The Steelers have officially given the boot to struggling kicker Jeff Reed. (Given the boot – get it? Ha! Get it? Yeah, you get it.)

Reed, who has a history of off-field problems, was just 15-of-22 in field goal tries this season and one of his attempts on Sunday night in a loss to the Patriots was one of the nastiest kicks you’ll ever see a professional take. He blamed the field goal on the turf at Heinz Field, which is the very meaning of not taking responsibly for ones actions.

To replace Reed, Pittsburgh signed Shaun Suisham, who was 20-for-24 last year in Dallas. He’s been awfully inconsistent throughout the years but at least the Steelers won’t have to worry about him destroying a paper towel holder in the bathroom at a convenience store or cited for public intoxication. (Or looking like this.)

That said, it should be known that Reed does donate $300 to “Kick For Kids” for every field goal he makes. He’s also been involved in several breast cancer awareness charities, so he’s not a complete tool.

Merry training camp season, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. Today I’ll be discussing the Cowboys and their potential issues at free safety.

After the combination of Nick Folk and Shaun Suisham went 20 of 31 in field goal attempts last year, arguably the biggest weakness for the Cowboys this season is kicker.

But who wants to discuss kickers?

The second most glaring issue for the Cowboys heading into the season is at safety. After re-signing restricted free agent Gerald Sensabaugh to a one-year contract in May, the Cowboys have their strong safety spot filled, but questions still remain at free safety.

The ‘Boys were expected to add more competition to the mix at free safety this offseason but never did. Now Alan Ball is slated to start at the spot, despite the fact that he’s a liability in run defense. After making three spot starts at the position last year, the converted corner failed to impress.

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New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals
4:30 pm ET
TV—NBC

Last Sunday night, the Jets closed out the actual regular season history of “old” Giants Stadium the way the Giants wanted to the week before, turning a win-and-in situation into a rout against the Bengals, 37-0. The Jets and their # 1 pass defense held the Bengals to zero passing yards for the game. That’s right, ZERO passing yards. That’s not likely to happen again today, when the Jets visit the Bengals for a rematch that will determine who goes home and who moves on to the divisional round of the playoffs. Bengals’ head coach Marvin Lewis held RB Cedric Benson out of the Week 17 game, and only let QB Carson Palmer play a few series before letting some bearded guy named J.T. O’Sullivan take over. Lewis didn’t want to show too much, but what he may have shown in the process was that his team is fading fast and may have won games early in the season with smoke and mirrors. The Bengals’ defense is also solid, ranked #7 against the rush and #6 against the pass, but if they allow Thomas Jones and the Jets’ running game to control the clock again, this could very well be another dominant performance by the Jets. And don’t forget the way Jets’ all-world CB Darrelle Revis shut down WR Chad Ochocinco on the field and then on Twitter. The hotter Jets should prevail again, but either way, this is a game featuring two of the NFL’s best defenses, so it’s likely to be ultimately determined by who makes the least mistakes.
THE PICK: JETS 17, BENGALS 13

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
8:00 pm ET
TV—NBC

For as surprising as the Jets’ thrashing of the Bengals was last weekend, the fact that the Cowboys shut out the Eagles may have been the biggest surprise of Week 17. Sure, the Cowboys have been on a roll since handing the Saints their first loss of the season a few weeks back, and haven’t given up a point since then. But the Eagles had won six in a row and were (insert cheesy line here like “flying high” or “soaring”). Despite having Brian Westbrook back, the Eagles have fallen to 22nd in the NFL in rushing offense and have been living by the big pass play most of the season, with second year WR DeSean Jackson changing games by himself on offense and special teams. The Cowboys, however, have beaten the Eagles twice this season, and their only losses came to the Giants twice (in games that could have gone either way), Denver, Green Bay and San Diego. They can run the ball (7th overall), pass with Tony Romo, Miles Austin and Jason Witten (6th overall) and they can stop the run (4th overall). The only blemish for the Cowboys is they are prone to big pass plays, but they seem to have remedied that recently, and with DeMarcus Ware coming off the edge, Donovan McNabb has to have eyes on the side and back of his head at all times. This game will certainly be close, and maybe come down to a field goal. And in that case, would you rather have David Akers or (gulp) Shaun Suisham as your kicker? That’s what I thought.
THE PICK: EAGLES 27, COWBOYS 24

It’s not like we can dock Sean Payton here, but let’s face it. If Shaun Suisham kicks that 23-yard field goal for the Redskins, Payton’s Saints are 11-1 right now. Sure, they proved that they are never out of any game, but based on how Jim Caldwell’s Colts handled a red-hot Titans team, we give him the nod this week.

1. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—We’ll say it again. Rookie head coaches, no matter how much talent they inherit, do not start 12-0. And don’t think Caldwell’s boys can’t run the table. Very impressive.

2. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—The bottom line is 12-0 and an early division crown. Next up, trying to lock up home field, which would make getting to the Super Bowl for any other NFC team next to impossible.

3. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—Did anyone else expect a shift in the balance of power in the AFC North like this? The Bengals have a three-game lead over the Ravens and a 3.5 game lead over the Steelers with four to play. And Lewis has his now defense-and-ball-control team believing.

4. Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos—Maybe those four losses were not the norm, after watching the way the Broncs dominated both the G-men and Chiefs. Whoever winds up playing these guys in January should be really afraid.

5. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—So finally the Vikings went up against an explosive offense their defense couldn’t stop. But that was likely just a bump in the road.

Honorable mention: Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals; Jack Del Rio, Jaguars; Mike McCarthy, Packers; Andy Reid, Eagles