Welker, Patriots feel wrath -- pain -- of Steelers football

Yet just because the hit was violent doesn't mean it was dirty. Nor was it excessive.

It was football.

Remember what that is?

There was a similar play in the game few likely spotted that involved another Steelers player, this one accused of crossing the line in the past, wide receiver Hines Ward.

In the second quarter, Ward was in the slot position, on the right side of the field. After the ball was snapped he traversed across the grain and zeroed in on an unsuspecting Brandon Meriweather, the safety for the Patriots, who was providing run support.

Meriweather didn't see the receiver barreling down until it was too late. Ward knew this. He increased his speed and bashed an unprepared Meriweather up high. Meriweather was knocked to the ground and looked to be momentarily stunned and after the play exchanged words with Ward.

"Ward is the best in the league at making you pay when you're not paying attention," Meriweather said. "That's his reputation."

Was it dirty?

"It wasn't dirty," Meriweather said. "It's just part of the game."

The play was not so different from the one where Ward cracked back on Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers in a game in October. The hit led to Rivers suffering a broken jaw.

"That's what he's known for," Bengals safety Chinedum Ndukwe said at the time about Ward. "You expect that coming in. People are going to take their shots when they can. Too bad he can't hit someone face up. It's too bad he has to wait until he's not looking to get him. It's unfortunate. It's the type of guy he is. That's all right. We play them again. He's a blind-side guy."

He is a blind-side guy.

But as Meriweather said, that's not dirty. It's borderline. It's angering. It gets opposing teams and opposing fans riled up, but it's not dirty.

When you play the Steelers, you know it's coming. So just be ready for it.

And stop crying.

So are the Steelers dirty?

Hell, no. But let the debate begin.

Or rather, let the debate continue.