Steel City Jim

There is a song in the musical, "The King and I," called "It's a Puzzlement." I think this could be the theme of the Pittsburgh Steelers' demise in 2009. For the fifth time in six losses, the Steelers made a journeyman quarterback the embodiment of Johnny Unitas. Yesterday's quarterback of the week was Bruce Gradkowski, a Pittsburgh native, whose family was out in full array at Heinz Field to cheer him on. They were not disappointed. He brought back the Raiders not once, not twice, but three times in the fourth quarter to chalk up a Raiders victory.

So, what's it all about? Here are some thoughts:

1. It's the year after the Super Bowl win. The Steelers don't have any team(s) to avenge. It seems that no matter how much the coaching staff talks the talk of "leaving the Super Bowl behind" and "focusing," it is very hard to convey that to players. Last week Tomlin said that they would come out storming in the remaining games, or words to that effect. But it didn't take a genius to see that they were sleepwalking their way through the first three quarters. It wasn't until the fourth quarter that Ben led them down the field. But ...

2. The defense kept giving up long plays. Last year LeBeau was the toast of Pittsburgh as his schemes seemed to be one or two steps ahead of almost every opponent. This year he can't get them to stop big plays, particularly in the fourth quarter. How can you be so smart in one season and so stupid the next? Could it be

3. That the absence of crucial players can be causing these breakdowns. We've already discussed Aaron Smith and Troy Polamalu. But what about Bryant McFadden, the defensive back who left to get a big contract? The Steelers said they had great confidence in William Gay taking over for McFadden. By now it should be obvious to one and all that Gay is no McFadden. A guy here, a guy there and it spells the difference between holding a lead and losing it.

4. Are they just worn out? After a Super Bowl win that takes you into February, can you recover quickly enough for the start of a new season mentally and physically to do it all over again? What's in the minds of players is simply not evident to the fan. Talking and doing are two different things. And you do have a target on your back as everybody wants to beat the Super Bowl champs. This doesn't leave much room for error ... and there have been plenty this season.

I have given up on the playoffs for this year. Even if the Steelers are mathematically still in the hunt, there are too many problems. This means that if they couldn't beat Kansas City and Oakland, what makes anyone think they can beat the Ravens, Packers and Dolphins. Hey, the Dolphins beat the Patriots yesterday!

It's the time to reassess and regroup and get ready for the 2010 draft and season.

Another painful loss this weekend was Pitt's one point defeat by Cincinnati. They, too, couldn't hold off an onslaught in the fourth quarter. Is this the theme in Pittsburgh in 2009? Anyway, Pitt will go to a bowl, the Meineke Bowl. It's not a top tier bowl by any means, but it's a bowl nevertheless and indicates true progress under Wannstadt.