Pittsburgh Steelers (official thread)

[BuckNutty]

Have to wonder what this signing means for Duce Staley(I'm not referring to his closets).

Davenport putting past behind him

By Mike Prisuta
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, September 12, 2006


It's been more than four years, and Najeh Davenport, the Steelers' newest running back, still can't escape from being linked to an incident in college.
A few weeks before he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in April 2002, Davenport was accused by Miami Shores police of entering a dorm room at Barry University in the early morning hours of April 1, 2002.

Mary McCarthy, asleep in the room, told police she was awakened by a strange sound and saw a man squatting in her closet. The man, later identified as Davenport, had defecated in her laundry basket, police said.

"You're telling me it's a bizarre story?" Davenport said Monday. "You try looking at it from the inside-out. You try sitting there and have me ask you about that.

"The way they concluded it was me, she picked me out of the media guide three months later, after I'd been drafted by the Green Bay Packers," said Davenport, who was added to the Steelers' roster Friday.

In July 2002, Davenport was charged with a second-degree felony count of burglary and a misdemeanor count of criminal mischief. Later that year, he agreed to do community service in exchange for having the charges dropped.

"When it first happened and I got charged with it, I didn't want to come outside," Davenport said. "They didn't label it as defecating in a woman's closet; they said 'burglary of an occupied dwelling.' I'm trying to figure out whose house I broke into."

Davenport maintained his innocence at the time, and he repeated that stance yesterday.

When asked if the incident had actually happened, he replied "no."

"The case is over with," Davenport said.

Davenport said it was settled with a "pre-trial intervention."

"That was something that my lawyer and my agent set up," he said. "They tried to make it disappear and get it out of the way and let me go on and focus on my career.

"If I knew what I know now back then, I'd have gone to trial with it. But they were telling me, under the circumstances, to sweep it under the rug, get it out of the way, go play football, have a blessed career."

Mike Prisuta can be reached at [email protected].

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_470060.html

 

[BuckNutty]

Polamalu's shoulder a concern for Steelers
Questionable for Monday with shoulder injury
Wednesday, September 13, 2006

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Matt Freed, Post-Gazette
James Farrior, right, congratulates teammate Troy Polamalu after he intercepted a Dolphins pass Thursday at Heinz Field.


Disputes abound about which player the Steelers can least afford to lose. No debate is creditable without including strong safety Troy Polamalu in the discussion.

The Steelers have never provided evidence for that one because Polamalu has not missed a game in his three previous seasons. However, coach Bill Cowher yesterday listed his All-Pro safety as questionable for the game Monday night in Jacksonville because of a shoulder injury from Thursday's 28-17 victory against Miami at Heinz Field.

Cowher said yesterday he did not know how Polamalu's shoulder was injured and provided no more details. He said Thursday night that the injury occurred in the first half.

Polamalu could be seen on the sideline having his shoulder looked at -- just before he returned to the field in the fourth quarter and intercepted a pass from Miami quarterback Daunte Culpepper to help sustain the Steelers' lead.

Polamalu has made the past two Pro Bowls and has helped make the Steelers' defense more complicated for opposing quarterbacks because of his versatility. He's in constant movement before and after the snap and can play safety, linebacker, cornerback and rush the passer.

He started every game the past two seasons and played in every game as a rookie in 2003. Polamalu ranked third on the team last year with 100 tackles, tops in the secondary. He also had three fumble recoveries and two interceptions, and his three sacks in one game tied an NFL record for a safety.

Cowher also listed tight end Jerame Tuman as questionable for Monday's game, as well as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Tuman missed the opener with a hamstring injury.

"Jerame will work [today] and we will see how he feels Thursday and we will have more of an update on him later in the week," Cowher said.

The coach listed three players as probable this week: Receiver Hines Ward (hamstring), receiver Nate Washington (knee) and tackle Max Starks (knee).

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06256/721343-66.stm

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Roethlisberger ponders 'black cloud'

ALAN ROBINSON

Associated Press

<!-- begin body-content -->PITTSBURGH - Ben Roethlisberger is beginning to wonder about what he calls "that black cloud over my head."
The knee injury that kept him out of three games last season. The motorcycle crash in June that shattered his face and caused so much bleeding paramedics feared he might die. The appendectomy that forced him to miss the Pittsburgh Steelers' first game, just when it seemed he had made a remarkably fast recovery from the crash.
"I've been through a little bit the last couple of months, but it's just another thing," Roethlisberger said Wednesday, when he practiced for the first time since his latest operation. "Things happen for a reason, and I'm taking that approach. That's why I'm going to get back as soon as I can."
In his mind, that means Monday's game in Jacksonville - two weeks and a day after his third operation in 10 months. Listed as questionable, he sounds like someone who's convinced he's ready to return.
"It feels normal," Roethlisberger said. "It feels like nothing's wrong."
His midsection remains a little sore, he said, but the discomfort is not expected to be a problem by Monday.
Wide receiver Hines Ward played two weeks after having an appendectomy during training camp in 2002 and made eight catches in a season-opening game against New England. He expects Roethlisberger to play but said there is bound to be some physical discomfort.
"There's no question you feel it. I mean, you just went under the knife," Ward said. "You're going to feel the pain a little bit. One play I got hit right in the stomach, right in the abdomen. It hurt a little bit, but it was more mental than anything else, because I saw I was going to get hit there. Once I got over the mental thing, I felt fine."
Roethlisberger, talking to reporters for the first time since his appendix attack, said he had no warning that he had a problem. He and backup quarterback Charlie Batch attended the Virginia-Pitt game the night before Roethlisberger woke up Sept. 3 with a bad stomachache.
"I didn't know what it was, so I just came in here," Roethlisberger said, referring to the Steelers' practice complex. "I passed coach (Bill Cowher) along the way. He told me to suck it up, it's just one of those things. You think it's a stomachache, and it turns out to be a lot worse than you think."
To try to keep the quarterback healthy, defensive end Brett Keisel put a partly empty bottle of water in Roethlisberger's locker for good luck. Apparently, playing off the adage that it should be viewed as half full rather than half empty.
Roethlisberger wants to get back as quickly as he can, even though backup Batch threw three touchdown passes in the 28-17 victory over Miami on Sept. 7. Although the Steelers did not practice Monday and Tuesday, Roethlisberger did some light throwing with his receivers both days.
Last season, Roethlisberger had to sit out a 23-17 overtime loss to Jacksonville in Pittsburgh because of a knee injury unrelated to the one that required surgery several weeks later. Tommy Maddox replaced him in that game, turning the ball over four times, twice in overtime.
"It's always a battle with them," Roethlisberger said. "Their front seven on defense is unbelievable, and they've got some hard hitters in the secondary that are really smart. It's going to be a challenge for us offensively."
<!-- end body-content -->

 

[BuckNutty]

Big Ben feels fine, frets about ex-coach
Thursday, September 14, 2006

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Yes, Ben Roethlisberger practiced yesterday, perhaps with a heavy heart, and that has nothing to do with another emergency medical procedure performed on him.

Roethlisberger came through his Sept. 3 appendectomy fine, as he did his June 12 motorcycle accident, and is likely to start at quarterback Monday night in Jacksonville for the Steelers.

He can only hope his former coach at Miami University, Terry Hoeppner, comes through in equally fine fashion. Hoeppner, with whom Roethlisberger remains close, underwent brain surgery yesterday in a Bloomington, Ind., hospital for the second time in less than nine months after a scan showed evidence of a possible recurrent tumor.

Hoeppner, now at Indiana, came through the surgery well and was resting comfortably, Hoosiers athletic director Rick Greenspan said.

Roethlisberger and Hoeppner talked Tuesday morning.

"He wanted to inform me of everything that was going on before I heard about it from all of you guys," Roethlisberger said. "We talked. He's like a father to me, I love him to death. I know he'll be OK because he's a fighter and he's a competitor. The way he made it out to me, it's not as serious as everyone's making it out to be."

Neither were many of the things about Roethlisberger that led off the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. news shows. He was the big story again yesterday when he returned to practice, 10 days after his laparoscopic appendectomy at UPMC Presbyterian. He has been cleared medically, and there's no reason for him not to play unless he is so uncomfortable that it could affect his performance in Jacksonville.

"It feels normal," Roethlisberger said. "Everything feels like there's nothing wrong.

"Obviously the first priority is discomfort -- what's going to be comfortable? I wear rib pads anyway so we'll see how that feels putting those on."

Wide receiver Hines Ward watched practice in sweats as coach Bill Cowher gave him the day off to allow his sore hamstring more recovery time. He was in good position to assess Roethlisberger's latest comeback attempt, and he gave him two thumbs up.

"He did pretty well," Ward said. "He threw the ball well, he went through it. From what I saw, he felt fine.

"He practiced, so that's the encouraging thing. He went out there and threw the ball around, got in with the first group and did a great job. He threw some great balls and receivers made plays. He's taking steps in the right direction."

He took all those steps in training camp, showing that he had overcome the broken jaw, broken nose, broken orbital bone and broken teeth that occurred when his helmetless head was smacked in the motorcycle accident. On the morning he was to begin practice for the opener against Miami, he reported a stomach ache to Cowher.

"He told me to suck it up," Roethlisberger said. "And then, it's just one of those things, you think it's a stomach ache, and it turns out a lot worse than you think."

Defensive end Brett Keisel, who said last week that Roethlisberger is cursed, tried to remove that curse yesterday by giving Roethlisberger a bottle of "lucky" water. The quarterback called it half full, rather than half empty.

There is that little matter of his first two seasons in the league, in which he has led his team to a Super Bowl victory and an overall 27-4 record with him as their starting quarterback. Dan Marino would take a curse such as that.

"I've got that black cloud over my head," Roethlisberger said.

He has overcome November knee surgery to win a Super Bowl, a near-fatal motorcycle accident to participate in training camp and an appendectomy to likely play in the second game of the season.

"I've been through a little bit in the past couple of months," Roethlisberger said, "but it's just another thing, obviously for a reason. I'm taking that approach, and that's why I'm going to get back as soon as I can."

Ward is confident Roethlisberger will start in Jacksonville Monday night.

"Ben surprises everyone. He has a high tolerance for pain. He's going to fight through whatever."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06257/721682-66.stm

 

[BuckNutty]

Steelers RB Staley takes high road on inactivity
Thursday, September 14, 2006

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Duce Staley does not understand why the Steelers keep signing running backs to try to do a job he feels fully capable of handling.

One week ago, it was undrafted rookie Patrick Cobbs, acquired in a trade with New England. Now, it's veteran Najeh Davenport, signed off the scrap heap Friday after Green Bay released him.

"It's part of the business," Staley said yesterday after practice. "I can't really sit here and say I've never seen it before because I have. It's part of the business, and that's something that's going to be done whether I like it or not."

All he wants, he said, is the chance to show he can still cut it at age 31. It's something, he said, he cannot do in practice. He says he still has the zip in his legs required for a successful running back in the NFL.

"Oh, yeah, I know I do; I know I do. It's all about opportunity, to get in there and prove that. You and I can sit here and talk about it back and forth forever, but, until you get a chance to get out there on the field in real live action with the first team, you won't know.

"In practice, you work on angles, you work on plays that you're trying to put in for that week, but, as far as going against the first team all-out, we're not going to do that. We're not going to have the type of practice we're going to have in camp. Only games can simulate that, therefore you won't be able to prove that in practice."

Staley agreed in March to take a $1 million cut in salary to $1.5 million this season. Once he was on the roster for the first game, he was on their books to make his entire salary in 2006 no matter what. Yet the Steelers, by their very actions and sometimes words, show they do not think he is the man to fill the role vacated when Jerome Bettis retired: Backup to starter Willie Parker with some running on the goal line thrown in.

They signed Davenport, who stands 6 feet 1 and weighs 247 pounds, to do that job.

"He's a proven big back," coach Bill Cowher said Tuesday. "We were kind of looking for that. ... Looking at our football team, the ability to get Najeh and what he's done, I've watched him play and I think he fits what we're looking for."

Staley rushed for 707 yards in his first seven games with the Steelers in 2004. He missed most of last season after knee surgery, but helped them win their game against Green Bay with 76 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries after Parker was hurt in the first quarter.

The coaches counted on him handling the Bettis role this season, but were disappointed with his training camp practices. Cowher gave Staley by far more runs than anyone in preseason games, 42 compared to John Kuhn's No. 2 rank at 18. Staley gained 92 yards (2.2 average) with a long run of 6 yards.

He made it into one play Thursday against Miami as a blocker in the backfield on a pass. Cowher said Davenport could dress Monday night, which would leave Staley inactive in all likelihood.

"I'm not here to sit and talk bad about it or say anything bad about it," Staley said, promising he will cause no problems. "What I am here to do is help my teammates win. Having a negative attitude won't get the job done. So I'm going to stay positive, and things will work themselves out."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06257/721683-66.stm

 

[BuckNutty]

Steelers Notebook: Tight end Miller does not expect to lead team in receiving yardage
Thursday, September 14, 2006

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Heath Miller stands atop the leader board for the Steelers with 101 yards receiving. No tight end has led the Steelers in receiving yards for a season since Eric Green did so in 1993 and 1994. He does not expect it to happen this season, either.

"I don't think it's going to change much, I think we'll take the same approach," said the second-year player. "In cases like that, when teams are concerned bout Hines [Ward], maybe I'll pop up some more like last game."

Thursday night against Miami, Charlie Batch looked off Ward, who was double-covered, and threw a looping pass to Miller, who ran 87 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown. NBC-TV proclaimed it the longest touchdown catch by a tight end since the New York Jets' Richard Caster scored from 89 yards in 1974.

"I didn't know that," Miller said.

As a rookie, Miller was second on the team with 39 receptions to Ward's 69. Miller was third with 459 yards receiving and second with six touchdown catches. He's nearly one-fourth of the way to his total receiving yards last season after one game. He caught three passes against Miami.

Many who saw the 6-foot-5, 256-pounder run along the sideline were surprised at his speed.

"I was just running as fast as I could," said Miller, who claims not to know his 40 time. "I got a pretty good head start on those guys, so I'm sure that helped out a lot."


Injury updates


Hines Ward was the only Steelers player not to practice yesterday, and he said he will join his teammates on the field today. Ward is listed as probable with a hamstring injury that did not keep him out of the opener.

"The extra day, from playing Thursday to having a full week off, is really going to help me in the long run. I'm feeling good and I'm close to getting 100 percent."

The other three players coach Bill Cowher listed as questionable --strong safety Troy Polamalu (shoulder), quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (appendectomy) and tight end Jerame Tuman (hamstring) practiced.

Jacksonville released its injury report with five players questionable: Tight end Mercedes Lewis (ankle), linebacker Mike Peterson (knee), safety Gerald Sensabaugh (ankle), defensive end Paul Spicer (groin) and defensive tackle Marcus Stroud (ankle).

Quick hits

NFL official scorers changed a statistic from the Steelers' game last week. Instead of a 3-yard loss on a fumbled snap, Charlie Batch was given 0 yards lost, giving him 20 yards rushing and the team 146 yards rushing and 342 yards overall. ... The Steelers practiced indoors with the heat turned up to try to acclimate themselves to what they might face in Jacksonville. ... The Jaguars lead the series, 9-8, one of only two that Bill Cowher has a losing regular-season record against in five or more meetings. The other is Seattle (2-4).

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06257/721677-66.stm

 

[BuckNutty]

Players predict quick return for QB

By Mike Prisuta
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, September 14, 2006


Steelers coach Bill Cowher is mindful that his quarterback has "been through a lot" the past couple of months, while defensive end Brett Keisel maintains Ben Roethlisberger is "cursed."
Roethlisberger is more philosophical when assessing his travails, which include seven hours of facial reconstructive surgery June 12 and an emergency appendectomy Sept. 3.

"Well, I've been through a little bit in the last couple of months, but things happen for a reason," Roethlisberger said Wednesday.

He's keeping a "half-drank bottle of water from Keisel" in his locker as a good-luck charm, just in case.

"I'm going to get back as soon as I can," Roethlisberger said.

That would be Monday night at Jacksonville.

Guard Alan Faneca said he'd be "shocked" if Roethlisberger didn't play.

Wide receiver Hines Ward estimated Roethlisberger's chances of playing at "about 80 percent."

Cowher, who is making no such calculations, has said Roethlisberger will be evaluated as the week progresses and that more than the recovery from his most recent surgery will be considered.

Roethlisberger isn't into probabilities, either, but he's making progress.

"Getting better every day," he said prior to practice yesterday. "My stomach feels pretty good. Obviously, if you push on a wound or someone cuts into your body, it's going to hurt a little bit, but, for the most part, it all feels real good.

"I've thrown the last two days, nothing too outrageous. It feels pretty good, just a little bit (of soreness), not too bad."

Roethlisberger didn't speak to the media following yesterday afternoon's workout, his third consecutive day of throwing.

"He didn't seem to lose anything from having a couple weeks off. That's encouraging," fullback Dan Kreider said. "He made some nice throws, and I would think that if you're in pain, you wouldn't throw those balls.

"I would think if he can go through practice that he'd want to play this game. I would think that if he feels good enough, he's a competitor, so I think we'll see him out there, but time will tell."

Added Keisel: "I don't think he's 100 percent, but it's amazing that he's out there right now, how many days after surgery? We appreciate that from him. He wants to come in and work and show that he's the leader of this team, and we're all behind him."

Cowher has said a decision on Roethlisberger isn't likely until "Friday or Saturday."

Roethlisberger said he began eating "normal foods" a day after his surgery, took no stitches and lost no weight because of the procedure.

Keisel, remorseful over his "cursed" comment upon learning of Roethlisberger's appendectomy, improvised a good luck charm to make amends.

"He was like 'What the hell, man, you said I was cursed?' " Keisel said. "I said, 'I was just saying, what's the deal, dude? We kind of need you over here.' I was trying to think of something I could do to make him laugh, I guess.

"I was drinking a bottle of water. I drank about half of it. I put a little backwash in the rest and said, 'Put this in your locker and leave it up the rest of the year.' I closed it, locked up all the medicine inside, he's good for the rest of the year."

The water bottle has no track record as a miracle elixir, but Keisel is keeping the faith.

"I know it's going to work," he said. "He's going to work. He'll be fine."

Mike Prisuta can be reached at [email protected].

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_470388.html

 

[BuckNutty]

I haven't been able to find the article where it's from but I received an e-mail from a buddy of mine that had a quote from Najeh Davenport. Reporters asked him why Green Bay gave up on him and his response apparently was...

"They had their own reasons," he said. "There's a saying that goes...I forgot what the saying is, but they've got their own reasons."

Gotta love the players from Da U.

 

[BuckNutty]

Leftwich a sizable obstacle for Steelers
Friday, September 15, 2006

By Colin Dunlap, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

An undeserved stigma, perhaps?

Does Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich have a real or only perceived lack of mobility? Is he as cement-footed and pokey as people say, or is that reputation unfairly saddling the 6-foot-5, 242-pounder?

Well, as far as tongue-in-cheek responses, he offered one of the better ones in recent NFL conference-call history yesterday when the subject was broached.

Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich "is a winner."

"I'm constantly telling people, but they are not listening," Leftwich said, with a chuckle and then a few hearty laughs. "I'm not a slow quarterback, I'm just the slowest black one."

He then went on to qualify that statement by enacting his own ranking system on the footspeed of the starting quarterbacks around the league.

"I say that all the time, because if you count all 32, I'm just in the middle," Leftwich said. "I'm about No. 15 or No. 16."

While few would argue that Leftwich will never be considered fleet-of-foot or that his escapability is one of his most endearing qualities, the truth is that, coupled with his linebackeresque size, he carries a supersized chunk of self assurance. There's not a lot that psychologically rattles this 26-year-old Washington, D.C., native. Far be it for him to become frazzled by the possibility of a Monday night, nationally televised rib cage-rattling meeting with the Sports Illustrated-anointed "Most Feared Player in the NFL," Steelers linebacker Joey Porter.

"I don't fear nobody now," Leftwich said. "I respect [Porter] a lot. But I don't think nobody fears nobody. I understand what type of great player he is ... but to say I fear him? I fear no man."

Leftwich's size, talent and confidence are all reasons he poses a concern for the reigning Super Bowl champions in Jacksonville. While he has just 323 yards rushing in 40 games over his three-year career, that statistic is viewed by some as an unrealistic indicator as to the kind of player he is.

"All it comes down to is that he's a winner," Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith said of Leftwich, another Mid-American Conference quarterback (Marshall) who has made it big in the NFL.

"Leftwich makes plays to win games. It's not about your size or how fast you run, it's about being a winner; he's a winner."

Leftwich's record as an NFL starter is 22-17. He is expected to improve on that mark this season. He is an imposing sight for any NFL defense. As a point of reference, the 242 pounds he carries is just a single pound lighter than Steelers linebacker James Farrior.

Getting close enough to tackle Leftwich is one thing, putting him on the ground is much more difficult than corralling a Doug Flutie or Jeff Garcia.

"When I get the opportunity to come off the corner on a blitz, I get excited," Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend said. "More than likely, when you are playing against a quarterback who is going to be in the pocket like Leftwich, you can get a good shot at him. But then you realize you have to hit him as hard as you can to bring him down. You have to wrap him up or he's not going down."

And this season, Leftwich could be tougher to bring down than ever. Much tougher than in Week 2 of last year when he was sacked six times at Indianapolis for minus-23 yards.

And the reason: "I've lost about 13 pounds since last year," Leftwich explained.

After rethinking how his new streamlined physique might have knocked a 10th of a second or two off his 40-yard dash time, Leftwich took time to reposition himself in the unofficial fastest-to-slowest NFL starting quarterback rankings.

"After losing the weight, maybe I'm a little faster, maybe I'm like No. 9 or 10 right now," Leftwich said with a chuckle.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06258/722042-66.stm

 

[BuckNutty]

Steelers Notebook: Polamalu will play against Jacksonville
Friday, September 15, 2006

By Colin Dunlap, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The way Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu looks at it, these National Football League injury report thresholds are just an arbitrary barometer.

Yesterday, Polamalu, who sustained a shoulder injury in the Steelers' 28-17 season opening victory against Miami last Thursday, was upgraded from questionable to probable. Don't look for Polamalu to miss Monday night's game at Jacksonville.

He hammered the point home after practice yesterday, admitting that it would take a seismic happening to make this the first game he had miss in his three seasons in the NFL.

"God forbid, if I were paralyzed, died or called to do something else," Polamalu said. "That would be the only way I'd miss this game. Everyone gets injured playing this game at one time or another. You just have to deal with it."

Polamalu pointed to a three-play stretch in the second half against Miami as the point in which the injury occurred. On all three plays, he had rattling collisions with Miami players. After the game, coach Bill Cowher mistakenly said the injury occurred in the first half.

"It happened near the end of the third quarter or the beginning of the fourth," Polamalu said yesterday.

"It is a bone bruise, a shoulder contusion and something with my bursa sac."

While Polamalu and tight end Jerame Tuman (hamstring) were elevated to probable, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (appendectomy) is listed as questionable.

Asked whether Roethlisberger's status could linger into a game-time decision, Cowher said, "It appears there is a good chance that could be the case."

But if practice is an accurate gauge, Roethlisberger should be the starter against the Jaguars. Yesterday, just 11 days after his appendectomy, was the second consecutive day he practiced.


Heat index

For the second day in a row, the Steelers worked out indoors and with the thermostat cranked up so as to prepare for the warm and humid conditions they will face in Jacksonville. Temperatures yesterday in Jacksonville reached the low 90s and those same readings are forecast for Monday.

"Of course, the heat is in the back of everyone's mind," nose tackle Chris Hoke said. "You have to stay hydrated. We're not too, too worried about it, but it is a factor."

While the northeastern coast of Florida is much different than the Laurel Highlands, Steelers linebacker Joey Porter bound the two in his assessment of the heat.

"It's not like Latrobe was the coolest place in the world," he said of the Steelers' training camp site. "Hey, things like [the weather] shouldn't be a factor. We're all pro athletes and we get paid to play in different circumstances."

Asked if the Steelers will wear white jerseys in the game, Cowher had a little fun with the inquisitor, answering: "Yeah, as far as I know. But, I don't think the sun will be a factor."

Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m.

Quick hits

It seems the scope of a game is heightened a little when the Steelers play on national television as they did against Miami and will against Jacksonville (ESPN). "When you have these games, all your buddies are watching," Hoke said. "You have to make sure you play well, because you know everyone is watching around the league." ... The consensus is that the 11-day layoff from the opener to Monday night is more positive than negative. Said cornerback Deshea Townsend, "At this time of year, it is a positive. We just got done with a tough training camp and your body needs all the time it can to heal right now." ... Running back Duce Staley and his newly-formed Catch 22 Motorsports team will field two Pro Stock entries in the 2007 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Staley, the owner of the team, has enlisted the services of Jim Yates and Billy Gibson as drivers. "I believe that my experience with the elite competition in the NFL and the parity among NFL teams is transferable to the parity in NHRA Pro Stock," Staley said.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06258/722041-66.stm

Polamalu's injury status upgraded

By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, September 15, 2006

He is not exactly sure when he hurt his shoulder, and Troy Polamalu declined to elaborate on the extent of the injury, figuring the less information he divulged, the happier his coach would be.
Those that had been fretting over Polamalu's questionable status for Monday night simply need to know this: the All-Pro safety will play in the 8:30 p.m. game at Jacksonville.

Shortly after coach Bill Cowher upgraded him to probable Thursday afternoon at the Steelers' South Side practice facility, Polamalu treated any questions about his playing status as if they were some unfortunate wide receiver that had gone over the middle against him.

He obliterated them.

"There's always no question I'm going to play," Polamalu said after practice. "Everybody gets injured, and everybody has to deal with it."

The fourth-year pro has never missed a game because of injuries. He did give Steelers Nation a scare last January, when he hurt his ankle in a practice leading up to the Super Bowl.

Of course, he played against the Seattle Seahawks, recording five tackles, four of them solo, in the Steelers' 21-10 win.

"He's really a phenomenal athlete," Cowher said of the 5-foot-10, 207-pound Polamalu. "You watch him throw his body around and the way he flies around, he kind of lets his body go."

That style of play should make him an injury waiting to happen, and when asked about his durability, Polamalu said, "I'm blessed."

He then smiled and added, "Thus far."

Opponents usually don't feel so blessed after playing against the Steelers, especially when Polamalu is his usual disruptive self.

He is a blur before the snap and especially after it. In fact, the bum shoulder he finished the Miami game with is as much a testament to the ground he covers as the team-high 10 tackles he had against the Dolphins.

Polamalu suspects he hurt his shoulder after three consecutive hits, which occurred at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth.

Those hits, Polamalu said, came against, "their offensive lineman of a quarterback and their stud running back."

That would be Daunte Culpepper, who probably outweighs Polamalu by about 50 pounds, and Ronnie Brown, respectively.

His reputation for hitting anything that moves has long preceded Polamalu, and his lining up all over the field makes it especially difficult for opposing offenses to keep track of him.

"Like I told people," Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich said of the Steelers defense, "if you have 50 plays, they might do 50 different things. And that goes to show you how good a defense they are and how well coached and smart they are because the coach has enough trust in them to call all of these different things."

Cowher has the utmost trust in Polamalu, who appears to play at warp speed precisely because of his smarts and instincts.

"He has a great feel for the game," Cowher said. "He can go from Point A to Point B probably as quickly as anybody on the football team."

He'll showcase that ability again in Jacksonville -- much to the relief of Steelers fans who, as it turned out, didn't have anything to worry about in the first place.

Scott Brown can be reached at [email protected].

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_470565.html

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Stopping Palmer, starting running game are Steelers' big concerns

ALAN ROBINSON

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - Troy Polamalu may take on the challenge of defending what he calls the AFC's best quarterback with one good arm.
Polamalu, the Pittsburgh Steelers' All-Pro safety, has an injured left shoulder that effectively forced him to play at far less than 100 percent efficiency in a 9-0 loss to Jacksonville on Monday.
"There's a lot of things I could have done better, so that's how good it (the shoulder) is," he said.
Complicating matters, Polamalu has a short week to get well for Sunday's game against Cincinnati and his former Southern Cal roommate, Carson Palmer. To Polamalu, Palmer "probably is the best offensive player in the league."
"You've just got to fight your way through it, just like everyone else on the team," Polamalu said. "With any injury, you're restricted in some way. But there are a lot of people playing in pain and with injuries I'm sure people don't know about."
Polamalu may have missed making an interception against the Jaguars because of the injury that occurred in the Sept. 7 opener against Miami but, he said, "It's time to move on."
That's the problem: The Steelers (1-1) are moving on to perhaps the biggest home game of the season with a secondary that's not playing all that well and a running game that almost disappeared against the Jaguars, gaining 26 yards.
The Steelers, excellent on defense during their Super Bowl run last winter, have allowed 492 yards passing in two games - an excessive number for a team that was No. 4 overall in defense last season. Jacksonville's Byron Leftwich threw for 260 yards against them Monday even without leading a touchdown drive.
Polamalu knows the Steelers can't be so soft in coverage against Palmer, who threw three TD passes against them in a 38-31 Bengals victory in December that all but clinched the AFC North for them.
"It's obvious the key to their offense is Carson," Polamalu said. "Those guys (wide receivers) do a great job and they could play exactly as they do on any team, but definitely the heart and soul is Carson."
Palmer, of course, will be opposing the Steelers for the first time since his left knee was shredded by a tumbling Kimo von Oelhoffen on the Bengals' first pass play of their 31-17 playoff loss to the Steelers in Cincinnati in January.
Palmer promised then to return to play Pittsburgh this season and he has, and what has been equally surprising about his fast comeback is how well he has played. He is 37-for-59 for 479 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
The Bengals' no-huddle offense also will test a Steelers defense that prefers to play cornerbacks Ike Taylor and Deshea Townsend well off the receivers and let them react to a receiver's route, rather than jamming at the line of scrimmage.
That scheme was effective last year in limiting star receiver Chad Johnson, who didn't have a touchdown catch or a 100-yard game in three games against Pittsburgh last season.
"That's our defense," Townsend said. "That's always what we do. If you've been in Pittsburgh watching our defense, the corners always play off most of the time. You can get up there and bump but, for the most part, we play off."
The running game the Steelers had Monday wasn't their usual running game. Willie Parker was limited to 20 yards on 11 carries after having 115 yards against Miami. That inability to run the ball forced the Steelers to lean on rusty quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for their offense.
But there wasn't much of it as they were held to 167 yards.
"Everything is predicated off the run," wide receiver Hines Ward said.
Roethlisberger figures to be sharper now that he's finally played a game - he missed the Miami game with appendicitis.
To get him going, the Steelers also need more production from a running game that will be going against a Bengals defense that is missing two starting linebackers, David Pollack and Odell Thurman. Pollack is injured and out for the season and Thurman is serving a suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
However, the Bengals have added run-stopping lineman Sam Adams, partly with the intent of trying to control the Steelers' runners.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Big Ben, Steelers' offense sputtering

ALAN ROBINSON

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - Blame the motorcycle crash. Blame the appendicitis. Blame the quirky schedule or defenses that may be adjusting to him. Whatever the reason, Ben Roethlisberger isn't the quarterback he was in leading Pittsburgh to the Super Bowl last season. That means the Steelers haven't been the team they were, either.
The Steelers (1-2) already are in the same predicament they were in last December: two games down in the AFC North race, only this time before October has arrived. They've got plenty of time to catch up to the Bengals (3-0) and Ravens (3-0), but they realize they can't expect to come back from deficits every season.
"It's going to eat at you for a couple of weeks," coach Bill Cowher said after a 28-20 home-field loss Sunday to Cincinnati.
That's another problem. The on-again, off-again schedule may be holding back Roethlisberger from recovering as quickly as he hoped from his summer of medical problems.
He couldn't play in the Steelers' early opener Sept. 7 against Miami after having his appendix removed four days before. Then, after looking rusty during a dismally played 9-0 loss to Jacksonville on Sept. 18 - the team's first game in 11 days - he had less than a full week of preparation for the Bengals.
Now, the Steelers have two weeks before their Oct. 8 Sunday night game at San Diego. As a result, Roethlisberger won't settle back into the routine of game-week practice again until next week.
Whatever the reason, Roethlisberger's throws haven't been as sharp as in the playoffs last season - and when he's been on target, he has had some passes dropped. His arm strength may not be quite what it was late last season, and it didn't help that he threw into a stiff breeze at times Sunday.
All of this is reflected in the third-year quarterback's statistics. He is 28th in yardage and his 34.3 passer rating is so low it doesn't rank among the league's top 30. Only Andrew Walter (19.0) of Oakland has a lower rating among AFC QBs with more than a couple attempts.
Roethlisberger is among the leaders in one statistic: interceptions. He has five, two fewer than injured league leader Chris Simms of Tampa Bay.
Teamwise the Steelers aren't much better, ranking 25th in total offense and 27th in passing.
After leading the Steelers to a championship in only his second season as a regular, Roethlisberger lobbied to be given a greater role in the offense.
"I put pressure on myself to produce and, right now, I'm not doing that," he said. "I'm going to continue to put more pressure on myself to play better. I need to find that happy medium without trying to do too much. I have to come out and be smart and make better plays."
Former Lions coach Steve Mariucci wonders whether Roethlisberger isn't putting too much on himself.
"You hear Ben say he might need to put more pressure on himself to play better," the NFL Network analyst said. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. He's recovering from his motorcycle accident and an emergency appendectomy. He's got to get back into the swing of things and get his swagger back."
It hasn't helped that his most dependable target, Hines Ward, hasn't been himself after missing most of training camp with a sore hamstring.
Traditionally among the league reception leaders, Ward also doesn't rank among the NFL's top 30 with nine catches for 99 yards and one TD in three games. He was held to two catches for 17 yards Sunday. A year ago, he had 12 catches for 219 yards and four touchdowns after three games.
"There were a couple of times they doubled up on Hines, but they were really trying to take away anything to the outside - running guys underneath our patterns," Roethlisberger said of the Bengals. "That kind of threw us off, we weren't ready for it."
Much as the Steelers didn't seem ready for this 1-2 start.
"We'll see how we respond," Roethlisberger said.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Cowher to Steelers: Forget about start

ALAN ROBINSON

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - Playing the San Diego Chargers on the road figures to be difficult enough for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That's why coach Bill Cowher doesn't want them thinking about the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals, too.
The Steelers (1-2) are down 2 1/2 games to Baltimore (4-0) and 1 1/2 games to Cincinnati (3-1) in the AFC North, but Cowher said Tuesday that it's way too early in the season to be fretting over a poor start.
"I don't think anybody is pushing a panic button," he said. "I think there's some sense or urgency in practice. We've got to take that and transfer that onto the field. We knew this first month we would face some pretty good football teams. We're not where we want to be."
A season ago, the Steelers were down two games to Cincinnati in December with four to play and still caught them, though the Steelers went into the playoffs as a wild card because Cincinnati held the tiebreaker advantage.
The Steelers got a split decision in the division during their bye week. Baltimore pulled off a late comeback to beat the Chargers 16-13 and remain undefeated, but the Bengals took their first loss - 38-13 at home to the New England Patriots.
With three months of the season, two games against Baltimore and one against Cincinnati remaining, Cowher said he is confident that his team has enough time to rally.
"The biggest thing is for the players not to get caught up in looking to what Baltimore and Cincinnati's doing," Cowher said. "That's the biggest thing, getting better every day in practice, and then consistently taking that out onto the playing field, each unit improving on the previous week. You've got to be narrow-minded and short-term-focused this time of the year."
Especially when so much needs improvement, including the passing offense and special teams.
The Steelers are fifth from the bottom in the NFL in passing with an average of 172 yards per game. (San Diego is lower still, third from the bottom, as quarterback Philip Rivers has struggled predictably at times in his first season as a starter.)
Cowher said he thinks the passing game will come around now that Ben Roethlisberger is settling in following the disruptive bout with appendicitis that kept him out of practice for 10 days.
Roethlisberger came into the season with a 27-4 record as a starter but has lost both of his starts - not a surprise given that he has thrown five interceptions and no touchdown passes. His passer rating of 34.3 is so low, it doesn't rank among the NFL's top 30.
"Getting Ben back out there and working every day is going to help to create some of the timing and continuity," Cowher said. "I think those things will get better."
Roethlisberger's missed practice time also might have slowed his adjustment to a reshuffled group of receivers. With Antwaan Randle El gone, Cedrick Wilson is playing more than he did last season and so is second-year pro Nate Washington. First-round pick Santonio Holmes has yet to play his way into the lineup, but Cowher said he is not dissatisfied with his progress.
"We have some young guys that need to play," Cowher said.
Also, Hines Ward hasn't produced the way he has in the past. He has been held to 99 yards receiving in three games.
The schedule hasn't helped, either. The Steelers waited 11 days before playing their second game, a 9-0 loss to Jacksonville. Then, after a 28-20 loss to the Bengals in Week 3, must wait 14 days - they were off last week - before facing San Diego (2-1) on Sunday night.
Cowher doesn't like where the Steelers' bye week fell, but won't use it as an excuse.
"It's hard early to get a true assessment of who you are and where you are, Cowher said.

 

[BuckNutty]

Roethlisberger can't wait to face the Chargers Sunday night
Memories of the 2004 draft linger
Thursday, October 05, 2006

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Perhaps it's not the same as Chad Johnson's List in Cincinnati, but Ben Roethlisberger keeps a directory of his own. Call it Big Ben's Ten Most Wanted.

They are the 10 National Football League teams that bypassed him in the 2004 draft. Perched at the top are the San Diego Chargers. Roethlisberger and his Steelers teammates go after them Sunday night on the West Coast.

"It'll feel good to get out there," Roethlisberger said yesterday. "It'll be a little added incentive."

Roethlisberger already beat the Chargers in San Diego last October. Adding to the incentive of again playing the first team that bypassed him in the draft is playing against Philip Rivers for the first time. Rivers and Eli Manning were the two quarterbacks drafted before him. Roethlisberger can add Rivers' pelt to the one he acquired when he and the Steelers beat the Giants and Eli Manning in 2004.

Manning was drafted first in the 2004 draft, Rivers fourth. The New York Giants and Chargers quickly followed by swapping the quarterbacks. The Steelers made Roethlisberger the third quarterback drafted in that class, picking him at No. 11.

"It's not him, I have nothing against him," Roethlisberger said of Rivers. "I like playing San Diego because they had a pick -- anybody who was in the top 10, I kind of like to play against, it feels good."

Roethlisberger won his first nine starts against his Ten Most Wanted before he and the Steelers stumbled in Jacksonville in the second game this season, 9-0. He has beaten Cleveland all three times he has started against the Browns, and added victories against the Washington Redskins, Jaguars, Giants, Houston Texans, Detroit Lions and Chargers. He gets a crack at two more on his list later this month when the Steelers play at Atlanta and at Oakland. A victory against each would complete his Top 10.

Adding to the intrigue of his hit list is the fact the Steelers would have drafted Rivers if he had been available, even if Roethlisberger had been on the board. There were many reports that the Steelers preferred Rivers.

"Yeah, that was my impression," Rivers said yesterday. "I certainly got the impression if not San Diego, then Pittsburgh. That was all ifs and buts, but certainly that was the impression, but who knows how it's going to unfold?"

Rivers grew frustrated as he sat behind Drew Brees in San Diego his first two seasons. Roethlisberger added to it with his phenomenal 13-0 rookie season followed by a Super Bowl victory in his second. Rivers played in four games with no starts his first two seasons.

He is off to a 2-1 start with the Chargers and putting up Roethlisberger-like production numbers -- he's fifth in the AFC with a 96.9 passer rating, has thrown just one interception, has been sacked once and is second in the NFL in the clutch fourth quarter with a 131.3 passer rating.

"The last two years, they were tough at times," Rivers said. "But I'm thankful for them right now, I really am. I feel I benefited from them, I feel it's helped me out there on the field."

Down near the bottom of the list is Roethlisberger with a 34.3 passer rating, mainly because he has thrown five interceptions, no touchdown passes as he continues to try to get back in form after an appendectomy delayed the start of his third season one game.

"As much as people may not believe this, I think we've been playing pretty well, actually, offensively," Roethlisberger said. "There were a couple mistakes that were made that really hurt you, but, overall, we're just about a hair off on offense. We're just almost clicking and, when we do start to click and those wheels start turning out there, I think we can be pretty good, pretty dangerous. But I don't think we're as far off as people think."

One of his receivers, off to his own slow start, agreed with his quarterback.

"We're close, there's no question," said Hines Ward. "As far as the wide receivers, we have to help him out, we have to bail him out in situations. Yes, the ball may not be perfect, it may be high or low or whatever, that's what they pay us to do, make the catches.

"We're just playing too inconsistent right now. In crucial situations -- third-and-4, third-and-5 -- we have to make plays to help him get into a rhythm and, once he gets into a rhythm, he'll be fine."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06278/727573-66.stm

 

[BuckNutty]

Steelers Notebook: Ward's injury just won't go away
Thursday, October 05, 2006

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The hamstring injury that kept Hines Ward out of every preseason game has improved, it just won't heal altogether, and the wide receiver predicted it will bother him the rest of the season.

"My hamstring's not going to be 100 percent this year," he declared yesterday.

Ward is off to the slowest statistical start in his career, not counting his rookie season when he did not start a game. He has caught nine passes for 99 yards. That also ties his lowest three-game stretch since he caught four passes for 67 yards in 2000; he caught nine for 99 yards over a three-game stretch in the middle of 2004.

Ward refused to blame his hamstring injury on his slow start and said that while it won't return to full health this season, it's close.

"It's a matter of battling, fighting through it," Ward said. "It feels good. A hamstring, it's kind of hard to get back to 100 percent when you're running all the time. I'm getting treatment every day to take care of it and try to be as close to 100 percent as possible."

Ward also had a hamstring injury last season, causing him to miss his only game since he arrived in the NFL in 1998.

"I don't know what's wrong with this one; it's not pulled, it's not strained, it's just aggravating. I still have some scar tissue in there. I'm feeling fine. I don't feel hindered by the hamstring, just every now and then on certain routes that I run, I may feel it."

Ward's longest reception covered 19 yards. He came close to catching one for 48 yards in Jacksonville at the goal line that was just out of his reach.

"I felt it on the initial takeoff," Ward said of that pass from Ben Roethlisberger. "But, once I got behind the guy, we were just off by a foot."

Ward said that, typical of hamstring injuries, it would heal "if you take six months off and not do anything, no running."

"But every day at practice, I'm running. My hamstring's fine, it's not 100 percent. I'm out here practicing every day and running my routes full speed, so I don't see my hamstring being a problem."


Not on Sunday


The line (and movie title) of Any Given Sunday has not applied to the Steelers through the first five weekends of the season. They played Thursday to open the season, played Monday night in their second game, finally played Sunday afternoon in their third game, had last Sunday off and will play on Sunday night this weekend.

"It doesn't feel like we've actually had a real season yet," Roethlisberger said. "We've only played one Sunday afternoon game. But it's fun to play those prime-time games."


Running back news


Halfback Najeh Davenport returned to practice yesterday after his right calf was strained in practice Monday. He is listed as questionable, although that could improve as the week goes on if he continues to practice.

Duce Staley not only continued to practice, but he looks better at it, coach Bill Cowher said. Staley ran for 707 yards in his first seven games after signing with the Steelers as a free agent in 2004. A hamstring injury ruined the second half of that season and knee surgery in the summer of '05 helped keep him inactive most of last season, although he filled in for injuries and helped them win games against Green Bay and Cleveland.

Staley, 31, has not suited up for the past two games and played one play in the opener. Cowher said it's not his knee nor his age that has held him back.

"No, just getting his legs back. He didn't have a training camp two years ago and really didn't play a lot last season, just practice. We got him back this year in training camp, so he really had a year that he had to get back. I feel like he's getting some of his legs back after watching him practice the past two weeks."

Quick hits

Cowher's teams have lost just one game in his 15 seasons when they've had a lead of more than 10 points. The Elias Sports Bureau has cost them another victory. The official keeper of NFL stats recalculated the list of such games and determined that Cowher's record should have been 99-1-1 after 14 seasons in that category instead of 100-1-1. The Steelers' 28-17 victory in the opener against Miami boosted it to 100-1-1. ... The Steelers have the fewest penalties in the league (although they've played one fewer game than most) -- six times for 60 yards. ... As with Davenport, cornerback Ricardo Colclough (neck) practiced yesterday but remains questionable. ... The Chargers list three players as questionable, but all practiced: Safety Bhawoh Jue (knee), offensive tackle Leander Jordan (neck) and tight end Ryan Krause (hamstring).

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06278/727572-66.stm