PITTSBURGH -- The casual brilliance the Pittsburgh Steelers flashed with remarkable ease over the first month of the season -- well, save for three regrettable hours in Philadelphia -- has faded quickly.It tends to happen when the training room looks just as crowded as the locker room.The franchise quarterbacks left knee is aching. The defensive captains hamstring is still tweaked. The right tackles ankle, too. The budding deep threat wide receivers left hand is busted. And Pittsburghs confidence, like it or not, is shaken.Sure the Steelers (4-3) will still be in first place of the underwhelming AFC North when they travel to Baltimore on Nov. 6. It just doesnt feel like it. Consecutive losses to Miami and New England and a mounting injury list to bold-faced names sent Pittsburgh reeling heading into its well-timed bye.Theres plenty of time to get it together.Just got to re-energize, said defensive end Cam Heyward, whose tender hamstring forced him to watch from the sideline as the Dolphins and Patriots ran wild. We have to see the mistakes weve made and I think theres so many things we can work on individually that when we come back collectively, it can benefit all of us. Whether its tackling, whether its ailments or injuries for each player, just technique stuff.Yet the chance to make any sort of early season statement that the Steelers are ready to challenge the Patriots or the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos for AFC supremacy is gone. Yes, the offense wont be the same until Ben Roethlisberger returns from minor knee surgery, but Pittsburghs biggest issue is on the other side of the ball.The Steelers expected to take a step forward after a promising first season under linebackers coach-turned-coordinator Keith Butler, one in which they finished in the top 10 in the league in turnovers and sack, splash plays that took some of the sting out of giving up oodles of yards.Instead, Pittsburgh has taken a step back. The Steelers are tied for last in sacks (eight) and in the middle in takeaways (eight), both far off their 2015 pace. Butler pulled back on the array of blitzes he introduced last season, choosing instead to drop as many men in coverage as possible to take some of the pressure off a secondary littered with young players. When the gameplan works -- as it did in romps over Kansas City and Washington -- the defense is good enough for Pittsburgh to win. When its doesnt work, or when teams opt to pound the ball on the ground as the Patriots and the Dolphins did, the Steelers look like just another team.Its frustrating, Butler said. Were all frustrated at this point in time. We dont like being 4-3 . theres a little frustration there for all of us.There have been pleasant surprises. Running back LeVeon Bell looks as dangerous as ever since returning from a shredded right knee that cut short his 2015 season. Tight ends Jesse James and Xavier Grimble, tasked with replacing Heath Miller and holding the fort until free agent signee Ladarius Green returns to health, have combined for four touchdowns. Backup quarterback Landry Jones hardly looked limited while keeping the Steelers in the game with New England until the fourth quarter. Rookie first-round pick Artie Burns and fellow cornerback Ross Cockrell have been steady.Still, more is required. After a narrow loss to Denver on the road in last years playoffs, the Steelers knew playing home games at Heinz Field for as long as possible was vital. The loss to the Patriots means any shot at homefield advantage is likely already long gone, particularly if Roethlisberger misses another game or two.The quarterback practiced a bit last week and declined to put a timetable on his return, though hes made a habit in his career of willingly playing through considerable pain. He did it in Miami, when he tore cartilage in his left knee and kept on playing long after the matter had already been decided.Given the way Jones played against New England and the current status of the Ravens, theres little incentive to push Roethlisberger too much. The Steelers can move the ball even without their all-time leading passer. They just need to do it all the time instead of in fits and starts, a habit thats popped up regularly in their losses.Its pretty obvious we need to be more consistent game-in and game-out, Haley said. Weve shown were capable of putting up a lot of points when we execute run and pass. In the games we havent, we havent executed the finer details of the game plan.No better time to start than next week.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Chris Bosh Jersey Large . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. Heat Jerseys China . 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RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman declined to take questions at his weekly news conference Wednesday as a form of protest to recent police shootings.Instead, he shared his thoughts on athletes and social change.Im not going to answer any questions today, and its no offense to you guys, but I think the state of things in the world today is very interesting, Sherman said.I think you have players that are trying to take a stand and trying to be aware of social issues and try to make a stand and increase peoples awareness and put a spotlight on it, and theyre being ignored. Whether theyre taking a knee or whether theyre locking arms, theyre trying to bring people together and unite them for a cause. I think the last couple days, a couple more guys have gotten shot and killed in the middle of the street. More videos have come out of guys getting killed, and I think people are still missing the point. The reason these guys are kneeling, the reason were locking arms is to bring people together, to make people aware that this is not right. Its not right for people to get killed in the street.Shermans protest comes one day after police fatally shot Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, and five days after 40-year-old Terence Crutcher was fatally shot by an officer in Tulsa, Oklahoma.I do a lot of community service. I go out there and try to help kids and try to encourage them to bbe better and to aspire to more.dddddddddddd And when you tell a kid, When youre dealing with police, just put your hands up and comply with everything, and theres still a chance of them getting shot and no repercussions for anyone, thats an unfortunate time to be living. Thats an unfortunate place to be in. Theres not a lot you can tell a kid. Theres not a lot you can try to inspire, say to inspire a person. When you say, Hey, we need black fathers to be in the community to stay there for your kids, but theyre getting killed in the street for nothing, for putting their hands on their cars. And I think thats the unfortunate part. Thats the unfortunate place that were living in. And something needs to be done.Last month, Sherman said he felt San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernicks protest came from a good place, though added that you cant ever stand against the flag.?Shermans teammate, Jeremy Lane, knelt during the national anthem before the Seahawks final preseason game, but the Seahawks have since stood together, arms locked as a demonstration of unity.When a guy takes a knee, you can ignore it, Sherman said. You can say hes not being patriotic, hes not honoring the flag. Im doing none of those things. Im saying it straight up. This is wrong, and we need to do something. ' ' '