Did anybody else feel Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's pain in Sunday's game against Philadelphia?

I had this crazy idea the job of the offensive line was to protect the quarterback and to provide some running lanes for a running back.

I understand the Eagles have a stout defense, but after being shredded 41-37 by the Dallas Cowboys offense last week on "Monday Night Football," who would have imagined the Steelers could not have accomplished anything on offense against the Eagles

Nine total sacks — six in one quarter — two interceptions and a safety — that's what Philadelphia did against the Steelers.

After all the faith and confidence Roethlisberger had in his O-line entering the season — despite the loss of left tackle All-Pro Alan Faneca — they disappointed him big time.

In the offseason, the offensive line was considered a weak link, especially after allowing 93 sacks of Roethlisberger the previous two years, but it showed a lot of ability in season-opening wins against Houston and Cleveland. Willie Parker had a pair of 100-yard rushing games and even scored three times in the win over the Texans.

After those two games, Roethlisberger had the top passing efficiency rating in the NFL (not that it's a big deal, but he had plenty of time to throw).

Neither of those two aspects were accomplished against Philly. But perhaps the most frustrating part was that the Steelers, as a whole, were not manhandled. Thanks to the defense, from the time the Steelers trailed 7-3, the squad always was one play away from taking the lead.

The Steelers offense couldn't completely capitalize on the defense's efforts, but the two field goals they scored came off Eagles turnovers.

Despite allowing quarterback Donovan McNabb to open the game with 15 consecutive completions, the defense stayed strong and kept the team in the game.

That further put the onus of the loss on the offensive line. After that six-sack second quarter, how do you think it sounded in the locker room at halftime:

"Hey Ben, my bad. They won't lay a finger on you, I promise." or "Ben, they're just lucky. Won't happen again. Trust me." or "We have them right where we want them. They won't get anything else. We'll stonewall 'em."

I'm sure Roethlisberger was happy he was still thinking clearly. but his confidence has to be a little shaken. They've done well and I'm sure they will do well again, but if you expose a team's weakness, you can be guaranteed other teams are going to copy it.

That's the NFLway.

On Sunday, coach Bill Belichick had no answers for how to slow the novel Miami offense that ripped through New England for a 38-13 victory Sunday. Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown rushed for four touchdowns and passed for another, with nearly all coming as a result of a direct snap.

The 38-13 Miami win snapped the Patriots' 21-game regular season winning streak, so it's only a matter of time before teams start to mimic the Dolphins.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.