The Cleveland Browns improved upon their pathetic total of four wins in 2008 by winning a whopping five games last year.  Baby steps, I guess.  They did, however, win their last four games in a row highlighted by one of the most embarrassing losses in Pittsburgh Steelers history, a 13-6 debacle on a frigid Thursday night.  Following the season, the front office was cleared out with Mike Holmgren being brought in to resurrect yet another franchise.  Coo Coo g’ joo.

STEELERS DEFENSE vs. BROWNS OFFENSE

Poor poor Colt McCoy.  He was on the verge of being cut during the preseason, but due to high ankle sprains to both Seneca Wallace and Jake Delhomme, he’s starting this week.  I’m sure it’s his dream to start an NFL game but that should quickly turn into a nightmare by about, oh, half past one.   They say that which doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.

The Steelers defense will put this theory to the test.

The Browns ranked last in the league in offense last year.  This year, they’ve risen all the way up to 25th.  About the only area of strength on this team is their offensive line.  C Alex Mack and LT Joe Thomas are Pro Bowl caliber.  Their studliness no doubt contributed to RB Peyton Hillis running wild on the Ravens defense a couple weeks back.  Unfortunately, he’s battling a strained quadriceps and is questionable.

Not that it matters since the Steelers aren’t giving up anything on the ground to anybody.  Running the ball isn’t going to work and considering they only have one halfway decent receiver, I don’t foresee passing being much of an option either.  Nope, if the Browns hope to score, their offensive game plan boils down to one thing:

Get the ball to Josh Cribbs.

For those who remember that Thursday night game, Cribbs was an absolute Steeler Killer.  He returns kicks, he runs the Wildcat, and he plays receiver.   He’s a multi-purpose threat that needs to be accounted for on every play.  He’s far and away the Browns best offensive weapon.  Contain him and everything else will fall into place.

STEELERS OFFENSE vs. BROWNS DEFENSE

The Browns ranked 31st in defense last year, 28th against the run and 29th against the pass.  So they gave defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, Rex’s brother, some new toys by going secondary with their first two picks in the draft.  This has led to an improvement as they now rank 18th in pass defense, although they’re still 21st in total D.  Again, baby steps.

But let’s forget about the Browns as they’re nothing more than a bug on the Black and Gold’s windshield.  I’m more interested in talking about the Steelers offense.   The Steelers are averaging 136 pass yards per game and are currently last in the NFL in total offense.   All that is about to change.

Ben Roethlisberger returns from his ridiculous unwarranted suspension.   Last year, the Steelers produced an epic offensive performance.  They featured a 1,000 yard rusher, two 1,000 yard receivers, and a 4,000 yard passer in the same season for the first time ever.   Even with the loss of Santonio Holmes, I have seen nothing to make me think this group is any less explosive.   We just need a quarterback able to make the plays.

I’ve been a vocal supporter of Steeler Football.  And I still believe Bruce Arians got carried away with the Flying Circus last year.  But I also realize the NFL isn’t the same as it was in 1985.  It used to be that you ran the ball to set up the pass.   Nowadays, the opposite usually holds true.

Rashard Mendenhall is off to a fine season.  He’d be off to an even finer season if opposing defenses weren’t able to stack the box against him.   Teams have had little to no reason to fear being burned through the air.  With Big Ben under center, they should be terrified.

My problem with Arians and last year’s offense was his tendency to get greedy.  Big plays and explosive scoring are great.   But it seemed like for every bomb Ben hit, Arians would dial up six more which failed.  An all-or-nothing mentality doesn’t control the clock and doesn’t give the defense any time to rest.  The pass/run ratio was ideal these first four games.  Our quarterbacks simply didn’t have the fantastic playmaking ability Ben has.

Will we see the return of Ben chucking 35+ passes per game?   Or will we see a balanced attack which strikes down-field but also controls time of possession with a commitment to the run?

I don’t know but the answer will go a long way to determining how the rest of the season shakes out.  What I do know is we have a great defense.  If we can add a great offense, this team will be near impossible to beat.   And with a fresh, focused, and HIGHLY MOTIVATED Ben Roethlisberger at the controls, I like our chances.  I like them a lot.

Thursday Night Football features the season’s second match-up between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland is easily the worst team of 2009. First year coach Eric Mangini was fleeced in two trades with the Jets, which led to his puppet G.M. getting canned mid-season. Their defense is on pace to surrender more yardage than any team this decade. The starting QB spot has ping-ponged from Brady Quinn to Derek Anderson back to Quinn with neither player getting the job done.  In fact, if you subtract Quinn’s four TD outburst against the equally sad Detroit Lions, the Browns have scored less than a dozen touchdowns ALL SEASON.

What I’m trying to say is the Browns are the type of team the Steelers should pound into a fine paste.   Which is exactly what I said when we played Kansas City and Oakland.  Yet, we all know how those games turned out.  No game is a gimme for the Steelers because the Steelers refuse to let it be.  That’s why the enemy this week isn’t really the Cleveland Browns.

The Steelers enemy is themselves.

Here’s a perfect example.  Hines Ward tweaked his hamstring on the second to last play of last week’s loss.  Working on an extremely short week, it appears that Hines will not play.  Hines practiced a little but the signing of an extra WR off the practice squad indicates the team isn’t optimistic.  Now, anybody with a brain in their head knows Ward is one of the toughest Steelers EVER.  He was Super Bowl MVP despite playing with a separated shoulder while in last year’s game he attempted to play on a partially torn MCL.  The man is a warrior who will do anything to help his team win.

So what does Ben Roethlisberger say when asked about the possibility of Hines not playing this week?

“Hines will do what’s best for Hines, I’m sure.”

This was the perfect opportunity to take the high road and work toward unifying the locker room.  Especially now that the team’s backs are up against the wall. Instead, Ben decided it was better to get a little payback by making a petty self-serving comment.  Way to show your “leadership” skills, Ben.   No wonder 50% of the locker room thinks you’re a dick.

This sort of nonsense is exactly what I’m talking about.  Bill Cowher took fifteen years to win a championship but his teams ALWAYS put forth maximum effort.  I don’t see that this year.   The players don’t seem to care.  Veteran leadership is totally lacking.  And the coaches, particularly Mike Tomlin, like to talk a big game but seem incapable of motivating anybody while repeatedly putting players in position to fail.

The irony in the whole Team Hines vs. Team Ben debate is they both need each other.  Hines lives to win and Ben is most definitely a winner.  Without him, he wouldn’t have those two shiny rings on his fingers.  Likewise, Ben is a mediocre passer who relies on his receivers to make big plays for him.  He’ll learn to appreciate Hines when he hits Limas Sweed (our #3 WR this week) in the hands only to watch the ball slip through his greasy mitts.

Of course, the big news this week was Tomlin calling out his secondary, particularly CBs Ike Taylor and Will.i.am Gay.  I’ve stated many times I think Ike is an extremely talented cover corner but he does have a tendency to get lazy.  Which is why Cowher had to bench him for five games back in 2006 after he did a fantastic job in the playoff run of 2005.  No word on whether Tomlin is going to go that far although I’d like to see a message sent.

Gay has sucked all season which Tomlin is evidently just getting around to noticing.  It appeared the Steelers had an easy out this week with Gay suffering a concussion at the hands of Ryan Mundy last week.   However, William practiced normally all week which means he’d have to be benched as well.  My medical expertise is limited to playing doctor with Tina DiCapula in the fourth grade but I can almost guarantee he knows if somebody starts in his place and plays better than him (impossible not to), his starting spot is gone.  It’s amazing how minor side affects like excercise induced headaches don’t matter when you’re not in a position to be a whiny primadonna.

Regardless of who starts, expect rookie corners Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett to get long looks.  With the playoffs a long shot, the rest of this season should be about the future.   And nothing is more important than figuring out our secondary mess for next year.  Lewis is a tall, rangy athlete with excellent leaping ability.  The concern on him is his speed, which led some to think his best position would be to put on weight and move to safety.  I was very impressed with Burnett during the preseason.  He’s small but fast and has a nose for the ball.   We saw a little of that last week when he had the game sealing INT all but handed to him.  In college he was a ballhawk so I’m hoping it was rookie jitters because I think he could be a keeper.

There may be other players seeing more action than usual.  Ryan Clark has totally degenerated to the point I think the coaching staff wants to take a look at Mundy.   I have no idea why since all he seems to know how to do is cheapshot people.  Also, Keyaron Fox, who has played fantastic when given the opportunity (maybe because he’s HUNGRY?), may split time with Lawrence Timmons.  To be honest, James Farrior is the weaksauce of the LB corps but he can’t be taken out because he’s the captain in charge of setting the defense and calling all the signals/audibles.

Oh, and of course, Troy Polamalu is out.

Which probably means Brady Quinn will throw three TD passes then go home and celebrate by being a human pommel horse for his girlfriend, Alicia Sacramone.  Not that I want that to happen, mind you.   At this point, I’d rather adjust my expectations downward so I’m not so crushingly disappointed.  Yes, the 2009 season has come to that.

And the Steelers have nobody to blame but themselves.