This is an "off" weekend for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they get to enjoy the team's annual bye week. However, it shouldn't be an "off" week for kicker Jeff Reed, who should use the non-football time to ponder his temper and conduct.

Reed was cited by Pittsburgh police for public intoxication and disorderly conduct at 9 p.m. Oct. 18 outside McFadden's Bar. It was the same day the Steelers defeated the Cleveland Browns 27-14 — a game in which Reed kicked two field goals.

Last winter, Reed paid $543 in fines and restitution after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct and criminal mischief for damaging a paper towel dispenser in a convenience store bathroom in New Alexandria.

After meeting with Steelers players on Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin gave most of them the rest of the week off. It is to be hoped that he also took Reed aside and gave him some constructive advice.

Reed is a strong asset to the Steelers. He shouldn't damage that image with stupid, irresponsible conduct.

A passenger from the Northwest Airlines jet that missed its destination by 150 miles says the Federal Aviation Administration's revocation of the licenses of the pilots "seems a little severe."Wrong. The FAA's action was justified and should be fully supported by the flying public and anyone else concerned about the safety of the nation's airlines.But while the passenger, Lonnie Heidtke of Chippewa Falls, Wis., questioned the severity of the FAA action, he continued: "But at the same time, I think they (pilots) should not be flying airplanes at least for a while so they have an opportunity to think about this."That is what the FAA was trying to accomplish in opting for its action.The pilots have the option to appeal to the three-member National Transportation Safety Board. If they appeal and that appeal fails, they will be allowed to apply for a new license after one year.But before they ever again are allowed to fly, they should be required to provide an explanation of their actions that erases any doubts about its accuracy. What they've said up to now has not produced that result.Aviation experts were deeply skeptical that they could have become so distracted by "shop talk" that they flew 150 miles past their destination.The pilots told investigators that they were working on their laptop computers and simply lost track of time. The experts said the most likely scenario was that the pilots had fallen asleep somewhere along their route from San Diego.The flight's destination was Minneapolis, and the plane was over Eau Claire, Wis., before communication finally was re-established.The flight — Flight 188 — was out of communication for more than an hour despite repeated attempts by air traffic controllers in two states to reach the airliner.The pilots became aware of their situation after a flight attendant called on an intercom."You engaged in conduct that put your passengers and your crew in serious jeopardy," wrote FAA regional counsel Eddie Thomas in a letter accompanying the revocation order.That's why the FAA's action is not too severe.

References to the president being commander in chief are so common that the true meaning and weight of the title is sometimes forgotten. Last week, in a surprise pre-dawn visit to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, President Barack Obama reminded the nation, and maybe himself, of the responsibilities that fall to the commander in chief.Pictures showed Obama standing solemnly at attention and saluting as the remains of 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan returned home to the United States.At a time when Obama is deciding whether to authorize a dramatic increase in U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan, the president's visit to Dover demonstrates that he has not lost sight of the terrible costs of war, in terms of lives as well as money.Politicians refer to "putting young men and women in harm's way," so often that the phrase sometimes loses its meaning. But no president can be immune to the human cost of war, even if critics suggest otherwise.By visiting the somber unloading of flag-draped caskets at Dover, Obama made it clear that he does understand and appreciate the intangible costs of war and the terrible impact the death of a soldier has on others.Before returning to the White House, Obama reportedly spent two hours with grieving families at Dover in what must be one of the most difficult experiences for a president.Even if Obama decides to escalate the war effort in Afghanistan, it's important to know that he fully understands the human costs and consequences of war.