When the Steelers play their first game in 21 days and only the second in a month, they will struggle to deal with one intangible against the Buffalo Bills.
To be sure, the Steelers are one of three National Football League teams apt to be more stale than a convenience store hamburger this weekend. The New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers also had a bye the week after the NFL postponed games in the wake of the terrorist attacks, creating a three-week gap between games for them.
But it isn't rustiness that concerns the Steelers.
It's frustration.
That can surface when a defense faces a team that can't protect the quarterback, can't get the ball to their best wide receiver and has an offensive line that is hurting both in performance and health.
That is the state of the Bills, who are 0-2 and struggling to get accustomed to a West Coast-style offense that looks out of place on the shores of Lake Erie.
"I think you have to go into it with a game plan that this team does everything well," said linebacker Jason Gildon. "They can throw the ball well and they can run the ball well. That's the way we gear our game plan. We don't look at it like they can't throw the ball or they can't run the ball. You got to go into it with the idea they're a good football team and they do everything well."
OK, so maybe Gildon is in denial after three weeks of professional inactivity. And perhaps that is the politically correct way to prepare for an opponent that has been penalized 23 times for 168 yards and yielded a league-high 66 points in two games.
But there is no denying what the Steelers have witnessed on film when watching the Bills. Nine sacks allowed in two games. Just three receptions by Pro Bowl receiver Eric Moulds. Injuries to offensive tackles John Fina and Jonas Jennings, forcing the Bills to consider starting Kris Farris, a former No. 3 draft choice by the Steelers who never made it past training camp.
And a lot of uncertainty from quarterback Rob Johnson, who is playing as if Doug Flutie is still peering over his shoulder.
It's enough to make a defense salivate. Especially one that was burned for three touchdown passes in a season-opening loss in Jacksonville.
"That's where you've got to be disciplined and play smart," said inside linebacker Earl Holmes. "A lot of people go to the West Coast [offense] to put the onus on making the defense make mistakes. They want you to bite on the short stuff, and when they keep nibbling, then they hit you deep. You've got to be disciplined, no matter how frustrating it is."
Ideally, that's what the Bills have been wanting to accomplish. That's why they acquired fullback Larry Centers, the NFL's all-time receptions leader among running backs, in the offseason. Centers is the team's leading receiver after two games with 11 catches for 93 yards. He's the guy who will be challenging the Steelers' linebackers in pass coverage.
But Johnson has been sacked nine times in two games because teams are taking away his top receiver, Moulds, and forcing him to hold the ball too long. The West Coast offense is designed for a quarterback to take three- and five-step drops and throw the ball.
Johnson is doing the dropping, all right -- to the ground.
Steelers defenders are salivating about that, too. They managed just one sack against the Jaguars, and that came when defensive end Aaron Smith ran Mark Brunell out of bounds for no gain.
"The No. 1 thing you notice is the breakdown in protection," Smith said of the Bills' offensive line. "It's not just one guy, it's usually one or two guys. And the receivers aren't getting open, and that's caused the quarterback to hold the ball longer than what he needs to. Take those things into account, that seems to add up to a lot of sacks."
"They've had some good coverage up the field and they do have some young offensive tackles," Gildon said. "At this level, teams tend to take advantage of that."
The NFL is a copy-cat league, so the Steelers will attempt to do much the same against the Bills. But defensive coordinator Tim Lewis is cautioning his defense not to be too eager to get at the Bills Bills' offense and to be ready for the Bills to try to run the ball, whether with Johnson, wide receiver Peerless Price (two carries for 59 yards) or rookie running back Travis Henry.
"What it does, it kind of frustrates the defensive line," Lewis said. "They'll be involved in rushing the passer, rushing the passer, and, all of a sudden, the ball is out of his hands. We want them to watch the run on the way to the quarterback."
Moulds, who had 94 catches and 1,326 receiving yards last season, has just three catches for 48 yards. Price, a former No. 1 pick, also has just three catches for 88 yards, though one was a 40-yard touchdown. Both the Saints and Indianapolis Colts took the Bills' outside receivers away and forced Johnson to dump the ball to Centers or tight end Jay Riemersma.
"I'd rather them throw out of the backfield 5 yards than throw to someone behind me 12 yards," Holmes said "You've got to be disciplined. You see them taking the short stuff and, as a defensive player, you really want to take away everything. But you can't run up on the short stuff and have them hit one behind you. We've got to give up those 3 yards rather than those 18 yards."
It might be frustrating. But it could be successful.
Rusty Steelers can't let Bills get on track 
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