NICK THINKS I LOVE THE STEELERS TOO MUCH. From Nick of Pittsburgh: "Your love for the Pittsburgh Steelers is bleeding off the pages week-in and week-out. You are right on the money about coach Tomlin, but how can you rank the Steelers third, when they have beaten three teams that are notoriously picking in the top 10 of the NFL Draft for the past six years. I give them credit for doing what they should, but Dallas just went into Chicago and destroyed the NFC champs. Before we call Pittsburgh a top three team, let's see them beat a team with a better QB than Charlie Frye, J.P. Losman and Alex Smith. You'll see this team's true colors when they play a team that is competent versus the run, which puts the load on Ben's shoulders. Historically, that scenario doesn't bode well for the Steelers.''

In the first three weeks, Pittsburgh has beaten three teams by an average of 23.7 points a win. The Steelers defense has been better than Dallas' D. All you can do is watch the games and make the best judgment you can week by week, which is what I'm trying to do, and I think Pittsburgh, overall, has played 12 better quarters than Dallas.

CARL THINKS I'M WRONG ABOUT MCNABB. From Carl Meyer of Porcupine, S.D.: "Kudos to Donovan McNabb for having the courage to talk honestly about race and his own experience. Double-kudos for continuing to do so even in the face of white-sportswriter-nation's hypocritical cries for him to be quiet. Rather than lecturing McNabb on how he can 'help himself,' I recommend you help yourself by shutting up and listening carefully to what Donovan is saying.''

I respect your opinion, Carl, and the opinions of several readers who have written and talked to me on this topic. Most of them say, "Oh, you're white, and you can't know what a black quarterback feels.'' No kidding. But can you give me one piece of evidence in the last five, six, seven years that Donovan McNabb has been treated more harshly than his white counterparts because of his race? He plays in Philadelphia, which leads to heavy criticism -- but that criticism came down on Mike Schmidt and Mitch Williams pretty equally too. Listening to Charles Barkley on the ESPN telecast of the Eagle game last week, I didn't get any sense that he thought the booing of him late in his career had anything to do with race. If there is some evidence that McNabb has been dogged because he's black, bring it forward. I haven't seen it.

And don't bring up the Limbaugh stuff either; that was criticism of the media, not of McNabb, and it was criticism of the media for what Limbaugh thought was us going soft on McNabb because we want a black quarterback to succeed. This entire topic is a self-fulfilling prophecy, in my opinion. If we keep talking about it like it's real, maybe we'll convince people it is real, even though we bring no factual evidence forward that it is real.

I got another e-mail from a Brad Adcock in Mississippi, who wrote that McNabb is just stating the obvious. "What makes you think there isn't still racism in NFL circles?'' he wrote. I'm sure there is. But I find it dangerous for a player to claim he's being treated more harshly because he's black. I just wish if McNabb makes the claim, he'd illuminate some of the reasons why he thinks it's so. Until he does, I won't buy it.

SPEAK YOUR MIND, DONOVAN. From Rex of New Jersey: "You are suggesting that McNabb just shut up and play football, as if the rest of society couldn't benefit from such a high-profile athlete sharing his thoughts about one of the most important issues in our country (if you doubt that last statement, do some research on the Jena six story). Given that I generally enjoy reading your columns and watching your TV analysis, I'm very disappointed that in this instance you have chosen to sidestep an issue that is very relevant in pro football today and criticize McNabb for not backing down from mostly unjustified criticism. Now I have even greater respect for Donovan because he isn't scared to speak his mind on a controversial topic.''

I am suggesting if there's meat to the topic, let's hear it.

THANKS, GREGG. From Gregg Costa of Houston: "MMQB is best thing on the Internet. Love it but have never been compelled to write. But how could you leave Tony Romo off your MVP list? How can you say Ben Roethlisberger is more valuable?''

It's a close call. I love what Romo's doing. He'll have 13 more game to prove he belongs in there.

ONE PROBLEM WITH YOUR PROTEST. From Jill Bath of Euclid Heights, Ohio: "I can't believe what I just read. It's 'justice' that the Raiders won a game in the same way that they lost it? If it was questionable for the Raiders to have the last-second icing timeout done to them, it's just as suspect for them to do it. Your kids may not go to saxophone camp or work in orphanages, but I bet you taught them that two wrongs don't make a right.''

We may not like the way those two games ended because they don't seem fair ways to end games. But it isn't against the rules to wait 'til the last millisecond to call a timeout.