Oct 27, 2012 5 min read

The Steelers’ offense needs to get better. Most of the criticism during the Steelers’ 3-3 start against what will probably end up being the weakest part of their schedule has been toward the defense. That’s mostly because of leads blown in the fourth quarter, but the offense has had as many chances to win games late as the defense has had to lose them. The Steelers offense is 16th in the NFL when it comes to scoring – 23 points a game. The Redskins are ranked fourth at 28.7. They also have one of the best players in the league playing quarterback for them. Some reputable sports journalists have already declared Robert Griffin III THE best player in the NFL, and I tend to agree with them. That’s the best player in the league after seven games. Just ask Cam Newton how much that is subject to change. The Redskins might be undefeated if they could defend the pass. They’re on pace to give up the most passing yards in NFL history. That’s what makes this an interesting test for the Steelers’ offense. Two games ago, Pittsburgh went into Nashville to play a team that hadn’t been able to keep any team under 30 and put up 24. Both teams have key injuries, but, with Griffin’s ridiculous running ability, Troy Polamalu will be the most irreplaceable guy in street clothes on either sideline. Before you get too excited dreaming about the fantasy numbers about to be put up by Ben Roethlisberger and his offense, keep in mind that the Redskins defense has faced Drew Brees and both Manning brothers. Griffin is not the typical running quarterback, who runs better than he throws. He has completed 70 percent of his passes after completing 72 percent last season for Baylor. The Steelers’ secondary has had its issues this season especially late in games, and Griffin does some of his best work in the fourth quarter. The Steelers best defense in this one just might be their offense. It might be their only defense. n NFL kickers have made 66.7 percent of their field goal attempts from beyond 50 yards this season. Jan Stenerud is the only kicker in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His career average on all field goals was 66.8. He was 17-64 beyond 50 yards. But don’t let anybody tell you that an adjustment should be made to reflect the improvement in kickers. n Don’t let anybody tell you that it was better for baseball fans when World Series games were played during the day, in early October. What could go wrong when you schedule night baseball games to be played in Detroit on the third weekend in October? How about the worst storm of the century? The Idiots Who Run Baseball deserve nothing less. I only wish the Phillies or the Mets were representing the National League. n What’s worse, baseball’s most important games being played in 40-degree temperatures a day or two before Halloween, or hockey’s most important games being played a few days before Independence Day? n Sports fans continue to outdo themselves when it comes to insanity over the wearing of their favorite team’s jerseys. The latest example of the need for fans to grow up and maybe gain a smidgen of perspective comes from North Carolina. Garret Carnes decided to wear his Dallas Cowboys jersey to the Cowboys-Panthers game in Charlotte. After the game, he and his wife were abused by some Panthers fans as they were going into a restaurant. The abuse continued inside the restaurant and Carnes and his family were asked to leave. Carnes is a U.S. Marine who lost both legs in Afghanistan. One of the Panthers fans did his team proud by telling Carnes, “Don’t use your wheelchair as a crutch.” Other people in the restaurant stood by and did nothing. Carnes’ mother put this on Facebook: “Why didn’t any of you stand up for my son and daughter? And to think my son almost died for every single person in that bar, by defending all your freedom.” Yeah, those Panthers fans had their team’s back. Do you think the morons who continue to embarrass the human race with actions like this actually think that their teams appreciate this kind of support? n I get the feeling that hockey fans are paying little or no attention to the ups and downs of the NHL lockout. It’s so stupid that they don’t have the patience for it. n My sources tell me that the Pirates are planning a season long celebration of the 110th anniversary of that 1903 championship team. n Did the media rush to judgment in blaming Joe Paterno for helping in a cover up of the Jerry Sandusky scandal? John Ziegler, who produced an excellent documentary on the media’s coverage (or non-coverage, depending on your perspective) of Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign called “Media Malpractice,” has spent the last few months working on a documentary called “Framing Paterno.” It will deserve a look. John Steigerwald writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter. His website is justwatchthegame.com.