OK, so what do we know now after seeing the Steelers shut down the Titans?

1. The Steelers can't do any worse than 2-2 without Roethlisberger.

2. The Steeler defense is awesome.

3. The Steeler offense is almost non-existent.

4. The Steeler special teams ain't bad.

Antonio Brown returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. I really cannot remember the Steelers returning a kickoff since the Ron Woodson era. Woodson would start up the middle and then veer to the right, at which time the Steelers would set up a wall of blockers, and Woodson would be off to the races. But the Steelers haven't had anybody close to Woodson since he left, and in most cases they struggled to get to the 20.

As the game progressed it was obvious that Tomlin created a plan that essentially told the defense that it had to suck it up and win the game practically on its own. It meant stopping the Titans premier runner, Chris Johnson, who, up to yesterday, had a dozen straight 100-plus-yard games. He didn't get near that yesterday. Additionally, the Steelers forced seven turnovers, unheard of. Hats off to the entire squad and LeBeau's scheming. But having Polamalu and Smith back makes an enormous difference. Another guy, Timmons, was all over the field. And, because of the heat, they had to substitute liberally along the defensive line. So, you can say that everyone contributed, even the rawest of rookies.

Tomlin also knew that the offense would be one-dimensional. Despite his speeches to the contrary, he really doesn't have that much faith in Dixon and wouldn't allow him to throw much at all. The Titans realized this as well and packed the box to stop the run. The Steelers had about 127 yards of total offense yesterday. This tells you how much the defense meant.

Finally, one of the weak links of last year's team was special teams. But a new coach and some new bodies have made a huge difference.

So, while we can't wait for the big boy to get back in action so the Steelers can open up the game. In the first two games, at least, the defense and special teams have allowed them to do just enough to get a win.

-- JIM REICH
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