Is it not perculiar that Gruden took Dungee’s team and won a super bowl, but has not been able to take his teams anywhere? 

  after watching the Tampa Cincinatti game; and with last years super farst; it is my opinion that the NFL has gone the way of boxing and pro wrestling;  it is so obvious the referee’s are given a script to follow. First a penalty for touching the q/b. then on the final drive a penalty for sacking the Q/B  as a former pro wrestler I know fake and fixed when I see it.

THE STEELERS SUCK RIGHT NOW - PLAIN AND SIMPLE
By Charles Jay

Having watched the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Sunday night game against San Diego, I can come to no other conclusion but that this team has absolutely ZERO chance to repeat their Super Bowl run of 2005. Here was a situation where the team had come off two disappointing defeats, the last of which was laden with mistakes and turnovers, had an extra week to prepare, and put themselves on display before a national television audience against a quarterback who was a virtual rookie.

This was an opportune time for a “champion” to rise to the occasion, especially as Pittsburgh had won 16 of its last 19 games on the road. Not only was that NOT the case, it has to be considered one of the saddest moments in the recent history of the Pittsburgh franchise.

The performance in the second half of that game was such a complete non-effort, on the part of both the players and the coaching staff, that your venom after reading this piece should be directed not at me for writing it, but at them for precipitating it. San Diego receivers were left wide open for big gains. It seemed like every time a first down was needed, the Steelers could not put together enough to stop it. The Steelers could not make a play when it had to be made. And frankly, Ben Roethlisberger, who has accomplished nothing thus far, will have to go some length to demonstrate that he is not, when all is said and done, anything more than a slightly overrated signal-caller.

On Sunday night, it was Phillip Rivers who looked like the veteran, while Big Ben made the silly rookie errors. It’s not all Roethlisberger’s fault, I suppose. Bill Cowher’s coaching staff has simply not had an offensive game plan all year long. The whole thing was pitiful and, I dare say, pretty gutless. When it was time to show some character, these guys headed for the hills.

This team quit in the second half. Quit on themselves. Quit on each other. Quit on their city. Quit on their fans. That’s all there is to it.

Would things be a little different if there was a Jerome Bettis on the sideline to kick some asses? I don’t know; that’s just speculation. But if you can’t bring enough heat on a novice QB in October to make a difference when your backs are to the wall, you will be playing golf on Sunday mornings in January until the playoff games come on the tube. That’s the direction Cowher, Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers are headed.

As of now, they’re finished.