting a season a month late while still maintaining the full amount of games could jeopardize player safety if the league decides to cram all 82 games into a shorter schedule.  On the flip side, adding a month would be ridiculous given that the Stanley Cup champion is usually crowned in mid-June in a normal year.

Without a league in the states, many NHL players have gone overseas to play in the KHL or Swedish league.  Evgeni Malkin has teamed up with Sergei Gonchar to play in Geno's hometown, Magnitogorsk, while Alexander Ovechkin and Ilya Kovalchuk faced off last night.  Other players, like Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang, have spent their time conditioning and playing in exhibition games.

Once a CBA is in place, all players will be allowed to leave their current leagues and come back to the NHL.

Other parts of the NHL's proposal included a rollback of player salaries (something that was originally denied by the owners),  a five year limit on contracts, and the top ten money earning teams will pay 50% of the revenue to lower teams (per Dreger).  That means more revenue will be coming to the lower-revenue teams although that may also pose a problem if the NHL can't find more than three teams to make a profit.

There are many more issues to work on that just the revenue sharing including player safety and the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  But, for now, the Players Association at least has something to work with and discuss.  Hopefully, this proposal is a sign that the worst is over and the NHL can get back to playing games real soon.

Nationals Show Pirates How Not to Handle Gerrit Cole

Just when you thought the Pirates had the most heartbreaking end to their season, the Washington Nationals swooped in to take the top prize.  

The Nats blew a two run lead in the ninth inning by surrendering four runs to the St. Louis Cardinals.  The game five loss ended Washington's incredible run and first postseason appearance since moving from Montreal in 2005.  Entering the playoffs with the most wins in baseball, the divisional series loss has to be considered premature; however, given the amount of young talent, as well as a large market and wealthy owner (Ted Lerner), the Nationals will surely reach the playoffs multiple times for the next 5-10 years.

While the Nationals are a larger market with the ability to sign big free agents, there are still plenty of things the Pirates could learn from them.  Most notably, how to handle an elite pitcher.

It's kind of like listening to your father when he advises you not to make the same mistake he made.  The reason he knows is because he learned his lesson the hard way.  Just like that father figure, the Nationals showed the Pirates what not to do with an ace.  

When Gerrit Cole becomes a starter and the Pirates are contending for a division title, there should be zero talk of shutting him down for the remainder of the season.  ZERO.  The only plausible reasons would be injury or fatigue.

Nationals GM Mike Rizzo's handling of Stephen Strasburg was downright inexcusable.  There was talk from the beginning of the season that Strasburg would be limited to 160 innings as he recovered from Tommy John Surgery.  The idea does make sense but only if you manage the plan correctly.  Rather than having him start the season, why wasn't Strasburg shut down for the first two months?  The moves to get Edwin Jackson and Gio Gonzalez, and the decision to call up Bryce Harper meant the Nationals were expecting to contend.  With that in mind, the Nationals should've used Strasburg starting in June which would have pushed him into the playoffs.  He certainly would have been a better choice to start a playoff game than Jordan Zimmermann or Edwin Jackson and he definitely could have stopped the bleeding in game five before Drew Storen completed the meltdown.

For the Pirates, Gerrit Cole has drawn comparisons to Stephen Strasburg since being drafted last year out of UCLA.  The 6'4 220 pound pitcher can run his fastball into the triple digits even after throwing 100+ pitches.  Cole has explosive stuff that certainly qualifies as ace material.  When he is ready, which should be soon, he will become the first true ace for Pittsburgh since Doug Drabek in the early 90's.

When a team has the opportunity to win a championship, they typically do as much as they can to gain an edge.  Strasburg gives the Nationals a huge edge and the Pirates are hoping Gerrit Cole can be the same player for them.  Neal Huntington's job as GM of the Pirates has come under a lot of scrutiny.  Some fair, some unfair.  But if he makes a move like Mike Rizzo; if he tries to fall into the same trap to try and protect his star player during a playoff run, his firing will be deserved much like the opening round loss.

This is all speculation, of course.  The Pirates still need to be a contender which typically means winning more games than losing.  The talent pool isn't nearly as deep in Pittsburgh as it is in Washington which allowed Rizzo to go out and trade for Gio Gonzalez last winter.  There are definitely some holes to fill before we can even consider how the young pitching prospects should be handled once they reach Pittsburgh.  Should the Pirates get to the playoffs, they already have game tape on how to handle their pitchers.

Lockout Hinders Best NHL Season in Years?

The 2012-2013 season was supposed to start tonight.  Instead, the league is in a labor dispute with the Player's Association which has led to a lockout, and subsequent work stoppage.  As a result, the first two weeks of the season, totaling 82 games, has been cancelled.  

What a shame.  After rebuilding a league that was pushed to the brink of extinction in 2006, the owners and players simply cannot find a common ground to get a deal in place and start the season on time.  The fans will always come back because the sport, itself, is too entertaining and addicting to become detached.  But the level of incompetence by everyone involved in labor negotiations has reached a new level of frustration. 

Even more frustrating is the shortening -or outright cancellation- of what is potentially the most story-filled season in years.  Yes, this season could be more interesting than the 2008-2009 season that saw Sidney Crosby face Alexander Ovechkin for the first time in the playoffs, resulting in seven entertaining games including dueling hat tricks.

This was supposed to be the make-or-break season for Paul Martin.  Entering his third year of a five year contract, Martin was supposed to prove whether or not his five million dollar salary was worth more than making breakfast for James Neal.  With the young core of defensemen chomping at the bit to play in Pittsburgh, combined with Martin's trade interest over the summer, this had all the makings of a major story.

And how about those young defensemen?  Brian Dumoulin, Simon Despres, Joe Morrow, Olli Maatta, Scott Harrington, and Derrick Pouliot all have the potential to be part of a top defensive pairing.  Who will get a chance to play in the big leagues and how will they fair?  Will they not only push for Paul Martin's spot but Kris Letang, Brooks Orpik, Ben Lovejoy, and Deryk Engelland's as well?  

This year was supposed to be about the return of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin from the beginning of the season, vying for the Hart Trophy along with a return to the Stanley Cup.  To do so, they would likely need to get over their fear of the Philadelphia Flyers.  

But it's not all about the Pittsburgh Penguins.  How will Jordan Staal look playing next to his brother in Carolina on the top line?  Where will Roberto Luongo end up or, will he stay with Vancouver for another year?  The LA Kings have a Stanley Cup to defend after their unprecedented cup run last June, while the Washington Capitals look to finally capture Stanley Cup glory with Adam Oates at the helm. 

Maybe the New York Rangers -now with Rick Nash- will finally have enough firepower to win their first cup since '94.  Or maybe the Minnesota Wild will make a deep playoff run thanks to their $100 million free agent signees, Ryan Suter and Zach Parise.  How will the Red Wings fair without Nick Lidstrom commanding the blue line?  Is this the year the Oilers reach the playoffs?

This partial list proves the NHL has more than enough drama to captivate fans without the help of a lockout.  Unfortunately, the lockout is a story that continues to write itself until a new CBA is agreed upon.  No, true hockey fans won't abandon the league because of this issue; however, the NHL missed out on what could have been one of the best seasons in league history. 

Ben Roethlisberger's Season

If the Steelers can pull out a win this Thursday against the Tennessee Titans, they will go over .500 for the first time all season.  Overall, the Steelers are in an OK spot.  The season is only a quarter of the way through and with a 2-2 record, the Steelers are still in contention.

Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger is off to a great start, on pace to throw for 4,444 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions; a career high.  Do these numbers mean another playoff run for the Steelers?  Well, it depends on which statistic you decide to use as a barometer.

Roethlisberger's top three seasons in passing yardage have led to a 1-2 record (2006, 2009, 2011).  In nine season, Ben has only reached 32 touchdowns once (2007).

The big stat could be turnovers.  Ben has thrown fewer than double-digit turnovers only twice in his career and both times the team made the Super Bowl (2005, 2010).

When the Steelers reached the Super Bowl in 2008, Ben threw 15 interceptions but only five occurred in twelve regular season wins.

Ben's ability to protect the ball correalates with how often he is sacked.  His only turnover this season came against the Denver Broncos where he was sacked five times.  He's been sacked nine times so far this season.

The Steelers have traditionally been a power run team but, since Mike Tomlin took over as head coach, they have failed to even run somewhat effectively.  This season has been no exception as Ben is on pace to throw 628 times which would ranked tenth on the all-time single season list, while the rushing offense ranks 26th.  Hopefully Rashard Mendenhall's performance last Sunday is a sign of things to come.

As i've stated before, the Steelers need the offense to carry the load this season.  With Lamarr Woodley and Troy Polamalu out for an extended period of time, the already aging defense is going to have problems stopping other teams.  This is now Ben Roethlisberger's team to lead and it is going to be his leadership on the field that determines whether or not the Steelers can make the playoffs.  So far, he's done a pretty good job.

If Ben Roethlisberger stays on this track and the Steelers find themselves back in the playoffs, he will certainly get consideration for MVP.  For now, the Steelers need him to continue his string of being efficient and not turning the ball over.

Why the NHL Owners Want a Bigger Share

Earlier this week it was announced that the NHL was canceling the first two weeks of the regular season.  The league has been in a battle with the NHLPA over a new CBA since July and while their recent string of meetings has been an encouraging sign, both parties are still far apart.

The biggest issue has been revenue sharing.  While the players would like like to keep 57% of hockey related revenue, the owners would like them to take 47% instead.  Given that the league makes money off of the tremendous skill of these players, 47% of the revenue just isn't going to cut it and it makes the owners look greedy.

The question is, why do the owners want to take a bigger piece of the pie?  Is it simply just because they want more money?  Not exactly.

According to a Forbes article last month, only the Canadiens, Maple Leafs, and Rangers made a profit from the 2010-2011 season while 18 teams lost money.  The reason is the top ten money-making teams contribute to the bottom fifteen in revenue.  When you consider the increase in player salaries, the profit margins shrank by 21%.

Simply put, the league cannot support the current salary cap.  As the cap ceiling rises, the cap floor follows forcing some of the small market teams to spend more money than should.  Throw in the fact that a team with fewer than 80% attendance for the season, or in the market of 2.5 million TV's or more cannot be eligible to receive revenue from the big boys, and you have a recipe for bankruptcy.

Still, the notion to bring down player revenues below 50% is excessive.  The league would be better off with a 50-50 split as the NBA currently has in place.

What would help the league even more is if it contracted teams and moved them to better hockey markets.  That's a difficult thing to suggest, especially coming from Pittsburgh where the Penguins were on the verge of leaving just a few years ago.  The difference is, the Penguins at least sell out when their team is playing well whereas teams like the Devils, Stars, and Coyotes draw empty seats no matter what.

Consider this, the New Jersey Devils have made the playoffs in 14 of the last 15 seasons including four Stanley Cup appearances and two rings.  Yet, the team has failed to break out of the bottom third in attendance in the last ten years.  With the Flyers, Rangers, and Islanders taking massive bites out of their market share, the Devils cannot get the necessary amount of fans to draw a crowd.

The Phoenix Coyotes, Dallas Stars, and Florida Panthers are all in warm weather climates where the only ice they see is in the freezer.  Hockey is the only major sport you can't play outside in warm temperatures.  The sport in those markets is swallowed by football, basketball, and baseball.  Those teams would be better suited in colder climate where they wouldn't lose millions of dollars each year.  Instead, the owners are fighting to take away salary from the players to finance teams that can't afford to be in the league.

This is a very complicated situation.  There is more to this lockout than the owners trying to make a couple of extra dollars at the expense of the fans.  At the same time, the owners need to understand that the players generate the revenue and as the lockout drags on, the fans will become increasingly unsettled while the players continue to head overseas.

Defense Not Addressed at Tomlin's Weekly Press Conference

The Pittsburgh Steelers, coming off an early bye week, will face the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday at Heinz Field.  As is the norm, head coach Mike Tomlin gave his weekly press conference to address the media involving the upcoming matchup.

In 18 minutes, Tomlin covered the injury status of some key players (Polamalu, Harrison, Mendenhall), the impact players for the Eagles including a list of reasons why they will be enshrined in Canton, and media questions.

Of the 23 questions asked, not a single one had to do with the Steelers' defense.  You know, the group that was torched by Carson Palmer and the Raiders in Week 3?

Instead, Tomlin talked about the bye week (three times), James Harrison's knee (three times), the run game, or lack thereof (three times), and Michael Vick (seven times).  There was a question regarding the no-huddle offense and its success rate, but that was quickly dismissed by Tomlin with a simple "we're 1-2."

Well, here's a newsflash for you, coach, you're 1-2 because of your defense.  The offense has put up 50 points in the first two road games combined which averages out to a clean 25; 10 ppg higher on the road than last season.

The defense is the problem and, much like the press conference, you failed to address the problem in the offseason, and through two of the first three games of this season.

But it's not all Tomlin's fault.  After all, he's just answering the questions being asked.  Unfortunately, none of the questions had anything to do with the defense as a whole.  There were no comments or questions about how they've failed to pressure the quarterbacks and force interceptions.  There was no mention of the sub-par play by Lawrence Timmons and Ziggy Hood or how the unit was shredded two weeks ago for 113 yards by a running back who has failed to register more than 34 yards in any other game.

Where were the questions about the defense or defensive adjustments?  What about the demeanor of a group who was beaten so badly in Oakland, that their coach decided to go for it on fourth down when the team was 70 yards from the goal line?  What are their thoughts on getting Harrison back? Anything?

Nope.  Nothing.

Instead, we get questions about Wesley Saunders's availability this Sunday (by the way, he's suspended); or how the team is doing with a new special teams coach.  Have those been the differences in winning and losing over the last month?  Wesley Saunders?

The problem is the defense and, with an explosive offense coming to Pittsburgh on Sunday, it looks like history will repeat itself.  Hopefully with Polamalu and Harrison that will change, but it doesn't look good.  Michael Vick threw for 371 yards against the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago while Lesean McCoy ran for 80 yards.  With a struggling run defense, how will the Steelers stop a running back averaging 96 yards per game?

Maybe it will take a 1-3 record to finally address the biggest issue right now: the defense.