I thought I’d break my post silence even though I really have nothing to say. Don’t ask me why I wrote this because I really don’t know. Maybe it’s because I like to stir the pot. Maybe it’s because I remember crazy stuff like this. Anyhow, this is going to give hope to the Bronco fans and make some Steelers fans nervous. For the record, it doesn’t make me nervous. I am just a historical library of useless information. There is some valuable information but you have to have a shovel to get to it. I digress…on with the history lesson with a little look ahead added on.

The year was 2007. The year ironically many have compared this year to. Ben was having a good year. Troy was hurt early in the year. The Steelers however had fought their way to a 4-1 record at the bye. They lost a lead late against the Cardinals earlier but had steadied the ship. The bye came at a good time. Big Snack was still hobbled and Troy was playing hurt. Next up, a trip to Denver on Sunday night. Denver had just got handled by the Chargers the week before.

Hmm This sounds familiar. The only difference was they had a week off too. Surely the Steelers would come out fresh and take it to the Broncos after having an extra week to rest and prepare for the Broncos even though they were on a bye too, right? The Steelers came out and put up 7 quickly. Ben was having a good year remember? He made the Pro Bowl. Then all of a sudden the wheels came of the cart. Suddenly the Steelers looked rusty. Pardon the pun. Denver took advantage of sloppy play by the Steelers’ offense.

Denver had a 60 yard fumble return for a TD and heck there was even an Elvis (Dumervil) spotting. Ben was picked twice and sacked 4 times. For the offense playing so bad Willie Parker almost had 100 yards (93) and Ward and Holmes had 7 and six catches respectively. The bright spot was the Steelers’ tightends accounted for 3 of the Steelers’ four TDs. Heath had 2 and Spaeth had 1 on his only catch of the day.

Even though this was a sloppy game the offense rallied to tie the game late in the 4th. Only to have Elam boot a 49 yarder in the last seconds to finish the Steelers off. What was really irritating about this game was the feeling that the Steelers seemed to ebb and flow. They would seemingly take control and then give up a big play and have to dig out of a hole. Sound familiar? It was like a microcosm of the frustration of the 2007 season. They would seem in control lose control only to rally back just in time to lose the game late.

Now I sort of change gears and the subject. If there could ever be a stretch of the season where you want to gauge where you are and what needs to be changed, it’s the 3 week span from 25 Oct to Nov 15th. They passed part one by winning a game at home against a true contender. Part two is the challenge of coming off a bye week and beating a ticked off contender at home trying to rebound from a loss. The last will be Cincy week. That will be beating the competition in their division against a team that they should beat at home.

Each leg of this test reveals different things. The Minnesota test (part 1) was stopping a prolific running game and a crafty veteran QB. The bye week and Denver game (part 2) will show the Steelers’ response ability to win a big away game after a big home win. They would have to do it against a team they don’t have a lot of success against (6-13-1 all-time regular season and 2-7-1 in Denver regular season). The Bengals part (part 3) will have division championship repercussions.

The totality of the test will reveal itself in how the Steelers sit after this week. It could be anywhere from a three way tie to the winner having the upper hand over both contenders. With both Cincy losses in the AFC these next two weeks not only have huge division impact but conference impact as well. If both Cincy and Pittsburgh win this week, it will be similar to a playoff game matchup. If the Steelers win and the Bengals lose this week, it will be the usual Bengals trying to get to the top with a sense of desperation. If the Steelers lose and Bengals win this week, it will be the Steelers playing with a sense of desperation. Regardless of the scenario, it will be crazy in that stadium/field.

Maybe I’ll start my "driveby reports" back up. Maybe I’ll do my "humpday flash backs" again. Maybe I’ll just go back to riding waves. Actually I’m surprised I actually had time to write this. Have a great day.