3 Blunts + 1 Holding - 1 Snapper = Loss

Midway through the five hour drive home from the 'Burgh following Sunday's stinging loss to the New York Football Giants, only one thought streamed through my oddly sober mind..."just what might the outcome had been had Santonio Holmes reconsidered his fateful decision to parade around town with weed in his car?" Well, like the Tootsie Roll Pop commercial tells us, the world may never know. Before I jump on the bandwagon of bloggers that have vilified Holmes and his ride on the Pineapple Express, let's remember that we probably wouldn't be making these points had Holmes been injured and not in Coach Tomlin's dog house. In other words, it's very convenient to instantly say that Holmes lost the game for us because he was a bonehead. Ok, maybe so or maybe not.

The reality here is that the team squared off against the world champs without Holmes and Willie Parker (their top two offensive playmakers), as well as their starting left tackle and a very good coverage guy in Bryan McFadden. Then they lost their free safety at a point when the Giants were relying heavily on the aerial attack. If this wasn't enough to set the drama, the team also lost their long snapper, which led to the disastrous experiment of hired killer James Harrison hiking a punt in a critical juncture of the contest, with the game clearly hanging in the balance. For those readers that were spared the agony of viewing that spectacle, let me summarize it this way: long snapping is now added to the list of things that you would rather not see James Harrison do, along with things like dating your teenage daughter, grooming your cat, or re-decorating your foyer with soft pastels and a subtle new age theme.

the ambitious Harrison would also audition for emergency QB and team owner

Casting aside all these hurdles with more ease than Santonio discards his roaches, the Steeltown boys would still have been on the W side of the scorecard if it had not been for poor execution at critical times. Costly penalties and turnovers took at least 10 points off the board, and were ultimately what separated the Steelers from what could have (and should have) been a gallant victory. The beleaguered O line put out yet another woeful exhibition, and Big Ben struggled mightily at adopting to a three step drop, thus holding the ball for what seemed to be an eternity. Hines Ward eventually got involved in the parade of errors by dropping yet another pass, widening his lead over AFC receivers in that category. The Giants seemed to be playing on a short field all afternoon, forcing the Black and Gold D to make numerous Herculian stands throughout the contest.

So, what's more to say? After a slew of critical injuries (and one dubious de-activation), and after a bevvy of miscues and bad breaks, the Steelers were still a few plays away from a big victory against a great team. Let's wait until next week's matchup with the 'Skins to form a conclusion about this team. If we are sitting at 6-2 next Tuesday morning, we can collectively throw the Giants game in the can. Or as Santonio might say, in the bowl.

A few quick hitters before I go drink beer:

• Is it just me, or does the Ben to Nate combo look like a legitimately scary deep threat?


• If anyone out there has a confirmed sighting of Matt Spaeth or Dallas Baker, please contact the PittsburgFan offices immediately.


• Ike Taylor quietly held another great receiver (Burress) in check.


• Watching Casey Hampton struggle to waddle his fat ass off the field after two consecutive plays is just plain sad.


• Mewelde Moore has over 300 yards rushing in the last three games. Not bad for your third stringer.


• Kudos to my sister-in-law's friend and her large, creamy gobs.
  
• Last and not least, a big shout out to my buddy J Cerv for coming out and having a great time! Hope to see you for a few more games, and congrats on the baby!
  
  Gods and tailgaters