st. "To Dwights credit he did turn down a pretty significant amount

The Steelers are sinking.Big Ben is hurt and the defense allowed 223 yards rushing to the Dolphins (2-4). It was the second awful performance by Pittsburghs defense in a month following a 34-3 beatdown by the Eagles in Week 3.If they couldnt stop a rookie like Carson Wentz and let Ryan Tannehill and Jay Ajayi have their way, theres no telling what Tom Brady and the Patriots will do to the Steelers this week.Uh, slow down.Ben Roethlisberger missed five starts last year and the Steelers survived. They went 3-2 with Michael Vick and Landry Jones under center. Roethlisberger actually came in to win one of those games in relief. Jones has more experience and should be more comfortable this time around.As for the defense, it should improve once defensive lineman Cam Heyward and linebacker Ryan Shazier return from injuries.The Steelers might not be AFC frontrunners, but theyre still the team to beat in the North. The Ravens (3-3) are reeling and the Bengals (2-4) are struggling.Here are other overreactions following Week 6:OVERREACTION: Six down, 10 to go. The Browns are going 0-16.REALISTIC REACTION: A home game against the Jets on Oct. 30 might be Clevelands best chance for a win.---OVERREACTION: Cam Newton must be getting advice from Drew Rosenhaus. He answered next question several times during a terse, 90-second news conference following Carolinas 41-38 loss to New Orleans.REALISTIC REACTION: Newton rallied the Panthers (1-5) back from a 21-0 deficit yet more people want to talk about his answers than his performance.---OVERREACTION: Nobody is stopping Tom Brady and the Patriots.REALISTIC REACTION: New England (5-1) is the best team in the AFC, but Brady beat the Browns (0-6) and Bengals (2-4). The Steelers (4-2) will be a much tougher test.---OVERREACTION: Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills are rolling into the playoffs. Theyve won four straight after an 0-2 start.REALISTIC REACTION: The schedule says it wont be easy. Next four games: At Miami, New England, at Seattle, at Cincinnati.---OVERREACTION: Its Lane Johnsons fault the Eagles lost to the Redskins. Rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai started at right tackle for the suspended Johnson and allowed 2 1/2 sacks and several pressures.REALISTIC REACTION: Defense allowed 231 yards rushing and team committed 13 penalties. Everyone deserves blame.---OVERREACTION: The Packers arent serious contenders in the NFC after a 30-16 home loss to the Cowboys.REALISTIC REACTION: R-E-L-A-X. Its October.---OVERREACTION: Odell Beckham Jr. finally has his emotions in check. He had a spectacular game against the Ravens and played nice with the kicking net.REALISTIC REACTION: Beckham still drew a 15-yard penalty for taking off his helmet after catching the go-ahead TD. He needs a penalty-free game.---OVERREACTION: The Chiefs (3-2) made the Raiders (4-2) look like pretenders with a 26-10 win on the road.REALISTIC REACTION: Andy Reid is 16-2 after a bye. Oakland was just another on the list.---OVERREACTION: Dak Prescott made the decision easy by leading the Cowboys (5-1) to a win at Lambeau Field. Hes the starter whenever Tony Romo returns.REALISTIC REACTION: It would be the toughest decision of Jason Garretts coaching career except Jerry Jones calls the shots.---OVERREACTION: Now the Cardinals are back. Theyre 3-3 after beating the Jets on Monday night.REALISTIC REACTION: They beat the 49ers (1-5) and Jets (1-5) the past two weeks. The Seahawks (4-2) up next arent pushovers.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddi Shoes NZ Sale . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Shoes NZ Nike . PAUL, Minn. https://www.shoesnzonline.com/ . -- Matt Kuchar and Harris English ran away with the Franklin Templeton Shootout, shooting a 14-under 58 on Sunday in the final-round scramble to break the tournament course record. Shoes NZ Outlet . 8 Iowa State on Saturday, sending the Cyclones to their third consecutive loss. The Longhorns (14-4, 3-2) got their biggest win of the season with their third in the row in the Big 12. Wholesale Shoes NZ . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover.HOUSTON - Last off-season, the Houston Rockets were an afterthought, a young team with little star power. Now, after trading for James Harden just before this past season and adding Dwight Howard on Friday, Houston is suddenly primed to contend sooner than almost anybody expected. Still, Houston general manager Daryl Morey knows nabbing Howard is only the first step in a long process for his team. "We havent accomplished anything yet, but were putting something pretty cool together, I think," Morey said in an interview with Comcast SportsNet Houston. Howard is the Rockets latest superstar centre, following Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon and eight-time All-Star Yao Ming. They reached the playoffs for the first time since 2009 this season and battled back from a 3-0 deficit before being eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6. Their return to the post-season showed they have plenty of speed and long-range scoring power with Harden, Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons. Omer Asik was a solid rebounder in the playoff run and averaged 12.3 points in the series, but it was clear that the team needed a more potent scoring threat inside. The addition of Howard gives them just that, as the 6-foot-11 star has averaged more than 18 points and almost 13 rebounds in his nine-year career. His one season in Los Angeles was filled with unrest, including what many believed to be a less than positive relationship with Kobe Bryant. Bryant unfollowed Howard on Twitter on Friday night after he announced his decision to join the Rockets with a tweet. It was the end of a short tenure with the Lakers in which Howard averaged 17 points and almost 11 rebounds in the playoffs, where the injury-riddled team was swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Morey believes his team offers many benefits to the 27-year-old centre, but one thing sealed the deal. "I think Dwights in a great place in his career," Morey said in the television interview. "Hes focused onn winning and we gave him the best chance to win.dddddddddddd Its that simple." Howard cant officially sign until July 10 when next seasons salary cap has been set. The Rockets can pay him $88 million over a four-year contract — $30 million less than what Los Angeles could have given him. But in Houston, Howard saw the chance to join Harden and boost this up-and-coming team. Harden blossomed in his first year with the Rockets, going from stellar sixth man with the Thunder to Houstons top player. He averaged 25.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.8 steals, setting career highs in each category. After Howard made his decision Friday night, Harden tweeted: "Houston we have lift off!!," and posted a photo to Instagram of him and his newest teammate together. "No matter how you look at it we thought it was a pretty straightforward choice," Morey said on Comcast. "To Dwights credit he did turn down a pretty significant amount of money to come to the Rockets. It shows his mindset that hes really ready to take that next step. If you look at best players, James Harden is the best player out there that he could join." But Harden certainly isnt Houstons only weapon. The Rockets signed Lin last season to run their offence and they were also buoyed by the development of Parsons, a second-round pick in 2011. Parsons averaged 15.5 points last season and was even better in the playoffs when Lin was ailing, averaging 18.2 points against the Thunder. Morey believes the move puts the Rockets among the top teams in the Western Conference and definitely positions them to contend for a title. He pointed to the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder as the teams he sees as Houstons biggest competition next season. "We obviously have our work cut out for us," he said on Comcast. "Were going to set ourselves up to be able to compete with them. This move is obviously the most important one. Well let the chips fall where they may." ' ' '