Many e-mails I've received and some letters to the editor published in the Post-Gazette the past week are beating up Dan Rooney. Some called him a hypocrite for trying to buy the Steelers before the end of the year and before a possible capital gains tax increase takes effect under the new Obama presidency in 2009.

Dan Rooney, though, is not the one who would benefit from such a sale. He wants to purchase some of his brother's shares. A capital gains increase has no effect on the buyer, only on the sellers.

Rooney's brothers are the ones trying to beat the clock of the tax increase by the end of 2008. And, no, some of those Rooneys were not Obama supporters; they supported the Republican Party. In fact, Pat Rooney's son, Tom -- Dan's nephew and the grandson of Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr. -- became the first member of the family to be elected to Congress. Tom Rooney will represent the 16th Congressional district in Florida. He ran as a Republican, and his uncles pitched in with contributions. ("We're so proud of him," uncle Art Rooney Jr. said. "We're all ward healers, community organizers.")

Dan Rooney would like to have the sale of the Steelers completed as soon as possible but it has nothing to do with taxes and everything to do with finally settling the franchise ownership issue. Whatever his brothers' motives for trying to beat the tax clock, there are no tax consequences for Dan nor his son, Art II, and certainly does not betray the Steelers chairman's support for Barack Obama.

The four Rooney brothers who have discussed selling their combined 64 percent of the franchise may not sell all 64 percent to their brother, Dan.

Art Rooney Jr., for example, may decide to maintain his 16 percent, and since he's virtually out of the Rooneys' two race track/casino businesses, he would qualify as a Steelers owner under NFL policies.

Among the other three brothers' combined 48 percent, Dan Rooney would need to acquire only 14 percent to satisfy NFL policy that one owner controls 30 percent of the team.

Art Jr. told me that "I intend" to remain an owner of the team, even if it might be less than the 16 percent he currently owns.

Perhaps we finally saw the beginning of the NFL saying enough is enough to Ray Anderson's strong-arm tactics. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell rescinded a $7,500 fine against the Giants' Justin Tuck for tackling Dallas quarterback Brooks Bollinger too hard. Then, the $20,000 fine against New England's Randy Moss for criticizing officials was waved off as well.

Hines Ward said he did not win his appeal for his second fine, and the NFL did not rescind LaMarr Woodley's $10,000 fine for tackling Washington quarterback Jason Campbell too hard.

Yet, neither did the NFL fine Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs for acknowledging he and his teammates put a bounty on knocking Rashard Mendenhall and Ward out of games.

"Every time I look on ESPN," Ward said, "it seems like somebody's fined all the time. [Yet] when a guy's got a bounty on me, he didn't get fined."

The careers of Fernando Bryant and Deshea Townsend look like the tale of the tortoise and the hare. They were teammates at the University of Alabama, where both played cornerback -- Townsend started all four of his seasons there and Bryant in three of his four.

Bryant was drafted in the first round by Jacksonville with the 26th overall pick in 1999. The year before, Townsend was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round with the 117th overall pick. Each stands 5-10 and Townsend is a little stockier at 190 pounds to Bryant's 175. The real difference, as scouts saw them, was their speed -- Bryant was faster.

Bryant also was faster to start. He started all 16 games as a rookie for the Jaguars. It took Townsend 5 1/2 seasons before he became a full-time starter midway through the 2003 season. Townsend has started ever since, and so too has Bryant, although it took him through two teams and several injuries before the New England Patriots released him this past August.

One thing Townsend has been able to do better than Bryant is come up with the interception. Bryant has just seven in 109 career starts. Townsend has 18 in 158 starts.

This week, the Steelers signed Bryant, who has not played since the Patriots released him. And today, he will play in Townsend's old spot, the nickel, because of the injury to his old 'Bama teammate and one to Bryant McFadden.

Mewelde Moore, ignored in the passing game the first three weeks of the season, has 22 receptions since then, which is one fewer than Willie Parker had all of last season.

Moore could become the first Steelers back to catch 40 passes since Amos Zereoue did so in the experiment of 2003, when the Steelers tried to change their offensive philosophy and failed miserably.

Once upon a time, the Steelers did throw to their backs and not as part of a grand scheme to become a West Coast offense. Fullback John L. Williams actually led the team with 51 receptions in 1994, and that hardly was a pass-happy offense. The Steelers averaged 136.3 yards rushing per game and finished 12-4 on their way to the AFC championship game that year -- against the San Diego Chargers.

Those 51 receptions are a record for a running back with the Steelers. Moore has averaged 3.7 receptions the past six games. If he maintains that pace, he would challenge Williams' record.