Author: Steven Smith


1) This slant has a couple of parts, all of which have to do with the Giants-Eagles game on Sunday Night. The most critical part of any game this weekend was the first 5 minutes of the game. You can’t spot the road team who you’re chasing for your division lead a quick 14 points and expect to make up the deficit, regardless of what kind of offense you have. Sure the Giants took a 31-30 lead in the 3rd quarter, but they spent the entire 1st half chasing down the Eagles and couldn’t sustain any defensive pressure all night, simply because they dug themselves a hole.
  
And Sunday night showcased why the Eagles have been so tough all season long. LeSean McCoy and Leonard Weaver have filled the gap nicely for an injured Brian Westbrook. DeSean Jackson is so electric, Times Square is jealous. And Michael Vick is a deadly, versatile option that lets the Eagles do a number of things offensively. They have infinitely more packages with him as a weapon.

2) The Saints have a better chance to go undefeated than the Colts do. Indy still has to go to Jacksonville and a game vs. the Jets at home, both look to be fighting for a Wild Card berth. Then to top it off, the Colts end the season at Buffalo, which is usually conducive to great weather on January 3rd. New Orleans has Dallas and Tampa at home before ending the season at Carolina. The Cowboys are falling apart as they usually do in December, the Bucs stink, and a 15-0 Saints team should beat what’s left of the Week 17 and not going anywhere version of the Panthers.

3) The 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers have to be the most disappointing I’ve ever seen since I started watching football in 1995. Sure, they are without Troy Polamalu. That does not excuse 5 straight losses, including the most recent head scratcher at Cleveland on Thursday night.  This team has found ways to lose since their 6-2 start and someone has to take the blame for it. I would normally say look at the head coach for a why a debacle like this happens.

But this isn’t your normal situation. Mike Tomlin led the team to a Super Bowl title last year. He didn’t all of a sudden forget how to coach. This team lacks a locker room leader, and that falls squarely on the shoulders of Ben Roethlisberger. He has never stepped up to be the vocal guy. It’s been Hines Ward or James Farrior or any other Steeler, but not Ben. If the Steelers are going to win out, finish at 9-7 and sneak into the playoffs, it’s going to have to be #7 who puts the team on his back with his actions on AND off the field.