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Turnpike Rivalry: For Steelers, it's a road not takenSunday, December 28, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The current Steelers know only one way to get to a Super Bowl, and this is not it.

A meaningless game at the end of the season coupled with a week off before a home playoff game usually ends in failure for the Steelers. Those who experienced that failure as well as the success of doing it the hard way in 2005 promise it will be different this time.

"We were 15-1," linebacker Larry Foote recalled of their last bye season in 2004, "and had it locked up and relaxed a little bit. Guys who were on that team ain't going to let it happen this year."

The Steelers have not won a Super Bowl as one of the top two seeds since XIV following the 1979 season. Since then, they were seeded with a bye in the seasons of 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001 and 2004.

They won their first playoff game in each of those five seasons, then lost the AFC championship game at home in four of them. They reached Super Bowl XXX after '95 and lost to Dallas.

That they won their only Super Bowl in the past 29 years by doing it the hard way, without a bye and [having] all [playoff games] on the road, still has not made them long for having to play a game next week.

"Granted, we won the Super Bowl without the bye," defensive end Aaron Smith said, "but I'll take it any time. You still want to go in there with a more healthy group, emotionally and physically -- not worn down, fresher."

The Steelers of '05 changed the landscape forever by becoming the first team to win three playoff games on the road and then win the Super Bowl. It's happened two of the past three years thanks to the New York Giants.

"All the years up to us, it never happened before," Smith said. "There's a reason behind that. I'll take the bye week any time over playing."

History backs him up. Of the 30 Super Bowls played from the time the NFL started seeding teams in 1975 and the Steelers' 2005 victory, 25 were won by one of the top two seeds. Among the other five, two were won by division champions who had first-week byes before the playoffs were expanded -- San Francisco after the 1986 season and Washington after the '87 season. Three wild-card teams have won Super Bowls since seeds started in '75 and before the Steelers did it again in 2005 -- the '80 Oakland Raiders, the '97 Denver Broncos and the '00 Baltimore Ravens.

The Steelers were the first No. 1 seed when the NFL went to that playoff system after the 1975 season and won their second Super Bowl. They were the No. 1 seed in 1978 and No. 2 in 1979 when they won their third and fourth Super Bowls after the AFC championship games each year were held at Three Rivers Stadium vs. Houston.

So, overwhelmingly, the way to go is with the bye, it just hasn't been the Steelers' way to go most recently. They want to change that this time.

"I think being more mentally sharp," Foote gave as his solution to correct what might have ailed them in '04. "I don't know

Today

• Game: Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns -- the 112th meeting between the teams.

• When: 1 p.m.

• Where: Heinz Field.

• TV: KDKA.

Page 1 of 2Turnpike Rivalry: For Steelers, it's a road not taken

12/28/2008http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08363/938080-66.stm

what happened. I don't know [if we took things for granted] but I know we struggled in the first game against the [New York] Jets, and you know what happened in the second game."

The New England Patriots beat them for the second time in the AFC title game at Heinz Field in four seasons.

"We have to keep sharper," Foote said, "keep fresh and keep in the back of our mind what happened the last time we had a bye. We know it; I wasn't the only one on that team. We're ready for it. We remind the young guys, and they're going to follow by our actions.

"We're a veteran team, we've been in the playoffs several times, so we have an advantage over a lot of teams because we've been there."

The Steelers also have a history of entering the playoffs as the No. 2 seed and ending up with the AFC title game in their stadium because the top seeds lost their first games. It happened in 1979 because San Diego lost, in 1995 when Kansas City lost, and in 1997 when Kansas City lost again. The Steelers held the No. 1 seed in 1994, 2001 and 2004.

The Steelers would play the AFC championship in Heinz Field if they win their first playoff game and No. 1 seed Tennessee loses.

"Every year, you see a No. 1 or No. 2 team go down," said nose tackle Chris Hoke, a rookie in 2001. "Sometimes, you see these teams that are the fifth or sixth seeds are the ones building momentum. The year we won the Super Bowl we were hot. We were playing good football. I think there's a lot to be said for momentum.''

It may be one reason coach Mike Tomlin put his players through a work week almost as if there were no Christmas and will play them today as if this game is not meaningless against Cleveland.

"We have a lot of guys on this team that won a Super Bowl and have been in the playoffs,'' Hoke said. "You're two games away from the Super Bowl and you dream about getting back to it for a lot of us, and a lot of dreams, for those who did not, of getting there."

Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected].

First published on December 28, 2008 at 12:00 am

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Page 2 of 2Turnpike Rivalry: For Steelers, it's a road not taken


Can't manage without 'Manage the Game' The Trite Trophy: Silver Anniversary Edition Sunday, December 28, 2008 By Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Gene Collier

Before we Kick It Off, ask your doctor if you're healthy enough for a 25th Trite Trophy column, our annual ritualized inflation of the giant gasbag of sports cliches, none of which, sadly enough, are Under The Radar, much less outside the limits of my own sixth sense, clichedar.

First, an introductory allegory.

Big Ben walks into the metaphysics store. Says he wants to Buy Some Time.

"What kind of time do you have?" Roethlisberger asks the sales associate.

"Dude," the man says, "It's like back when Faneca and Hartings and Simmons were protecting you; we've got All Kinds Of Time."

"All kinds?" Ben says.

"Take a look around," the man says. "How much of that $102 million were you thinking of spending?"

Ben browses for a bit, making his mental list.

"OK," says No. 7, approaching the counter, "I'll take some of that time in a bottle, a couple of those time passages, a box of Time Well Spent, and that gift-set of Time Immemorial."

"Excellent choices all, let me just scan those," the man says. "Mr. Roethlisberger, that'll be $4,499.95."

"Pretty steep."

"Hey, Time Is Money. Don't tell me you were looking for a Hometown Discount."

And then, of course, Ben lifted his right foot over his left shoulder and extracted his wallet, and took his left foot and peeled off nine $500 bills.

"What is he doing?!" said an astonished customer to the man behind the counter.

"Obviously," came the answer, "He's Buying Time With His Feet!"

Hey, I didn't say it was Introductory Allegory of the Year, but it was the runner-up for AFC Special Teams Allegory of the Week.

Several quarterbacks including Big Ben are not only capable of buying time with their feet, apparently, but of some it is said He Makes Plays With His Feet, as though the hands never leave his little hand-warmer. This cliche is better left to soccer, where it is merely self-evident as opposed to annoying, but making plays with his feet remains a trick perhaps worthy of the great sports amusement park, the one with The Coaching Carousel and the Emotional Roller Coaster. Insurance costs there have forced the dismantling of the interactive display in which you are Thrown Under The Bus, and frankly, its replacement, the one where you are merely Kicked To The Curb is a colossal

Past winners of the Trite Trophy

2007 -- They're Very Physical.

2006 -- It is what it is.

2005 -- It is what it is.

2004 -- Shutdown corner.

2003 -- Cover 2

Page 1 of 4Can't manage without 'Manage the Game'


disappointment.

Anyhow, these final days of December are those that force the Trite Committee (me and some honorarians from cyberspace) to Get Our Swagger Back, to Man Up, to Get To The Edge, to Rise To The Occasion, to Get A Hat On A Hat, to Send The House, or Bring The House as the case may require, to Get Upfield, to Stretch The Field Vertically (I guess by throwing the football straight up), to Make Plays or Make Big Plays When We Have To (that's what makes them big, don't you know), to Blow Up the Play, to, all right, that's enough. Let's just be content To Add On (can you add off?), to register another attempt at low-lighting lazy language to our Body Of Work.

This 2008 football season was another Banner Year for Max Protect, the offensive ploy designed to afford the quarterback All The Time In The World. With the Steelers though, Not so Much, unless it was overheard as a plea to left tackle Max Starks -- Max! Protect! More often, the Steelers in front of Big Ben were in what I like to call min protect, with five wide receivers fronting an Empty Set, which is not only a cliche but a falsehood. As reliable Trite correspondent Glenn Meister points out, "if it's really an empty set, who is going to catch the snap?"

Not every single language irritant descends to the level of toxic clichedom, of course, some are just so frightfully inane that they fail to escape notice, even by those trying hard not to pay that much attention.

Dan Dierdorf, who should long ago have started an advice column called Dear Dandorf, recently told play-by-play partner Greg Gumbel, "Sometimes, you get big plays because your players are better than their players."

Dierdorf's one plausible source of big plays was practically Augustinian compared to Greg Maddux's answer to whether he'd thought about his inevitable induction into the baseball Hall of Fame.

"Well," Maddux said. "There's a lot of good players in there."

Similarly, not all cliches can avoid evaporating into something else in the same sentence, which is our way of introducing the annual Trite Trophy diversion known as the Mixologist Medal, given to the person who most deftly begins one cliche and finishes another, or some similar mixology. Our prototype is "There's No Blood Lost Between These Teams," Penguins colorman color man Bob Errey's immortal mix of Bad Blood and Love Lost, or are those Nora Roberts novels?

Tom Hammond's call on Sanya Richards' medal run in Beijing -- "Sanya Richards has done it for the United States with every ounce of her fiber!" -- certainly merits mention for blending Every Ounce of Her Being and Every Fiber Of Her Being but our actual runner-up is this depiction of something going badly for the Baltimore Ravens by radio analyst Rob Burnett: "That's The Proverbial Fly In The Punchbowl."

Our winner is Kirk Herbstreit's inspired advice to some misremembered offensive coordinator, specifically that he "Throw Havoc To The Wind." Kirk really Stepped Up there, because while Throw Caution To The Wind is a ready construction, the separation of Wreak and Havoc is a major linguistic accomplishment insomuch as the accepted definition of "havoc" has become "that which is wreaked."

With that we've moved within maybe an hour of the announcement of the 2008 Trite Trophy dishonoring the year's most insidious cliche, and its shameful court of vexing runners-up (how about the tension?), but first, How About Some Love for a few also-rans that proved highly annoying.

Can I GET A STOP, please, to this construct where the analyst says "Borrowing A Page From [Somebody's] Book?"

In just about every case, the borrower is taking something from a book that never has been written. It's never Borrowing A Page From Dostoevsky's Book.

There's no evidence even that Dostoevsky had A High Basketball IQ, although many of your college hoopers seem to own one.

Baseball was besieged in 2008 by variations of the strike zone, by the importance of pitching Down In The Zone, and of Pounding The Zone, and of the grave dangers of having Left it Up In The Zone, meaning Out Over The Plate, and of the quixotic benefits of being Wild In The Zone, which used to be Effectively Wild, which was not to say he Lacked Command.

2002 -- Running downhill.

2001 -- Put points on the scoreboard.

2000 -- Walk-off homer.

1999 -- Somebody's gotta step up.

1998 -- Eight men in the box.

1997 -- Show me the money.

1996 -- Been there, done that.

1995 -- West coast offense.

1994 -- Red zone.

1993 -- It hasn't sunk in yet

1992 -- Mentality of a linebacker.

1991 -- You don't have to be a rocket scientist.

1990 -- Smashmouth football.

1989 -- He coughs it up.

1988 -- They went to the well once too often.

1987 -- Gutcheck.

1986 -- Crunch Time.

1985 -- Throwback.

1984 -- Playin' 'em one game at a time.



Hockey added nothing terribly grating this year, save for the newfound understanding that We've Got To Move Our Feet. This too would seem self-evident, except that hockey is, technically, the one game where you don't have to move your feet.

Football, always the most combustible cliche oven on the sportscape, Continued To Struggle with original ways to describe where people were going and how they were getting there. Apparently, they were going into The Teeth Of That Defense and again into The Soft Underbelly OF The Defense (again, never the hard overbelly and never the foreboding large intestine). Problems persisted with the signposts, as many runners came up Shy Of The First Down (there's still no reason to be shy out there), while many runners managed to get A First Down And More.

Further, there remains something about football that makes its announcers afraid you'll forget what sport you're watching. That's A Good Football Team With Great Football Players Who Know How To Protect The Football And Play The Kind Of Defensive Football You Need To Win Football Games.

No one ever says, That's A Good Baseball Team, especially around here.

We're getting close to the point where we need to Take Care Of Business, but before that, a Shout Out to the many competitors and former Trite Trophy winners in our live audience here at the Post-Gazette Pavillion, which almost never is A Hostile Environment: Crunch Time, Gut Check, Smashmouth Football, A Work In Progress, A Difference Maker, A Game Changer, The Game Is Slowing Down For Him, Lost His Footing, Lost His Feet, Bowl Eligible, He's A Workhorse, Injury Plagued, Injury Riddled, Decimated By Injuries, Impact Player, High Powered Offense, Jailbreak, Moral Victory, Pin Their Ears Back, Running Downhill, Impose Their Will, Control Their Own Destiny, Put It On The Ground, You Have To Account For Him, Big Time Quarterback, Must Win Game, Skill Set, We Love What He Brings To The Table, Two-way Player, The Clock Is Now Their Friend.

Don't forget to pick up your gift bags.

Now the following cliches were In The Discussion for the 2008 Trite, but Came Up Short, Failed To Wrap Up, Threw a Pick Six or in some other way were determined to be Just Not Getting It Done this year. The three ageless criteria are, as always, paramount. To win the Trite, a cliche has to be essentially meaningless, exhaustively overused, and I have to really really hate it.

All right without further achoo, here they are.

Our third runner-up:

He Put This Team On His Back.

No he didn't. He likely played the way he's supposed to play for $100 million. Really, it's the least he could do. And why wouldn't he? He has a back you could hang a painting on.

Our second runner-up:

In Space.

Really, but more completely, They've Got To Get Him In Space. First spoken about Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (later a stay at home man for the Nashville Predators) in April 1961, this nonsense is football coachspeak for what used to be called the open field. Though players are often said to Move Well In Space, even that is fairly self evident because it is much harder to Move Well With Three 300 Pounders And Two Homicidal Defensive Backs Attached To Your Adam's Apple.

Our first runner-up:

It Is What It Is.

No, it won't go away. The only two-time winner in the 25-year history of the Trite, IIWII was the victim last year of A Stunning Upset At The Hands Of the supremely annoying and ubiquitous They're Very Physical. The relentless It Is What It Is churn has abated, but almost imperceptively, as Mike Tomlin dealt it without conscience Tuesday and Ike Taylor,previewing the Steelers' game against Baltimore two weeks ago, said "It Will Be What It Is."

Regardless of tense, I'm beggin' ya people, what does this mean?

Herewith the winner of the Trite Trophy, Silver Anniversary edition:



Manage The Game.

Whether the result of serious injuries to top line quarterbacks such as Tom Brady or to a striking dearth of talent at the top ofNFL quarterback depth charts, Manage The Game got abused this fall like few cliches in the Trite era. Woe to the quarterback who is asked to Manage The Game, which is coach and/or mediaspeak for "Look, we know you're not that good; try not to screw it up!" You'll notice Brady and Peyton Manning and Big Ben and Brett Favre are never asked to Manage The Game. They are asked to beat you about the face and head until dead. Tennessee's Kerry Collins's charge was to Manage The Game every week, and did he ever. Still, his career record as a starter is 80-84.

But here's the lunacy in Manage The Game (literally, don't throw any interceptions, take stupid sacks, or Put It On The Ground). Collins knows full well, as did Trent Dilfer when he managed the 2000 Baltimore Ravens all the way to the Lombardi Trophy, as Brad Johnson did the same for the 2002 Buccaneers, the unspoken meaning of Manage The Game is "win in spite of yourself."

But never forget this, if you happen to throw for 350 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, and your team loses by a field goal, make no mistake, buddy, you have mismanaged the game.

Hey you've been great. Enjoy your 2009 Pirates.

Gene Collier can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1283. More articles by this author


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Ben Roethlisbergers IQ=99Smarter Than Ben Roethlisberger? Take a Real IQ Quiz Now!




Bouchette on the Steelers: Good left tackles are hard to come by (not to mention expensive) So Marvel Smith's latest surgery might open the door for him to remain. Sunday, December 28, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

When he's healthy, Marvel Smith is among the best left tackles in the NFL.

Don't write off Marvel Smith just yet. His second "minor" back procedure may have been a blessing in disguise, at least for his remaining with the Steelers beyond this season.

Smith had a second diskectomy several weeks ago to remove another small piece of herniated disk lodged on a nerve in his lower back. It remained a well-kept secret publicly until now. He had a similar surgery last season and improved immensely until another piece found its way onto a nerve early this season.

The Steelers never revealed the nature of his problem and held out hope that Smith could return in time to play. But they finally put him on injured reserve Tuesday and signed tackle Jason Capizzi because of the limits they will have on roster moves once the playoffs begin.

Smith was set to earn a big payday in free agency had his back not caused him to miss 10 games. Now, he's likely to be moreopen to a shorter-term contract with the Steelers before he would become an unrestricted free agent Feb. 27. The contract length of two or three years would contain a signing bonus but also lean more heavily on incentives, if he accepts one from them.

Smith is a good left tackle when healthy, and there's no reason to believe that this back surgery was anything but helpful. Good left tackles are hard to find. The Steelers will draft late in the first round, and immediate starting left tackles rarely are found there.

Max Starks also remains a possibility, and he, too, can become an unrestricted free agent Feb. 27. But if they can sign Starksand Smith to reasonable contracts, they could move Willie Colon to guard next season, put Starks back at right tackle and perhaps start repairing their line.

Good left tackles don't come cheaply. It would cost the Steelers much more to try to sign impending free-agent left tackles such as Khalif Barnes, Jordan Gross or Tra Thomas than they should be able to pay their own man, Smith, rated second among all possible unrestricted free-agent tackles except Gross by scout.com. Starks ranks 10th, although he's improved his lot over the past 10 weeks while playing for Smith.

This season's not over yet, but about 2009 ...

Here's some good news for the '09 Steelers: Their schedule won't be the toughest next season, although perhaps that's not as important as it seemed at the start of 2008.

The Steelers had the toughest schedule this season, based on opponent records from 2007. Next season, they and the rest of the AFC North will play the AFC West, the weakest division in the conference. San Diego will win that division with an 8-8

Page 1 of 2Bouchette on the Steelers: Good left tackles are hard to come by (not to mention expensive)


record if it beats Denver today. Others in that division are Kansas City (2-13) and Oakland (4-11).

But no team drags down their opponents' winning percentage like the Detroit Lions, who can become the NFL's first 0-16 team today. Possible Thanksgiving Day Alert: The Steelers play at the Lions next season.

They play four playoff teams from this season, five if Baltimore makes it. This season, they had eight playoff teams from '07on their schedule, not including the Cleveland Browns, who went 10-6.

The Browns, though, are yet another example of why the degree of difficulty of schedule cannot be determined based on the previous season's results. So, too, is Baltimore, which was 5-11 last season, and Jacksonville, which is 5-10 after going 11-5 and making it to the second round of the playoffs last season.

The Steelers' 2009 opponents' are known except for one team -- they will visit whoever wins the AFC East, which means yet another game at New England is possible.

The rest of their schedule:

Home -- AFC North, Oakland, San Diego, Green Bay, Minnesota, Tennessee. Away -- AFC North, Denver, Kansas City, Chicago, Detroit, AFC East champ.

The two sides of a meaningless game

The debate to play 'em or sit 'em heated up the past week because of Mike Tomlin's decision to treat the game today against the Cleveland Browns as if it meant something.

Both sides make good points. I'm generally on the side of resting key players. I would not, for example, play Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker, James Harrison, Casey Hampton, Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel or Heath Miller. I would rest them mainly to allow whatever ails them to heal another two weeks, and also because I don't think any of those players would be affected negatively by not playing today.

I also can understand what Tomlin is doing. The last thing he wants is to finish with two losses. Winning and losing tend to feed off each other. It has nothing to do with momentum entering the playoffs because there is no momentum at the beginning of a season and the Steelers played one of their best games in the opener -- after most starters played little in the final preseason game.

Last season, some starters were rested in Baltimore, and the Steelers lost what was described as a meaningless game. Then, they then lost to Jacksonville in their playoff game, and no one let them forget that they lost four of their final five games, and we did not mention one of them was "meaningless.''

So the Steelers will try to avoid losing two games in a row at the end of the season, and, if anyone gets hurt in the process, that's football.

Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected].



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Page 2 of 2Bouchette on the Steelers: Good left tackles are hard to come by (not to mention expensive)



Game 16 Matchup: Steelers vs. BrownsGerry Dulac breaks down game No. 112 in The Turnpike Rivalry Sunday, December 28, 2008 By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Steelers MVP James Harrison takes on Steve Heiden in this season't first game vs. Cleveland.

Game plan

When Steelers have the ball: If the team would like to start correcting some of the problems in the running game, now is the time. Willie Parker has just 101 yards on 44 carries in his past three games, which is 4 yards fewer than he had in the first meeting vs. the Browns. One of the biggest reasons for the Browns' poor defense, which ranks 29th against the run, 13th against the pass, is their horrid tackling, particularly their cornerbacks, Brandon McDonald and Eric Wright. The Browns, however, have 22 interceptions, second most in the AFC, led by McDonald (5). NT Shaun Rogers was deserving of a Pro Bowl bid, but his addition in the offseason did not make the defense better.

When Browns have the ball: The Browns have not scored an offensive touchdown since the first quarter of a Nov. 17 game in Buffalo -- a span of 23 quarters -- and have managed just 31 points the past five games. They are on to their fourth QB, Bruce Gradkowski, and also have been playing without tight ends Kellen Winslow Jr. and Steve Heiden. WR Braylon Edwards leads the team with 54 catches and 872 yards, but is good for several drops a game and takes off too many plays. The collapse of the passing game has led to failures in the running game, even though Jamal Lewis has started all 15 games and leads the team with 908 yards on 256 carries. LT Joe Thomas, a No. 1 pick last year, is headed to the Pro Bowl, but the Browns have been without RG Ryan Tucker for every game but one because of injuries and C Hank Fraley has been struggling.

Keep an eye on ...

KR/PR Josh Cribbs: He is the only player in NFL to lead his team in kick returns (25.8 average), punt returns (8.2) and special-teams tackles (25). Cribbs, of course, has been most dangerous against the Steelers as a kick returner, averaging 28.8 yards on 26 returns with one TD in six games against them. The Steelers rank No. 1 in the league in kick coverage, a drastic turnaround from last season when Cribbs was one of three players to have a kickoff return of 90 yards or longer against them. The longest return this season has been 44 yards by Ellis Hobbs.

Intangibles

One of the reasons coach Mike Tomlin wants to play his regulars and win the game is because the Steelers have a chance to finish with an unbeaten record in the division, something they haven't managed since 2002. The Steelers also are tied with three other teams for the best conference record (9-2) in the league and have won the past 10 meetings with Cleveland. Browns coach Romeo Crennel is the only coach in franchise history never to beat the Steelers (0-7).

Keys to victory

Data

Game: Steelers (11-4) vs. Cleveland Browns (4-11).

When: 1 p.m.

Where: Heinz Field.

TV: KDKA.

Radio: WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970) and Steelers Radio Network.

Page 1 of 2Game 16 Matchup: Steelers vs. Browns


To win, the Browns must ...

1. Not be so offensive. New England scored as many points in the first half vs. Arizona last week as the Browns have in thepast 20 quarters.

2. Not let Hines shine. Ward comes off consecutive 100-yard games and needs 27 for his fourth 1,000-yard season.

3. Have dibs on Cribbs. Kick returns and interception returns appear to be the only way the Browns can muster some points.

To win, the Steelers must ...

1. Turn loose on Bruce. Gradkowski makes first Browns start vs. a defense that should be honked after allowing a bunch ofseason-highs in Tennessee.

2. Get' em all on Jamal. Anybody noticing a few cracks in the run defense after three teams have rushed for more than 100 yards in past four games?

3. Have Wright guess wrong. Roethlisberger has not backed off attacking in the secondary, throwing three TD passes to Santonio Holmes in past four games.

Gerry Dulac can be reached at [email protected].



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Page 2 of 2Game 16 Matchup: Steelers vs. Browns



Head to Head: In the middle of it allA closer look at the game within the game Sunday, December 28, 2008 By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steelers C Justin Hartwig, left, vs. Browns NT Shaun Rogers

Looking for that edge to overtake the Steelers after finally catching them in the standings, the Cleveland Browns went out in the offseason and acquired a pair of mammoth defensive linemen who, once and for all, were going to stop them from being gouged by Willie Parker.

They traded one of their top cornerbacks to get nose tackle Shaun Rogers from Detroit and a second-round pick to pry defensive tackle Corey Williams from Green Bay. At 6-foot-4, 320 pounds, Williams was the smaller of the two.

But, in a season when the Browns were hoping the regular-season finale today in Heinz Field would mean something significant, they made another miscalculation. Even though Rogers and Williams have started every game this season, their run defense is actually worse than it was a year ago.

After finishing 27th in rush defense in the NFL last season, allowing an average of 129.5 yards rushing per game, the Browns rank 29th in the league against the rush heading to Heinz Field. Their per-game average of 150.3 yards allowed is nearly 21 yards more per game than last season.

Despite the statistical disparity, Rogers has made a difference in the middle of the Browns' 3-4 defense, giving them a playerwho causes offensive coordinators to game-plan for him and opposing centers such as Justin Hartwig to be wary of his awesome ability. Rogers was selected to the Pro Bowl, and, according to his former college teammate, Casey Hampton, he deserved it.

"He's the type of guy no one wants to play," Hampton said. "You can't believe how athletic he is. When he wants to go, you can't block him. I don't care who it is. Not one of our linemen can block him by himself, there's no question about that."

Hartwig thinks Rogers, 6-4, 350, is the best defensive linemen he has faced this season. And he has lined against other past and present Pro Bowlers such as New England's Vince Wilfork, Dallas' Jay Ratliff and Minnesota's Kevin Williams.

"Shaun is a really massive guy," Hartwig. "He's tall and wide. He's definitely the total package."

The Steelers rushed for 117 yards in the first meeting in Week 2, one of just seven games this season in which they have managed to rush for over 100 yards. What's more, Parker had one of his three 100-yard games in that meeting, gaining 105 yards on 28 carries.

Parker doesn't have that many yards in his past three games combined (101 on 44 carries), and the Steelers have averaged just 77.3 yards rushing in that span. Against the Tennessee Titans, Parker had six carries in which he lost yardage and three more in which he gained no yards.

But there might be some hope.

Cincinnati's Cedric Benson rushed for a career-high 171 yards against the Browns in a 14-0 shutout victory last week. Chris Johnson (136) and LenDale White combined for 235 yards against them three weeks ago.

Page 1 of 2Head to Head: In the middle of it all


"I am concerned about it," coach Mike Tomlin said of his running game. "My concern is solely based upon one thing, and that is winning. I think that with an effective running game, it increases our chances of winning. Therein lies my concern; do we need to get hot in the running game? Absolutely. We need to get hot as a football team in general if we are going to march forward into January football. To me, that is what it is about."

Gerry Dulac can be reached at [email protected].



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Page 2 of 2Head to Head: In the middle of it all


Steelers' season has plenty of ups, downs By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, December 28, 2008

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is approaching today's regular-season finale against the Browns as if it is anything but an exhibition contest.

All of the key starters that are healthy will play in the 1 p.m. game at Heinz Field as the Steelers try to finish on a winning note and take momentum into the playoffs.

The Steelers have already wrapped up the AFC North title as well as the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. If that doesn't diminish the importance of today's game for the Steelers it almost certainly does for the fans.

With the Steelers (11-4) looking ahead to the playoffs after today, here is a look back at the season and how it has unfolded.

OFFENSIVE MVP: HINES WARD

So much for talk that Santonio Holmes would supplant Ward as the No. 1 option in the passing game. The 10th-year veteran is closing in on his first 1,000-yard receiving season — he has 973 — since 2004 and few if any receivers in the NFL work the middle of the field better than Ward.

He is also without peer as a blocker as Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers, among others, can attest.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger merits consideration but he has been too turnover-prone in Steelers losses this season, and his touchdown to interception ratio is a pedestrian 17/14.

DEFENSIVE MVP: JAMES HARRISON

The former undrafted free agent has already set a Steelers single-season with 16 sacks, eclipsing the mark Mike Merriweather set in 1984. Harrison has also forced seven fumbles, and he kept the Steelers in the Chargers game last month with a sack that resulted in a safety and an interception return that set up a field goal.

Harrison, who was named the Steelers' MVP last week, plays special teams and there is not much he does not do well this side of long snapping. He has been the best player on the No. 1 defense in the NFL.

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UNSUNG PLAYER: MEWELDE MOORE

His signing last March slipped under the radar but Moore has been one of the top free agent acquisitions in the NFL. He kept the running game afloat when starting running back Willie Parker was sidelined with knee and shoulder injuries, and he has arguably been more effective in the Steelers' offense than Parker.

Moore is averaging 4.2 yards per carry — the Steelers are averaging 3.6 yards per carry — and his six touchdowns are second only to Ward.

Special-teams aces Anthony Madison and Keyaron Fox also warrant mention as they have stabilized the kick coverage units that were veritable disasters last season.

BIGGEST WIN: STEELERS 13, RAVENS 9

The Steelers had not beaten the Ravens on the road since 2002. They looked like they were headed to another loss in Baltimore two weeks ago when Roethlisberger and the offense trotted onto the field with three minutes and 36 seconds left in the game.

Twelve plays and 92 yards later the Steelers had scored the only touchdown in the hard-hitting game, and they needed less than three minutes to essentially go the length of the field against a defense that is widely considered on par with their own.

The win clinched the AFC North title for the Steelers and assured them of at least the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs as well as a first-round bye. It also marked the third time during a five-week span that the Steelers had rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit.

WORST LOSS: TITANS 31, STEELERS 14

A Roethlisberger fumble on the Titans' 1-yard line in the first quarter portended the kind of game it would be for the Steelers with pole position in the AFC playoffs on the line.

Roethlisberger committed four turnovers, overshadowing the season-high 331 passing yards he produced. The defense looked surprisingly vulnerable as the Steelers lost for the eighth time in nine road games against the Titans.

Several Titans players stomped on a Terrible Towel near the end of Tennessee's win but that did not bother the Steelers nearly as much as the way they played in the game between the AFC's top two teams.

They could get a chance to redeem themselves.

Wins by the Steelers and Titans in the second round of the playoffs — both teams have first-round byes — sets up a rematch at LP Field in the AFC



Championship game.

MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE: DEPTH

The Steelers have bought into Tomlin's concept that players fall into two categories: starters and starters in waiting. And the supporting cast has loomed as large as the stars in the Steelers successfully navigating the toughest schedule in the NFL.

What is remarkable about the Steelers' ability to weather a rash of injuries is they have gotten virtually nothing from their 2008 draft class.

First-round pick Rashard Mendenhall went down in September with a season-ending shoulder injury and second-round pick Limas Sweed has caught six passes for 64 yards. Third-round pick Bruce Davis has played in five games and his next tackle will be his first one while fourth-round pick Tony Hills has yet to suit up for a game.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: RUNNING GAME

The Steelers are 24th in the NFL in rushing (100.9 yards per game) and they haven't been able to establish any consistency or an identity in this phase of the game.

Their ground game hasn't been in this much disrepair since 2003 — the Steelers averaged less than 100 rushing yards per game — and there are plenty of reasons why.

The offensive line has been anything but overpowering, Parker has been plagued by injuries and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians seems to have an aversion to using a fullback.

The timing of Parker's recent criticism of the approach the Steelers have taken to running the ball was off but his point may well have been on the mark.

BIGGEST PLAY: CORNERBACK DESHEA TOWNSEND'S INTERCEPTION RETURN FOR A TOUCHDOWN

The one-handed scoop of an interception Troy Polamalu made against the San Diego Chargers is one of the plays of the year in the NFL.

The only think it lacked was the impact of Townsend's 25-yard interception return against the Dallas Cowboys.

Townsend's touchdown capped the Steelers' comeback from a 13-3 fourth-quarter deficit. It was set up by the enormous faith Tomlin has in his defense.

After the Steelers tied the game at 13-13 late in the fourth quarter, they used a timeout on the Cowboys' ensuing possession to preserve time on the clock.



Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo didn't hide his surprise at the Steelers' strategy. He didn't do any better disguising his intentions on the next play as he threw a pass right to Townsend, whose interception and return delivered the most improbable victory of the season.

QUOTABLES

"It's just loses so much of its essence when it becomes like a pansy game. When you see guys like Dick Butkus and these really raw, old-school, pound-it-out type of players, they could never survive in a game like this. They wouldn't have enough money. They'd be paying fines all the time and they'd be suspended for a year after they do it two games in a row. It's kind of ridiculous." — Strong safety Troy Polamalu on the NFL levying fines in the name of player safety.

"The issue for us has been, is and hopefully will continue to be winning. That's my interpretation of Steelers football. Every morning I came to work I walk past five Lombardis (trophies), not five rushing titles." — Coach Mike Tomlin in response to comments by Parker about the Steelers' approach to running the football.

BY THE NUMBERS

Here is a look at the season the Steelers have had with only game left in it.

1 — Steelers' NFL rank in passing defense and total defense.

2 — 100-yard rushing games by running back Willie Parker this season.

3 — Steelers that made the Pro Bowl.

4 — Misses by kicker Jeff Reed in 30 field-goal attempts.

5 — Games that the Steelers won this season in which they either trailed or were tied in the fourth quarter.

6 — Games in which outside linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley each had at least one sack.

7 — Combined interceptions quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has thrown in both of the Steelers' losses at Heinz Field.

8 — Games (out of nine) the Steelers have won in which they have scored at least 20 points.

9 — Sacks the Steelers gave up in a 15-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

10 — Steelers that have at least 50 tackles this season.

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



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Steelers matchup: Week 17 By Mike Prisuta TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, December 28, 2008

STEELERS' DEFENSE

Having nothing at stake could cause the Steelers to ease up on the defensive pedal, playing starters sporadically and gearing up for the playoffs. Whether it's James Farrior, Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith, or Lawrence Timmons, Tyrone Carter and Travis Kirschke, the Steelers have enough defensive weaponry to cause havoc for any quarterback, let alone one learning a new system. Pride also is a factor, and the Steelers could be motivated to finish the year with the best pass defense in the NFL.

BROWNS QUARTERBACK BRUCE GRADKOWSKI

One month ago, Gradkowski was out of work. Thanks to a series of injuries, he has latched on with the Browns and is getting a chance to start the season finale. After being released by Tampa Bay and St. Louis this season, it will be Gradkowski's first NFL start since 2006. It also coincides with his return to Pittsburgh, where he starred at Seton-La Salle High School. Gradkowski was 3-8 as a rookie in Tampa Bay, but he threw only one interception in his first 150 attempts.

ADVANTAGE: STEELERS

Gradkowski faces a Herculean task, one that's not confined to the Steelers' top-ranked defense. He's being asked to run a Browns offense that hasn't scored a touchdown in five games. Sure, Gradkowski is getting a chance to impress scouts and play for a job next season, which could give him extra motivation to succeed. But the deck is stacked against him. Look for the Steelers to extend their winning streak over the Browns to 11 games.

LAST WEEK

Bo Scaife and Alge Crumpler didn't make a difference in the passing game, combining for seven catches for 56 yards. But Tennessee uses them to block in two-tight end formations, and that could help explain why the Titans rushed for 117 yards, including touchdowns by Chris Johnson and LenDale White. EDGE: Titans

Mike Prisuta can be reached at [email protected] or 412-320-7923.

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Beaver Falls native nearly scored Greatest NFL touchdown By Mike Bires, Times Sports Staff

Fifty years ago today, a Beaver Falls football legend was almost the hero in The Greatest Game Ever Played. But, to this day, Jim Mutscheller doesn’t regret coming up just 1 yard short of NFL history. “The most satisfying play of my career was the block I made on the next play,” he said.

When Baltimore Colts fullback Alan Amache ran into the end zone for a 1-yard game-winning touchdown, he did so through a gaping hole created by the right side of the Colts’ offensive line. There’s a classic black-and-white photo (above) showing Ameche scoring while flanked by two teammates who cleared a path for him. Running back Lenny Moore took out New York Giants defensive back Emlen Tunnel. Mutscheller, the Colts’ tight end, blocked down on linebacker Cliff Livingston. Ameche’s third-down TD run gave the Colts a dramatic 23-17 overtime win at Yankee Stadium. But one play earlier, it was Mutscheller who came close to scoring and ending the 1958 NFL Championship Game. On second-and-goal from the 7-yard line, Mutscheller gained 6 yards after catching a pass from quarterback Johnny Unitas. “I almost got in,” Mutscheller said. “But that’s OK. We scored on the next play and won the championship.” Today as the NFL celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Greatest Game, Mutscheller will be at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. Before the Ravens face Jacksonville, members of the Colts’ 1958 championship team will be honored. Among the honorees will be Mutscheller, a 1948 graduate of Beaver Falls High School. “People call that The Greatest Game Ever Played. But at the time, none of us thought of it like that,” said Mutscheller, who’s 78 and still works as an insurance agent in Baltimore. “We just knew that we had won the NFL championship. Baltimore had been somewhat of a doormat in the league up until that point. So, we were happy for the football fans in Baltimore. “As it turns out, that game did mean a lot for the NFL. It was the league’s first sudden-death game. And it kind of kicked off the NFL’s TV era. After that game, the NFL just got bigger and bigger.” Mutscheller, who played on Notre Dame’s national championship in 1949, spent eight seasons in the NFL (1954-61). His pro career was abbreviated when he spent two years with the U.S. Marines (1952-53).

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During his career, Mutscheller caught 200 passes for 3,684 yards and 40 TDs. His best season was in 1957 when he made the Pro Bowl after catching 32 passes and leading the league with eight TD catches. Mutscheller also helped the Colts win the 1959 NFL Championship with a 31-16 rout of the Giants at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. But that historic 1958 season was the one he’s most fond of. During the regular season when the Colts won the Eastern Division title with a 9-3 record, Mutscheller caught 28 passes for 504 yards and seven TDs. When asked how he’d grade himself in “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” he said, “I did all right. I think I had two or three catches.” Actually, on a day in which Unitas completed 26 of 40 passes for 361 yards, Mutscheller caught four passes for 63 yards. None, as it turned out, more important than the last one.


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Sunday DECEMBER 28, 2008 :: Last modified: Sunday, December 28, 2008 12:09 AM EST

Column: Parker needs a good game today By Mike Bires, Times Sports Staff

PITTSBURGH — It is noble of Mike Tomlin to say “we’re playing this week.” He’ll start all his healthy first-stringers, and rightfully so. But he’s not kidding anyone. He’s not going to be foolish enough to subject his stars to 60 minutes of football in a meaningless game against the Cleveland Browns.

I know. We have to be careful about using that word “meaningless.” Just because the Steelers (11-4) have already wrapped up the AFC’s No. 2 seed and the rewards that come with it, there are a few things the Steelers want to accomplish against the hapless Brownies (4-11). High on their to-do list is re-energizing Willie Parker. He’s so frustrated right now. In the span of one year, he’s suffered through a broken leg, a sprained knee and a bruised shoulder. He’s missed seven of the last 17 games. His streak of three straight 1,000-yard seasons and two straight trips to the Pro Bowl are over. Parker doesn’t need to rush for 100 yards today. He doesn’t need 20-plus carries. All he needs is a few significant runs to put that smile back on his face. Likewise, that’s what the Steelers as a team need. Not that they’re in any danger of losing to the Browns regardless of long Parker or Ben Roethlisberger or Hines Ward play. But they want to regenerate momentum they lost last week in Tennessee. Feeling good about themselves heading into their bye week doesn’t ensure success for the rest of the playoffs, but it doesn’t hurt. Regaining their mojo today shouldn’t be a problem. The Browns are in such disarray. Their coach is about to get fired. In their last six games, they’ll have started four different quarterbacks. They haven’t scored an offensive touchdown since Nov. 17. Two weeks ago, injured quarterback Brady Quinn and defensive end Shaun Smith got into a fight inside the team’s weight room. After an exchange of words, Smith reportedly sucker-punched Quinn. Don’t be surprised if the Browns can’t even score against the defensive-minded Steelers. In the past few days when asked repeatedly if he’d rest any high-profile starters as many NFL teams do in such “meaningless” games, Tomlin repeatedly answered, “We’re playing.” Yes, the Steelers are playing. But that includes the likes of Bryon Leftwich, Gary Russell, Limas Sweed and Andre Frazier. Backups figure to get plenty of playing time, too. Mike Bires can be reached online at [email protected]

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No rest for these talented Steelers After laying an egg last week at Tennessee, the Steelers get one last test before the playoffs.

By all accounts, they plan to take it.

With nothing to play for in the playoff seeding process, the Steelers are expected to rest players.

Head coach Mike Tomlin is not thinking thay way.

Coming off the stinker against the Titans, Tomlin wants the Steelers to go into the playoffs on a high note. That means beating up the Browns today.

The Steelers are 11-point favorites. Considering Cleveland hasn't scored a touchdown in five games so Pittsburgh doesn't have to score much more than 11 points to cover.

Tomlin wants to get the Steelers' running game going and this is a great week to do it.

Will it mean anything in the playoffs? Who knows?

But that's the plan.

Take the Steelers, 27-6, as the Pick of the Week

Miami (plus 3)

at N.Y. Jets

It's simple for the Dolphins: win and they're the AFC East champs.

If New England wins its 1 p.m. game against Buffalo, the Jets' fate will be sealed by the 4 p.m. kickoff against Miami.

Take the Dolphins, 24-20

Denver (plus 81/2)

at San Diego

One month ago, no one would have thought the Chargers would have a shot to win the AFC West today, but the Broncos have choked.

Ed Hochuli is saved.

Take San Diego, 34-24

Detroit (plus 9)

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at Green Bay

Will the Lions show up for their shot at avoiding 0-16?

Will it matter, considering they haven't won in Green Bay since Bill Clinton's first term as presoident?

Take Green Bay, 30-10

Dallas (plus 11/2)

at Philadelphia

Philadelphia can knock the Cowboys out of the playoffs with a win.

That will provide plenty of motivation.

Take Philadelphia, 27-24

N.Y. Giants (plus 61/2)

at Minnesota

The Giants have nothing to play for and the Vikings need a win to clinch the NFC North.

Take Minnesota, 24-10

Chicago (plus 11/2)

at Houston

The Bears need to beat Houston and the Vikings to lose if they want to win the NFC North.

Neither will happen.

Take Houston, 24-17

Tennessee (minus 3)

at Indianapolis

Neither team can improve their playoff positions.

That leaves Jim Sorgi against Vince Young in a battle of backups.

Take Tennessee, 23-17

N. England (minus 61/2) at Buffalo

The Patriots need to win and hope the Jets can knock off the Dolphins or Baltimore loses to



Jacksonville.

New England will get to 11-5 and not make the playoffs.

Take New England, 27-17

Carolina (minus 3)

at New Orleans

The NFC South is winless on the road against each other this season. Carolina will change that.

Take Carolina, 31-27

St. Louis (plus 15)

at Atlanta

The Falcons will have not trouble with the Rams.

Take Atlanta, 30-10

Jacksonville (plus 121/2)

at Baltimore

The Ravens clinch a playoff spot with a win. Jacksonville finishes a disappointing year.

Take Baltimore, 27-13

Oakland (plus 13)

at Tampa Bay

The Bucs' stumbles down the stretch will cost them a playoff berth. Oakland can only dream of being that close.

Take Tampa, 24-10

Seattle (plus 6)

at Arizona

The Cardinals want to go into the playoffs on a high note.

They get their chance.

Take Arizona, 34-20



Washington (plus 3)

at San Francisco

The 49ers want to give Mike Singletary a win to lock up his job for next season. Washington's last stand was last week against the Eagles.

Take San Francisco, 20-10

Kansas City (plus 3)

at Cincinnati

Wow, talk about the Disappointment Bowl. It doesn't get much uglier than this.

Take Cincinnati, 17-10

Last week: 5-9, hit the pick of the week

Overall: 116-109-5, 9-7 in Pick of the Week

F. Dale Lolley can be reached at [email protected]

Copyright Observer Publishing Co.



Steelers, Browns search for incentive By F. Dale Lolley, Staff writer

[email protected]

PITTSBURGH - When the NFL schedule for this year was released, the regular-season finale between the Steelers and Cleveland Browns was circled by fans in both cities as a huge game, one that would likely be played with the AFC North championship on the line.

And why not?

The Steelers and Browns each had a 10-6 record in 2007, with the Steelers winning the AFC North on the strength of their sweep of the season series with the Browns.

The Steelers held up their end of the bargain this season, going 11-4. The Browns, however, stumbled out of the gate and never recovered as injuries and ineffectiveness have led to a 4-11 record that has Cleveland again in line for a high draft pick and possibly a new head coach.

Even the Steelers are a little shocked.

"Coming off a 10-6 season and considering the guys they added in the offseason, it's crazy," said Steelers defensive lineman Orpheus Roye, who was with the Browns from 2000 through 2007 before coming to Pittsburgh as a backup.

"They had the potential to be good. A lot of teams were beginning to respect them as a team look out for. Somehow it didn't unfold that way because of a couple of injuries here and there. It's a big shocker because that was a team everybody talked about in the offseason."

With the additions of lineman Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers on defense, and wide receiver Donte Stallworth, the Browns were supposed to unseat the Steelers in the AFC North.

But when the Browns play the Steelers today, they'll do so with their fourth starting quarterback of the season, Bruce Gradkowski will be making his first start. Derek Anderson opened the season as the starter but was ineffective and replaced by Brady Quinn at midseason. Quinn, Anderson and Ken Dorsey have been injured since then, leaving the Gradkowski, a Pittsburgh native who was signed Dec. 2, to pick up the pieces.

Gradkowski, who starred at Seton-La Salle High School, knows how important this game is to Cleveland despite its lackluster season.

"Anytime we play the Steelers it's a rivalry, it gets you up for the game no matter what both records are," Gradkowski said.

Despite having their playoff spot finalized, the Steelers plan on playing against the Browns as if everything was on the line. Of course, considering Cleveland hasn't scored an offensive touchdown in its past five games, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin could begin substituting freely if things get out of hand.

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But the Steelers don't expect that to happen.

"They're going to come ready to play their best game ever," said Steelers defensive lineman Nick Eason, who began his career with the Browns. "The coaches are putting it in their heads that it's a big game. They're going to come in here and try to win this football game. They're not coming in here with the mentality that they're going to lay down. I know that. I've been on the other side of that. I'm not falling for the 'Woe is me party.' No way."

Odds and end zones

Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel is 0-7 against the Steelers. ... Only free safety Ryan Clark (shoulder) has been ruled out for Pittsburgh. ... Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has won 11 consecutive games against division opponents, the most of any quarterback in the NFL.

Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

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12/28/2008

Steelers notebook By Jim Wexell , For the Herald-Standard

Reed, other teammates in reach of career milestones PITTSBURGH - Career milestones await a handful of Steelers, but none mean more than Jeff Reed's ascent up the franchise's all-time scoring list. With six more points, Reed will pass Roy Gerela and climb into second place on the all-time list behind Gary Anderson (1,343 points). Reed has 726 points. Reed can also become the franchise's most accurate kicker by converting two field goals today. A two-for-two day would give Reed a field goal percentage of .8274, nudging him past Norm Johnson (.8268) at the top of the all-time list. "Just to pass some of the people I've passed is crazy in itself," Reed said. "I know I did score the points to get past them, but those are legends. I'm not a legend by any means. I haven't made a Pro Bowl. I really haven't done anything. I've been consistent, which is important, but to be up there on that list with those names is unreal to me." Does Reed know about the accuracy record? "No, and I don't even want to know," he said. "The weather we play in, you never know. Last year I was 22 of 24 and then made one in the playoffs, but two or three of those were one slip away from me being 75 percent. "I look at stats, but basically stats at this point don't matter. I have to move forward. My next kick's the important one." Reed's made 26 of 30 field goals this season. He missed a 33-yarder last week that would've tied the game at halftime. "Last week was probably the most unlucky kick I've ever kicked," he said. "I hit it perfect, exactly where I aimed, and the wind was going right when I approached the ball, and the gusts went left. It happens. At this point, I'm around 86 percent. I wanted to finish the season over 80 percent. Where I'm at right now I thought I could've reached 90 percent. That's what frustrated me because I set goals before we started playing these 16 games. Yeah, I think I'm going to reach those, but at the same time I wanted 10 touchbacks; I got seven. This time of year it's not easy to get one. "I think I had a really good season, but it all culminates in the playoffs. Those are big kicks." OTHER MILESTONES Hines Ward has 75 receptions for 973 yards, so he's close to his first 80-catch and/or 1,000-yard season since 2004. Ben Roethlisberger has defeated 11 consecutive division opponents. It's the longest such streak since Peyton Manning beat 12 consecutive division opponents from 2004 to 2006. The Steelers can become the first defense since the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles to lead the league in overall (1st), rushing (2nd) and passing (1st) defense. The Minnesota Vikings have allowed 83 fewer rushing yards than the Steelers. The Vikings finish the season against the New York Giants. With an interception, Troy Polamalu can become the first Steeler since Rod Woodson in 1993 to intercept eight passes in a season. MARVEL WON'T QUIT Marvel Smith had to squat instead of bend to pick up a dropped pencil, but the offensive tackle who was just placed on IR after missing 10 games with a back injury has plans to return to the game, even though his contract expires after the season. "No doubt about it," said the 30-year-old. "I can still play the game at a high level. Once I get my body back, I'll be able to do that." Has he thought about where he's going to play? "Not really," he said. "Pittsburgh's been good to me my whole career. I couldn't ask for anything more. If I can stay here, I'd definitely like to take a look at that."

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Has he thought about moving back to Arizona, where he played college football? "That's where everything began for me, football-wise," he said. "But I haven't given it too much thought. Well, I have, but it's a waste of time until I get healthy. If I can't do that, none of that stuff matters." Smith, of course, will miss today's game. Ryan Clark (shoulder) is the only starter ruled out of the game. James Harrison (hip) is listed as questionable. CAPIZZI RETURNS Last season, the Steelers picked Jason Capizzi up from the Kansas City roster before their playoff game. He injured his foot at camp, was released with an injury settlement, and picked up by the St. Louis Rams, where he languished on the practice squad this season. But the Steelers picked up the giant offensive tackle back this week for their active roster. "They actually called me a couple weeks ago," said Capizzi, a Pine-Richland High graduate who played collegiately at IUP. "They said they were going to do it, but were unsure. I went through a couple more weeks on the practice squad and thought sooner or later something had to happen, and it did." Last year, the Chiefs were upset by Capizzi's decision. The Rams, though, understood. "They said they would've activated me for this week, but they couldn't match the playoff checks," Capizzi said. "I feel bad because Coach Haz (Jim Haslett) gave me an opportunity out there. He's an IUP guy; I'm an IUP guy. But you've got to do what you've got to do. It's a business." Capizzi believes he has a better chance to play for the Steelers next season rather than the Rams. "Plus," he said. "I think we're going to make a run at the Super Bowl."

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December 28, 2008

Football Family: Chris Snee’s Wife Is Tom Coughlin’s Daughter

By JOE LAPOINTE

Their second son, a 2-year-old named Cooper, wears a football helmet nearly everywhere. “You mention

football or the Giants, and he puts his hand up and does the No. 1 sign,” his mother said. “He’s got football in

his blood.”

Her choice of words was not just figurative. The mother is Kate Snee, and the father is Chris Snee, the Giants

guard selected to start in the Pro Bowl. And Cooper Snee’s grandfather — Kate Snee’s dad — is Tom

Coughlin, the Giants’ coach.

So it is reasonable to wonder if Cooper and his 5-year-old brother, Dylan, will be encouraged to follow in the

family’s football footsteps.

“I told Chris I’m not a big fan of that, at least not until they are older,” Kate Snee said. “But it will be hard to

tell them that they can’t. Chris didn’t play football until he was in high school. I like that idea.”

Her husband agreed, but he added, “That will be a decision we’ll have to face when the time comes.”

For now, their boys are merely fans of the Giants (12-3), who conclude their regular season on Sunday at

Minnesota (9-6) and then have a week off before defending their Super Bowl title in the National Football

Conference playoffs.

The Snee-Coughlin family circumstances are unusual for sports, and the success of the father and his son-in-

law on the same team is special. They are among the most accomplished performers in their profession.

Kate Snee discussed her role in all of this recently at a coffee shop in the North Jersey suburb of Franklin

Lakes. “I’m proud of both my husband and my dad,” she said.

She had just come from a nearby hospital, where she regularly visits children being treated for cancer. With

other Giants wives, she reads to the children, plays with them and gives them pictures of players. She helped

plan a Christmas party, too.

Such work is also part of her background. During summers while attending Boston College, she helped a

social worker at a hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., where her father was the first coach of the Jaguars at the

time. She majored in psychology and said she remained intrigued by the intersection of the mind and the

body in the healing arts.

Her husband, she said, enjoys staying home with the children, which may work out well if she pursues a

career. This is Chris Snee’s fifth N.F.L. season.

This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the "Reprints" tool that appears next to any article. Visit www.nytreprints.com for samples and additional information. Order a reprint of this article now.

Page 1 of 4A Family and a Team - Intertwined and Flourishing - NYTimes.com

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“It’s not a forever career,” Kate Snee said of football. “I’ll be young enough to do whatever I want to do when

the kids are a little older, when this crazy football is over.”

Life for Kate and Chris Snee, so comfortable now, could have been more difficult. Their first child was born

before they were married. And when the Giants drafted Chris in the second round in 2004, skeptics warned

of nepotism and locker-room intrigue.

Asked if her father had a hard time accepting Chris as first the father of their son and later as her husband,

she said, “I don’t know if the word is ‘hard.’ ” She added that she was always optimistic.

“Now,” she said of her father, “he couldn’t be happier.”

But her father could one day decide to cut her husband from the roster and put him out of work.

“I know that it’s a business,” she said. “It’s not just my dad saying, ‘Get rid of this guy’ or ‘Let’s cut this guy.’

There’s a whole group of people involved.”

It is not always easy for working relatives, especially when teams lose. In Detroit last week, after the Lions fell

to 0-15, the journalist Rob Parker of The Detroit News harshly questioned Coach Rod Marinelli about

nepotism. Marinelli’s son-in-law is the team’s defensive coordinator, Joe Barry.

Parker asked if Marinelli wished his daughter had married a better defensive coordinator. Parker later said

he was joking, but his words stung.

“Anytime you attack my daughter, I’ve got a problem with that,” Marinelli said, according to The Associated

Press. Parker later apologized, telling The A.P., “It was never my intent to hurt anyone.”

Ernie Accorsi, the former general manager of the Giants, said similar concerns were discussed before the

team drafted Snee. Coughlin was the new coach then.

“I went to Tom and I said: ‘Look, Tom, this is your call. This is a family situation, and we’re not drafting him

if you’re not comfortable with it,’ ” Accorsi said. “ ‘Whatever you say, we’ll do.’ ”

On draft day, Accorsi said he sat down next to Coughlin and said, “Tom, are you O.K. with this?’ And he said,

‘Yes, I am.’ And we picked him.”

Before the decision, Coughlin did not call his daughter or Chris.

“He called my mom first just to say, ‘This obviously is a rare, very rare, situation,’ ” Kate Snee said. “He asked

her: ‘Do you think this is the right thing to do? Do you think it’s going to work out?’ ”

Referring to how well the relationship between Snee and Coughlin has worked out, Accorsi said: “It’s

character. It’s the heart and soul of people, people with great strength. Tom is a great, great family guy.”

Accorsi said he once turned down the chance to hire his own son on his football staff “because it would be

hard for him to wonder whether he really earned it.” Accorsi said it was different for a player, who can prove

his worth on the field, though “still not easy.”



He said Snee and the Giants showed their business regard for one another when Snee signed a second

contract with them instead of opting for free agency. “He had a choice,” Accorsi said.

Perhaps Kate Snee did not feel like moving again. She grew up in several places, including Boston, where her

father coached Boston College long before Kate and Chris met there as students.

“When people ask me where I’m from, I have a hard time answering the question,” she said.

She is the youngest of four siblings and the only one to attend just one high school, in Jacksonville. She

played softball and basketball there. “I could shoot the 3,” she said of her career as a guard.

Her father attended her games but remained quiet in the stands. “Then, afterward, he would talk to me a

little bit and tell me some things,” she said.

At family gatherings, Kate and Chris said, the conversation steers clear of Giants topics. Kate said her father

in these circumstances was not the stern-faced man of the sideline.

“A different guy when he gets with his grandkids,” she said. “There’s nowhere he’d rather be. He’s on the

floor playing with them. He’s looking through books with them. He loves it. They call him Pop-Pop.”

Chris gave much credit to his mother-in-law, Judy, for the cohesive family life. “She’s wonderful,” he said.

Coughlin and his wife turned down a request through the team to be interviewed for this article. At the Super

Bowl last winter, Coughlin offered brief comments on the subject.

“We’re very proud that Chris Snee is a member of our family,” he said then. “He and my daughter, Katie, are

married with two outstanding young sons, and we enjoy them very, very much.”

Coughlin also said Giants teammates had razzed Snee, once after Coughlin corrected a mistake by calling him

“Son,” a term he used with other players. But Snee said he always called Coughlin “Coach” — never “Tom” or

“Dad.”

Snee, who turns 27 next month, is also a member of Coughlin’s leadership council, a collection of about a

dozen players who communicate with him for the larger group. “Whenever he says meet, we meet,” Snee said

recently.

He met his wife in a theater class when they were freshmen. Both recalled that Chris was quiet and she was

talkative. “It wasn’t like we fell in love at first sight,” she said. “It just kind of evolved.”

Both said they had friends outside of football. “It’s nice to have that balance,” she said. Many people in their

age group, she said, were still unmarried and renting apartments.

Snee said it was important to stay in touch with old friends not working in football. “It’s nice to get away and

talk different subjects and ask somebody how their work is going,” he said. “You can’t lose touch.”

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

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Sunday, December 28, 2008

Report: Browns may ask Crennel to take D-coordinator job

ESPN.com news services There may be silver linings available for Brown coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage after all.

Crennel, who has been on the chopping block with the Browns for several weeks, may get a chance to stay with the team as defensive coordinator, according to a report in The Plain Dealer of Cleveland.

And Savage was informed earlier this week he may not be part of the process in looking for a new Browns coach -- an indicator Savage is on thin ice, NFL sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

But if the Browns are unable to persuade former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, now a CBS NFL analyst, or convince Patriots vice president Scott Pioli to join the Browns, there is a chance Savage could be asked to remain as the Browns' general manager, the sources told Mortensen.

Crennel and Savage will likely be asked to resign from their current positions as early as Monday, the Cleveland newspaper reported.

But Crennel could be offered the defensive coordinator job if Pioli were hired as GM, The Plain Dealer reported.

"I'll sit back and look to see what my options are, what situations might arise and then make a decision," Crennel said Friday.

Information from ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen was used in this report.

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Page 1 of 1ESPN.com - Report: Browns may ask Crennel to take D-coordinator job

12/28/2008http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=3795786&type=story


Report: Rams players support Haslett

ESPN.com news services If it were up to some St. Louis Rams players, Jim Haslett would get the interim tag taken off his job title, according to a published report.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, citing unnamed team sources, reported Sunday that the Rams' players have drafted a petition to owner Chip Rosenbloom, asking him to keep Haslett as the team's coach.

"He knows what we need on this team," a veteran player, speaking anonymously, told the newspaper. "He knows the strengths and the weaknesses. He knows his players in and out. He's the right guy for the job."

Rams president John Shaw resigned after 29 years with the franchise and Billy Devaney was promoted to general manager Wednesday.

Devaney, who has 23 years of NFL scouting experience, will be responsible for all player personnel decisions, including the draft, free agent acquisitions, trades and other transactions. He'll also head the search for a new head coach after the season.

Haslett, 2-9 after replacing Scott Linehan following an 0-4 start, is among the candidates.

The newspaper reported that it's unknown when the petition will be delivered to Rosenbloom.

An unnamed Rams player said that it was important for the players to let Haslett know he had their support. Ultimately, however, the final decision rests with Rosenbloom.

"It's out of our hands. They don't pay us to make decisions on head coaches. But it's good for [Haslett] to know that we've got his back. All 53 players may not agree with it, but I think the vast majority wants this to happen," the anonymous player told the newspaper.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.



Page 1 of 1ESPN.com - Report: Rams players support Haslett



Davis skips trip to Tampa

ESPN.com news services For the first time since 1979, Al Davis won't be in the owner's box watching his Oakland Raiders play an NFL game.

Davis is heeding advice from his doctors and not making the round-trip flight to Tampa, Fla., allowing swelling in his right knee and ankle to recover. Davis had a brief hospital stay earlier this month following a fall.

"The doctors told him it's probably not the best thing to spend 10 or 12 hours in the air," Raiders executive John Herrera said, according to the Oakland Tribune.

Herrera said, to his recollection, it's the first Raiders game Davis has not attended since 1979 when he missed a game to be with his wife Carole, who was hospitalized following a heart attack. Davis joined the Raiders organization in 1963.

Herrera tried to emphasize, however, that Davis is feeling well.

"I can't emphasize this enough. He's feeling good. He wanted to make the trip and expected to make the trip, but the decision was made that it was not a good idea because of his knee and ankle," Herrera said, according to the newspaper. "He was a little ticked off that he didn't make the trip, but he knew he'd better listen to what the doctor said."



Page 1 of 1ESPN.com - Davis skips trip to Tampa


Saturday, December 27, 2008

Commish: '09 draftees won't face wage-scale overhaul By Chris Mortensen ESPN.com NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says fears of a looming rookie wage scale are unfounded and collegiate underclassmen should not be misled into thinking such a system will be in place by 2010 as they weigh their decisions to forgo their eligibility to enter the NFL next year.

"There will be no change in our current [rookie pool] system, at least until 2011," Goodell told ESPN on Saturday. "I've explained that to some college head coaches, athletic directors and league commissioners. Any underclassman who is hearing differently is probably hearing it from an agent or from another source who is misinformed."

Goodell met with approximately six commissioners from major conferences during the recent National Football Foundation meetings.

Goodell also has personally delivered his message to college coaches such as Florida's Urban Meyer and USC's Pete Carroll, both of whom have junior quarterbacks in Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez who are contemplating turning pro for the 2009 draft.

Two other highly touted underclassman quarterbacks, Georgia junior Matthew Stafford and Oklahoma redshirt sophomore/Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford, also are considering a move to the NFL.

"We talked about it, cleared the air and it was good to hear it straight from the commissioner," Carroll said Saturday. "That's a huge statement now that he's on the record. Obviously, I'm in total support of it and hopefully now a lot of good college kids getting bad information will be able to read it, see it, and trust it."

Said Meyer, "That's good, but it's something I'm not worrying about right now because we're getting ready to play [for the national championship] in two weeks. I'll deal with it after the game."

Underclassmen have until Jan. 15 to petition the NFL for draft eligibility. A player must be three years removed from high school to qualify and a record number of underclassmen have requested an evaluation from the league's designated advisory committee to acquire a projection on their draft status.

Any junior who decides to stay in school could next enter the draft in 2010, the last year of the current collective bargaining agreement between NFL owners and the NFL Players Association.

"We do expect change at some point after 2010 -- in order to shift more money to proven vets -- but it will not impact this year's eligible underclassmen that are scheduled to enter the 2010 draft after their senior seasons," Goodell said.


Roger Goodell acknowledges a modification to rookie wages in the NFL is likely, but not before 2011.

Page 1 of 2ESPN.com - Commish: '09 draftees won't face wage-scale overhaul


"In any case, we believe underclassmen should always stay in school and fulfill their eligibility. History shows that underclassmen that stay in school tend to do better as NFL players, especially quarterbacks --Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan, and Joe Flacco all played four years of college football. And, there is a long list of college players who came out early and did not do well in the NFL."

The commissioner acknowledged that "every case is different. Nobody knows the future but I'd point out that there are very few career-ending injuries in this era. The more exposure these players get from big-time college football, to display and refine their skills, is a significant benefit. And, really just their development as men and more exposure in their own college education is part of that maturity process that gives them a better chance for a longer, more productive career."

Goodell noted: "That's why we fought hard and won a legal battle on our policy in the Maurice Clarett case. A lot of people didn't think we'd win but the courts upheld our three-year eligibility rule and that was for the good of everybody."

Some agents believe that a rookie wage scale could be collectively bargained for 2010 in an extension of the current agreement once the NFLPA elects a new executive director in March. A search committee recently reduced its list of potential successors to Gene Upshaw, who died suddenly before the 2008 season, to seven candidates.

However, league sources who include owners and team executives say that owners have no desire to extend the current CBA by another year or two, even if the NFLPA offered a rookie wage scale to otherwise keep the current system in place with minor modifications.

As one source explained, the top rookie wages are a source of frustration for owners but it is not atop the list of primary issues that they want to solve with a new CBA. Consequently, the consensus is that the complexities and demands of both the owners and players union will not result in a new labor deal at least until 2011. Sources on both sides have speculated there could be an owners' lockout of the players in 2011 unless the CBA is radically altered.

One source said that even in the unlikelihood that a new labor agreement was reached in 2010, it is anticipated that any rookie wage scale would be deferred until 2011, at the earliest.

Goodell would not detail any specifics of such a concept, saying, "We have had no negotiations with the union yet on a new rookie wage scale."

"But," the commissioner added, "many veterans tell us the system needs to be modified. The current rookie pool system is designed to limit rookie pay but it does not work very well. Change is coming in this area. We do not know exactly when after 2010 or exactly what it will consist of, but we are committed to a change that will compensate top rookies very well but will make more money available to proven vets, including low-round draft choices and rookie free agents that outperform their contracts."

Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL analyst for ESPN.


Page 2 of 2ESPN.com - Commish: '09 draftees won't face wage-scale overhaul


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