Chris Hatfield
Although the NFL season is more than half over, there are still plenty of questions to be answered. In recent years, parity has reigned supreme, but never more so than this year. Beyond the top three teams (the Steelers, Patriots, Eagles), there is total chaos. Teams like the Colts, Chargers, Falcons, Broncos, Jets and Vikings could all be considered for the next few spots on the NFL's totem pole, but none of those teams exactly strikes fear into the hearts of opposing teams.
And what about those top three teams? Anyone who's spent a reasonable amount of time following the NFL this season would agree that these three teams are the class of the league this year. However, after easily defeating both the Pats and Eagles, the two trendy Super Bowl picks in the preseason, the Steelers must be considered the best team in the league right now.
As Ric Flair would say, "To be the best, you have to beat the best," and the Steelers have done just that in the past two weeks. Not only did they beat the last two undefeated teams in the NFL, they trounced them. Neither New England nor Philadelphia was in the game after halftime. Even worse for those two teams was that Pittsburgh exposed their biggest weaknesses for the whole league to see -New England's lack of depth at running back and defensive back and Philly's undersized defense that can't stuff the run and lackluster running offense that can't convert on third downs.
Pittsburgh's biggest challenge the rest of the way will be to prove it can play its style of football against any team in the league. It is no secret that the key to the Steelers' success is its top-ranked running game, which averages 160.8 yards per game. Even with Duce Staley out last week, Jerome Bettis found the fountain of youth and had his best rushing game since 2001. When both backs are healthy, the Steelers' game plan keeps both fresh, making the run game a weapon it can use even when coming from behind. The Steelers' one loss this season was the only game in which they did not rush for over 100 yards - hardly a coincidence.
It will also be interesting to see if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can keep up his current Rookie of the Year pace. Many have compared his season to that of Tom Brady three years ago, when he filled in for an injured Drew Bledsoe to take the Patriots to their first Super Bowl. That season, the Patriots built their offense around simple game plans that did not ask much of Brady, which is essentially what the Steelers have done this year. The main difference is that Roethlisberger has much better weapons to work with. Staley and Bettis are far superior to the combo of Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk, with whom Brady won two Super Bowls. The Steelers' top three wideouts - Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress and Antwaan Randle El - are superior to any such group in the league.
Then, of course, there is the defense that held the Patriots and Eagles to 30 combined rushing yards the past two weeks. Even after the losses of Pro Bowl defensive lineman Casey Hampton and Pro Bowl cornerback Chad Scott for the year, the defense keeps improving. The team's perennially outstanding linebacker corps, led this year by Joey Porter and James Farrior, with Kendrell Bell hurt, has been the heart of the defense. The maturation of safety Troy Polamalu is also key. The Steelers' best hope to continue their current winning streak is to pray that opposing offenses don't figure out how to exploit a defense that, on paper, should not be playing as well as it is.
But all the analysis in the world cannot point out the true heart of the Pittsburgh Steelers: Head Coach Bill Cowher. After 12 years at the team's helm, Cowher has amassed a 122-77-1 record, posting only three losing seasons and reaching the playoffs eight times. For all the press that Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick deservedly gets, it's time that Cowher be recognized as being in the same class, even if only for putting up with Kordell Stewart for all those years.
While questions about whether the Steelers are for real have been answered with a resounding "yes" the last two weeks, it remains to be seen if they can keep up with the teams they just embarrassed. If Roethlisberger continues to mature on the job and the defense can hold, especially with Bell easing back into the lineup, expect to see Cowher's familiar jutting jaw and spit-riddled tirades well into January.
Chris Hatfield '06 has been considered for the next few spots of the Brown intramural totem pole but at this point doesn't strike fear into the hearts of his opponents.
