…that the Steelers can’t seem to understand?

Tomorrow night, the losing boys in black and gold will be taking on the lowly Browns on the NFL Network. Don’t even get me started about how much I hate the NFL Network. I don’t like watching games on random Thursday nights, not to mention the fact that about 5% of the population actually get that channel. Football is for Sundays. And Mondays. Um, anyway, seeing the Steelers lose to a team that’s 1-11 would be the icing on the cake. After the Kansas City and Oakland games, nothing will surprise me anymore.

In big injury news, WR Hines Ward is most likely out with a hamstring injury. Guess he couldn’t tough it out and pretend like it doesn’t hurt like he thought Big Ben should’ve done. Ah, bygones. Safety Troy Polamalu is STILL out. Omg Madden curse. But hopefully Troy will be back for the Green Bay game on December 20, which has just been moved from 1 to 4:15. Guess the network people are secretly hoping the Steelers will win tomorrow too.

And they have a somewhat decent shot. The Browns aren’t all that good. They average 242 yards a game and are pretty much ranked last on offense. I’m pretty sure they’re ranked last on defense as well. The Browns are 0-5 at home, and they haven’t won against an AFC North opponent. Hey, we’ve lost to the Bengals twice and two of the worst teams in the NFL, why not add another notch to our increasingly pathetic belt?

I know I’m giving them a hard time, but I’m not used to seeing the Steelers lose this freakin much. After being 6-2 at the midseason mark, it takes multiple failures of epic proportions to lose the next 4, especially against teams like the Chiefs and Raiders. Steelers, Ravens, Dolphins, and Jets are all 6-6, with each game becoming more and more important than the last. We simply have to win this one. I don’t care how. If we have the lead going into the fourth quarter, make the offense commit as many delay-of-game penalties it can. Don’t give the ball back to the Browns with 30 seconds left if they’re down by a TD. Please.

Brady Quinn will be the starting QB for the Browns. He hasn’t thrown an interception in his last three games…not good news for the Steelers who suck at making interceptions. And of course, Joshua Cribbs has gotten three TDs off the Steelers through returning kickoffs. I’m sure we can expect one of those, just to spice things up a little. And to ensure I’ll go into work on Friday more hungover than planned.

The once super-scary Steelers D is giving up an average of 105 yards in the fourth quarter. We haven’t lost this many games in six years, since 2003. Someone on the defense needs to step up and make big plays. Without our #1 play-maker, they’ve gone completely flat. And as I said in the recap from last week, the secondary looks ridiculous. CB William Gay suffered a concussion on Sunday, but it looks like he may have a chance to play tomorrow. Ike Taylor promised that he’ll start. C’mon, Tomlin. Cycle in some rookies to see if they can do anything. Clearly, without Polamalu, the secondary remains wide open. When your defense gets beat by an offense led by Bruce Gradkowski not once, but three times in the fourth quarter, you know there are major problems. And the only solution I can come up with is: Play better.

Soooo…I went into the Chiefs and Raiders games optimistic, thinking this will be the win that makes the Steelers regain their momentum. And I was completely wrong. We lost all those games and continue to lose our momentum. In terms of a prediction, I have none. If games were only three quarters long, I’d say the Steelers would most definitely win. But seeing as they’re not, you just never know with these guys anymore. I’ll most certainly be pumped for this game tomorrow, but if the result is disastrous, I’ll hunker down for an incredibly long off-season. And blog about my misery for your viewing pleasure.