Pittsburgh Steelers (official thread)

[BuckNutty]

Parker gets shot to prove durability
Wednesday, October 04, 2006

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

At this pace, Fast Willie Parker will need a new nickname. How about, Can You Last, Willie Parker?

The Steelers' halfback has heard that question so often he has grown tired of answering it. He may not have to anymore because coach Bill Cowher may let his actions speak for him instead.

After Parker carried a career-high 29 times in the opener against Miami, Cowher said he did not want his young back to carry that heavy a workload too often. Yet Parker ran 31 times against Cincinnati and, after three games, has 71 carries. If he maintains that pace over the course of the season, Parker would finish with 378 carries, second in Steelers history only to Barry Foster's 390 in 1992.

Cowher seems ready to unleash Parker for as many carries as it takes and for as long as he holds up.

"I'm not going to jeopardize trying to win a football game," by limiting his carries, Cowher said. "It's something that I said earlier, but it's something that we have to keep in mind as we go and see how this unfolds. It's something we'll continue to monitor, but I think right now he's fine."

You don't have to be as big as a Bus to be a prolific ballcarrier in the NFL. Parker is 5 feet 10, 209 pounds. The New York Giants' Tiki Barber is 5-10, 200 and in his 10th NFL season. He rushed 357 times (for 1,860 yards) last season and caught 54 passes -- 411 total carries. In his 10th NFL season, Curtis Martin ran 371 times in 2004. He's 5-11, 210. Emmitt Smith not only holds the NFL record for rushing yards, he also holds it with carries at 4,409. He played at 5-10, 216 -- seven pounds more than Parker.

There are many other examples of slighter NFL backs who carried more than their share of the load. It could be the Steelers have one in Parker. Besides his 255 carries last season, he ran 57 more times in their four postseason games. He's not as prolific as a receiver, but he had 18 catches in the regular season, 10 more in the postseason. It adds up to 340 chances with the ball. And he was so exhausted from it all by the end of the season that he snapped off a Super Bowl-record 75-yard touchdown run.

Cowher said yesterday it's not the size of the back but other factors that can determine how often he can carry. Jerome Bettis, who played at a listed 255 pounds, called it "getting skinny" to avoid hits.

"I don't think it's the size as much as when you go through a game and a guy has 29 carries, how many of those were big hits?" Cowher said. "How many times did he run out of bounds or get tripped up? I think you have to look at it subjectively."

Franco Harris, considered a big back for his time at 6-2, 225, was criticized on occasion by Steelers fans for running out of bounds to avoid a hit. Smart backs like Harris and Bettis knew, however, when they needed to take someone on to pick up more yards for their teams and when to live to run another day.

"Is he the type of guy who is running over people 17 or 18 times he carried the ball?" Cowher asked in general terms of backs. "Or is he a guy who got tripped up? Obviously, a guy who's a pounding type of runner, there's going to be more of a lingering effect down the road because of the style of running. It's something you have to look at subjectively coming out of a game."

Parker is not a battering ram and, while running backs take bigger hits more often than players at any other position, he does not seem to take an unusually high number. That could change this season because Cowher has kept Parker in the game when the offense nears the goal line, a job Bettis had before he retired. Cowher said he will talk to Parker after each game to see how he feels and make his decisions accordingly.

"Some games you come out with 23 or 24 carries and you feel great because you didn't have that many big hits," Cowher said. "You come out with 17 or 18 carries between the tackles, and it was a grind because you had three or four guys hitting you every gain. I think you can't monitor just based on carries."

Cowher is ready to help ease the load on Parker, just in case. He said if Najeh Davenport is healthy enough to play this week, he likely will get some carries in San Diego. If he's not healthy, Duce Staley will get them.

"We feel good about the four guys we have," Cowher said, keeping Verron Haynes in the mix as the third-down back. "Duce has looked better and better. He's a legitimate option as well. I go back to last year, we used four guys and needed all four. You can never have enough good running backs."

And, sometimes, you can never run the best of them enough.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06277/727215-66.stm

 

[BuckNutty]

Rivers, Roethlisberger finally match up

By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 5, 2006


He strode to the podium, shook hands with commissioner Paul Tagliabue and then pulled on the hat of the team for which he would never play.
His agent didn't have to tell him a trade was in the works. Philip Rivers could have figured that out after speaking to the talking heads at ESPN before he did any member of the organization that made him the fourth overall pick of the 2004 NFL Draft.

More than two years later, Rivers recalled his draft experience as "kind of awkward." Ben Roethlisberger remembers the day a little differently, and he still uses the belief that he got passed over because he went to school at the wrong Miami as motivation.

Sunday, the quarterbacks will duel for the first time since they were forever linked by that draft, giving the folks at NBC an intriguing subplot for the nationally televised game.


True, Rivers and Roethlisberger aren't playing against one another in a literal sense. However, since the two (along with Eli Manning) were the top quarterbacks in the 2004 draft, they are very much going head to head .

"I wouldn't say we're best friends, but I know (Rivers) pretty well, and I know a lot of what he's gone through," Roethlisberger said Wednesday at the Steelers' South Side practice facility. "We talked about it last year when I was out there about (Rivers) being behind Drew (Brees) and this and that, so I'll be interested to talk to him and see how everything is going with him."

Despite the rapid ascent he has made -- Roethlisberger is the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl -- the Miami (Ohio) product knows what it is like to wait.

He watched Manning go first in the draft to the Chargers and Rivers go three picks later to the New York Giants.

The two quarterbacks were swapped in a blockbuster trade, all before the Steelers selected Roethlisberger with the 11th pick of the first round.

While Roethlisberger became a starter almost immediately with the Steelers because of an injury, a holdout cost Rivers any chance of winning the starting job as a rookie.

He had to again serve as an understudy to Brees in 2005.

Rivers threw just 30 passes his first two seasons, but he became the starter when Brees signed with the Saints during the offseason.

The Chargers are 2-1 with Rivers at the helm, and they are using him much the same way the Steelers employed Roethlisberger his rookie season.

Rivers is running the offense, but he is not being asked to carry it, as evidenced by the 68 passes he has thrown in three games.

He has completed almost 68 percent of his attempts and has been intercepted just one time.

"He has exceeded my expectations," Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer said. "I think we have had one turnover, we have been sacked one time, and the fact that he has been able to do things with the offense has been very, very encouraging."

As efficient as Rivers has been, it would be understandable if he were getting a little impatient, especially since the Chargers appear to be bringing him along slowly.

"The last two years were tough at times, but I am honestly thankful for them," said Rivers, who started for four years at North Carolina State and is the most prolific passer in ACC history. "I'm not performing to the level that I want to at this point. I feel confident that I'm getting better every week."

The same goes for Roethlisberger.

He has not played well in the two starts he has made this season. But, Roethlisberger said, "We're almost clicking, and when we do start to click and those wheels start turning together, I think we can be pretty good and pretty dangerous. I don't think we're as far off as people think."

One thing that certainly won't hurt Roethlisberger as he tries to snap out of a funk is the mere presence of the Chargers.

Roethlisberger said he feels like he slipped in the 2004 draft because he went to a Mid-American Conference school instead of one in a major conference.

The Chargers not only passed on Roethlisberger, but they took another quarterback instead of him.

"I don't have anything against (Rivers), but I like playing against San Diego," Roethlisberger said. "Anybody that was in the top 10 (of the draft), I kind of like to play against."

That draft could have turned out quite different.

At one point, Rivers said, he felt the Steelers would take him if the Chargers picked someone else.

There was strong sentiment among Steelers brass for three players in that draft: Roethlisberger, Rivers and mammoth offensive lineman Shawn Andrews, who went to the Eagles with the 16th pick.

Steelers coach Bill Cowher said the team met with Rivers before the draft at the NFL Combine.

Neither the coach nor the two quarterbacks talked much about what might have been.

As Rivers said, "Who knew how it was going to unfold?"

And how it will unfold. Not just Sunday night in San Diego, but in the coming years as well.

Scott Brown can be reached at [email protected] or 412-481-5432

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_473555.html

 

[BuckNutty]

Ward won't use hamstring as excuse for slow start

By The Associated Press
Thursday, October 5, 2006


Nine catches, 99 yards. Normally, about an afternoon's worth of work for Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward.
Instead, they are Ward's statistics for the first three games of a so-far disappointing season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's obvious Ward hasn't been himself, playing with a sore hamstring that he injured in training camp and is not yet healed.

Ward, a four-time Pro Bowl receiver, is resigned to playing with the injury for the rest of the season. The only cure, he said, would be six months of inactivity.

"It just chooses (to hurt) when it wants to," Ward said Wednesday. "I can't pinpoint it. If I could, I wouldn't do it. But when you're running full speed, you feel it. Then it goes away. It's hard to get back to 100 percent when you're running all the time."

Ward was hurt during the first week of August and missed the rest of training camp, but the injury has lingered far longer than he expected.

"I don't know what's wrong with it," he said. "It's aggravating. There's still some scar tissue in there. I don't feel hindered by the hamstring, but every now and then on certain routes that I run I may feel it."

Ward realizes he can't afford to take a game or two off to give the hamstring some needed rest, not with the Steelers (1-2) already down 2 1/2 games to Baltimore (4-0) in the AFC North standings. The Steelers face another difficult game Sunday night at San Diego (1-2), which is allowing a league-low 184.3 yards per game.

The Steelers' passing game has been slowed by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's medical problems and an uncommon number of dropped passes. Ward said there must be improvement immediately in the NFL's fifth-worst passing offense.

"We need to start taking steps to get better week in and week out," Ward said. "We need to start getting better and improving and playing with a lot more intensity."

A schedule that already has included two uncommonly long breaks isn't helping the Steelers develop any continuity in their passing game. They play for the first time in 14 days Sunday ? they had an 11-day break after their first game ? then must fly home from the West Coast overnight to get ready for Kansas City the following Sunday.

"Next week, they'll probably have us playing in Hawaii," defensive end Brett Keisel said.

Ward doesn't worry about the schedule as much as he does regaining the rhythm in the passing game the Steelers had while winning three consecutive road games in the AFC playoffs last season.

"Teams have been doing a lot to stop Hines, doubling and tripling him," Roethlisberger said. "They're running guys underneath to where he's going to be. But Hines is one of the best receivers in the game. He'll find ways to get open and I'll get him the ball."

Roethlisberger and Ward agree on that, saying there were enough positive signs in the 28-20 loss to Cincinnati on Sept. 24 to suggest the passing game is coming around.

"We're really close to clicking,'"' Roethlisberger said. "When we do start clicking and those wheels start turning together, I think we can be pretty good and pretty dangerous."

Ward's drop-off has been more noticeable because he has consistently been one of the NFL's most reliable receivers. Last year, he had four touchdown catches by now; in both 2003 and 2004, he had 22 catches through three games.

Roethlisberger also has played far below the level of his first two seasons ? he has no touchdown passes and five interceptions in two starts. And Ward isn't the only receiver who isn't producing.

The only player with as many as 10 catches is third-down running back Verron Haynes, who has 10 for 59 yards. Cedrick Wilson, the other starting receiver, has been limited to four catches for 85 yards.

Santonio Holmes, the first-round draft pick from Ohio State, has been unable to play his way into the lineup or make much of a contribution when he's been on the field. He has five catches for 51 yards.

"It's hard for a rookie," Ward said. "There's a lot of thinking, when you're doing a lot of thinking you're not running as fast. It's an adjustment. There's been only one rookie to come in and dominate the game, Randy Moss with 17 touchdowns. Most rookies come in, and it's a learning curve."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_473619.html

 

[BuckNutty]

Notebook: Reid still in the dark

By The Tribune-Review
Thursday, October 5, 2006


Willie Reid continues to wait. The rookie wide receiver said Wednesday he hasn't been given any indication what his status will be when the Steelers visit the Chargers. A dazzling return man at Florida State, Reid may get a chance to return punts Sunday night in San Diego. That has been a problem area for the Steelers, and Ricardo Colclough, who has been alternating on punt returns with rookie Santonio Holmes, is questionable with a neck problem. Colclough practiced yesterday, but said afterward the coaches want him to steer clear of contact -- at least until they find out more about his neck.
"I don't know what it is," Colclough said. "It's just something that started and kept bothering me."

Even if he plays against the Chargers, Colclough is questionable at best to return punts because of his well-documented struggles. Reid, who has been inactive for the Steelers' first three games, continues to say and do the right things. That is assuming he hasn't highlighted passages in the Steelers' media guide about his punt return exploits at Florida State and left it on coach Bill Cowher's desk.

"I've been anxious (to play) since Week 1," Reid said. "Right now, you go out there and work hard."

? Reserve running back Najeh Davenport doesn't expect to miss the Chargers game because of a strained calf. Davenport hurt his lower right leg Monday in practice and is listed as questionable.

"I slipped, and the grass gave way when I was making a cut," Davenport said.

He has dressed the last two games but has yet to play. Cowher indicated Tuesday that Davenport would get some carries in San Diego if he is healthy.

"I've been good in getting the offense down, so we'll see," Davenport said. "I expect to dress."

? A Steelers defense that has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in 12 games will try to extend that streak against one of the top running backs in football. LaDainian Tomlinson has exceeded 1,200 rushing yards in each of his first five seasons in the NFL. Last year, the Steelers held him to 62 yards on 18 carries, though Tomlinson did catch seven passes for 68 yards.

"We've always played pretty good against L.T.," linebacker Joey Porter said.

Edgerrin James is the last back to go over 100 yards against the Steelers. He did it for the Colts last November.

? Safety Troy Polamalu (shoulder) joined Davenport and Colclough on the team's injury report and is listed as probable. Three Chargers are questionable for the game: offensive tackle Leander Jordan (neck), safety Bhawoh Jue (knee) and tight end Ryan Krause (hamstring).


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Digits

7 - Wins the Steelers have in eight regular-season games against the Chargers with Bill Cowher as coach.

20 - Rushing yards Willie Parker had against the Jaguars earlier this season.

26 - Rushing yards Parker had against the Chargers last year.

40 - Length (in yards) of the field goal Jeff Reed kicked to beat the Chargers last year in San Diego.

- Scott Brown

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_473547.html

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

NFL NOTEBOOK
Steelers defender out for year
Sunday, October 08, 2006

ASSOCIATED PRESS

</IMG> Ricardo Colclough of the Steelers won?t play again this season because of a neck injury.


Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ricardo Colclough will miss the rest of the season because of a neck injury that apparently developed during the bye week.
Colclough?s fumbled punt on only his fourth career return led to Cincinnati?s pivotal score in the Steelers? last game, a 28-20 loss to the Bengals on Sept. 24.
He did not report having any neck problems last week, but after returning from the weekend off, he complained of a sore neck.
Colclough practiced during non-contact drills for two days and initially was listed as questionable for the game tonight at San Diego but said he feared the injury was "serious." When tests revealed a nerve problem, the Steelers placed him on injured reserve and promoted rookie cornerback Anthony Madison. "We really don?t know how" he was injured, coach Bill Cowher said. "It?s something he?s been feeling for a week."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Slow start forces Steelers to play catchup almost immediately

ALAN ROBINSON

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Steelers may have reached the defining moment of their season, their losing streak at three games and their quarterback rusty and ineffective following an injury layoff.
The wide receivers' production has been spotty. The offensive line is having problems providing pass protection. There are trouble signs all around, and the season may be lost if there is not a turnaround this week.
"We don't really have a lot of time," wide receiver Hines Ward said.
The Steelers (1-3) should be accustomed to this scenario by now - it's the same one that confronted them in December, when they responded by winning eight games in a row and the Super Bowl.
Only they didn't expect to be in this situation a month into the new season, one that certainly hasn't begun as expected or generated much carry-over from their first Super Bowl victory in 26 years.
"To start the season 1-3 coming off a Super Bowl, I don't think anybody would have ever thought of that. But we're playing too inconsistent for whatever reason," wide receiver Hines Ward said after a 23-13 loss in San Diego on Sunday night. "We've got to find a way to turn this thing around, some way, somehow."
Some players, notably linebacker Joey Porter, ridiculed some preseason predictions the Steelers would finish only third in the AFC North. But that's exactly where they are, trailing the Ravens (4-1) by 2 1/2 games following Baltimore's 13-3 loss to Denver on Monday night and the Bengals (3-1) by two games.
Never at any stage last season were the Steelers so far behind in the division race, even after they lost three in a row to drop to 7-5.
Never in this season have they looked like a champion.
"It makes the next few games very important," coach Bill Cowher said.
The Steelers knew quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would need time to work back into playing shape and get up to game speed following his June motorcycle accident and his Sept. 3 appendectomy.
But they certainly didn't expect this after his first three games: no touchdown passes, seven interceptions and a 41.7 passer rating that is so low it doesn't rank among the NFL's top 30. By contrast, his numbers were reversed - seven touchdown passes, no interceptions - at this stage last season.
"I think he's working his way back into it, there's no question about that," Cowher said. "But we're not making excuses."
The Steelers' inability to throw the ball isn't entirely Roethlisberger's fault. Ward has one TD catch and is off to a slow start after missing most of training camp with a hamstring problem. Cedrick Wilson, the other starting receiver, has only six catches and was benched at times Sunday for rookie Santonio Holmes.
"It's not a good feeling, obviously," said Roethlisberger, who was held to 51 yards passing in the second half by San Diego. "It's something we need to turn around. We need to look deep inside ourselves and figure out what we need to do to turn it around."
The most surprising development to the Steelers was the defense's inability to slow Chargers first-year starting quarterback Philip Rivers, who threw for 242 yards and two scores. Inexperienced quarterbacks often have trouble handling the Steelers' pressure, yet Rivers was 11-of-16 for 137 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions as the Chargers outscored Pittsburgh 16-0 in the second half.
"We really didn't have any answers for them in the second half," Cowher said.
He could have said the same thing two weeks ago after the Bengals outscored the Steelers 14-3 in the fourth quarter of a 28-20 victory in Pittsburgh on Sept. 24.
The Steelers return home Sunday to play Kansas City (2-2), then travel to Atlanta (3-1) and Oakland (0-4). They play Baltimore twice and Cincinnati once during the final six weeks of the season, but the six games before that will determine how important their closing stretch is.
"We don't have any more bye weeks and we've got another hard game (Sunday)," Ward said. "Right now we can't worry about Baltimore, Cincinnati and Cleveland. We can only worry about ourselves ... and figure out how we can, coaching staff included, get this thing turned around."

 

[BuckNutty]

While you won't find it in this article Tibor informed me that Channel 7 Pittsburgh is reporting Roethlisberger is being listed as questionable for Sunday's game with a sprained uterus.

Steelers' Porter, Townsend, leave practice with injuries
Wednesday, October 11, 2006

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers, losers of three straight games, were hit with more bad news today when both linebacker Joey Porter and cornerback Deshea Townsend left practice with hamstring injuries.

Coach Bill Cowher listed both as questionable for Sunday's game against Kansas City.

Compounding the problem at outside linebacker is that top backup James Harrison already has been scratched this week because of a high ankle sprain. Also, starting defensive end Brett Keisel is listed as questionable with a bruised rib.

Another player joined the injury list today: Starting guard Kendall Simmons is probable with a foot injury that developed when it was burned while he was undergoing medical treatment.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06284/729206-66.stm

 

[BuckNutty]

What's wrong with the Steelers?
Theories abound about Steelers' woes
Thursday, October 12, 2006

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

What's wrong with the Steelers? It depends on who's doing the talking.

There are no experts on the matter, only opinions from those in the business who have seen the defending Super Bowl champions (1-3) on tape, on television and in person this season.

Those opinions start with critiques of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger but do not end there. They include criticism of the wide receivers, running game, offensive line and even a citation for a possible Super Bowl hangover because players perhaps took interest in soup commercials and travel to distant places at the expense of working out.

"It's very obvious; it's Roethlisberger," said Bob Trumpy, a former NFL tight end who broadcast the game Sunday in San Diego for CBS Radio/Westwood One. "He's the guy who's the magic and he's being very careless with the football. He's not protecting the ball. You can't have a quarterback who is careless with the football."

Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham, who lives in Sewickley and analyzes his former team on ESPN Radio 1250, believes the problems lie more with the receivers than the quarterback.

"I don't think any secondary fears those wideouts," Ham said. "Ben doesn't have the kind of team around him that can run for 150 yards every game like he's had. If you don't have the wideouts -- you saw Pittsburgh's running game -- you stop Pittsburgh. I can't remember the last deep ball we made in the passing game."

Ham noted that Roethlisberger has a combination of young receivers and a veteran in Hines Ward, who is trying to get over a hamstring injury that kept him out of every preseason game.

"Santonio Holmes is your only deep threat and he's probably a ways away from being a factor. Hines Ward is not a deep burner to begin with and he has a hamstring problem now and he's in his ninth season; would you double him if you were a secondary coach? I wouldn't."

Ham said it's only natural that all that would affect Roethlisberger's play.

"He's had too much success here the last couple of years," Ham said. "It's not just Ben. On a couple of those shots he took downfield, he's getting hit delivering the ball. I have a feeling he's back there looking down field and when he's looking at his wideouts, it's a concern to him."

Gil Brandt, the former Cowboys personnel director and a Hall of Fame nominee, now works as a senior analyst for NFL.com. He said he has seen teams, including his Cowboys, suffer from a Super Bowl hangover, although he does not know if it applies to this year's Steelers.

"No. 1, you didn't get as much offseason participation as you had in the years leading up to when you were trying to get to the pinnacle," Brandt said of the natural Super Bowl letdown. "Instead of 40 workouts, you do 37.

"No. 2, I think what happens is all of a sudden, the opportunities off the field become more prevalent than ever before. There are a few more golf tournaments, a few more appearances at shopping centers and things like that. Leading up to the season, there isn't as much preparation as there was in previous years."

Mike Butler, a Pittsburgh native who recently wound up 19 years as a scout or personnel director with the Indianapolis Colts, believes it's not one thing that has caused the Steelers to lose three of their first four games. But, as with Trumpy, he starts with the quarterback, noting Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident in June and appendectomy a month ago as possibly throwing off his karma.

"He seems to be making some bad decisions. It just seems like he's off, something's missing," Butler said. "He's probably rusty; he missed practice time with the receivers, which is big. They have to do that every day, in my opinion, to keep that chemistry. In my opinion, it just takes some time.

"Once you start losing, it compounds itself. Everyone starts pressing and then you don't play as well because you're pressing. I think it just takes a little time in practice."

As do others, Butler believes the Steelers' ground attack is not up to snuff.

"I don't think the running game is as much a threat as it's been in the past. That makes pass coverage a little easier when that threat's gone. Willie Parker's had some success and some big games, but I don't think it's very consistent myself. Without that threat, you can put more guys in coverage, you don't have to play as close to the line."

But then, according to Ham, there's not much to cover anyway. Ham does think the offensive line, running game and quarterback will be OK.

"They played some pretty tough teams against pretty tough defenses," Ham said of the line. "I think that running game will come around."

Trumpy agrees with Ham's assessment, except for the quarterback. He's not sure Roethlisberger will be OK. He also noted that it takes more time to develop a rapport between a quarterback and his receivers than they've had this year.

Trumpy watched the Chargers beat the Steelers Sunday night and remarked at the time that San Diego could not match the Steelers in talent.

"I'm not sure any offensive linemen for San Diego would make that Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line. Maybe two or three Chargers defensive players would make the Steelers.

"It's all centered on Ben Roethlisberger. You can't look anywhere else. I don't see Pittsburgh as a team making stupid mistakes. I don't see blown coverages or missed blitzes. I just see Roethlisberger playing this year like it was last year and it's not; that happens in this league."

Steelers coach Bill Cowher acknowledged all the analysis offered to explain his team's 1-3 start.

"People can speculate. I think what happens when you're not successful as an individual or a team, there's a lot of speculation as to why. Is it this, is it that? From our standpoint, it doesn't serve any purpose to dwell on it," he said.

"The bottom line is, each week we're going to try to find a way to win a game. That to me is the solution to all these [theories]. We just have to win a game."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06285/729343-66.stm

 

[BrutuStrength]

While you won't find it in this article Tibor informed me that Channel 7 Pittsburgh is reporting Roethlisberger is being listed as questionable for Sunday's game with a sprained uterus.

 

[tibor75]

Cowher is saying the media is to blame for Big Jen's melodramic act over his "injuries"

If Ben Roethlisberger grabs his elbow, it's news. If he shows up with his elbow in a sling under his shirt at his postgame news conference, it's news.

Coach Bill Cowher, though, blasted the television networks -- most recently NBC Sunday night -- for what he described as sensationalism regarding their reporting on Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger was not on Cowher's injury report yesterday, nor was he last week. NBC cameras caught the quarterback rubbing his right elbow during pregame warm-ups and played the clips of it.

Cowher said Roethlisberger's elbow was hit during the game, which is why he was icing it down afterward.

"Before the game he was fine," Cowher said. "It's another one of the sensationalized stories that sometimes these sideline reporters want to create."

During the Steelers' Monday night game in Jacksonville, ESPN's Michelle Tafoya reported that Roethlisberger told her he had a temperature of 104. Cowher pointed out later that his temperature actually was 100.4. "It becomes a little bothersome because they try to make more than what's there and we're not trying to hide anything," Cowher said. "He gets something sometimes like tennis elbow, so he's trying to loosen it up like a kicker is loosening up his leg. He's fine. Sometimes there's so much sensationalism that takes place with this that it gets annoying at times."

 

[iambrutus]

NBC cameras caught the quarterback rubbing his right elbow during pregame warm-ups and played the clips of it.

the ran that into the ground - mentioned it several times during the pre-game. its not a sore elbow that makes him throw into double coverage - he isn't making good decisions right now

 

[BuckNutty]

Scout $

The Steelers have signed LB Chad Brown.

With Harrison hurt and Porter injuring his hamstring this signing makes sense but ya gotta wonder how much Chad has left in the tank.

 

[BuckNutty]

Steelers sign Chad Brown

By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, October 12, 2006

In attempt to answer questions that surfaced this week at outside linebacker, the Steelers have signed Chad Brown.
Brown, who started his career with the Steelers and played here from 1993-97, was supposed to practice with the team Thursday afternoon.

He has made the Pro Bowl three times during his 14-year career and played for the New England Patriots last season.

Reserve linebacker James Harrison (ankle) is out for Sunday?s game against the Kansas City Chiefs and starting linebacker Joey Porter (hamstring) is questionable.

?Chad?s been in this business a long time,? starting defensive end Aaron Smith said. ?He has a high motor. He can help this team out.?

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_474707.html

 

[NFBuck]

If Ben Roethlisberger grabs his elbow, it's news. If he shows up with his elbow in a sling under his shirt at his postgame news conference, it's news.

Coach Bill Cowher, though, blasted the television networks -- most recently NBC Sunday night -- for what he described as sensationalism regarding their reporting on Roethlisberger.

What does the chin expect when the star QB of the defending SB champs is playing like Mark Malone?

 

[BuckNutty]

What does the chin expect when the star QB of the defending SB champs is playing like Mark Malone?

Reminds me of an old joke...what do Mark Malone and Magic Johnson have in common? They both threw nice bounce passes.

Steelers dip into the past, sign LB Brown
Veteran Brown could play Sunday vs. Chiefs
Friday, October 13, 2006

By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

OK, so the locker room is now on the South Side, not the North Side, and none of the Steelers there yesterday were with the team when he was one of their pass-rushing linebackers.

But when he walked into a Steelers locker room yesterday for the first time in 10 years, Chad Brown had his old coach, his old defensive coordinator and even his old jersey waiting for him. His old role might not be too far away, either.

So what if all his former teammates, every last one of them, are missing.

"Jerome [Bettis] was the last guy, and he's gone," Brown said.

A decade after he made the Pro Bowl in his final season with the Steelers, Brown, 36, returned yesterday to help his former team, which has been beset with injuries at outside linebacker. He signed a one-year contract for the veteran minimum of $810,000 and confessed to an odd but exciting feeling to be back with the Steelers after a 10-year absence.

"I was pleasantly surprised how familiar it seemed," Brown said. "No matter what you do, 10 years later, it's going to be different if you're away from it. I got some work to do, but I think my experience 10 years ago will allow me to help the team much sooner this year."

It might be sooner than Brown thinks.

Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Porter, whose hamstring was injured in practice Wednesday, was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Heinz Field. With backup James Harrison already out with a high ankle sprain, that means Arnold Harrison, a first-year free agent, will start at right outside linebacker.

Not only did that prompt the Steelers to sign Brown, who is in his 14th NFL season, but it also means Brown could play in some pass-rush situations against the Chiefs. To make room for Brown on the 53-man roster, the Steelers released tight end Tim Euhus.

"I'll know better as we get closer," said coach Bill Cowher, who drafted Brown in the second round (44th overall) in 1993. "It's kind of a crash course in everything. I know he's been here before, but that was 10 years ago.

"But he looked good running around there. He'll be out there Sunday, and we'll see what kind of participation he'll have based on how comfortable he is."

Brown was once one of the best pass-rushing linebackers in the NFL, registering 30 sacks in four seasons with the Steelers and 78 in his career. In 1996, his final season with the Steelers, he moved to outside linebacker because of an injury to Greg Lloyd and was selected to the Pro Bowl after registering 13 sacks, fifth most in franchise history.

But Brown left the Steelers to sign in free agency with the Seattle Seahawks, where he made the NFC Pro Bowl team in 1998 and '99. He played eight seasons with the Seahawks until they released him after the 2004 season.

Brown had a chance to return to the Steelers before the 2005 season, even visiting the team during the free-agency period. But he opted to sign with the Patriots because he probably would have been a backup with the Steelers.

"New England had the opportunity to start," Brown said. "That was probably the most exciting thing. This would have definitely been great, to come back here, but opportunity to start was very enticing for me."

Brown was released Sept. 1 by the Patriots after missing a lot of their preseason with a broken hand. He has been keeping in shape, working out at least four days a week, thinking the Patriots would call him back.

Instead, it was the Steelers who needed help at outside linebacker. It was his old team that called him Wednesday, while he was picking up his children from gymnastics class, and gave him his old No. 94 jersey.

"I can't say I'm in fantastic super shape," Brown said. "But I'm better than some guy coming off the couch."

And there he was yesterday, practicing with the Steelers in an indoor facility that wasn't standing the last time he wore a black-and-gold uniform. Sunday, he will play in Heinz Field for only the second time, but his first with the Steelers.

"I bring a body who can play on Sunday," Brown said, smiling. "That's what they need at the linebacker position."

"He knows this defense, and one thing I know he can do is line up as a third-down rusher," Cowher said. "Obviously, it's going to take some time. He hasn't played football in a while. I think you have to be careful how much you expect from him in a short period of time."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06286/729688-66.stm