PITTSBURGH -- The offence cant hold onto the ball. Air Max Outlet Online Italia . The defence cant take it away. The receivers cant get open. The running backs cant find any holes and the linebackers cant cause any chaos. Other than that, the first two weeks have been just fine for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh is 0-2 for the first time in 11 years following a 20-10 loss at Cincinnati on Monday night, another largely lifeless performance that did little to hint at better days ahead with unbeaten Chicago (2-0) visiting next Sunday. "Right now, weve got to keep playing," free safety Ryan Clark said. "We cant panic and abandon what we have learned. We do have to shore some things up. We do have to be a lot more sound. If we dont, this is going to keep happening." The Steelers have become one of the NFLs most consistent -- not to mention resilient -- franchises by dealing with adversity on the fly. Old players move on, new ones come forward. At the moment, its not happening. Pittsburghs rebuilt offensive line -- now playing without injured star Maurkice Pouncey -- is struggling. So is quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and whoever happens to line up behind him in the backfield. The Steelers are 31st in the NFL in points (19), yards rushing (37.5 per game) and yards per carry (2.4). Felix Jones took his chance at the ever-turning carousel at running back and managed 37 yards on 10 carries, all of it coming in the first half. After halftime, Jones disappeared entirely, only touching the ball on a kickoff return. Not exactly the dedicated commitment to running the ball coach Mike Tomlin or offensive co-ordinator Todd Haley talked about at length during the off-season. "Weve got a lot of young guys in there that were trying infuse and they need to get better in a hurry," Tomlin said. "They need to increase the rate of that improvement. We havent to this point, but Im optimistic about our work moving forward." Tomlin might be one of the few. The Steelers havent missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons this millennium and even rallied from an 0-2 start in 2002 to grab a wild card spot behind unlikely hero Tommy Maddox. Only one player on the current active roster -- defensive end Brett Keisel -- was on that team. Roethlisberger was still in college at Miami (Ohio). Tomlin was coaching defensive backs for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and rookie outside linebacker Jarvis Jones was in middle school. Though Tomlin continues to express his belief in Haleys system, he understands no one is above reproach at the moment. Asked if theres a problem with the offensive game plan, Tomlin is quick to spread the blame. "Theres been a problem with our functioning," he said. "Theres been a problem with our production. Theres been a problem with our points. You can point to whatever you want to point to in regards to that, and obviously if the plays arent working well then were susceptible to that judgment. "Im not going to lose a whole bunch of sleep over that." The sleeplessness will come with trying to find a way out of a funk that could turn into a freefall if the Steelers cant regroup quickly. Only five teams have recovered from an 0-3 start to reach the playoffs. Given the abysmal play by the rest of the AFC North -- Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cleveland and Cincinnati are just 2-6 so far with nary a victory outside the division -- theres time to get it together. Help might be on the way. Tight end Heath Miller is expected be a full participant in practice this week, a major step in his rehab from right knee surgery. Miller was in the midst of the finest season of his career before being hurt in a loss to the Bengals last December. Tomlin didnt rule Miller out this week, but allowed "we are not expecting Heath to step out of a phone booth with a cape on." Maybe not, but it wouldnt hurt. If he cant go, the Steelers will try to fix whats broken with the parts on hand. Tomlin said hes open to re-evaluating the roles of some players to find a spark. Roethlisberger, the two-time Super Bowl winner faced with potentially the first losing season of his career, is all for it. "We need some guys to step up, older guys to step up and younger guys to get it going and avoid the road were going down," Roethlisberger said. One that appears to be getting longer by the week. Air Max Outlet Italia . The right-hander said he threw about 30 pitches in a routine bullpen session Sunday at Yankee Stadium, his final hurdle before starting Tuesday night at Tampa Bay. Scarpe Nike Air Max Scontate .com) - Damian Lillard poured in 40 points on 11-of-21 shooting to go along with 11 assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder, 115-111, in overtime on Tuesday. http://www.italiaairmax.it/ . Its been two seasons in one for both parties and neither will look back on the first 18 games fondly. "I think I took the fall for a lot of things," said Gay, reflecting on his short time in Toronto ahead of Wednesdays game against his former club.Bruins forward Shawn Thornton will be appealing his 15-game suspension handed down by the National Hockey League. The NHL suspended Thornton for his attack on Penguins defenceman Brooks Orpik. After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Orpik suffered a concussion and was taken to hospital. The Appeal Process As a first step, Thornton will appeal the suspension to Commissioner Gary Bettman. He hears all appeals on league discipline. Since the suspension exceeds five games, Bettman is required to have an in-person hearing for Thornton. Since Thornton was at the NHL office last week for his disciplinary hearing, he should know his way around by now. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) provides that "the Commissioner shall endeavor to hear all appeals on an expedited basis and will determine whether the decision" is supported by clear and convincing evidence. So Bettman will get this done quickly and will assess whether the suspension makes sense based on the circumstances. Thornton should expect to fail on appeal to Bettman. The suspension was handed down by the Director of Player Safety Brendan Shanahan. However, given the complex legal implications of this case, particularly in light of the concussion lawsuits, the suspension was very likely a group effort. So the suspension wasnt a Shanahan decision as much as it was a league decision issued through Shanahan. As a result, its unlikely Bettman will reduce the suspension. Frankly, reductions by Bettman are unlikely in most circumstances. He runs the league so he wont contradict himself. Indeed, the NHLPA has probably told Thornton the prospects of success are bleak. And this brings us to the next stage in the appeal process. Appeal Number 2 It doesnt end with Bettman. Since the suspension exceeds five games, the CBA gives Thornton the right to appeal Bettmans decision to an independent arbitrator. This wasnt around in the old CBA and is brand new, thanks to the NHLPAs negotiations during the lockout. Thornton will have seven days to appeal Bettmans decision to the arbitrator (who is described as a "Neutral Discipline Arbitrator" in the CBA). There will once again be an in-person hearing, and while the CBA doesnt say when it must occur, the arbitrator needs to hhear it on an "expedited basis". Scarpe Air Max In Offerta. So again, relatively quickly. The arbitrator will consider the length of the suspension and whether its appropriate. That determination will be made by examining things like the incident, the leagues past practice, the evidence and the surrounding circumstances. The arbitrator has broad powers. The CBA gives the arbitrator "full remedial authority", which means he can reduce the suspension, leave it as is, or even increase it. Its unlikely, though, the suspension would ever be increased. If Thornton is unhappy with the decision of the arbitrator, his only recourse would be to challenge the ruling in court. However, a judge will not interfere with the arbitrators decision unless its completely outrageous. Effectively, then, you should consider the arbitrators decision final. To be clear, Thornton doesnt have to appeal Bettmans ruling to the arbitrator. If he wants, after the Commissioner rules on his case, he can decide to stop the appeal process and serve out what is left of his suspension. As I wrote here, Thorntons prospects of success on appeal are low, given the NHLs past practice when it comes to these types of incidents. As well, the NHL may be able to make a compelling case that this type of suspension represents an important deterrent for on-ice behaviour that puts players at risk for concussions and the irreversible brain damage that may flow from head shots. However, merits aside, I also noted that we could still see an appeal. Since independent arbitrators are new, the NHLPA may want to start building precedents to help guide them in future cases. As well, the NHLPA needs to show that it wont roll over when it comes to defending its players and that it is prepared to dig in and fight. So while this case does not present a high likelihood of success for Thornton, the NHLPA sees value in taking a stand. And as it should. As for Brooks Orpik, he may not be too happy with the NHLPA defending his attacker. Still, the NHLPA may draw the fine distinction that the appeal is not adverse to Orpik, but rather adverse to the NHL and its decision. So the Union isnt technically acting against one of its own, but instead acting on behalf of one of its own. That is a distinction that may not sit well with Orpik. However, thats the nature of the NHLPA beast. 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