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| Bears defense is grizzly By A. D. This season the Chicago Bears have a defense worthy of another cheesy music video, reminiscent of the 1985 Super Bowl shuffle. They are ranked no. 1 in defense in the NFL and the team has a 9-3 record. The Steelers, who are struggling to make the playoffs with a record of 7-5, will have a difficult time trying to stop the best defensive end tandem of Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunleye. Brown and Ogunleye have combined for 14 sacks so far this season and look as if there is no stopping them. This is going to pose quite a headache for the broken Steelers offensive line. The rookie Trai Essex, who has been replacing the injured left tackle and pro bowler Marvel Smith, has been quoted as saying that he has been getting better the more he starts. But that won’t be enough to stop a team that has won eight games in a row. The Steelers, on the other hand, have lost three in a row and need to win all of their remaining four games in order to make the playoffs as a wild card, barring a miracle. Second year starter Max Starks played alongside Brown while in college. Starks has said of trying to contain the explosive defensive end, “It presents a nice challenge for us." Guarding Brown will be left up to Essex as Starks will take on the responsibility of handling Ogunleye. Ogunleye leads the rest of the Bears defense with 9 sacks. Not a good sign for a team that is trying to restart the ground game. In every game that the Steelers haven’t rushed for more than 100 yards they have lost. Starks has said, "One of the biggest things that front four gives is a lot of pressure. They can penetrate upfield. It focuses on your guards having a lot more inside responsibility and a lot more 3-on-2 type of double teams, as opposed to being able to chip with the tackle.” This means that quarterback Roethlisberger, sore thumb and all, will have to throw the ball more in order to get first downs. This will be a problem as Heath Miller, the rookie tight end who has been a surprising receiving gold mine, will have to do more blocking than catching. The offensive line will need all the help they can get and this may also mean keeping Jerome Bettis in the backfield as a blocker instead of as a running back. The Steelers are a long way from their 15-1 record of 2004 but they still have a chance to make it to the post-season. The Bengals, who have a two game advantage in the AFC North division, also have four games remaining. The Browns and the Lions may be easy pickings for a secondary that dominates in turnovers but their last two games are against much tougher teams in the Buffalo Bills and the KC Chiefs. The Steelers can’t look to Cincinnati for help, they can’t expect Carson Palmer, Rudi Johnson and Chad Johnson to come to Heinz Field and play their games for them. The black and gold have to get back on the winning track and that means breaking down the best defense of the Bears. |