PITTSBURGH — Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden knows exactly what the Pittsburgh Steelers are going through in this post-Super Bowl letdown of a season.

The Steelers have made the playoffs 10 times since 1992 under coach Bill Cowher, appeared in the Super Bowl twice and finally won it in February like no team ever did, winning four postseason games away from their own stadium.

This Steelers season started going wrong long before it began, with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's motorcycle crash in June, and nothing much has gone right since. They are 4-7 following last week's 27-0 loss in Baltimore, and the Steelers are threatening to have the worst season by a returning Super Bowl champion since the Denver Broncos went 6-10 in 1999.

The Steelers may not get much sympathy from Gruden, but there is a shared understanding of how frustrating it can be to keep losing immediately after winning a championship. Gruden's Bucs won the Super Bowl four years ago, only to go 7-9 in 2003 and 5-11 in 2004.

Tampa Bay rebounded with an 11-5 season to make the playoffs again last season, but is currently 3-8 and, except for the Steelers, might be the NFL's most disappointing team.

"We didn't lack hunger. I don't think Pittsburgh lacks hunger," Gruden said. "You put the tape on, and they're really hungry football team. You lose some players and you play a tough schedule, and injuries sometimes do play a role."

They will Sunday, when the Steelers will be without their two most consistent players, wide receiver Hines Ward and safety Troy Polamalu, for what has become a play-out-the-string game against the Bucs. Both have knee injuries.

No doubt Gruden doesn't mind seeing the Steelers without Polamalu.

"He might be the best player that I've seen play football in my life," Gruden said. "Honest, he is a pleasure to watch. I find myself going down the hall and saying 'Did you see that guy, (No.) 43? He's makes some of the (greatest) plays I've ever seen."

Only the Steelers aren't making nearly as many of them as they did last year.

It was this week a year ago they began the eight-game winning streak that carried them through the final month of the season and the playoffs. There is no sign these Steelers are about to begin a similar season-ending push and, even if they did, it would hardly make a difference.

"We've got to dig deep and come from the heart," Roethlisberger said of not giving up on a season that appears to be long lost.

Roethlisberger had the roughest game of his three-season career in Baltimore, getting sacked nine times. The Bucs aren't likely to bring the all-out blitzes the Ravens did, but they are expected to pressure Roethlisberger until he proves he can beat the blitz by consistently getting the ball to his receivers.

"If they're smart, they're going to do something like that, so we have to expect anything," Steelers guard Alan Faneca said.

The quarterback likely to see the most pressure is Bucs rookie Bruce Gradkowski, who grew up a Steelers fan in suburban Pittsburgh. He leads NFL rookie QBs with nine touchdown passes, but has had trouble completing deep throws.

Inexperienced quarterbacks such as Gradkowski often have trouble the first time they go against the Steelers' defense, with its multiple blitzes from areas that offenses aren't accustomed to seeing pass rushers.

"You need three months to get ready for Pittsburgh," Gruden said. "(Defensive coordinator) Dick LeBeau, Bill Cowher, these guys have a lot of stuff on defense. I realize their record isn't what any of us expected it to be ... but they've got a lot of pride, a lot of good players."

After being held to 21 yards rushing against Baltimore, their lowest output since 1970, the Steelers will make a major effort to re-establish their running game. Willie Parker hasn't had a 100-yard game on the road, but is averaging 124 yards at home.

"The running game is still a priority around here, and it's definitely something we need to get going," Faneca said.