| | | | | | | |  Friday, October 18, 2002
Monday a key game for 2-3 Steelers
By Melissa Stark
Special to ABC Sports Online
Who would have thought that the Steelers would be 2-3 at this point? It's pretty unbelievable. Luckily for them, they are still tied for the division lead with Baltimore.
The last time we saw the Steelers was in Week One when Tom Brady had his way with them. That was pretty shocking, and then the following week, Rich Gannon did the same thing. In those two games, they allowed 697 passing yards combined.
That's why this Monday night's game against Indianapolis is a key game for them. Everybody has been shocked at their poor start. It should be an interesting test. Dave Wannstadt once told me that every time you face Peyton Manning, he scares you to death because he has two huge weapons in Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James.
|  | | Joey Porter is tied for the AFC lead with six sacks and also leads the Steelers with three interceptions. |
Nonetheless, Joey Porter says the Steelers problems on defense have been solved. They come into Monday night having played their best game of the year.
The players that I talked to agree that because everyone had already had them going to the Super Bowl before the season began, guys were not playing as hard as they could have. They lost some of their competitive edge. In the past, they would have little challenges amongst each other. They weren't doing that anymore, and they soon realized they were cheating each other by not giving a full effort.
Porter said those problems have been fixed. Now they are trying to put the past behind them and look forward.
One plus is that they should have Kendrell Bell back this week. Last year's Defensive Rookie of the Year has missed four straight games since re-aggravating a high ankle sprain in the opener at New England.
It will still be a big challenge for them. They know Manning wants to stretch the defense, so they can't allow him to get into a rhythm. Their first goal is to take James out of the game. Of course, the Colts are still looking for more production from James; he comes into Monday with the least productive two-game total in his career (103 yards).
The Colts say that James is healthy, but he has really struggled so far this year (just 3.6 yards per carry and one touchdown). He tore his left ACL last year in the sixth game, and that is a quick turnaround.
Offensively, the Steelers are 100 percent behind Tommy Maddox. They were shocked at the benching of Kordell Stewart, but Bill Cowher thinks it's the best thing for the team. Obviously, Plexico Burress is happy with it, as he and Maddox seem to have a special relationship. His numbers have more than doubled since Maddox has taken over.
Stewart's been supportive of Maddox so far, yet he's waiting for his next opportunity, be it in Pittsburgh or elsewhere. It has to be frustrating for him. He said he never had such a relaxing offseason. He had had three offensive coordinators in his first three years, he had a quarterbacks coach for the first time and then to have this, it's tough. He was the MVP of this team last year, was in the Pro Bowl, and three games into the season, he loses his job.
Maddox will face a much different Indianapolis team than the one that allowed 486 points last year. Defense has been the emphasis for the first time in a long time in Indy. Tony Dungy brought his defense from Tampa Bay, and the Colts used seven of their eight draft picks on defensive players. The players love it. They say it's like night and day. They are flying around sky high. In the past, it was always about Manning, Harrison and James. Now the reporters are coming to them too. It is really strange, but they like it.
The defense has had a pretty good start, allowing just 90 points in five games, but it is going to be tested this week. But the Colts have struggled against the run, allowing 137 yards a game. They have to stop Jerome Bettis, who is coming off his best game.
The Colts are 4-1, but they recognize they are lucky to be 4-1. Meanwhile, Cowher is 9-0 on Monday Night Football at home, so the Colts know the crowd is going to be really into it, that it's going to be an emotional game and that Pittsburgh is going to run the ball, run the ball, run the ball. It's the only way the Steelers can move to 3-3 and renew their hope as a Super Bowl contender.
Melissa Stark is Monday Night Football's sideline reporter and a regular contributor to ABC Sports Online.
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