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Entire AFC North Fell Apart Sunday

JJ Cooper — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:37:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Steelers, AFC North

It was a rough day around the AFC North. A day when all four teams lost games they should have won.

Baltimore came into Sunday with more to gain, and more to lose, than anyone in the division -- beat the undefeated Colts, and Baltimore would stay right in the middle of the AFC playoff race. Lose and the Ravens would be in danger of falling out of the mix altogether.

Halfway through the fourth quarter, Baltimore looked ready to give Indianapolis its first loss. But with Baltimore needing only a field goal to take the lead, quarterback Joe Flacco was picked off inside the Colts 20 in the final three minutes of the game. The Ravens had one more chance, but Ed Reed lateraled into a fumble in the final 30 seconds. Now Baltimore sits at 5-5 with two games left against the Steelers and time quickly running out.

But as rough as the Ravens had it , it was even worse for the Steelers.

They were facing the inept Kansas City Chiefs -- a team that is just waiting for 2010 to arrive. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger came close to throwing for 300 yards in the first half, but somehow Pittsburgh found itself in overtime against the Chiefs. Then, after K.C. wide receiver Chris Chambers turned a short pass into a 61-yard catch-and-run that set up an easy field goal, the Steelers found themselves losers against a team they were favored to beat by 11 1/2 points.

Sure, the Steelers had a bad Sunday, but can their loss compare to the Bengals? With the Steelers losing a 1 PM game, all the Bengals had to do was beat the lowly Raiders in the late-afternoon slot, and they'd have the division sewn up -- effectively a three-game lead with six games to go. And for 59 minutes, the Bengals followed the script. But when Bruce Gradkowski connected with Louis Murphy for a game-tying touchdown in the final minute, all of a sudden the Bengals were looking at overtime. That is, until Andre Caldwell fumbled the kickoff return on the next play, leaving the Bengals on the wrong end of a 20-17.

As bad as the Bengals loss was, and it was bad, the Browns might have had it worst of all. There has been nothing to cheer about in Cleveland this year -- the team came into Sunday's game with five touchdowns this season. Most fans get to cheer wins, Cleveland fans have to get excited about first downs.

But with a chance to play against a Lions defense that is just as inept as its own, Cleveland finally started scoring some points. Brady Quinn threw four touchdowns in the game, after Cleveland QBs had thrown only three combined in the Browns' first nine games. It looked like it was enough, too, as Cleveland led 37-31 when Matthew Stafford's Hail Mary fell incomplete as the clock hit 0:00 in the fourth quarter. But Cleveland was called for defensive pass interference.

Even that wasn't too bad -- Stafford had taken a wicked hit on the Hail Mary pass, so Daunte Culpepper would have to quarterback the game's final play completely cold.

At least, that was the plan. Cleveland called timeout, which gave Stafford enough time to shake off the cobwebs and return to the field. He found Brandon Pettigrew for the game-winning touchdown on the rare untimed down, then walked off with an aching shoulder.

On Sunday, all four AFC North teams lost. All four lost in heartbreaking ways that might be remembered for months or even years to come. And all four have an argument for having the worst loss of the day -- it is one argument with no winners and four losers.

Entire AFC North Fell Apart Sunday originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tenacious Raiders Stun Bengals Late

Matt Snyder — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:20:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Raiders, AFC North, AFC West

After a physical beatdown of the reigning Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals were riding high. "Just look at their next three opponents," observers proclaimed -- with good reason, as the Bengals were staring at the Raiders, Browns and Lions in succession on their schedule. The three teams had combined for four wins and 23 losses before Week 10, while the Bengals had won seven of eight since their fluky Week 1 loss.

Facing Bruce Gradkowski and the Raiders offense surely shouldn't be a problem for a team that held Ben Roethlisberger in check, right? Well, that's why they play the games.

Oakland scored 10 points in the final minute of regulation to upset Cincinnati, 20-17.

The Bengals jumped on top 14-0 behind two Carson Palmer rushing (that's not a typo) touchdowns.

This is where you have to give Oakland credit. Aside from the most devout of Raider Nation, no one thought Cincy would lose this game. After coughing up two touchdowns, the Raiders could have rolled over and taken the easy way out. Instead, they fought and they fought harder than they have all season.

Behind four takeaways -- seriously, Carson, there's a reason no one ever throws at Nnamdi Asomugha -- the Raiders rallied back. Gradkowski didn't light up the stat sheet, but he found a way to claw his team back in the game. He even shook off a mistake of his own to rebound with a game-tying drive.

With 6:08 left in the game and his Raiders trailing by a touchdown, Gradkowski had a chance to complete Oakland's rally after taking over possession in Cincinnati territory. Instead, he threw an interception on the first play of the drive. But his defense picked him up by forcing the Bengals to punt.

Gradkowski must have wanted more of a challenge. The second time around, he had just 2:12 to work with and the Raiders needed to move 80 yards. They did just that, 79 of those yards coming from Gradkowski's arm. He worked beautifully on the drive and found Louis Murphy in the end zone to tie the game with 33 seconds left.

The game appeared destined for overtime until Andre Caldwell fumbled the ball back to the Raiders on the ensuing kickoff. Already well within the strong-legged Sebastian Janikowski's range, the Raiders kneeled three times and let the Polish placekicker bring the win home. He connected on the 33-yard field goal and the Raiders had upset the Bengals, 20-17.

The Raiders got a nice game from tight end Zach Miller, who caught five passes for 65 yards and a touchdown, but the story was their ball-hawking defense and special teams giving the offense multiple opportunities to win the game.

The Bengals were without leading rusher Cedric Benson, but rookie Bernard Scott filled in admirably with 119 yards on 21 carries (recent addition Larry Johnson had two carries for a measly five yards). Again, though, the major theme here was Cincinnati's inability to hold on to the football -- you can't turn it over four times on the road and expect to beat anyone.

The Raiders will look to keep things going when they travel to Dallas for a Thanksgiving bout with the Cowboys.

The Bengals actually didn't lose any ground in the standings, as every single AFC North team lost on Sunday. So they received a gift. They'll count their blessings and look to take care of business against the Browns at home next Sunday.

Tenacious Raiders Stun Bengals Late originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steelers' Special Teams Flop Again

JJ Cooper — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Chiefs, Steelers, AFC North

It's fair to blame the Steelers defense for Sunday's shocking loss 27-24 overtime loss to the Chiefs -- Kansas City simply shouldn't be able to drive the length of the field in overtime to beat Pittsburgh. It's also fair to point fingers at a Pittsburgh offense that piled up over 515 yards of offense, but squandered all of it with two interceptions, a fumble and three costly sacks.

But as the Steelers' fans try to figure out what happened in one of the more embarrassing losses in recent Steelers history, the group that once again is most to blame is Pittsburgh's kick coverage unit -- easily one of the worst group of special-teamers in NFL history.

In fact, only one of the Steelers' four losses -- their first loss to the Bengals -- can not be blamed, at least in large part, on poor special teams play.

More: Roethlisberger Suffers 'Concussion-Oriented' Injury

Sunday, Pittsburgh lost by three points in a game that the Chiefs opened up with a Jamaal Charles 97-yard kick return touchdown. Last week, the Steelers lost by six in a game that the Bengals returned a kick for a touchdown. They lost to the Bears in a game that kicker Jeff Reed missed two field goals in the fourth quarter.

They've also managed to survive kick returns for touchdowns against the Browns and Vikings. There have been 13 kick returns for touchdowns this year -- nearly one third of them (four) have happened against the Steelers. There were only 13 kick return touchdowns last season; Pittsburgh is on pace to give up seven this year.

Kick returns for touchdowns are supposed to be such special events. It's like seeing a Ferrari on the interstate -- you don't see one every day so it stands out. Against the Steelers, seeing a kick-return touchdown is like a Toyota Camry at a stoplight. Ho-hum, just a normal part of the day.

At this point, it's hard to see how the Steelers will manage to fix their kick-coverage problems this season. They could hurry up and fire special teams coach Bob Ligashesky now, instead of waiting until after the season. That may make Steelers fans feel a little better, but there aren't any top-notch special teams coaches out there looking for work during the season. They could try to add a special teams ace off the waiver wire, but there aren't really any special teams studs who could fix this problem sitting around waiting for the phone to ring.

So the best answer seems to be that Pittsburgh will have to move some starters back onto kick coverage. Teams don't like to do that because it wears out your starters and risks injury. It's even more of a problem for a team whose defense is filled with guys who are on the wrong side of 30. Mike Tomlin told the CBS crew working this week's game that such a move would be a band-aid when he wanted to fix the problem for good.

But at this point, a band-aid sounds like it would be better than nothing.

Steelers' Special Teams Flop Again originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ben Roethlisberger Goes Down in Steelers' Overtime Loss

Matt Snyder — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:06:00 EST

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North, NFL Injuries

After nearly throwing for 400 yards for the third time in his career (he hit on 32 of 42 passes for 398 yards and two touchdowns), quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had to leave the Steelers game in overtime with what appeared to be either a right shoulder or head injury. The Steelers would eventually lose to the Chiefs without him, 27-24.

On a sack in overtime, Roethlisberger was sandwiched between Kansas City's Derrick Johnson and Andy Studebaker and laid on the ground for a few minutes before being helped off the field. He was replaced by Charlie Batch, who did help the Steelers gain one first down before Pittsburgh had to punt.

More: Check Box Score | Warner Hurt, Too | Giants Get OT Win

"He took a blow, needless to say, it was a concussion-oriented thing so I doubt he was going to come back into the football game,'' Tomlin said. "I don't have a lot of information in terms of where he is or his level of availability. We will have more information as we proceed.''

On the subsequent drive, the Chiefs needed just four plays -- due mostly to a 61-yard pass from Matt Cassel to Chris Chambers -- to get the ball all the way down to the Pittsburgh 1 before Ryan Succop connected on the game-winning 22-yard field goal. Kansas City was a winner for just the third time this season, and the Chiefs have now won two in a row to move to 3-7.

The Steelers got big games from Hines Ward (10 catches, 128 yards, touchdown) and Heath Miller (seven catches, 95 yards, touchdown) on offense, but turnovers doomed them. Two Roethlisberger picks -- including one in the end zone -- and a Mike Wallace fumble helped to squander a lot of those lofty yard totals.

Pittsburgh plays at Baltimore next week.

Ben Roethlisberger Goes Down in Steelers' Overtime Loss originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Colts Survive Ravens With Defense

Matt Snyder — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:12:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, Ravens, AFC North, AFC South

Had you told the Baltimore Ravens they would win the turnover battle against Peyton Manning and the Colts on Sunday, I'm pretty sure they would have assumed the result would be a victory. Of course, getting into the end zone against Indy generally is a necessity in order to win the football game. The Ravens didn't do that and lost, 17-15.

Despite allowing 354 yards of total offense -- 135 to burgeoning star Ray Rice -- the Colts defense buckled down when in their own territory, forcing the Ravens to attempt six field goals and punt twice in their first eight possessions. The Ravens still had a chance to win the football game late, but Joe Flacco was intercepted by Gary Brackett with just over two minutes left at the Indianapolis 13.

More: Check Box Score | Saints Join Indianapolis at 10-0

"We are definitely a bend-but-not-break defense,'' Brackett said, according to the Associated Press. "They drove a couple of times on us, but we held them to field goals.''

The Ravens did almost have a last gasp for victory, as Ed Reed received a punt with just under 30 seconds left -- and a decent return would have pulled them within about 30 yards of (game-winning) field goal range. Instead, Reed desperately attempted to lateral to a teammate almost simultaneously as he was taken down. The ill-advised pitch went directly to Freddy Keiaho of the Colts. Replays showed the pitch happened at almost the exact same time Reed's knee hit the ground, thus, there wasn't conclusive visual evidence to overturn the call on the field (a fumble).

Manning took a knee on the next play, and the Colts extended their league-high win streak to 19 regular-season games. They joined the Saints at 10-0 with the best record in the NFL.

"To be able to come out of this game with a win is huge,'' Colts head coach Jim Caldwell said. "We're not going to ever sneeze at being 10-0, but we're doing it by a small margin these days.''

The final score suggests a slug-fest where neither team could move the football, but -- with over 700 yards in combined total offense -- that wasn't the case at all. Instead, each team repeatedly allowed lots of yardage before slamming the brakes on the opposing offense, either with a big stop or a takeaway. Manning passed for 299 yards, but threw two interceptions and just one touchdown. Tight end Tom Santi (who entered the game with no catches this season, but caught six balls for 80 yards Sunday) fumbled close to the Ravens' 1-yard line. Flacco, meanwhile, threw the aforementioned pick, and many other drives stalled. Both teams were basically playing bend-but-don't-break defense. There were two offensive touchdowns -- both by the Colts -- and that was the difference.

In addition to Rice, the big offensive star for the Ravens was the venerable Derrick Mason, who hauled in nine passes for 142 yards. On defense, Reed had a huge interception early, and played a part in the hit on Santi's fumble. Unfortunately, his attempted lateral ultimately finished his team.

Also of note is that Billy Cundiff, whom was brought in to replace Steven Hauschka as the Ravens' kicker, made five field goals but missed a 39-yarder that could have made the difference.

For the Colts, Pierre Garcon had six catches for 108 yards. Dallas Clark had a sparkling one-handed touchdown catch early in the game and Joseph Addai shook Ray Lewis for a second-quarter touchdown. Addai ended with 74 yards on 19 carries.

The Colts will look to continue their unbeaten streak -- and possibly clinch the AFC South -- next week in Houston.

Baltimore faces another tough test against the Steelers at home in Week 12.

Colts Survive Ravens With Defense originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steelers Kick Coverage Team May Break Records ... In a Bad Way

JJ Cooper — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:32:00 EST

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North, NFL Analysis

If you're a Steelers fan, you know that the Steelers kick coverage has been putrid, but considering how bad the Steelers coverage teams over the years have been, it's easy to not realize just how rank this year's special teams are. Thankfully, the Football Outsiders are able to give it some perspective.

In the 15 years of stats the FO guys now have data foor, the Steelers are coming up on a very dubious record. The 1995 Bills have the record for the worst kick coverage unit of all time--they are so bad that the difference between them and the second worst team is as much as the difference between the second worst and the 53rd worst unit.
But now the Steelers are not far behind the 1995 Bills for putridity. And it's not just the kick coverage. Jeff Reed's kickoffs have been the worst in the league -- significantly worse than anyone else, which is another argument (besides his run-ins with towel dispensers) why Pittsburgh should be OK with bringing in another kicker next year.

Football Outsiders ranks the kick coverage units by points. The Falcons are the best in kick coverage at 11.1 points. The Lions are second worst at -12.8. Pittsburgh is sitting at -26.2. Only three teams in those 15 years have finished worse than -20 with the Bills' -31 easily the worst since 1994.

It's unlikely that the Steelers will catch the '95 Bills -- it's hard to keep being as bad as they've been in recent weeks, but it is a good reminder that this unit isn't just a group that's having a couple of problems -- it's a group that is one of the worst kick coverage units you'll ever see.

Steelers Kick Coverage Team May Break Records ... In a Bad Way originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:32:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LJ Pushes Bengals to Brink of Disaster

Terence Moore — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, AFC North

CINCINNATI -- Now you can add frequently bad actor Larry Johnson to a Cincinnati Bengals locker room already noted for drama.

Yeah, this makes sense.

It actually does, but only to a point.

Starting running back Cedric Benson has an aching hip flexor, and since nobody worth mentioning wanted to sign Johnson, he came this week as a cheap insurance policy for the Bengals. It's just that you have this little thing in sports called "chemistry," and Benson didn't exactly suggest after practice on Wednesday that he would celebrate Johnson's arrival by baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

"Oh, I didn't know I was supposed to be jumping out of my seat or anything, so I really have no feelings about (Johnson's arrival)," said Benson, among the NFL's leading rushers, responding to it all without the hint of emotion.

So will Johnson help the Bengals?

"I haven't broken down film (on Johnson), so I really don't know," said Benson, still straight-faced. Then Benson added, "They make decisions for the team and stuff, and I don't have any thoughts."

Here are mine: to the dismay of Benson when it comes to Johnson, for instance, the Bengals have placed an imaginary sign outside of Paul Brown Stadium that says to their peers, "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to make us not look absolutely ridiculous if this doesn't work out."

The thing is, given the sorry ways of the Bengals since the 1991 death of Paul Brown, their venerable founder and first head coach, they have nothing to lose. As a result, they've taken the spirit of hiring rejects from George Allen's days with the Over The Hill Gang in Washington. And then they've combined that with the philosophy of the 20th century Oakland Raiders who believed in adding the bad boys of other teams to those of their own. And then they've kept repeating the process.

The result? Great -- so far. The defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers already have lost twice to the 7-2 Bengals. Plus, only the Indianapolis Colts at 9-0 have a better record in the conference.

This is a Cincinnati franchise with just one winning season in its last 19 years, and during one recent stretch, the Bengals challenged the NFL record for most players fingerprinted before, during and after a season.

Such a strategy (or lack thereof) of stacking a roster with undesirable and unwanted players didn't work for the Bengals back then, but their ownership and management is confident that they've got it right this time.

Maybe they have.

"I think a lot of guys have bricks on their shoulders, because you had an image of being a different player somewhere else, and you try to come here and try to get your career back on the right track," said Chris Crocker, the leader of the secondary, whose nomadic story is the dominant story for most on the Bengals' roster.

As for Crocker's story, he joined Cincinnati in the middle of 2008 after he was released by the Miami Dolphins. He began his seven-year career with the Cleveland Browns, but he was unwanted three years after that. Then he went to the Atlanta Falcons, but he was unwanted two years after that before his brief stay in Miami.

"In this locker room, we don't judge people by their past. We just judge people on what we know about them right now."
- Chris Crocker,
Bengals safety Added Crocker, "This (move to the Bengals) has worked for the positive for us because so many of us realize that second and third chances don't come very often. I give them (Bengals officials) credit for putting a bunch of guys together who hadn't done well at other places. That's hard (for management) to do.

"For players who are on this team, there's always an image, always a reputation that you carry that's good, bad or indifferent. There's always something that people said about you that may not be true."

Then again, it probably is true, but the Bengals decision makers (primarily owner Mike Brown and seventh-year coach Marvin Lewis) couldn't care less. I mean, if Terrell Owens isn't on his way to this side of the Ohio River, just wait. The same goes for Michael Vick, who only was a "yes" from heading to the Bengals after his prison time for that dogfighting mess.

Can Dennis Rodman block or tackle?

Let's go back to Johnson, who was considered so disruptive by his Kansas City bosses that he was waived earlier this month despite sitting 75 yards shy of becoming the Chiefs' all-time leading rusher. Most recently, he spent a couple of weeks suspended after using a derogatory term in public regarding homosexuals. He also was involved in a Twitter controversy when he ripped Chiefs first-year head coach Todd Haley in childish ways.

Before that, Johnson was arrested several times for alleged incidents involving the abuse of women, ranging from shoving the head of one at a nightclub to spitting a drink into the face of another to waving a gun at a former girlfriend.

The Bengals signed Johnson anyway.

Said Crocker, "In this locker room, we don't judge people by their past. We just judge people on what we know about them right now. We brought in Larry Johnson, and you have Cedric Benson, the guy in front of him, who he has had the same experience (of people doubting his worth). So (Benson) can help him out."

Yes, Benson can, but only theoretically (see above). Soon after the Chicago Bears picked Benson as the fourth player overall in the 2005 draft, he was labeled a bust. That's because he was. He was released in June 2008, and he was out of the league until the Bengals spread their always open arms three months later.

Elsewhere on the Bengals' offense, you have Chris Henry, their perennial reclamation project. His impressive season ended this month with a broken forearm, but only after he was waived last year and then signed again for a final chance to save his career after numerous encounters with the law. Placekicker Shayne Graham was released five times by other NFL teams. Punt returner Quan Cosby joined the Bengals as a college free agent. Wide receiver Laveranues Coles wasn't wanted by the New York Jets anymore after last season for various reasons, but along came the Bengals.

Then you have what the Bengals call the Scrap Iron Defense, because as linebacker Brandon Johnson said, "We've got a lot of pieces that nobody wanted."

Linebacker Dhani Jones was jobless for three weeks before he was signed by the Bengals in September 2007. Linebacker Rey Maualuga was bypassed in the first round of the 2009 despite his stellar career at Southern Cal. Defensive end Tank Johnson joined the Bengals as a free agent this year after an explosive past -- on and off the field.

The list is endless.

Still, the Bengals prosper. They will do so through the rest of the regular season and deep into the playoffs if they remember this: they are about one more Larry Johnson-type acquisition away from blowing it.

For verification, listen to that sound of mostly silence from Benson.

Terence Moore is a national columnist and commentator for FanHouse. He is a frequent panelist on "Rome Is Burning," an ESPN show hosted by Jim Rome, that is seen Monday through Friday at 4:30 PM ET. Moore spent more than three decades working for major newspapers, including 26 years as an award-winning sports columnist for the San Francisco Examiner and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He resides in Atlanta.

LJ Pushes Bengals to Brink of Disaster originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steelers Cut Arnold Harrison As Punishment for Kick Coverage Woes

JJ Cooper — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:47:00 EST

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

When you've given up three kick return touchdowns in the past four games, some heads are going to roll. For Pittsburgh, linebacker Arnold Harrison has been deemed the scapegoat, as he was cut on Tuesday when the Steelers started to shake up the kick coverage unit.

When the Steelers gave up a kick return touchdown to Browns' returner Josh Cribbs, it was a minor setback in what was an easy win. Percy Harvin's kick return against the Steelers gave Pittsburgh a scare, but once again, the Steelers figured out how to survive anyway.
But Bernard Scott's kick return for a touchdown last week was a back-breaker and a game-winner, which is a nice reminder that Pittsburgh has to fix its kick coverage problems quickly. To replace Harrison, Pittsburgh promoted Donovan Woods from the practice squad. Both Harrison and Woods are best known as special teamers--Woods played well on special teams last year before a midseason injury--so this should be a simple one-for-one replacement.

But the Steelers special teams problems extend beyond any one player. There have been only 12 kick returns for touchdowns in the NFL this season, so fully one fourth of them have come against the Steelers. The Steelers rank 30th in the NFL in special teams according to Football Outsiders' metrics. Not surprisingly, they are 32nd in kick coverage.

Even if Wood helps the unit improve, Pittsburgh's special teams have proven to be a disappointment. Stefan Logan has proven to be an average returner--no better, no worse--and Daniel Sepulveda has been a good punter. But Jeff Reeed has had his struggles--his missed field goals helped cost the Steelers' the first Bengals game--and the coverage units are downright scary.

Steelers Cut Arnold Harrison As Punishment for Kick Coverage Woes originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Larry Johnson Headed to Cincy

Will Brinson — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:45:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, AFC North, NFL Free Agency

Larry Johnson cleared waivers last week, and as a result, was a full-on free agent (no one was picking up his salary, so this wasn't a surprise). Now it's being reported that LJ will sign with the Cincinnati Bengals.

That's the rumor, anyway, coming from Adam Schefter's Twitter account, where he's crediting Michael Smith with the news that Johnson is headed to Cincy for a visit and likely signing.

ESPN's Michael Smith reporting that Larry Johnson is en route to Cincinnati, and barring a breakdown, is expected to sign with Bengals.

This news comes on the heels of a Cedric Benson injury that has the AFC North-leading Bengals likely concerned about their running game. Further reports indicate that Johnson isn't expected to sign until later this evening -- presumably he's in for a visit with coach Marvin Lewis and to take a physical first.

Of course, provided that he does sign, you will immediately hear an amazing amount of overreaction from people saying "Typical Bengals front office behavior!" or something of the like. However, remember that this Bengals team has managed to turn Benson from a malcontent into a would-be Pro Bowler, keep Chris Henry in check and change the attitude of the entire franchise in just under a year.

Granted, much of that comes from winning, and if the teams starts dropping games with Johnson on the field or in the locker room, people will question the decision. But from a pure football perspective, provided they can keep LJ in check to a degree, this move makes a ton of sense.

Report: Larry Johnson Headed to Cincy originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bengals, Steelers Remaining Schedules Are Extremely Favorable

JJ Cooper — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:29:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Steelers, AFC North

When the Bengals beat the Steelers on Sunday, they came about as close as is possible to wrapping up a division in the middle of November. Cincinnati now effectively has a two-game lead in the division (thanks to their head-to-head tiebreaker advantage) with seven games to go. But more than anything, the easy schedule for the AFC North make it clear that we'll likely see at least two AFC North teams in the playoffs.

As we mentioned last week, the remaining Bengals schedule puts Cincinnati in a very clear driver's seat in the AFC North. Cincinnati's next three games are against the Raiders (2-7), Browns (1-7) and Lions (1-7).

Anything is possible -- as the Bengals' near loss to the Browns earlier in the season showed -- but those are three games where Cincinnati will be heavy favorites. The schedule does get tougher after that with games against the Vikings (8-1) and Chargers (6-3), but Cincinnati ends the season with games against the Chiefs (2-7) and Jets (4-5). Being conservative, the worst-case scenario for the Bengals (barring a collapse) is a 4-3 finish, which would leave Cincinnati at 11-5. But 13-3 seems just as likely.

If that happened, Pittsburgh would have to go 12-4 to win the division, which means a 6-1 finish. While that seems very difficult, the Steelers' schedule to end the season is favorable for a run -- Pittsburgh plays only one game against a team with a winning record. Two games against Baltimore (4-4) are the toughest left on Pittsburgh's schedule. Pittsburgh also has games left against the Chiefs (2-7), Raiders (2-7), Browns (1-7), Packers (5-4) and Dolphins (4-5).

No Steelers-Ravens game is easy, but if Pittsburgh can get healthy, it has the schedule to go on a 7-0 run to end the season (much like it did in the run to the Super Bowl in 2005). Of course with the Bengals' remaining schedule finishing 13-3 might not be enough to win the division.

Bengals, Steelers Remaining Schedules Are Extremely Favorable originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ochocinco Takes Steelers Fan on a Shopping Spree

JJ Cooper — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:27:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Steelers, AFC North

Chad Ochocinco is always looking for the spotlight, but say this for the Bengals wideout: he's more original than anyone else when he's trying to hog the spotlight. And some of his attention getters are pretty nice.

Over at his Twitter account on Friday, Ochocinco tweeted: "Hotel manager name is Jesse, first person to say my name Ocho Cinco to Jesse at the Marriot we about to act a donkey in the mall."

Jesse Staigler, one of the shift managers at the hotel, turned into a minor celebrity as at least 50 people who headed down to the Pittsburgh Marriott to find him (Ochocinco was in town for today's Steelers-Bengals game). David Anderson was the first person to get to the Marriott, so he was the lucky winner of a shopping spree paid for by the Bengals wide receiver. Fans were still calling the hotel hours later asking for Jesse. Like most everyone else who lives in the Pittsburgh area, Anderson is a Steelers fan.

The shopping spree is only the latest in a long line of publicity stunts by Ochocinco. He was fined by the NFL for his fake attempted bribe of an official in last week's game and he had promised to send a crate of mustard the the Steelers' defensive backs because they couldn't "ketchup to him." Bengals coach Marvin Lewis banned Ochocinco from sending the mustard, but a crate showed up anyway with a card saying it was from a Fan of Ochocinco.

Ochocinco Takes Steelers Fan on a Shopping Spree originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:27:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rashard Mendenhall's Already Better Than You May Think

JJ Cooper — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:50:00 EST

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

Just a month and a half ago, Rashard Mendenhall looked to be a big bust. He missed almost his entire rookie season with a broken collarbone, then was benched for the Bengals game in September after Mike Tomlin said he lacked focus.

But in the past month and a half, Mendenhall has shown he is clearly the Steelers running back of the present and the future, but even Steelers fans may not realize just how good he's been.

In his first five starts, Mendenhall has two of the 20 best rushing games in modern Steelers history (going back to 1960). His 165 yards against the Chargers in his first career start was the 11th best game of the past 50 years -- better than any game Jerome Bettis had as a Steeler. Last week's 155 yards against the Broncos was the 18th best game of the modern era.

Mendenhall's big play ability has proven to be the best surprise. He's tied for third in the league runs of 20 yards or longer despite having only 100 carries. His 5.7 yards per carry average is second best in the league (behind Chris Johnson) and he's had a run of 10+ yards in every one of his five starts.

In case you're wondering, here's the top 20 Steelers rushing games since 1960 (thanks to Pro Football Reference's Play Index). Willie Parker has two of the top three, but this is also a good reminder that Barry Foster at his best was very, very good.

Rk	Player	Date	Opp	Att	Yds	Y/A	TD
1	Willie Parker	2006-12-07	CLE	32	223	6.97	1
2	John Fuqua	1970-12-20	PHI	20	218	10.9	2
3	Willie Parker	2006-11-12	NOR	22	213	9.68	2
4	John Henry Johnson*	1964-10-10	CLE	30	200	6.67	3
5	Barry Foster	1992-09-13	NYJ	33	190	5.76	2
6	John Henry Johnson*	1960-12-11	PHI	19	182	9.58	1
7	Barry Foster	1994-09-18	IND	31	179	5.77	1
8	Franco Harris*	1977-11-20	DAL	29	179	6.17	2
9	Barry Foster	1992-11-22	IND	28	168	6	2
10	Dick Hoak	1968-10-20	NOR	16	166	10.38	1
11	Rashard Mendenhall	2009-10-04	SDG	29	165	5.69	2
12	Jerome Bettis	1997-10-12	IND	30	164	5.47	1
13	Jerome Bettis	2001-11-11	CLE	29	163	5.62	0
14	Rocky Bleier	1975-10-26	GNB	35	163	4.66	0
15	Willie Parker	2005-09-11	TEN	22	161	7.32	1
16	Franco Harris*	1975-11-02	CIN	27	157	5.81	0
17	Franco Harris*	1974-11-17	CLE	23	156	6.78	0
18	Rashard Mendenhall	2009-11-09	DEN	22	155	7.05	0
19	Jerome Bettis	2001-10-07	CIN	23	153	6.65	0
20	Franco Harris*	1979-10-07	CLE	19	153	8.05	2

Rashard Mendenhall's Already Better Than You May Think originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wallace's Rookie Season Ranks Among Steelers' Best

JJ Cooper — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:15:00 EST

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

For a team that has had three wide receivers earn Super Bowl MVP honors and has placed two wide receivers in the Hall of Fame, the Steelers have had very few receivers put together standout rookie seasons. Lynn Swann, John Stallworth, Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress all went on to have excellent careers, but none of them finished their rookie years with 300 yards receiving.

Rookie Mike Wallace has already topped that, and he's on pace to put together one of the best rookie seasons in Steelers history. His season may not fully eclipse Louis Lipps' excellent 1984 debut and Jimmy Orr's rookie receiving record (way back in 1958) is at the outer edge of what Wallace could do this year, but Wallace is on pace to put finish with 50 catches and 874 yards, which would rank second in both categories among Steelers rookies.

It's also worth remembering that Wallace is doing this all as the Steelers No. 3 receiver. Thanks in part to the Steelers' newfound love of the passing game, Wallace is also on pace for the best season a Steelers No. 3 receiver has ever had (Bobby Shaw had 672 yards as the No. 3 in 2000).

Thanks to Pro Football Reference's excellent Play Index, here's the list of best rookie receiver seasons in Steelers history.

Rk	Player	Year	G	GS	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Y/G
1	Jimmy Orr	1958	12	0	33	910	27.58	7	75.8
2	Louis Lipps	1984	14	8	45	860	19.11	9	61.4
3	Santonio Holmes	2006	16	4	49	824	16.82	2	51.5
4	Troy Edwards	1999	16	6	61	714	11.7	5	44.6
5	Ron Shanklin	1970	14	0	30	691	23.03	4	49.4
6	Charles Johnson	1994	16	9	38	577	15.18	3	36.1
7	Antwaan Randle El	2002	16	0	47	489	10.4	2	30.6
8	Henry Minarik	1951	11	0	35	459	13.11	1	41.7
9	Dave L. Smith	1970	14	0	30	458	15.27	2	32.7
10	Derek Hill	1989	16	8	28	455	16.25	1	28.4
11	Mike Wallace	2009	8	0	25	437	17.48	3	54.6

If you want to see the complete list of Steelers rookie receivers, head to this link.

Wallace's Rookie Season Ranks Among Steelers' Best originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bengals a Win Away From Controlling AFC North

JJ Cooper — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:22:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, AFC North

The AFC North is not shaping up as expected. After three black and blue Steelers-Ravens games last year, everyone expected that Pittsburgh and Baltimore would face off for the control of the division again this year. But when Cincinnati finished off its sweep of the Ravens on Sunday, they put themselves in prime position.

The Bengals effectively have a three-game lead against the Ravens -- two games in the standings plus the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage. Baltimore and Pittsburgh also have two head-to-head games left on the schedule while Cincinnati only has one game against the Steelers and one nearly guaranteed win against the Browns left in the division.

Add it up, and it's easy to see how the Ravens could prove the spoiler in the division, but it's a lot tougher to explain how they will win the division, even with a relatively easy schedule to finish the season. On the other hand, Cincinnati is one more win away from taking control of the AFC North.

Yesterday's win was a strong sign that this isn't the usual Bengals team. Midway through the fourth quarter, Chad Ochocinco fumbled around midfield with Cincinnati holding a 10-point lead. In past years, that would have been the point where the Bengals fell apart. But instead of crumbling, the Bengals defense stiffened up and forced Baltimore to attempt a long field goal. When Steven Hauschka missed the field goal the Bengals' win was virtually assured.

For Cincinnati, next week's game against the Steelers becomes the biggest game the team has had since Kimo Von Oelhoffen shredded Carson Palmer's knee in the 2005 playoffs. Even if Pittsburgh beats Denver tonight, the Bengals could take a two-game lead on the rest of the division with a win next week (they would hold tiebreakers against the Ravens and Steelers).

And while Pittsburgh and Baltimore will be beating up each other in two head-to-head games, the Bengals remaining schedule includes games with the Chiefs, Raiders, Browns and Lions. Looking at that, a win next week will make it hard for Cincinnati to finish any worse than 11-5.

Bengals a Win Away From Controlling AFC North originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Mike Holmgren on Browns' Radar

Matt Snyder — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:50:00 EST

Filed under: Browns, AFC North, NFL Coaching, NFL Rumors

With a bevy of big name coaches likely ready-for-hire heading into the 2010 season, in addition to a lot of really poor NFL teams in 2009, we can expect rumors to be swirling all over the place for the rest of this season and on into the offseason. Thus, it's not surprising to see Mike Holmgren mentioned as a possibility. Of course, most thought he'd have to at least wait until next season to get involved.

According to Adam Shefter of ESPN, Holmgren may not have to wait. Shefter reports that the Browns want to hire Holmgren as their vice president of football operations -- similar to the role Bill Parcells has with Miami -- and that the job is immediately Holmgren's for the taking.

The only real question is if Holmgren wants to take the desk job, just for the sake of having a job in football as soon as possible, or if he wants to wait for a head coaching gig. Obviously, if Holmgren did take this job, it would be possible to fire Eric Mangini and take over as the Browns' head coach, but Browns owner Randy Lerner is reportedly content to give Mangini a chance to prove himself as the head coach. It would be a pretty bold move for Holmgren to take over and immediately fire the head coach.

If Holmgren doesn't take the VP job on the table, three others are reportedly being considered for the job: former Giants' GM Ernie Accorsi, Falcons president Rich McKay and former Packers GM Ron Wolf.

The Browns (1-7) have a bye this week and will host the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10.

Report: Mike Holmgren on Browns' Radar originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hines Ward's the NFL's Dirtiest Player?

JJ Cooper — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:52:00 EST

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

It's accurate to say that there aren't a whole lot of players around the league who like Hines Ward. When he's not going over the middle to catch passes, he's always looking to lay a hit on an unsuspecting defender. Heck, the NFL even passed a new rule after Ward broke linebacker Keith Rivers' jaw last year.

So it's no surprise to learn that Ward has been voted as the NFL's dirtiest player in a survey by Sports Illustrated, topping former teammate Joey Porter. With Rodney Harrison now retired, Ward was the obvious choice, which in some way is a badge of honor for the Steelers wideout. After all, how many receivers are tough enough and physical enough to be considered dirty?

It's worth noting that most of what Ward does to annoy defensive backs is completely legal. If he's downfield as a blocker, he's always looking to lay a crushing block on someone -- whether they see him coming or not. But players don't like it when they're running along minding their own business and find themselves looking out of their ear hole from the ground a second later.

"It's hard to sit there and tell everybody it's a violent sport but tone it down a little. When I go across the middle, those guys aren't going to tackle me softly and lay me down to the ground. That's not football. I find it ironic that now you see a receiver delivering blows, and it's an issue. But I haven't changed. I've been doing it this way for 11 years," Ward said.

He likes to block defensive ends with crackback blocks. He's happy to lower a shoulder after a catch as well. And he always does it with the same smile that's guaranteed to infuriate the guys tackling him. He's the kind of guy you love if he's on your team and hate if he's not.

But what's even more impressive is that Ward is a target for every linebacker and defensive back in the league who would like to get even for what Ward's done to them. But despite that, he's only missed seven games in his 12 year career.

Porter and Albert Haynesworth tied for second, Bengals safety Roy Williams, Titans center Kevin Mawae, Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan, Rams guard Richie Incognito, Falcons guard Harvey Dahl, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and Vikings defensive end Jared Allen filled out the Top 10.

Hines Ward's the NFL's Dirtiest Player? originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:52:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hines Ward: Ryan Clark Should Sit Out This Week

JJ Cooper — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:55:00 EST

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North, NFL Injuries

No one will ever accuse Hines Ward of being soft on the football field.

He's caught passes over the middle with busted ribs; he's been dragged off the field by the training staff only to return and put his body on the line again. He regularly blocks defensive ends that outweigh him by 70 pounds and he's somehow stayed healthy despite being every defensive back's top target. So when Hines Ward says that if he was Ryan Clark, he wouldn't play this weekend, it means something.

"If it were me, no I wouldn't go," Ward said. "You know what? Football's second when it comes to someone's life. Life is more important than football to me."

The last time Pittsburgh played in Denver, Clark suffered some significant health problems because of his sickle cell condition. He eventually had to have his spleen removed, lost 30 pounds and missed the rest of the 2007 season. Doctors have cleared Clark to play this weekend, but understandably he's still trying to decide what to do when Pittsburgh plays Denver this week.

The Steelers announced on Monday that they won't be announcing anytime soon whether Clark will play--partly because it makes no sense to give the Broncos extra time to prepare, but Mike Tomlin did say that he will play a part in the decision as well. Putting it all together, it seems like there's a decent chance that Pittsburgh will be without its starting free safety next Monday night.

Hines Ward: Ryan Clark Should Sit Out This Week originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eric Mangini's Job Somehow Safe

Matt Snyder — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:55:00 EST

Filed under: Browns, AFC North, NFL Coaching, NFL Rumors

After yet another embarrassing beatdown for his Browns -- this time a 30-6 loss at the hands of the Chicago Bears -- Eric Mangini received a vote of confidence, at least for the remainder of this season. Randy Lerner, owner of the Browns, indicated he isn't willing to dismiss Mangini right now, but admitted to the Associated Press that he is "sick" about the state of his franchise.

Even if Mangini's safe, Lerner did express interest in making one change -- he wants to bring in a football-tested authority figure to help run the franchise. The way he's phrasing everything, it sounds like he wants to hire someone in the Bill Parcells-in-Miami mold.

"There's absolutely no question about that," he said. "The highest priority that I have is a strong, credible, serious leader within the building to guide decisions in a far more conspicuous, open transparent way. I can maybe defend decisions by saying I've sought advice and I've brought people in, and we've gone to see people -- and I think my highest priority is to have a stable figure that represents the voice that explains the decisions."

Update: Browns Fire GM George Kokinis

Lerner also admitted the Browns' quarterback situation isn't even remotely close to working.

No matter how they proceed, it's obvious some serious changes need to happen in Cleveland. The Browns are 1-7 and the franchise is currently in as bad of shape as any other team in football. The game in Chicago was just another in a string of embarrassments for the Browns -- as they turned the ball over five times and even missed their only extra point attempt. This was a 30-6 beatdown from a team that lost 45-10 to the Bengals last week.

They don't seem prepared and have no real general direction. The personnel is pretty awful, too.

The Browns have a bye next week, but will face the Ravens at home in Week 10. They likely have three more realistically winnable games left on the schedule. They travel to Detroit in Week 11, go to Kansas City in Week 15, and host the Raiders in Week 16.

Eric Mangini's Job Somehow Safe originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steelers Fans Need to Be Patient with Ziggy Hood

JJ Cooper — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:07:00 EST

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North

When the Steelers lost defensive end Aaron Smith for the season, it wasn't too much of a shock that the Steelers turned to veteran Travis Kirschke instead of first-round pick Ziggy Hood.

But now that Kirschke is also likely to be sidelined for next Sunday's Broncos game, it looks like the Steelers would turn to Nick Eason next week as the starter instead of Hood. Essentially the Steelers are saying that Eason, who battled Sunny Harris for a spot on the roster during training camp, is a better bet as a starter than the Steelers first-round pick this year.

That would normally be a sign that the first-round pick is on the path to being a big-time bust--first-round picks should be contributors, not the No. 5 defensive end on a team that normally carries five defensive ends.

But with Dick LeBeau's defense, it's just part of the tradition. Whether it's the complexity of the blitz schemes or the extreme emphasis on every player carrying out their assignment, rookies very rarely find they can contribute on the Steelers defense.

The best example of this steep learning curve is safety Troy Polamalu. As a rookie, Polamalu looked like a bust. He didn't play all that much, and when he did, he seemed to always be the guy being picked on. A year later, he was a key reason the Steelers went 15-1 during the regular season.

It was a similar story with 2007 first-round pick Lawrence Timmons and second-round pick LaMarr Woodley. Both spent most of their rookie seasons on the bench, then both turned into solid contributors in their second year. Chris Hope is now a Pro Bowler with the Titans, but it took him a couple of years to earn a starting job in Pittsburgh. In fact, you'd have to go back to 2001 first-round pick Casey Hampton to find the last time a Steelers defensive rookie has made a significant impact as a starter.

So Steelers fans shouldn't worry too much about Hood's inability to get into the starting lineup. Hood may not be ready to make a big impact this year, but we won't really know what the Steelers got in him until next training camp.

Steelers Fans Need to Be Patient with Ziggy Hood originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Between the Lines: Steelers Offensive Line Has Taken Big Steps

JJ Cooper — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North, NFL Analysis

As we have done since the FanHouse began, I'll be taking a look every week at some aspect of line play. You can read more features in the series here. Check back every Thursday for a new Between The Lines.

For three years I rewatched every Steelers game with an eye on the offensive line. And a good bit of the time, it wasn't pretty. Whether it was a debacle against the Raiders in 2006 or the mass of confusion against the Eagles in 2008, there have been plenty of lowlights.

After watching the Steelers win the Super Bowl last year despite a struggling offensive line, I kind of figured that if everything went well, Pittsburgh could figure out a way to do it again. They had enough defense and enough skill position players on offense to make up for the offensive line's problems.
That appeared to be what the Steelers thought as well--they brought back the starting five from the Super Bowl team, although Darnell Stapleton (sitting on injured reserve) has been replaced at right guard by Trai Essex. It was a somewhat scary formula--stick with what you got and hope for the best.

But after rewatching the Steelers-Vikings game with a focus on the line play, it's clear that I was wrong. The defense may be good enough and the skill positions (thanks to Mike Wallace) are even better than expected. But if the Steelers managed to defend their Super Bowl title this year, the biggest reason will be because the offensive line is significantly improved.

I haven't watched the Steelers offensive line in detail every week this year like I have in past years, but with them facing off against the Vikings--the NFL's leader in sacks and the team with arguably the best front four in football, it seems like a good time to check back in on the Steelers O-line.

What I found was pretty impressive. In watching the Steelers against the Vikings, the offensive line actually got the better of the Vikings for much of the game. Defensive end Jared Allen, one of the top pass rushers in the game, finished the game with two tackles and no sacks. Kevin Williams, one of the top defensive tackles in the game, had only one tackle. Not only did he end up with one tackle, but right tackle Willie Colon put him on the ground several times on running plays.

Colon's play stood out more than anyone. Colon showed dominating run blocking while also showing dramatic improvement in pass blocking from previous years. The Steelers ran nine called running plays to the right for 78 yards. They ran nine other called runnng plays up the middle or to the left for a grand total of 25 yards. Colon was a big reason for that. When he teamed up with Essex to block Kevin Williams, he put Willams on the ground on three different occasions. On other running plays, he did an outstanding job of sealing the corner.

Over at the other tackle spot, Max Starks had the toughest assignment of anyone. He was asked to block Allen, who came into the game second in the NFL in sacks, one-on-one throughout the game. Pittsburgh didn't give Starks an inordinate amount of help, but his combination of long arms and good footwork allowed him to neutralize one of the game's best pass rusher. I counted only four plays in the game where Allen clearly beat Starks--one pass deflection where Allen got his hands up at the line, a run play where he missed his block but it didn't play a part in the play and two pass plays where Allen got free eventually, but not in time to really bother Roethlisberger. When Allen tried to bull rush, Starks swallowed him up and showed that he could throw out an anchor that kept Allen from driving him back.

And when Allen tried to beat Starks with a speed rush, Starks was able to get his hands on Allen quickly enough to win the race to the corner.

Essex wasn't as dominating as Colon or Starks, but he was quite impressive. He doesn't have Colon or Chris Kemoeatu's strength that allows them to plow people at times. But what he did show was an impressive awareness of angles and of his responsibilities. Essex's best play may have been as a pass blocker early in the first quarter. He got in his initial punch on Brian Robison, only to watch Robison loop away on a stunt. Essex quickly handed Robison off, picked up defensive end Ray Edwards looping around and then handed him off to block Jared Allen, who had come all the way around from the other defensive end spot.

It may not sound like much, but those handoffs from one offensive lineman to another are the kind of switch-offs that cause sacks every week, usually because a lineman drops his head and fixates on the man he is currently blocking. Essex instead keeps his head up and looking around, which makes it much easier to stay alert to line stunts and loops.

Last year, the Steelers were an easy mark for a team that blitzed and stunted to create confusion. This year, they seem to handle it like veterans who have played together and who know what everyone else along the line is doing.

Pittsburgh line still isn't one who will blow teams off the ball. But there pass blocking has improve to the point where it gives Roethlisberger the time to carve up defenses. Because of Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh will continue to have high sack totals--eight of his sacks this year have come on plays where he's held the ball for 3.5 seconds or more--but the improved pass blocking also explains why Roethlisberger is second in the league in passing yardage.

Between the Lines: Steelers Offensive Line Has Taken Big Steps originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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