The Blitzburgh Report

Why Can’t We Talk About Officiating?

Why Can’t We Discuss Poor Officiating as Well?

I don’t understand why it is so taboo to talk about officiating and its effect on the outcome of games. Yes, I see a problem with blaming it as the sole reason for a loss (aside from some extreme cases where the result is blatant). But why can’t we discuss it just as you would an interception or poor special teams play or bad play calling?

It is part of the game and poor officiating is out of the player’s control, but it certainly contributes to a team winning or losing. Again, I do find a problem with blaming the officiating as the sole reason for losing, but I think it is fair to add it to the laundry list of reasons why your team didn’t succeed.

The common phrase is “Well, good teams overcome bad officiating”. That’s true, just like good teams overcome turnovers and other mistakes. If you acknowledge that it is part of the game then I think it is fair to acknowledge its effect on the outcome.

The Steelers lost, in part, because of Ben’s play in the first half. The Steelers also lost because of their horrible special teams play. The Steelers also lost because of bad play calling. The Steelers also lost because of a phantom holding call on Sean Mahan and no holding calls on David Garrard’s run for a first down. What is so wrong about saying all that?

2008 Looks to be a Tough Schedule

The Steelers are going to have one heck of a tough schedule next season. Eight of the teams they will face are playoff teams this season. Because of parity and not knowing how good teams will be next year, you can’t predict too early how tough a schedule will be. But there is a pretty good chance most of those teams are still going to be pretty good next year as well. Take a look at their 2008 opponents:

Ouch. At least if they win the division again next year, no one can say that they didn’t earn it.

A Final Look At the Injuries

The injuries were probably the biggest story about the Steelers this season and ultimately they had just too many major ones to overcome. Heading into the Jaguars game, the Steelers injury report looked like this:

Injured Reserve:
Ryan Clark
Dan Kreider
Clint Kriewaldt
Willie Parker
Aaron Smith
Max Starks
Jerame Tuman

Injured:
Marvel Smith T Back
Troy Polamalu S Knee
Allen Rossum CB Hamstring
Bryant McFadden CB Ankle
Willie Reid WR Shoulder
Deshea Townsend CB Foot
Hines Ward WR Knee

That is quite a list, though not unheard of for an average NFL season. The Steelers did a great job earlier in the season of playing well without key players. A perfect example was the Seattle game where Ward, Casey Hampton, Polamalu, and Santonio Holmes were all out, yet the Steelers had probably their most dominant game of the season.

But as the season wore on, I think the injuries really took their toll. Especially ones to the more unsung heroes such as Aaron Smith, Ryan Clark, and Dan Kreider. They are the types of players that most don’t appreciate fully until they are gone.

Injuries are a part of the game and the Steelers were lucky in the past few years to not have many serious ones. This year they got hit and ultimately the team wasn’t able to plug in all the holes left by the injuries, something any great team needs to do.

I don’t know what’s worse- to play horribly and get beat badly, or to play horribly but make one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history only to still end up losing. Either way the result is the same and the Steelers’ season is over:

• The Steelers have had a lot of comebacks this season, which isn’t totally a great thing. I mean you love to see a team that can rally and doesn’t give up, but you also can’t keep starting out so poorly that you have to keep coming back.
   
  But along that same point, it is good to see that Ben Roethlisberger can recover from a bad performance. Quarterbacks will have bad days, but as the saying goes they need to have short memories- and Ben does. He’s done it all his career and it is good to know that the team is never really out of the game no matter how bad it gets.

• But, it must be said that Big Ben’s poor performance in the first half was probably the main contributor to the Steelers’ loss. I will give him a pass on the third interception because the Jacksonville player was basically out of the play, and just made a nice recovery and catch for a big man. But the first two interceptions were horrendous. Especially the second one. That pass intended for Najeh Davenport has to go down as one of the worst of Ben’s career so far in terms of decision and execution…

• …there just was no reason to throw it deep to a double covered Davenport who wasn’t in position to defend the pass, let alone try to catch it himself. Unfortunately I think it is just part of Ben’s game and something that will always be there. He reminds me of Brett Favre, slinging the ball around and trying to force it. They are talented enough to make the play most times, but they’re going to throw those dumb picks as well.

• One last point on Ben- and it is that nearly all of his sacks last night were because he held on to the ball too long. As bad as the offensive line has been this season, I think you can chalk a chunk of those sacks up to Ben not getting rid of the ball. I think that a large part of it is because he is always looking for the long ball. Sure, it makes for a lot of exciting plays, but at the same time he usually has a back wide open that he could dump the ball off to.
   
  I remember on one of the sacks last night they showed a replay of the Steelers receivers and Ben had two guys wide open that he could have thrown to. This is a part of Ben’s game that he really needs to work on.

• Speaking of the offensive line, they actually played a fairly good game. Especially Trai Essex. I give him a lot of credit for holding his ground, and it starts to make me wonder about Marvel Smith. When he went down he had two different guys- “the scapegoat” Max Starks, and “hasn’t started in two seasons” Trai Essex- step in and play better than he did. I know he was hurt but we’re going to have to include him in the pile with the linemen that will need a serious evaluation this offseason.

• Alright, I am just going to throw it out there, but I think the Steelers got hosed a bit last night on some of the penalties. It happens and teams have to deal with it, but that phantom holding call on Sean Mahan on the two point conversion is still bugging me today.
   
  Furthermore, it seemed like every replay they showed of an outside Steelers’ rusher, he was held after he had his man beat. I am sure holding happens a lot with every team, but there is nothing more frustrating then hearing Al Michaels talking about what a great block some Jaguars player had as on the screen we are seeing him with his arm hooked around James Harrison’s neck.

• What happened to the offense? Not just in this game but over the last half of the season. They started the year looking nearly unstoppable, and ended looking confused and sporadic. Especially the running game. The Steelers had been the best rushing team in the league over the last 15 odd years, so to see them struggling this season is just frustrating.
   
  What is it? They looked so impressive on that first drive last night, very reminiscent of their games in the 2005 playoffs. Then they looked horrible. As much of a dumb sounding comment it was by Madden when he said it looked like the Steelers didn’t have a plan on offense, he was kind of right.
   
  There were a lot of bad calls last night. That run by Ben on a third and six when they were trying to run out the clock was just a bad idea. Ben is no Vince Young, and furthermore I’m not so sure that at that point you may just want to throw it and try to get the first down. They only had a one point lead and I think getting the first down there was more important than running a couple more second off the clock.

• I think the two point conversion plays were garbage as well. We’ve seen some creative ones that worked well during the season, but this time they ran two fade passes. The first was insanely lucky to have been caught by Hines Ward, but it was negated by the phantom holding call anyway. After that they probably should have kicked the extra point.
   
  But the third two point attempt was just as bad. That fade to Nate Washington just seemed like more of a play that you would run on a first and goal, not when you absolutely need to get into the endzone. Where was the trick play? Where was that special play you keep just for those situations? A fade pass? Come on.
   
  I’m not very confident in Bruce Arians right now. I am not saying they need to get rid of the guy or that he is terrible, just that he still needs some work. Hopefully he is the type that can learn from his mistakes and improve his work.

• This is getting a bit long so I will quickly go through some of the props I wanted to give. Props to Hines Ward and Heath Miller for being dependable and clutch. Props to LaMarr Woodley for his pass rushing- he should be starting next year. Again, props to Trai Essex for having a solid game. Props to Ben for bouncing back from the first half, but most of all for waiting for David Garrard to finish his interviews so he could congratulate him; he is a class act. Props to the entire defense for playing a good game, they held Fred Taylor in check this time and had two interceptions on Garrard- they certainly did enough to win on their end.

• For whatever the reason, the Steelers went on quite a slide to end the season after starting 9-3. There were a lot of key injuries and I am sure that had a lot to do with it, but that is part of life in the NFL. They went from looking like a possible darkhorse in the AFC to losing 4 of their last five games. Ouch. There will be a lot of discussion over just what went wrong, but I am willing to bet that there is no easy answer. A lot of things went wrong, and fortunately I think they are fixable. But we’re going to have to wait until next year to find out.

That’s it, the end to another season. The Steelers went from a team that started out looking like one of the best, to a team that limped into the playoffs. I am sure a lot of time will be devoted to trying to figure out why. But for now it is time to fold up the terrible towels and put them away until next year.

Thanks to all of the readers of this site and for your great comments and discussion. We’ll keep updating regularly this offseason including some reviews of the season , so check back in the coming weeks for a for that.

For better or worse, this season will be defined by injuries. If the Steelers lose in the playoffs, the talk will be about how the team went on a slide after starting 9-3 and how much the major injuries played a role. If they win it all this year then the story will be about how they overcame the significant injuries on a memorable run through the playoffs.

The injury bug has hit the Steelers hard this season

This has certainly been a particularly bad year for the health of Steelers players. Currently, the Steelers have seven players on injured reserve. Losing any player for the season is usually a big deal, but each of these players had an important role with the team.

Today I’ll have to break from my usual style for game recaps. The main reason being that I didn’t see or hear the game which hasn’t happened in a long time. We have a large project at my “Real Job” that needs to be completed for January 1st. That means that I’ve been working long hours, including full days yesterday and today. That’s also why my posting has been slowed over the past two weeks, and for that I apologize.

But by the end of the week things should have calmed down and I should be back to a more regular schedule. But you didn’t come here to hear me whine about work because I know you all deal with junk at work as well- so I’ll share some thoughts on the game and the playoffs.

The very first play of the game stands out greatly because of Willie Reid’s fumble. If you’ve been a regular reader, then you know that I’ve been calling for the Steelers to give Reid a shot returning kicks to try and give the return game a spark. Well, I guess we got an answer right away on how that works out.

Hey, I got what I wanted when they gave him a shot, but it seems like maybe he isn’t the answer. No, I’m not ready to completely give up on the guy, but remember this isn’t the first time he had trouble returning kicks. I guess I just hoped that he would have gotten his stuff together by now. Which makes me wonder- why have the Steelers had such trouble finding a returner since Antwaan Randle El left? I’m not saying that they grow on trees, but it does seem like many teams have a good return man. This season there was a record number of kicks returned for touchdowns. I just wish the Steelers could get in on the party.

One more point on the game specifically, and I apologize for not having more, but I have to mention that Charlie Batch is a pretty darn good back up. I wouldn’t want to have to start him for most of a season or anything, but he has proven time and again that he has enough to put the Steelers in position to win. He is certainly one of the better back ups in the league.

Though I think the last drive pretty much summed up his place in the NFL exactly. He threw a beautiful pass out of the Steelers’ own end zone to thread the needle to Santonio Holmes for a first down, and it was placed so he could head out of bounds as well. That was about as nice a pass that you can throw. But on the next play, Batch tried his best Ben Roethlisberger impersonation as he avoided the rush and ran to his right to throw a perfect pass down field to David Pittman, who unfortunately plays for the Ravens. He’s a good back up, but just not a full-time starter.

But fortunately the real Big Ben returns next week as the Steelers face the Jaguars. But is he enough to save the day? The Steelers have lost three of last four games after a 9-3 start. Ouch. I’m not sure who to point the finger at anymore and honestly I’m tired of speculating because it really isn’t time for it now. It is the playoffs and it is time to just get it done- and the Steelers have their work cut out for them.

The Jaguars just might be the hottest team in the league at the moment considering that they Patriots have looked beatable lately, and quiet honestly they spanked the Steelers a few weeks ago. The Steelers had a chance to come back late, but the Jaguars really pushed them them around most of the game and were just more physical. They are going to be a huge test for the Steelers, but all games from here on out will be.

The Steelers are backing into the playoffs a bit, and maybe my next comment is fanatic-driven optimism but I think the Steelers have as good a shot as anyone. I’m pretty sure that they have it in them to make a run. They are a talented team and just have to put it all together. They have at times this season and I believe that they can do it again. It is looking like a long shot at this point, but the Steelers were the biggest long shot two seasons ago and got it done. Can they do it again?

James Harrison Voted Team MVP

James Harrison was voted team MVP by the Steelers players. My first reaction wass I am very happy for Harrison. He’s come a long way and has had a great season- one that is worthy of team MVP. But my second thought is, was it really worthy over Ben Roethlisberger’s season?

I know there are mixed feelings out there about profootballtalk.com, but they raised an interesting point today:

In 2005, we heard plenty of rumors that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger isn’t one of the most popular guys among Steelers players. A Super Bowl win diluted such talk, and his popularity took a back seat last season to his near-death experience after driving a motorcycle into a car.

This year, we’d assumed that everything had changed. Apparently, it hasn’t.

Though Roethlisberger wasn’t named a team captain at the start of the season, the fact that Hines Ward received the nod for the offense didn’t raise eyebrows. More recently, after having one of the better passing seasons of any quarterback in franchise history, Roethlisberger wasn’t named the MVP of the team.

But Harrison still is worthy none the less and both players have had remarkable seasons and deserve congratulations. The team has done co-MVP’s in the past, so it is even surprising that they didn’t share the honors. It really does make you wonder, but I wouldn’t jump to any conclusions just yet. Aside from this incident, all indications this season have been that Ben has won over a lot of people with his gutty performances and leadership on the field. We really don’t know what went on with the voting and why the players voted as they did. So file it away, but don’t necessarily get worried that everyone hates Ben or anything.

Ben Will Likely Sit Out Ravens Game

Speaking of Big Ben, the Post-Gazette is reporting that he is expected to sit out the game against the Ravens.

I think it is a good move by coach Tomlin. They mention that his ankle is still a bit sore from the Rams game, but I am sure he is hurting all over as well. The Steelers do have a bit to play for with trying to get the 3rd seed in the AFC, but not enough to risk having their star quarterback out or even more injured for the playoffs, especially with how physical Baltimore is and Ben’s history of getting knocked around by them.

It will be interesting to see how long Tomlin plays a lot of the starters. Will he also take other players out as the game goes on? You would have to think that if the Steelers jump out to an early lead they would. I just wish Charlie Batch luck with that offensive line as I am not sure that he is quite the Houdini that Big Ben is.

Marvel Has Back Surgery

The Post-Gazette is also reporting that Marvel Smith had back surgery and will miss at least the Ravens game and the first game of the playoffs.

Max Starks will take his place at left tackle. Starks has actually played quite well recently while filling in and Smith’s absence makes it the decision easy to sit him for Starks. He started the season as the line’s scapegoat, but after riding the bench for a bit he seems to be playing with a new sense of purpose.

I’m going to talk a little about respect here. Now don’t groan, I know that whole respect angle in football is a bit overdone, but I think at least two Steelers players have legitimate issues.

Anyone who had the (dis)pleasure of catching last Thursday’s game on the NFL Network probably caught a lot of dumb things said by the Bryant Gumble, Deion Sanders, and Marshall Faulk team. But one in particular probably stuck a nerve as we all tried to come to grips with the Willie Parker injury. Not once, but twice the announcing team mentioned, quite happily, how Fred Taylor would now get to go to the Pro Bowl.

Less than an hour after the league’s leading rusher broke his leg, the talk was all about how it was a great thing for another player. It is like stepping over someone’s dead body. Willie definitely deserved his spot in the Pro Bowl, and Fred Taylor probably did get snubbed. But what’s with all the excitement over a guy sustaining a serious injury?

The other guy not getting a whole lot of respect is Ben Roethlisberger. Now this is nothing new- he hasn’t been given a whole lot of respect ever since his record-setting rookie year. But I know us Steelers fans were all glad to see that Ben finally made a Pro Bowl. Especially considering that he probably could have made one in 2004 and 2005.

But then we get guys like Vic Carucci who say that Derek Anderson should take Ben’s spot:

Speaking of the Browns, their quarterback, Derek Anderson would have been my pick over Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger for the third spot behind Brady and Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning. Anderson has done a tremendous job of getting the ball into the hands of Edwards and his other talented receivers.

There is no doubt that Anderson has had a great year, but did he really perform better then Ben? Let’s look at the stats:

Yeah Vic, it sure looks like Anderson got snubbed and should have taken Ben’s spot…

I hope Carucci saw Ben’s performance on Thursday night, though even he might not get the NFL Network. Ben put up three touchdowns, and had the third perfect 158.3 rating of his career, which ties Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history. I just honestly don’t get it. Despite the 2006 season after his accident and injuries, Ben has put up some amazing stats and wins. He holds records, he’s won a Super Bowl, and this is only his fourth season. Why do people continue to doubt him to this day?

The Steelers sent five players to the Pro Bowl, and three of them definitely deserved it. Alan Faneca and Troy Polamalu probably made it more on name alone. But it is Willie Parker and Ben Roethlisberger, guys having legitimate Pro Bowl type seasons, that are getting questioned. I hate to play the respect angle, but where’s the love for Willie and Ben?

Ben Roethlisberger put in another gutty performance last Sunday against the Jaguars. He has almost single-handedly won some close games for the Steelers this year. He is emerging as a leader for the offense, someone that the guys can rally behind.

But it makes me wonder-just who is the leader on defense? I’m not so sure that they have a true leader. They have a number of guys like Troy Polamalu, Casey Hampton, and James Farrior who are great players, but more of the lead by example type. I am starting to think that they need more of a vocal leader.

The defense has the talent and coaching to be the top defense in the league, that has been proven. But the times that the team has needed the defense to step up most, they haven’t. How many times this season have we seen the opposing team march right down the field, quickly even, when the team needed a huge stop? It happened last Sunday on the Jaguars’ last drive. It happened against the Browns (luckily they missed the field goal). It happened against Denver where they kicked the game winning field goal. It happened in the Jets game where they went down the field and tied it to send the game into overtime.

That’s where I think a vocal leader is needed. Someone to rally the players, get them pumped, and get them focused. You can say what you want about Joey Porter, but being a leader was a large part of what he brought to the team. The Steelers were right in getting rid of him, as proven by his play with the Dolphins. However, they still ended up losing the defense’s leader, if not the team leader at that point.

There just hasn’t been anyone who has taken his place. He may have looked foolish sometimes, or gone too far at others. But you can see the power he had just by looking at the 2005 playoffs and the effect he had on the team during their Super Bowl run. Remember the “weak Colts” and Jerramy Stevens?

Bill Cowher being gone is another lost leader, I believe. He was the so called “players coach”, someone who showed a lot of emotion, especially for defense. Mike Tomlin is quite the opposite in this regard. I understand that there are different approaches to coaching, and pros and cons to each. I’m not even sure I could tell you which method is more effective and this is not a knock on Tomlin’s style. But, when the game is on the line and the pressure is turned up- I want to see the guys fired up and ready to take someone’s head off.

The defense is good; they wouldn’t be number one in the league for most of the season if they weren’t. But they have had so much trouble stepping up, being physical, and showing emotion when it matters most. I really think that is when guys like Joey Porter or Bill Cowher shined, and the team really misses that. The Steelers are going to need someone to step up and be the person that the defense rallies behind.

The Steelers will be sending five of its players to the Pro Bowl this season. The two starters are Alan Fancea and James Harrison. Willie Parker, Ben Roethlisberger, and Troy Polamalu are in as reserves.

Big congratulations are in order for both Big Ben and Harrison. Ben could have easily made the Pro Bowl in 2004 or 2005, so it is good to see him finally get in. Hopefully it goes a long way in garnering him some respect, however, some idiots such as Vic Carucci still don’t give it to him. He said he would replace Ben with Derek Anderson. Anderson is of course having a good season, even a Pro Bowl one, but not at the expense of Ben’s spot. Ben is having a better year when you look at the stats, and he even beat the Brown’s twice.

It is also great to see James Harrison make the Pro Bowl in his first year as a starter. I think his career game on Monday night against the Ravens really opened a lot of people’s eyes. He is having a great year and has brought a lot of excitement back to the Steelers’ linebacking corp.

Willie Parker also deserves his spot. He has struggled at times this year, but does lead the league in rushing. It is his second Pro Bowl in a row. Not bad for an undrafted free agent who didn’t get a fair shot in college, eh?

But it isn’t all roses. We are always reminded that a lot of the Pro Bowl voting can be a bit of a joke and that a lot of people make it on name alone. We all love Troy, but he missed a ton of games this season because of injuries. I’m not sure he was the most deserving and I am sure he would say that himself. Same with Faneca. He’s a great lineman and still one of the best, but he also hasn’t had his best year. Not to mention he was voted as the starter on the Pro Bowl roster. You don’t really look at the job the line has done this season and think “Pro Bowl”.

But regardless, congrats to all five of the Steelers who made the 2007 Pro Bowl.

It is losses like the one the Steelers suffered today that make you wonder that identity that a team has. Usually by this point in the season, you know what teams are all about. It seems like the Steelers went from a team with an identity to one without as the season wore on. Their inconsistency is a bit baffling and you can’t really get a read on what their deal is. That said, here are a few observations from the game:

• I’m not saying giving up so many rushing yards was all because Aaron Smith was not in, but it makes you wonder, doesn’t it? We’ve said all along that losing Smith was going to be huge and this proves it. You can’t say that it was all because Smith wasn’t there but you can certainly say it had a lot to do with it…

• …but whatever it was, the defense just looked anything but the best in the league today. The Jaguars’ two running backs are very talented, but their offense isn’t exactly known for tearing up opposing defenses. But the Steelers got torn up badly. The stats speak for themselves: 421 total yards, 147yards and a TD for Fred Taylor, 69 yards for Maurice Jones-Drew, and three TD’s for David Garrard.
   
  This wasn’t the Patriots or the ’99 Rams that they played against. In the past it wasn’t often that you would see the Steelers get out-muscled, something that has really become an identity for the team. But it has happened numerous of times this season. Quite honestly, when the Steelers aren’t pounding the ball and playing tough, physical defense it just feels wrong. That’s who they are and what they do… at least it used to be.

• This team just makes no sense this season. You just don’t know if they are good or bad. They’ve had some bad losses, but any team that has already won nine games can’t be all that bad. They have (had?) the number one defense in the league- yet they have given up real stinkers like this game where they let the Jags put up over 400 yards of total offense. Willie Parker leads the league in rushing, but has had some pitiful games, and in of all those yards he hasn’t been able to provide any of those game changing runs that he has in seasons past.
   
  Even in the losses and close wins they’ve been hard to classify. In both this game and last week against the Patriots they’ve had moments where they’ve looked brilliant, then looked horrible. The Denver game they beat themselves but still made a come back and almost won. They played poorly in the last Browns game but battled back to win. They almost won again today. They show both flashes of a great team and flashes or a horrible one.
   
  Who are these Steelers? What is their identity?

• As much as I hate to agree with Dan Dierdorf, I do agree when he said that Ben Roethlisberger was giving it his all out there. He’s done that a lot this season and I believe he is really emerging as a leader. He has nearly single-handedly won some games this season and almost led them on another one today.
   
  Also, congratulations to Ben on throwing 29 touchdown passes this season, which breaks Terry Bradshaw’s record of 28. He’s having a heck of a season and he appears on pace to be one of the all-time greats, even if few outside of Steelers Nation give him the respect he deserves.

• The offensive line was back to its old tricks again. They gave up five sacks and looked shaky. Particularly Marvel Smith. I’m not sure if he is still hurting or not, but he had a pretty bad game against a back ups. In fact, I believe the Steelers pulled him on the last few drives. Again, I’m not sure if that was because his back was acting up again or because of his play.
   
  Max Starks was once the scapegoat of the line, but it seems like he possibly playing better then Marvel has been. Max, overall, has held his own over the past few games and if Marvel is hurt and/or just playing poorly, maybe it is time to give Max another shot.
   
  Honestly, at this point something has to happen. I’m not sure if the answer to fixing the line lies within the players we currently have, but they’ve got to figure something out fast.

• The two-point conversion that the Steelers ran was actually a nice call for once by Bruce Arians. I give Cedrick Wilson a lot of knocks, but that was a pretty nice ball he threw to Santonio Holmes. At least two point conversions is one thing the Steelers have done right this year.

• Why do the Steelers seem to run a draw play on every third and very long this year? How successful is it really? I know sometimes you can catch a team off guard with it, but when you run it nearly every time you have about 15 or more yards to go then they probably expect it. I don’t have a problem with the play, just that you can do it every time. Try taking some shots down field.

• It was nice to Troy Polamalu back in action. I, as well as others, have commented on his lack of big plays this season, but today showed that a lot of his contributions are just making plays (tackles, knocking the ball down) at opportune times. He may not be getting the interceptions or sacks, but he’s a ball-hawk and is usually in the right place at the right time. He wasn’t perfect, but at least he was one guy out there that appeared to be giving it his all.

I think I’ve ended all my recaps after losses this season with a lot of optimism and saying that the sky isn’t falling. I’m not so sure I feel as strongly right now. The sky isn’t falling, and I think the Steelers will in fact win the division still. But I don’t think right now that this team is giving any indication that they have it together enough to put together a Super Bowl run. Something just feels off about them, doesn’t it?
 
I’m asking you, Steelers fans, what’s wrong with the Steelers right now?

Here’s a look at seven questions the Steelers have heading into Sunday’s game against Jacksonville:

How will Ben Roethlisberger’s shoulder injury affect his play?

Ben finally returned to practice on Friday after sitting out the two previous days. He has shown the ability to play with injuries in the past, though not always quite effectively. With such a big game, everyone is going to have to be in top form. Ben’s play has been the difference in a lot of close games this year so they really need him to be on point.

How badly will Aaron Smith be missed?

The injury to Aaron Smith has the potential to be a big one. The 3-4 defense all starts with the big men up front, and Aaron is one of the best in the league. Travis Kirschke and Nick Eason are OK in a pinch, but their potential to be long-term fill ins is very questionable. Injuries are part of life in the NFL and championship teams suck it up and get through them. The back ups are really going to have to step it up to fill Aaron’s shoes.

Can the defense get back on track after getting whooped last week?

The Jaguars aren’t an offensive juggernaut, but they have two very talented backs in Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew. Normally the Steelers don’t fear any running back, but they did give up their first 100 rusher in 35 games a few weeks ago. Not to mention, David Garrard is very accurate and has only thrown one interception in 10 starts this season…

What about Troy?

…Which leads to the next question- what impact will Troy Polamalu returning have on the defense? Those saying the secondary perhaps performs better without Troy in there where were shown they should be cautious saying that after what Tom Brady did to Anthony Smith and Tyrone Carter last week. In crunch time and in the playoffs, Troy’s athleticism and experience are going to be needed to help keep opposing offenses in check. Troy has struggled a bit this season, but now that he is healthier will he regain his form?

Is Willie back?

Last week Willie Parker rushed for over 100 yards, his first since week 10. He currently leads the league in rushing but has struggled a bit during the second half of the season. He finally had a couple of long runs against the Patriots and looked more like his old self. Can he carry the momentum against a tough Jaguars defense?

Has the offensive line finally gotten it’s stuff together?

The line looked terrible for much of the season, but has performed markedly better in the last three weeks. Are they finally coming together as a unit and defending the schemes that teams used to beat them? Or was it more of a coincidence with two of the games played in bad weather and teams focusing more on coverage then pressure? Either way, they’ve had a good streak going that they can use to build upon. I don’t think we’ll ever be able to not worry about the line this season (and the immediate future for that matter), but at least they have shown some progress.

Just how well is Santonio Holmes’ ankle holding up?

Santonio finally returned to action last week, but only saw limited time. He has mentioned that his ankle is still sore, but he doesn’t anticipate missing any more time this season because of it. If healthy, he will go a long way toward helping the Steelers get some big plays on the stingy Jag’s defense. He was turning into an exciting deep threat this season but his injuries have really slowed him down just when things were getting exciting. Will his ankle injury keep him down for the rest of the year?

This is a big game for the Steelers, with lots of playoff implications. In fact, given how close the teams are in the standings, you could argue that this game is more important than the Patriots game was (especially now since the Steelers lost that game and some of their lead in the AFC North.) It figures to be a physical and exciting game, and another one that might be played in poor weather with a chance for some snow. It should be a fun one.