(My Sportsbook) - Not even moments after the confetti settled in downtown Pittsburgh, a question was posed to a Steeler Nation that had waited almost three decades for the elusive "one for the thumb."
Would you sell your soul for a Super Bowl?
As the Iron City brew flowed and the Terrible Towels dotted the landscape, a city and its players brushed off the question posed by those who they felt were a group of jealous naysayers.
Now, four games into Pittsburgh's first season as defending champion since 1980, the question was revisited in a somber city on a late Sunday night.
Would you sell your soul for a Super Bowl?
"Without a doubt," a young, but lifelong Pittsburgh native said, with the scars of Sunday's 23-13 defeat to San Diego fresh in her voice.
But her tone did not match such an unequivocal response. Seconds later, a statement was made that drew a chorus of agreement from a stunned, beleaguered fan base.
"But it seems like the ride down has been so fast. One second, you are in heaven and the next you are on a one-way ticket to hell."
Heaven was the pearly gates of Ford Field in Detroit, where Pittsburgh completed an improbable four-game road trip with its fifth Super Bowl championship. It marked the defining moment in Bill Cowher's head coaching career, while sending possible Hall-of-Fame running back Jerome Bettis into the background and thrusting the youngest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl - Ben Roethlisberger - into the spotlight.
Hell is 1-3. Three straight losses to conference foes - one a division loss at home and the other two defeats at the hands of possible AFC playoff teams. The three setbacks could be damaging in any tiebreaker scenario later in the season.
After a rusty offense and a defense that can't get off the field on third-down were exposed on national television for the third time in four weeks, the question got louder in the back of every loyalist's mind.
Cowher, ever the rationalist, looked as lost as ever on the sideline in the waning seconds of another defeat. It marked the first time since 2002 that the Steelers had lost three of four to begin a season.
Afterward, Cowher attempted to put things in perspective.
"It was disappointing," he said. "We just have to regroup right now. It makes the next few games very important."
On the ride from heaven's gate to hell's furnace, several key Steelers have dealt with offseason issues and poor starts to the 2006 season.
Over the remainder of this week's team report, the main cogs of Pittsburgh's one-time, well-oiled machine will be dissected in an attempt to sort out perception from reality.
Because at the moment, a city is left to wonder if a ring is worth such an empty feeling.
FROM THE PEARLY GATES TO A FIRE OF DISCONTENT
QB Ben Roethlisberger:
ROAD TO HEAVEN: In the three-game road trip through the AFC Playoffs, Big Ben threw seven touchdowns to just one interception as Pittsburgh ran through the gauntlet of Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver to reach Super Bowl XL.
FALL TO PURGATORY: Despite Pittsburgh's championship victory, Roethlisberger was intercepted twice and compiled the lowest quarterback rating by a Super Bowl-winning signal-caller. Then, Big Ben was seriously injured in an offseason motorcycle accident in downtown Pittsburgh. He recovered in time for training camp, before undergoing an appendectomy just before the beginning of the regular season. Since returning, Roethlisberger has thrown zero touchdowns and seven interceptions, while recording the lowest quarterback rating in the NFL.
THE REALITY: Roethlisberger isn't as good as he looked during the magical playoff run, nor nearly as bad as he has played during the last three games. A quarterback with 34 regular-season touchdown passes to 20 interceptions entering the season, Roethlisberger is successful because of his ability to make sound decisions and his uncanny mobility in the pocket - both assets which have been nonexistent so far this season.
"It's more disappointing than anything. I feel like I'm letting the team down. I feel like I'm letting the fans down. I know I can play better. I know I will," said Roethlisberger.
Pittsburgh's success depends on that statement coming true.
WR Hines Ward:
ROAD TO HEAVEN: Ward caught 15 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns during the playoffs, including the game-sealing score from fellow wideout Antwaan Randle El in the Super Bowl. Ward was named the game's Most Valuable Player, finally earning the recognition as an elite receiver in the league.
FALL TO PURGATORY: An offseason spent juggling sponsorship opportunities and press demands may have led to less conditioning. Ward injured his hamstring early in training camp and the ailment lingers to this day. He has just 13 catches for 148 yards and one touchdown so far this season. He dropped a key pass against San Diego and came up lame on another near the sideline.
THE REALITY: Ward looked good blocking downfield on Willie Parker's first- quarter touchdown run, a good sign that he is nearing 100 percent for the first time this season. With Randle El gone, Ward is facing more double-teams and linebackers are following his underneath crossing routes. The Steelers need to extend the field even if it isn't successful. A deep pass to Santonio Holmes or Nate Washington every now and then could open up Ward in the intermediate passing game.
The Offensive Line:
ROAD TO HEAVEN: This group, featuring a pair of perennial All-Pro performers in Alan Faneca and Jeff Hartings, kept Roethlisberger off the ground and opened gaping holes for Parker and Bettis late in games. Tackles Marvel Smith and Max Starks are brutally difficult when they engage with their defenders quickly, and the duo got Parker to the edge time and time again. Faneca pulled and kicked out a linebacker on Parker's historic touchdown run in the Super Bowl.
FALL TO PURGATORY: The unit has looked slow, constantly beaten by speed off the edge. The group has also looked surprisingly weak in the middle, as both Jacksonville's duo of John Henderson and Marcus Stroud and San Diego's Jamal Williams caused havoc for Pittsburgh's inside running game. The prime culprit has been center Jeff Hartings, who may finally be showing his age.
THE REALITY: Hartings looked like a beaten man Sunday night. Williams took the Steelers out of everything they wanted to do, continually driving the center into Roethlisberger's face. Pittsburgh also didn't communicate well on stunts, allowing Shaun Phillips to knife through cleanly on Big Ben's second interception of the game in the fourth quarter. The group overall is still solid, though not deep. Health will be a key as will getting into more manageable third-down situations.
"It's not desperate," said Faneca. "But it's definitely (time to) check yourself in the mirror. It's gut-check time. It's time to see what you're doing, what you're doing wrong and fix it, no matter what that takes -- if it takes coming in early, if it takes staying late."
LB Joey Porter:
ROAD TO HEAVEN: Porter had three sacks during the AFC Playoffs and, while not factoring in the Super Bowl victory, destroyed the psyche of Seattle tight end Jerramy Stevens in a weeklong war of words leading up to kickoff. He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated under the label of, "The Most Feared Player in the NFL."
FALL TO PURGATORY: After a quiet Super Bowl, Porter had a solid opening week in the victory over Miami, including a game-clinching interception return for a touchdown. Since then, the talkative linebacker has been fixed on the front of a milk cartoon. Al Michaels and John Madden didn't mention his name once in the normal flow of Sunday night's game.
THE REALITY: Porter wasn't having a great 2005 season until the Steelers' backs were against the wall. For some reason, it seems the demonstrative Porter needs extra incentive to elevate his game. A 1-3 start and murmurs of the club's demise should be enough to get him energized for this week's encounter with Kansas City.
UP NEXT: MUST WIN AGAINST GREEN-LESS CHIEFS
Pittsburgh will attempt to confuse quarterback Damon Huard as it returns home for a must-win contest against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Chiefs star running back Larry Johnson twisted his neck in the club's 23-20 victory over Arizona, but should be ready for Sunday.
Kansas City (2-2) is holding fort without starting quarterback Trent Green, who was carted off the field on a stretcher following a helmet-to-helmet hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers in a Week 1 contest.
The Chiefs will also enter Heinz Field with another key injury issue. Kick return specialist Dante Hall has a hip injury and his status for Sunday's game is uncertain.
