We're going to need more spinach!

What's more excrutiating than watching the New Orleans Saints literally bend over and grab their ankles for Ray Lewis and the uber-homo Baltimore Ravens? Try doing just that, while stewing in the recognition that the Steelers are on the downslope of a season and you won't even get to see them play at 4:15 because their game against the Raiders isn't (suprise suprise) considered to be the "marquee" late game for CBS.

I posted (not too long ago) that the Steelers were going to start (for lack of a better phrase) kicking ass and taking names like Popeye after finding out that Bluto has stolen Olive Oyl away to some remote locale behind a dumpster. No need to bring this up to me... I recall that said post happened.

So, here I sit... stewing in a glass of J&B and eating a hefty helping of humble pie whilst I "alt-tab" between this blog post and the NFL.com gamecast of the Steelers/Raiders game: A game that my Stillers are doing everything in their power to lose. I say "everything in their power" and I mean it. This losing effort began early this week when Cowher said to the media that the concussion Roethlisberger received in last week's gut-check loss to Atlanta probably won't cause him to miss any games (paraphrase).

Of course, Roethlisberger was going to start today from the word "probable" and Cowher should know the guy better. Yes, Ben is a tough guy, but how many times do the doctors and coaches of the Pittsburgh Steelers need to let him prove it?

Now, I doubt anything devastating will happen to the young QB in the game this week, but what's the point of not forcing him to sit out a week? Chas Batch has been playing quite well and no matter how badly you need a win, you need to think first about the potential consequences of putting a young man who has had two concussions in the last 5 months out on a football field being pursued by 11 large (probably artificially testosteroned up) men under the employ of Al Davis (translation: not model citizens).

This was just bad mojo from the start and now it's the 4th quarter and we're still losing by a touchdown to the Raiders... the RAIDERS! I'm ashamed of what my football team is doing right now. It doesn't even qualify as gutsy... it qualifies as irresponsible.

I'm going to stop writing but I want to throw this in... Even if the Steelers pull out a win in the next 13 minutes of football, they should be embarrassed and (since it appears they aren't already) incredibly concerned about the rest of the season.

Most of all, they should feel bad about getting my hopes up two weeks ago. True, they won the Super Bowl last year, but that doesn't mean they get to take this year off... from where do they think their fans come? Baltimore?