Without Polamalu, Steelers defense disappears

The 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl for two reasons: clutch quarterback play and probably the best defense since the 2000 Baltimore Ravens. They scored just enough points and gave up very few. The defense created big plays all season long, sacked the quarterback, and was always reliable.

Through 3 games in 2009, it's a whole different story. The difference? Troy Polamalu. Since his injury against the Tennessee Titans in week one, the Steelers defense has been average. At best. They've created very little pressure on the quarterback and forced few turnovers (none, in fact, since the Titans game). The defense has given up long drives to lose games in consecutive weeks and has given me, as a Steelers fan, reason to worry late in the game. The result? A 1-2 record and third place in the division.

I know, I know, it's only 3 games and there's no reason to worry. Well, I think there is. James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley have been 100% invisible. Yes, they've been double-teamed, but that should free up others, and it hasn't. When they're not double-teamed, they haven't created pressure. The secondary has given up big plays in crucial situations and even other teams' runing games have had success. Right now, I don't trust the defense.

Which means the offense has to play nearly perfect. And they won't. They have an inconsistent running game. Ben Roethlisberger still makes mistakes. Limas Sweed dropped a touchdown pass that would have iced the game today. Mistakes happen, and the offense isn't built to score 25-30 points a week. The defense, statistically, hasn't played that poorly. The Titans only scored 10 points, the Bears 17, and the Bengals 17 (Bengals had a pick-6). The disturbing trend is that, in the fourth quarter, they fall apart. Carson Palmer and Jay Cutler have picked the apart late in games to lead their respective teams to victory.

The 2009 Steelers are looking a little too much like the 2006 Steelers for my liking. There are noticible differences - the offense isn't turning the ball over as much and Ben is playing well, Mike Tomlin still has the fire that Cowher lost, and the team didn't lose multiple contributers - but I'm still having flashbacks of losing games because the defense choked late in games and the offense could not punch the ball in.

Unfortuantely, it does not get much easier for the Steelers defense. They play the Chargers next week (luckily, at home, and on primetime, where they usually step up), who have an explosive offense. Last year, they shut down Sproles, but it's always a challenge. After that, they have the Lions and Browns, followed by the Vikings, who look to be a very good team this year. If they can go into the bye week with a 4-3 record, they will be in decent shape. They just need to keep up with the Ravens (and Bengals) so that they have a chance for the division. Polamalu is set to try to come back against the Lions in week five, but that may be only in limited action. Either way, it will be a boost.

But until then, the Steelers need to find a way to play better on both sides of the ball. The defense needs to make more turnovers and get more sacks. The talent is there outside of Polamalu (I'm looking at you, James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley). I'm sure Tomlin and Dick Labeau will be working hard this week to fix it, but, regardless, they need to put the loss behind them and focus on going back to the 2008 version of the Steel Curtain. Until then, the team will continue to play like a mediocre team.