December 03, 2004 - They are the most underrated unit of the NFL season so far.

The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line.

Whether it's Duce or The Bus, the holes are the same, the pancakes remain, and the O-line has continued to dominate the ball, the clock, and any defender standing in its path.

Guard Alan Faneca is one of the key components of the Steelers awesome line, and this week he took part in a chat for ESPN Videogames, answering questions from fans who are used to not only watching his every move, but controlling them with their Xbox.

Once he finished up his chat, Faceca took some time to sit down with IGN Sports and answer our questions.

IGN Sports: Do you think the Steelers offensive line is the most underrated group in the NFL right now?

Alan Faneca: Offensive linemen generally just go about our business, and as long as the running backs get their 100 yard games and the receivers are getting their touchdowns, it's all good. We take pride in what everybody else is getting, that's what we hang our hat on. We're proud of what everyone has been able to accomplish and we're just going to keep doing our job. Besides, the running backs take care of us.

IGN Sports: How do Duce and Jerome hook you guys up?

Alan Faneca: Duce got us some watches. They're on order right now, but they take care of us.

Finally, the O-Line gets some love in ESPN NFL 2K5.

IGN Sports: Is there a difference in the way you need to block for Duce as opposed to Jerome since they're hitting the hole at different speeds?

Alan Faneca: Not too much. Duce will cut back a little more, but they both hit the hole pretty hard. I would say the only difference that I feel is since I played with Jerome for so long, I can always tell you exactly where Jerome is going to hit the hole on certain plays or against a certain defense. I'm still figuring it out and learning it with Duce. I think the big difference was when Amos was here. The difference between Amos and Jerome was extreme. Amos was so much faster and he could take the play in any direction, he could take plays where they're not supposed to go and still get you 12 yards and you just had to roll with the punches. Duce is a great addition to the team, though, and I think the way Duce and Jerome handled the "controversy" over who would start was perfect, very professional, and they led the rest of the team by their example.

IGN Sports: What about Big Ben? Did you ever think a rookie QB would step in and take you guys on such a roll?

Alan Faneca: You're not supposed to come in and do that as a rookie, it's in a text book somewhere. He's doing it. He's making plays, whether he's scrambling and buying time or just standing in the pocket and finding the open receiver, he's making plays and leading us down the field. You just have to take your hat off to him because I want to say that this is really only his fifth year playing quarterback. He's just amazing with what he's been able to do.

IGN Sports: It's funny how the scouts all said that he couldn't scramble and that his lack of mobility would hold him back, but when you watch him play, the kid can move.

Alan Faneca: They picked the wrong thing to say. They should've picked something else to pick on him about because they were completely wrong.

IGN Sports: When Ben or Duce or Jerome fumble and you have to go down in that pile and get the ball, how ugly does it get down there?

Alan Faneca: It's ugly down there. You can't even draw a picture and put it on the wall. It's obscene. Anything goes down there, they can't stop it. It's free licks on anyone and anything. Guys are grabbing things. I've had guys trying to jam their fingers in my ear. One time I kind of had my hands on the ball and I had like three guys pulling on my arms while the fourth guy just kept jamming his finger in my ear. I lost the ball, but this guy just kept jamming his finger in my ear. I was like, "Look, damn it! Get your finger out of my ear, I don't even have the ball anymore!" So anything goes down there. It's crazy.