Running is what the Steelers were put on Earth to do: the Steelers line up on a run down in a run formation and run the ball. What a concept

In a league in which more and more offenses appear to be inspired by Cirque du Soleil, the Steelers' Neanderthal approach has given them a distinct advantage.

The Steelers are the only team in the league whose identity is the power run game. Much of the success the Steelers have had defensively and with rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throwing the ball can be traced to their running game and its effect on opponents.

There are other teams such as the Ravens and Packers that have similar run philosophies, but no team is so dominated by the handoff. Most teams are using the run almost as a changeup. Through Sunday, the Steelers had 65 more runs than the next closest team. NFL defenses haven't seen another offense like this.

In San Diego, coach Marty Schottenheimer, who has been to the run what Henry Ford was to motor transportation, has proclaimed, "Martyball is dead." Says Schottenheimer, "In today's game, you need to take advantage of the freedom that receivers have been given in this new era of no contact beyond 5 yards. It may sound like heresy, but it's easier to throw the ball than it is to run it."

Even the Steelers got cute offensively in 2002 and 2003, which was kind of like tying a pink bow on a rhinoceros. "We fell into that temptation," Steelers coach Bill Cowher says. "It didn't get us very far.... We found the more you throw it, the more chance of turnovers and negative plays. Certainly, you increase your chance of big plays, but we found the risk was much higher than the reward."

So the Steelers replaced slashing Amos Zereoue with bruising Duce Staley and changed their mentality. The Steelers' rushing offense ranks second this season after being second to last a year ago.

This really is what the Steelers were put on Earth to do. "This identity has been part of the Steelers organization for decades," says Merril Hoge, an analyst on EA Sports NFL Matchup and a former Steelers fullback. "When I got there with Chuck (Noll), that's how it was."

With Staley and Jerome Bettis, almost all the Steelers' runs are up the gut. "When you have two backs with very similar styles, it allows you to call the same plays and wear down people," Cowher says. "It's hard for one back to take that pounding week in and week out for 25, 30 carries. It's nice to be able to have the two that we have so that we don't have to let up with that approach and can still have fresh bodies executing it."

The Steelers line up on a run down in a run formation and run the ball. What a concept. Their firstdown run percentage of 71 percent is highest in the NFL. The league average going into Week 13 was 52.5.

"I've always found if you do something well, you make teams adapt to you, as opposed to you going in thinking about how are we going to do something different to trick the defense," Cowher says. "We're going to do what we do."

Being predictable and simple has not diminished the Steelers. In fact, it enhanced them last Sunday. On third-and-3 at the Jets' 10 early in the fourth quarter, rookie tackle Max Starks lined up at tight end and fullback Dan Kreider went in motion, making the play look like the power off-tackle run that has been the team's signature for four years. With safety Reggie Tongue and the rest of the Jets' defenders biting hard, Roethlisberger handed off to Bettis, who floated a toss to wide-open tight end Jerame Tuman for a touchdown.

At 32, the Bus is a joy to watch. He took over for Staley late in the game and crushed the Jets while energizing the Steelers.

As Roethlisberger's play dips and swerves, and as the red diminishes in the thermometer, Bettis and Staley sure will be nice to have around.

speed reads

Notre Dame will be better off with Charlie Weis as its head coach than it would have been with Urban Meyer. Based on his work in New England, Weis should have one of the most prominent offenses in college football with the talent he'll get at Notre Dame. And he will get talent. In my dealings with Weis, I've found him to be a natural salesman. His charm will serve him well in recruiting. His toughness will serve him well in motivating. This is an excellent hire.

With all due respect to my friend Dennis Dillon and the NFL scouts he spoke with, I strongly disagree with the contention that Brian Urlacher is an overrated olaver. Almost every time I watch the Bears' middle linebacker play, I see him do things no one else in the NFL is capable of doing. What's more, Urlacher raises the level of play of his teammates--a quality found only in the great ones. There isn't a team in the NFL that wouldn't love to have him.

INSIDE DISH