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Tommy Gun is shooting blanks these days, except when he finds defenders like Cleveland's Daylon McCutcheon, who returned an errant Maddox aerial 75 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter Sunday.

Toss the Steelers defenders into the roaster if you prefer. After all, through the first half last night against Cleveland, opposing passers had all of two incompletions against them in the previous six quarters and past 33pass attempts.

But the greatest problem of the Steelers in a 33-13 loss to the Browns last night, the largest single impediment standing between them and success this season, is the offensive line.

At full strength, these guys might be able to get the job done. Operating as they are, as an ailing, patchwork unit, they most definitely cannot.

The revolving door spun to include Oliver Ross at left tackle last night, subbing for an ailing Marvel Smith, whose shoulder injury knocked him out of this contest in the first quarter.

Center Jeff Hartings is playing on well-chronicled aching knees that won't get better as long as he plays football. Right guard Kendall Simmons is battling a blood sugar problem that he seems to be winning, but it lingers in the background.

Let's just say that right tackle Todd Fordham isn't the eighth block of granite. He was beaten early and often last night, on running and passing plays.

That leaves Alan Faneca as a giant among pygmies.

Maddox, looking like a candidate for a revival of the old television series "Run for Your Life" was sacked three times in the first half, compared with nine passes he actually got away.

Steelers runners netted 29 yards on 11 tries through two quarters, against a Cleveland defense thought susceptible to the run; one ranked 27th in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Browns' running game, 30th in the league rankings, had a marginally better 44 yards on 16 carries by halftime against the Steelers.

Remember when the biggest complaint was the Steelers couldn't run the ball effectively? Now, porous protection is making the passing game a hit-or-miss proposition, too.

And all this against the Cleveland Browns, who lugged a 1-3 record to Heinz Field.

The Steelers thought they would pull off an identity change seamlessly. They expected to leave behind their run-first, play-defense past for high-octane offense and winning by dint of offensive flash and dash.

But they've discovered what the St. Louis Rams had in previous seasons, that an immobile, rhythm passer requires a standout offensive line.

When that line can't run block consistently, and can't keep the quarterback's jersey clean, it all implodes.

That's where the Steelers find themselves, in a season rapidly getting away from them.

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