2011 Week 8 Power Rankings ...and my thoughts

A look at how the AFC North teams stand in ESPN's NFL Power Rankings. I don't have a vote, but I can certainly chime in:

STEELERS

Power Ranking: No. 5

Record: 5-2

Milly's Comment: The Steelers are in first place in the AFC North for the first time this season and move into the top spot in the Power Rankings for the division. The only debate is whether the Saints, who are also 5-2, should be two spots above Pittsburgh. But New Orleans has beaten Houston and routed Indianapolis by 55 points. The Steelers lost to Houston and edged Indianapolis by three points.

RAVENS

Power Ranking: No. 6

Record: 4-2

Milly's Comment: The Ravens slipped three spots after that dreadful offensive performance to the one-win Jaguars. The fall could have been worse (and probably should have been). Baltimore is the highest-ranked 4-2 team, which shows the level of respect from voters.

BENGALS

Power Ranking: No. 16

Record: 4-2

Milly's Comment: The Bengals moved up two spots while on the bye. Maybe it's a reward for theCarson Palmer trade. Still, Cincinnati remains the lowest 4-2 team in the rankings. The Bengals should be in the top 15. They are behind five three-loss teams: Oakland, Atlanta,New York Jets, Houston and Chicago.

BROWNS

Power Ranking: No. 24

Record: 3-3

Milly's Comment: It's understandable that the Browns would move down one spot with an ugly win over Seattle. The problem is they are the worst-ranked 3-3 team in the Power Rankings and it's not even close. In fact, Cleveland is the only team ranked below No. 21 that doesn't have a losing record. Philadelphia (2-4) and Carolina (2-5) are ahead of the Browns.

Warning to Athletes: Be careful what you put on Twitter..... Seriously.

Here is the most dangerous thing about Twitter: It allows us to say the first thing that comes to mind.

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Tom Pennington/Getty ImagesPittsburgh's Rashard Mendenhall created a stir with his tweets about Osama bin Laden's death.

There are times when that's not the best idea. And with Twitter there is no filter, no editor and no one there to stop us to think about the repercussions.

Twitter often can be a direct bridge to the brain if the owner of the account doesn't exercise restraint. We've seen many cases of that in the past year, and Pittsburgh Steelers tailbackRashard Mendenhall is the latest example.

Mendenhall is getting a lot of heat forhis controversial tweets on the death of Osama bin Laden. It caused so much of a stir nationally that the Steelers issued a statement Tuesday, basically saying they don't share the views of their leading rusher.

This is not a political blog or a conspiracy theorist blog. So we're not going to debate the merit of Mendenhall's comments. But as the star running back of one of the most popular teams in professional sports, Mendenhall should use more discretion with his tweets. There are plenty of other ways to debate controversial subjects in a less public forum.

I've interviewed Mendenhall many times, and in my experience, he's often careful about his word choice. Mendenhall is an intelligent person who's soft-spoken and rarely says more than what's necessary.

But there is something about typing into a computer or cell phone that makes some athletes say things they normally would not in an interview.

Just like anyone else, Mendenhall has every right to his opinions. But with his public position, Mendenhall and other players should be more careful with how they represent their employers.

Amile's Super Bowl XLV Blog: Steelers secret weapon?! 2 words; HEATH MILLER

Fittingly, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller wasn’t asked to be among the six players involved in the first Super Bowl XLV interviews. 

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Jared Wickerham/Getty ImagesHeath Miller had a big game in a win over the Packers last season, catching seven passes for 118 yards.

Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward wore a black cowboy hat, making a statement for his arrival in Dallas. Right tackle Flozell Adams, normally considered a grump, fielded questions about a Steelers tribute by defensive players who wore his jersey Monday. A bearded Ben Roethlisberger answered questions about his suspension and his once-troubled life away from football. He finished each question with a smile.

But Miller was his usual stealth self, quietly going to his room just as he quietly does his job. Miller is the Steelers' secret weapon against the Green Bay Packers. He blocks. He catches passes. He’s the perfect teammate. He checks his ego as he enters the locker room. He could end up being the key player in Sunday’s game against the Packers.

Statistically, Miller had his worst season since 2006, but his play goes beyond the numbers. Miller caught 42 passes for 512 yards and only two touchdowns during the regular season. Injuries to the Steelers' two starting offensive tackles limited his opportunities to go out in routes.

"We never made any big adjustments," Miller said. But he was asked to do more blocking this year.

One of the most interesting parts of the Steelers 24-19 AFC Championship Game victory over the New York Jets was the expanded use of the three-tight-end set. The Steelers used it about 15 times, and that formation featured Miller.

Two tight ends would stay in to block, and that maximum protection gave Roethlisberger a chance to throw some deeper routes to Miller, who had a critical 24-yard completion.

"You know, the three-tight-end formation is a predominant run formation," Miller said. "Once you establish the run, you can leak out and get some play-action. We had the three tight ends in our plans, and we were successful with it early. Rashard Mendenhall did a great job of finding the holes and getting the yards."

Tight ends have been a problem for the Packers all season. They were a problem last year, too. Miller caught seven passes for 118 yards against the Packers last year in the Steelers' 37-36 victory in Heinz Field.

Heath Miller

#83 TE
Pittsburgh Steelers

2010 STATS

• Rec42
• Yds512
• TD2
• Avg12.2
• Long36
• YAC204

Even though the Packers field three Pro Bowlers -- Tramon Williams, Charles Woodson and Nick Collins -- in their secondary, they have been vulnerable against good tight ends for the past couple of seasons. Mike McCarthy hasn’t been able to find two decent safeties for coverage. Woodson flips between safety and corner in some schemes, and if quarterbacks are able to move him away from designed routes, the middle of the field is open for big plays.

Miller could be the big target for those types of plays. With Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey expected to miss the game with a high ankle sprain, the Steelers might be tempted to use more two- or three-tight-end sets to run the football.

"Guys have stepped up after the injuries," Miller said. "The offensive line has done a good job. They’ve done a good job all year long. We run with confidence because guys stepped up.’’

Expect Miller to step up in Super Bowl XLV.