NFL Steelers' running game missing

It reappeared briefly two weeks ago, but was gone again last week.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers' running game, once as faithful a form of transportation as those oft-photographed mountainside inclines just across the river from Heinz Field, is nowhere to be found.
It reappeared briefly two weeks ago in a 17-10 victory at Cincinnati, just enough to give coach Bill Cowher a tantalizing taste of days gone by, only to disappear again in Sunday's 30-13 loss to Tennessee.
The NFL's best running team just two seasons ago, the Steelers (2-2) are only No. 23 in rushing through four games -- an unheard of pace for a team that has been wedded to the run for nearly a half-century. Their top rusher, Amos Zereoue, is only 16th overall, with a lower per-carry average (3.7) than anyone in that group except for Cleveland's William Green (3.4).
Bettis struggles
Jerome Bettis, who has all but disappeared from the offense since his midseason knee injury a year ago, has only 86 yards on 27 carries. His 3.2 average would match his career low.
Without a dependable running game, the Steelers fear the constant blitzing Tommy Maddox is seeing -- he has been sacked 10 times -- will only get worse, and the pressure on the passing game to carry the offense will only increase.
"We have to be more aggressive in the running game," wide receiver Plaxico Burress said. "Teams are aware of what we can do throwing the football.
"It's a ball and chain type thing. If one isn't working well, the other isn't going to. We have to find a way to get everything going and working together."
The Steelers were one-dimensional in the losses to Kansas City (41-20) and Tennessee, with predictable results. Zereoue had 51 yards Sunday in a first half largely dominated by the Steelers, but didn't have a yard on eight carries during a scoreless second half against Tennessee.
Even last season, when they fell behind New England and Oakland early and were forced to pass on almost every down to try to catch up, the Steelers had more yards rushing (359) after four games than now (310).
"It would be easy for me to sit here and kind of criticize everything, why it's not going right, why we started out the season 2-2, but I'm not a vocal guy," Zereoue said. "Would I like to see more running? Would I like to see a more successful running game? Of course. But it's not happening that way, so I can't get frustrated. It's a long season."
Browns next on Sunday
Still, as Zereoue said, it will seem even longer if the Steelers can't begin to run the ball consistently, and soon, starting with Sunday night's game against Cleveland.
The Steelers' ever-shifting emphasis from the run to the pass resulted in Mark Bruener, one of the NFL's best blocking tight ends, being benched for Jay Riemersma, an excellent pass catcher not known for his blocking. Nobody is blaming that change -- at least not yet -- for adversely affecting the running game, though Bruener has rarely gotten off the bench.
At the same time, Maddox doesn't fault the falloff in running for the Steelers' problems in finishing drives. They were limited to one touchdown on five drives inside the Titans' 20.
"Offensive football is offensive football," Maddox said. "You can try to put a label on it if you want to, but we're 11 guys trying to move the ball. To us it doesn't matter how we get it done, we're just trying to get it done."
Cleveland's run defense is the sixth worse in the league, but Jamal Lewis' league-record 295 yards on Sept. 14 represent more than half the 565 yards rushing allowed by the Browns.