Read this and tell me why anyone WOULDN'T pick PIT

CLMAO, given (i) the closeness of the stats, (ii) the relatively even strength of schedule (I'll fill in Atlanta, a winner over the Steelers, as our fourth tough opponent), (iii) the Super Bowl hangover that tends to affect teams that make a one-off run into the game, combined with Cowher's so-far undenied lame-duck issues, and (iv) the Steelers' prediliection for killing mistakes and desperately uneven QB play, I do think it's fair to question the near-universal pick of Pittsburgh in the media.

But this has nothing to do with us.

You'd think at least somebody would say, as I have been all week, that despite all the chest-thumping for the Steelers that "this is the week", that there's no indication that this or any other week is the one that the Steelers will play a full game, that the Saints righted the ship last week after the Ravens loss with a resilient domination of Tampa Bay, and that with a 6-2 team coming in that is steadily improving and usually doesn't beat itself, this game is pretty much a toss-up, and if I had to pick I'm taking the team on the rise with something to prove, as opposed to the hung-over team that is still looking for itself after eight weeks of listless, mediocre play.

I have no problem with anyone taking the Steelers, with or without the points, this week. I think the reflexive, across-the-board choice speaks much more about the laziness of the observers and their unconscious defense of their previous positions no matter how incorrect in the face of new evidence. Very little about this Steelerism is about their opponent, it's all about what they think they're supposed to say about the Steelers. They'd say the same thing even if they were playing the Pats or Colts this week.