Tomilin says previous matchups have no bearing on...

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Tomilin says previous matchups have no bearing on third Tuesday, January 13, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker are all smiles after a Parker touchdown that ensured that the Steelers would have a third game this season against their bitter rivals from Baltimore.

The legend has become so infamous that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin even gave it a nickname the other night: Hocus-pocus. As in, what do you mean a team can't beat another three times in one season?

"I personally don't subscribe to that hocus-pocus to be honest with you," Tomlin said.

It's a myth anyway; when a team has swept a division opponent in one season and then played it a third time in the postseason, it is more likely to win that third game. It has happened 18 times since the first time in 1982, and the 2-0 team won the next game in 11 of them.

That's why the Baltimore Ravens, 0-2 against the Steelers this season, are no more likely to win the AFC championship game at Heinz Field Sunday than a flipped coin will come up heads after it turned tails two consecutive times.

That's about the difference between these two AFC North Division foes, too, a flip of a coin.

"What happened in the other two games will have no bearing on the outcome of this game," Tomlin said. "The other two games were close; one went into overtime and the other one was low scoring. It doesn't mean that is going to be the case this week. We are going to prepare with respects to that; and understand that each individual performance stands on its own. We aren't buying into that."

Even their own more recent history shows they can sweep the same opponent three times in one season. They've done it against the Ravens' forefathers, the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers beat the Browns, then coached by the pre-genius Bill Belichick, twice in the 1994 regular season and then by 29-9 in the playoffs. They beat the "new" Browns three times in the 2002 season. Overall when the Steelers played a division opponent for the third time, they've gone 7-0 in the playoff game.

"Third time?" Hines Ward said, when asked about the myth. "It's tough beating a team three times."

No, it is not. What has really proven difficult for the Steelers is to beat the Baltimore Ravens at all. They won each of the two previous games by the thinnest of margins -- by three in overtime at Heinz Field and by four on a disputed touchdown pass with 43 seconds left in Baltimore.

The Steelers have a strange sort of respect and pride in the fact AFC North Division runner-up Baltimore made it to the AFC championship game with them.

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"We hate them on the field, no doubt about it," linebacker Larry Foote said. "But we give them the ultimate respect because they're a good opponent. They take us to the wire every game.

"Since I've been here, us two have dominated the division. We're represented well. We heard talk about the AFC South all year and here's two teams from the North representing the AFC."

Some Steelers will even admit to rooting for Baltimore against Tennessee Saturday, mostly so the AFC title game would be at Heinz Field rather than in Nashville, Tenn.

"It was kind of hard rooting for them," Foote said. "You feel awkward but overall I was rooting for them.

"I knew all year long we were the two best teams in the AFC, in my opinion, just watching all the other teams."

Each team won one Super Bowl this century, the Ravens' first as a franchise (even if the old Browns are included) after the 2000 season and the Steelers' fifth after 2005. In 2002, the Steelers beat the Ravens in a wild-card playoff game and then lost the following week at Tennessee. It's the only time the Ravens and Steelers met in the postseason.

"I'm kind of glad we get to play them in the AFC championship," safety Ryan Clark said, "because playing those guys early [in a playoff] might leave a few of you on the injured list. Those games we had between us and them have been very physical. I think it's going to be another physical game. I'm excited. Their whole persona is kind of in your face."

Clark said that extends to the Baltimore coaching staff.

"I was on the sideline and their coach kind of cussed me," Clark said of their past meeting Dec. 14.

Head coach John Harbaugh?

"Yep, ol' head ball coach," Clark replied.

"That's what their whole team does. They're a punch-in-your-mouth type of group, and we are a not-going-to-let-you-punch-us-in-the-mouth type of group."

Sunday, let the footballs, the myths and the fists fly.

Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected].

First published on January 13, 2009 at 12:00 am

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Here's one more: "Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, go Stillers"Tuesday, January 13, 2009 By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In a ritual that dates to the glory days, Steelers fans are making plans for home or tailgate parties, digging out tacky black and gold snack bowls and, in a modern twist, downloading updated versions of perennial Steelers fight songs.

Lots of NFL teams have chant-along songs played at games. But ever quirky and unique, Pittsburgh has more Steelers songs than Primanti's sandwiches have fries. Two or three are favorites routinely updated with the names of new team members. But each time the Steelers start into the post-season, musically inclined fans start cranking out new songs of support and finding new ways to connect with other fans.

Historically, the Steelers have made cameo appearances in mainstream country songs dating back to The Kendalls' "The Pittsburgh Stealers", about a cheating mill-worker couple stealing incidental contact on the split shift, and the flag-waving Charlie Daniels' hit, "In America."

But fan-written fight songs are in another league. None are distributed by record labels or officially sanctioned by the Steelers. A few are available for sale. But most Steelers songs are written and recorded by fans intending to share them for free with other fans.

This year's crop of musical support includes old favorites, new tunes and lots of words that rhyme with "Tomlin."

Roger Woods, a Richland real-estate investor, has been churning out updates of his popular chant "Here We Go" since 1994.

"It's more of a cheer than a song," he said. "It's a catchy, simple hook that everyone can sing."

One of the few Steelers songwriters who sells his work, Woods says by mid-season each year he has the production pipeline primed for a timely update. The master recording is tweaked with a few lyric changes to highlight new Steelers, and a CD replication company gets his project on the schedule in time to accommodate post-season rush orders from retailers including local Wal-Marts and Kmarts.

"From doing it all these years, I have an idea of how it works," he said. "During the regular season [demand] isn't that big. If they get in the playoffs it starts and if they win the championship it just explodes. This win [against San Diego] will generate a couple thousand sales. In the years they've gone to the Super Bowl, I've done more like 30,000 to 40,000."

Mr. Woods says in total, he's sold more than 100,000 copies of the song.

It's been 13 years since the guys from the Kardaz classic rock band threw together a parody of Ray Parker Jr.'s "Ghostbusters." In their version, the sing-along chant at the end of the line is "Go Steelers!"

"It occurred to us that some people in this generation might not know that tune," said the band's Dave Muehlbauer. "But then we thought, who cares? As long as they know when to say 'Go Steelers!' "

Kardaz has replicated their cheerleader success with "Mighty 'Guins," written in support of the Penguins, and the "Washington Wild Things Theme" for the Washington, Pa., minor league baseball team.

"I don't know if there's a sociological term for all these Steelers songs," said Mr. Muehlbauer, "but there's also the Andy Warhol Effect where everybody gets their 15 minutes of fame. But it could be something else. If one person does it, everybody wants to do it."

Bob Banerjee laughs about the dubious distinction awarded to his Corned Beef & Curry band in 2005 when Sports Illustrated dubbed their "Steelers Rock (Steelers Roll)" among the worst unsanctioned NFL fight songs.

"They picked on the fiddle," he said.

Mr. Banerjee said he's hurrying to update the song before Sunday, when the shelf life could end as abruptly as the Steeler's

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season.

Nashville country singer Dusty Drake is better know back home in Monaca as Dino Buffalini, former front man for the Pittsburgh country cover band Silverado. Mr. Drake moved South and changed his name a decade ago. He touched the country music charts a few years ago, but over the past few weeks he's had the top-requested song on Pittsburgh's Froggy radio stations with "The 12th Man," a tribute to Steelers fans worldwide. The song parody was co-written by Mr. Drake and Moon's Steve Yurjevich over the lyrics to Kevin Fowler's "The Lord Loves a Drinkin' Man," a hit for Mark Chesnutt.

"Unless you're a Steelers fan, you don't get it," said Mr. Drake. "This kind of passion for a sports team -- how do you put it into words? I live in Nashville now and there are thousands of Steelers fans down here and they're not all from Pittsburgh. There's just something about that team that brings it out."

Dozens of Steelers songs -- including "The Steelers Polka" by Jimmy Psihoulis, "Puhlahmahlu" by Mr. Devious and "All the Way This Year" by The Tailgators -- are available for download at www.steelersfever.com. Some are better than others, but all of them come with more in-your-face smashmouth passion than "The Baltimore Ravens Fight Song" ("Honor bound for the sky / Over Maryland we'll always soar").

John Hayes can be reached at 412-263-1991 or [email protected].



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Page 2 of 2Here's one more: "Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, go Stillers"


Tomlin stirs in unpredictability Tuesday, January 13, 2009 By Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Gene Collier

The Ravens absorbed a live, intensely personal demonstration of Steelers capabilities less than a month ago, in a game that produced one touchdown by both teams over 60 blunt-force minutes, but the Steelers team now on display in Baltimore's updated video library is something quite different.

It's not in combative attitude or competitive philosophy, but in something the Steelers came to in dispatching the white-hot San Diego Chargers from these AFC playoffs Sunday. Specifically, Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff reached another level of unpredictability. Whether that connotes an ascent or a descent doesn't much matter early in the week of the AFC championship game, but from one play to the next, there is very little about these Steelers that Baltimore can count on.

Ben Roethlisberger, for example, might punt.

With his left foot.

Because while he's right-handed, he's ambipuntrous.

Santonio Holmes, for another, might run back a punt 67 yards, or 61 more than the average Steelers return, then might not even appear on the field the next two times the opposing punter does.

Because he ran too far with the first one, I guess.

Tomlin said he felt as though San Diego punter Mike Scifres would punt for some distance, and indeed the one Holmes cashed in traveled 53 yards through the sky, but in explaining in the postgame his plan to turn Chargers strengths into evident weaknesses, the head coach deployed a memorable turn of phrase.

"We felt ??? if we hustled and got bodies on bodies, we would have some vertical grass with Santonio."

Wasn't it some of the ol' vertical grass that got Holmes kicked off the team for a week in October? He wasn't smoking dope in his SUV when Pittsburgh police stopped him in the lower Hill that day, but informed the authorities that he was a day earlier. The guy's just so helpful.

In addition to Holmes' special teams touchdown, the Steelers got three more 6s in the ground game Sunday, which is something the Ravens have not seen them do this season. In that Baltimore video archive, you've got to go back more than 10 quarters, to a Najeh Davenport dive Dec. 30, 2007, to find proof that the Steelers can get a rushing touchdown against theRavens.

Who would have predicted though, that the Steelers would run three, four, even six times in a row against the Chargers. That they would sting San Diego with something so elegantly simply as a quick pitch left to Willie Parker, who ran for a season-high 146 yards?

"We got back to where we're two-dimensional again," tackle Max Starks said as the Steelers reported for a new workweek yesterday. "We were more as a complete team than we were at midseason."

And at the same time, they were more capable of the unanticipated, and even of the inexplicable, which is not by itself a badthing.

Long snapper Jared Retkofsky, for still another example, might not snap long to punter Mitch Berger, but rather short to Ryan Clark, who lost 4 yards on a faked punt near midfield in the first half. The result was a shortened field for a Chargers offense that converted a field goal for its second lead of the game.

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"I was going to be aggressive," was Tomlin's position on that. "I want our football team to know that I have a great deal of belief in them, and that we are not going to play scared. We are going to play to win."

Tomlin's even got belief in Carey Davis, a sometimes fullback who got four touches in this playoff game and gained 7 yards. He caught a 6-yard pass on third-and-8, a 1-yard pass on third-and-2, a no-yard pass on second-and-8, and then, on fourth-and-1 from the San Diego 1, answered with a no-yard run when Tomlin should have run Jeff Reed out there to take a 24-10 lead.

Tomlin's aggression likely cost the Steelers six points, three after the punt fake and three via the eschewed field goal, but to his credit and that of offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, they were no more predictable as the game solidified. Up, 28-17, with 9:04 left, they threw deep to Nate Washington and an audacious out pattern to Hines Ward on a play that came within a pick six whisper. With three minutes left and the cushion stuffed to 35-17, they had backup bomber Byron Leftwich whip one mightily to Limas Sweed, who had the good manners to drop it.

In the previous game, the meaningless regular-season-ender against Cleveland, Tomlin coached it straight up, dismissing any suggestion of caution, much less experimentation. In his inaugural playoff victory, he faked punts, ran reverses and sent Sweed deep late, like it was August and he was trying to give some other staff something to worry about once the regular season starts.

He's now totally unpredictable and reliably effective, and those things are not necessarily unrelated.

Gene Collier can be reached at [email protected]. More articles by this author



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Roethlisberger's injury clarifiedSustained spinal cord concussion 2 weeks ago Tuesday, January 13, 2009 By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ben Roethlisberger used the word "scary" when he saw several of the Steelers team doctors hovering over him on the field and he couldn't feel them sticking a pin in his numb arms two weeks ago against the Cleveland Browns. And for good reason.

Roethlisberger suffered more than what was diagnosed as a concussion.

The Post-Gazette has learned that Roethlisberger actually sustained a spinal cord concussion after he was sandwiched on a hit by two Browns defenders and appeared to hit the back of his head on the Heinz Field surface -- the same type of injury that caused former quarterback Tommy Maddox to temporarily lose movement in his arms and legs in a 2002 game in Tennessee.

It was the reason the Steelers medical personnel removed Roethlisberger's facemask and had him placed on a spinal board when they carted him from the field. Roethlisberger was taken to Presbyterian Hospital, though he quickly regained the feeling in his arms and didn't even remain overnight for observation. He never lost sensation in his legs.

Roethlisberger passed all the necessary follow-up tests, including the IMPACT test administered to players with concussion-like injuries, and played one of his most efficient games of the season in a 35-24 AFC divisional playoff victory Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. Roethlisberger passed for 181 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against the Chargers.

According to several medicalwebsites Web Sites, a spinal cord concussion can be caused by a sudden and violent jolt and result in neurological deficits. SymptonsSymptoms, though, usually disappear in less than a day, sometimes a few hours, depending on the severity of the concussion.

Earlier this season, Baltimore Ravens safety Dawan Landry sustained a spinal cord concussion in a Sept. 21 game against Cleveland when the crown of his helmet struck the knee of running back Jamal Lewis. He didn't play the rest of the season and was eventually placed on injured reserve.

Maddox was injured in a Nov. 18, 2002, game against the Tennessee Titans when he was hit by linebacker Keith Bullock on a play that seemed relatively harmless. He was taken to a Nashville, Tenn., hospital and remained overnight in a trauma unit with what was diagnosed as a spinal cord concussion.

But, Maddox's brain function returned to a normal within 48 hours and, despite losing all feeling in his hands and legs, did not suffer any damage to his spinal cord. After sitting out two games, he returned to start the final six games of the season, including two playoff games.


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Steelers Notebook: Powerless third quarter set recordTuesday, January 13, 2009 By Ed Bouchette , Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Steelers were dominant in the third quarter all season, but nothing like what happened Sunday at Heinz Field.

Indeed, that was a record the Steelers -- or San Diego Chargers, depending on perspective -- set in the third quarter of an AFC divisional playoff game.

The Chargers had the ball on offense precisely one play, possessing the ball on offense for 17 seconds in the 15-minute quarter.

It's the fewest amount of offensive plays any team has had in any quarter in a playoff game since the NFL's Super Bowl era began in the 1966 season.

The previous low was three by Arizona Jan. 10, 1999, against Minnesota.

That one play became a Larry Foote interception after defensive end Brett Keisel tipped Philip Rivers' pass. San Diego had another chance when Mitch Berger punted for the Steelers with a little more than two minutes left in the quarter. But the ball bounced off the helmet of San Diego's Eric Weddle and recovered by the Steelers' William Gay.

Counting that punt, the Steelers had 25 plays that consumed 14:43 in the third quarter.

"It was wonderful," Keisel said. "It was great to sit there and watch our offense move the ball, run the ball.

"I never had just one play in a quarter, ever."

Said Hines Ward: "To have that time of possession as long as we did in the third quarter, I knew we were going to win the game. Not too many teams win if you only get one snap in the third quarter."

The Steelers outscored opponents in the third quarter, 87-29, in the regular season; Sunday, it was 7-0.

Convincing Keisel

Keisel had the kind of game Sunday that helped convince his coaches to promote him to a starting job in 2006, when he took over for the departed Kimo von Oelhoffen. That previous game occurred in Denver in the AFC championship, when he had two sacks in a part-time role.

Sunday against San Diego, Keisel had a sack, that tipped pass for an interception, two tackles for a loss and one for no gain.

"It's great to have a game like that in this type of atmosphere," he said, "when you win and move on or lose and go home. Some plays came to me and I was fortunate enough to make them."

Line of difference

If they had such a category, Willie Colon has no doubt that he would lead the league in penalties for illegal formation.

"I'm tired of getting called on it," the Steelers right tackle said. "It's like my eighth one of the year."

Actually, it was his third, which may be two more than anyone else. Colon has been called because he lines up too far off the line of scrimmage. An offense must have seven players on the line of scrimmage at the snap of the ball.

"I'm going to start lining up where the linebackers are so they can't call it," he said. "I usually line up where Darnell [Stapleton, at right guard] lines up. Sometimes when he's back, I line up on his back foot. It's a whole bunch of BS; I'm not going to say how I really feel about it."

Officials have told him that he was too far back and "I have to pay more attention to it.


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Page 1 of 1Steelers Notebook: Powerless third quarter set record


Woodley reasserts his dominant form By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, January 13, 2009

LaMarr Woodley won't be surprised to find a letter from the NFL in his locker this week.

The Steelers' outside linebacker opened himself up to the possibility of a fine by slamming Philip Rivers to the turf while sacking the San Diego quarterback in Sunday's AFC divisional playoff game.

"I thought it was a great hit," Woodley said. "Hopefully, they don't do anything about it."

The Chargers couldn't do anything with Woodley, which is one reason the Steelers beat San Diego, 35-24, to advance to the AFC Championship Game against the archrival Baltimore Ravens.

Woodley led the Steelers with two sacks and three quarterback hurries and also made five tackles, including three for losses.

His dominance revived the kind of talk at which Woodley had bristled leading up to the Chargers game: whether starting for an entire season had caught up with the second-year man and whether Woodley had benefited as much as any player from the first-round bye the Steelers received in the playoffs.

"I tease him about that," coach Mike Tomlin said when asked if Woodley had hit a proverbial wall, "but really he has not. The thing that we need from him is consistent pressure. I think he provides that. It doesn't always manifest itself into sacks."

It did for much of the season when opposing quarterbacks found themselves caught in the middle of a personal competition between Woodley and fellow outside linebacker James Harrison.

The two set a Steelers record for most sacks in a season by a duo (27 1/2). Woodley, however, could not maintain the blistering pace set by Harrison as the latter finished with 16, breaking a team record that had stood since 1984.

Harrison could relate to what Woodley, who did not record a sack in the Steelers' final four games, went through in the final month of the season.

Harrison, after all, didn't have a sack in the Steelers' final five regular-season games last season, his first as a starter.

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"Once you're in that first year as a starter, you hit that wall a little bit," Harrison said, "but we had a little time off, he got rejuvenated and came in and played like he had."

Woodley refused to concede that the extra time the Steelers had off helped him — "That still sounds like I hit a wall," he said — and the 6-foot-2, 265-pounder added that he never got frustrated when his sack total remained stuck on 11.5.

Perhaps the reason for that is plays such as the one he made in the Steelers' 20-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 7.

Deshea Townsend returned an interception 25 yards for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown, but the pressure Woodley applied to Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo forced an ill-advised throw that led to the turnover and score.

Steelers coach Dick LeBeau said quarterback hurries are a better barometer than sacks when gauging the effectiveness of pass rushers.

"Sacks are kind of like interceptions," LeBeau said. "You may have three or four in one game, you may go a couple of games without any but more importantly you should have constant pressure."

Tomlin said that has never been an issue with Woodley, who was credited with 20 quarterback hurries during the regular season.

What bodes well for the Woodley as they prepare for an AFC Championship showdown against the Ravens is that he appears to thrive while playing on big stages.

The former Michigan standout has four sacks in two postseason games.

"He has played at a high level," Tomlin said. "He is a young guy who is going to continue to get better."

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

Images and text copyright © 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.

Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com

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Steelers listed as Super Bowl favorite By Mike Prisuta TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The NFL has trimmed its playoff field from 12 to eight to four, and there isn't a No. 1 seed left in the bunch.

Instead, the NFC and AFC championship games will be contested Sunday by long shots.

How long?

Before the season began, the Steelers were considered the most likely among what is the NFL's final four to win the Super Bowl. But they were hardly a favorite when compared with the rest of the league. The odds of the Steelers winning Super Bowl XLIII were 20-to-1 against, as posted by just4bettors.com.

The Philadelphia Eagles were a 35-to-1 shot to go all the way.

The Arizona Cardinals were 50-to-1.

The Baltimore Ravens were 60-to-1.

Things obviously have changed.

This week, the Steelers, the No. 2 seed in the AFC, are a 9-to-5 pick to win the big one, according to madduxsports.com.

Philadelphia, the NFC's No. 6 seed, is 2-to-1.

Baltimore, No. 6 in the AFC, is 4-to-1.

Arizona, the fourth-seeded NFC team, is 5-to-1.

All four conference finalists already have beaten the odds as they related to the over/under totals for their projected regular-season wins.

The Steelers opened with an over/under of nine wins and went 12-4.

The Eagles had an over/under of 8.5 and went 9-6-1.

The Cardinals' over/under was 7.5 and they went 9-7.

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And the Ravens' over/under was six in what became an 11-5 campaign.

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



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Tomlin: No time for 'hocus-pocus' theory By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, January 13, 2009

To get to the Super Bowl, the Steelers must beat the Baltimore Ravens and crush a theory.

You know, the one about how difficult it is for a team to beat an opponent three times in one season.

"I personally don't subscribe to that hocus-pocus," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.

The Steelers and Ravens will collide for a third time this season Sunday night at Heinz Field with the AFC championship on the line. The Steelers have been installed as 6-point favorites in the 6:30 p.m. game, and history favors them as well as the oddsmakers.

Twice, the Steelers have beaten an opponent three times in a season — in 1994 and 2002, both against the Cleveland Browns. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, teams that have had a chance to beat a team in the playoffs that they swept during the regular season are 11-7 since 1970.

The Steelers are 7-0 in third games against the same opponent in a season.

Not that Tomlin will put any credence in those statistics.

"What happened in the other two games will have no bearing on the outcome of this game," Tomlin said.

The Steelers and Ravens engaged in hard-hitting, defensive struggles when they played during the regular season. Only a combined seven points separated the AFC North rivals in the two games.

The Steelers defeated the Ravens 23-20 in overtime Sept. 29 at Heinz Field. In the Dec. 14 rematch in Baltimore, the Steelers rallied in the waning moments for a 13-9 victory.

The one advantage the Ravens may have Sunday is the law of average, because they could have easily won either game.

"It's going to be a battle to play a team three times in one year, especially the rivalry that we have," Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "I think it's

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going to be one for the ages."




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Ravens savor rugged matchup with Steelers By The Associated Press Tuesday, January 13, 2009

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Think about all the collisions, bruises and trash talk that occurred during the Baltimore Ravens' rugged playoff game against the Tennessee Titans.

Now double it.

That's an indication of what to expect when the Ravens face the Steelers, in the AFC championship game on Sunday.

"It's two football teams that play a certain brand of football. It's physical football, it's fundamental, it's a very disciplined style of football," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Monday. "It's going to be a physical match, just like we had last week. That's the beauty of the NFL."

Baltimore's 13-10 win over the Titans last Saturday was hardly a work of art. Rarely a series went by without an injured player being helped off the field, and almost every tackle was punctuated by an extra shove or a verbal assault.

Expect more of the same, and then some, when two AFC North foes square off for the third time this season.

"If you want to go to the Super Bowl, who else would you rather it be but the Pittsburgh Steelers?" Ravens linebacker Bart Scott said. "It's an opportunity for one organization to build up the level of hatred for the other organization. Somebody is going to be happy, somebody is going to be hurt. What other team would you rather do it to?"

Let the rhetoric begin.

The Steelers won both of the previous games, 23-20 in overtime and 13-9. Revenge is part of Baltimore's motivation, but mostly it's about keeping alive an improbable playoff run in which the wild-card Ravens victimized the third-seeded Miami Dolphins and top-seeded Titans.

"What's on the line? It's just the Super Bowl," Ravens wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "They're going to get our best and we're going to get their best. It's been that way both times we played them. They know what type of ballgame it might be."

The Ravens were battered and tired after defeating Tennessee. Cornerback

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Samari Rolle left with a groin injury and linebacker Terrell Suggs missed a portion of the second half with a strained right shoulder. Both received medical treatment Monday, and their status for Sunday's game was uncertain.

"Samari has a chance to get back there. We'll see what happens as the week goes on," Harbaugh said.

Suggs had an MRI on his shoulder Monday. He guaranteed Saturday that he would be available for the Steelers, but Harbaugh cautioned, "It's going to be close."

Even those who got out of the Tennessee game without injury were feeling the effects on Sunday.

"I was recovering from my game, so I was in and out of consciousness a lot during the day," Scott said, explaining why he didn't see much of the Steelers' 35-24 win over San Diego.

Most of the Ravens who watched the game were pulling for the Steelers.

"You have to appreciate the way they play. I love the way they play," Scott said. "You want to play the best, and I think they are the best right now. You want the opportunity to prove yourself against the best. You want to test yourself. We look forward to it. We didn't want to go to San Diego."

If Baltimore's game against Tennessee was a preliminary bout, then this is the main event between two heavyweights.

"You have two teams that try to impose their will on each other," Scott said. "When you have two teams that are evenly matched, both sides want to make you pay the price on the body. Nobody's running or ducking."

Safety Jim Leonhard played three years in Buffalo before joining the Ravens this season. It didn't take long for him to realize that Pittsburgh versus Baltimore is about as intense as it gets.

"It's a very physical rivalry. It's obvious that the teams don't like each other," he said. "Being here, it's the same thing. You know the people a little more and the history that's behind it. These games are what they're expected to be. There's a lot of talking, a lot of things going on. You know that you have to play 60 minutes that day or you're going to get it handed to you."

When the Ravens and Steelers played in September, 60 minutes wasn't enough to determine a winner. Baltimore-Pittsburgh III could be very similar.

"In games like this when the stakes are high, it's all about who's going to make that play to push your team over the top," Scott said. "We both have capable playmakers on both sides of the ball. It's going to be a tough one."

The Associated Press can be reached at or .



Holmes flourishes in reduced role By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Sometimes, you have to take a step back to go forward.

Santonio Holmes approached his third NFL season with high individual expectations that have since been replaced by team goals.

Taking one for the team, Holmes, who led the Steelers in receiving yards, yards per catch and touchdown receptions last season, is displaying a new, mature side to his game.

His numbers are down, but his enthusiasm is sky high. His acceptance of a reduced role behind Hines Ward in the passing game is genuine and much-needed for an offense that looks to be catching fire at the right time.

"I kept telling (quarterback) Ben (Roethlisberger), I kept telling the coaches I want to be the guy you go to on third down. 'If Hines is not open, Coach, throw me the ball,'" said Holmes, who finished second to Ward in receptions, touchdown receptions and receiving yards this season. "I want to be the one to make the plays."

Holmes never played bigger than he did in Sunday's 35-24 win over San Diego in a divisional playoff game at Heinz Field. Ironically, his most important play since joining the Steelers occurred on special teams.

When he took a punt return a franchise playoff-record 67 yards to the house in the first quarter to tie the score, 7-7, Holmes clearly understood the significance of his act.

"That's the play that sparked this team," said Holmes, who has enough confidence for 10 players. "If you can get a punt return or a special teams touchdown, that's what starts this team to believing."

Holmes has the wisdom to understand that even though the season didn't go as planned on a personal level, a Steelers win against Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field will elevate his status from up-and-coming receiver to clutch up-and-coming receiver.

Holmes had only two receptions for 25 yards against San Diego. However, both were good for first downs, including a 10-yard catch on a low throw on third-and-7 during a third-quarter scoring drive. He was targeted deep two other times, but Roethlisberger just missed him; once on a long pass that barely

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eluded his diving reach.

"I won't complain at all about him overthrowing me. That's what we've been asking for all season. If you're going to miss us, miss us deep," said Holmes, who had 55 receptions for 821 yards and five touchdowns this season. "Ben was letting it go. He even grabbed me and said, 'Tone, the arm is on fire. I'm trying to control it, but I'm letting it go for you guys.' The (catches) that I made, we needed those first downs."

Taking on the dreaded Ravens for the right of way to the Super Bowl, the Steelers are going to need Holmes as much as Holmes needs the Steelers.

John Harris can be reached at [email protected] or 412-481-5432.



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Steelers' O-line looks toward Ravens By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, January 13, 2009

An offensive line that shined in the Steelers' 35-24 win over the San Diego Chargers got a sobering reminder yesterday of what awaits them in the AFC Championship Game.

The offensive linemen watched tape of the Steelers' 13-9 win over the Ravens on Dec. 14, and right tackle Willie Colon didn't exactly characterize it as enjoyable viewing.

"That was probably one of the worst games we played all season and we got a 'W,' " Colon said.

The line is coming off arguably its best game of the season.

Running back Willie Parker rushed for 146 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry against the Chargers. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger got sacked just one time. The Steelers only had a combined 160 rushing yards in their two wins over the Ravens during the regular season.

"We want to get Willie going," Colon said.

• The Steelers made history by playing keep away from the Chargers' offense. The one play San Diego ran in the third quarter established a new playoff low since the start of the Super Bowl era in 1966.

"We made plays when they counted and took time off the clock," Parker said.

San Diego, meanwhile, did not make the most of its only play in the quarter. Defensive end Brett Keisel batted a Philip Rivers' pass into the air and linebacker Larry Foote intercepted it.

Digits

3.6 — Parker's average yards per carry in the 10 games he played prior to the Steelers' regular-season finale.

5.2 — Parker's average yards per carry in the Steelers' last two games.




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On the Beat: Baltimore could use break By Mike Bires Times Sports Staff

Baltimore coach John Harbaugh often describes the players he coaches as “warriors” and “mighty men.” And with the way the Ravens have gotten to the AFC Championship Game, it’s hard to argue otherwise. That’s especially true of the Ravens’ defense, which ranked second in the NFL this season behind the Steelers.

But after the physical slugfest the Ravens won Saturday in Tennessee, you have to wonder how much they have left in their tank. This Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Ravens will be playing for their 18th consecutive weekend with a break. Due to an early-season hurricane, their Sept. 14 game at Houston was postponed. The NFL hierarchy then decided that lost weekend would serve as the bye for both the Texans and Ravens. The game was made up Nov. 9 when they were supposed to be off. Unlike the Steelers who were off on wild-card weekend, the Ravens had to play on Jan. 4 in Miami. Then they played six days later in Tennessee. Don’t think for a moment that the Ravens won’t be fired up when they take on the rival Steelers for the right to go to the Super Bowl. Ray Lewis wouldn’t have it any other way. But not only are the Ravens playing on tired legs, they’re banged up. Linebacker Terrell Suggs suffered a strained shoulder in Tennessee. Cornerback Samari Rolle left with a groin pull. Tackle Willie Anderson left with a stinger in his neck. Safety Jim Leonhard left with a concussion. Running back Le’Ron McClain did return to the game after he limped of the field with an ankle injury. But you have to wonder how effective he and the rest of the banged up Ravens will be against the healthy Steelers. * There is no way the Steelers should look past the Ravens. But for fans and the media, why not? If the Steelers can beat the Ravens for the third time this year, we’re in for an intriguing Super Bowl. It could be Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia in the first all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. Or it could be Pittsburgh vs. Arizona in a game which would feature all three men who were finalists for the Steelers’ vacancy when Bill Cowher resigned after the 2006. Mike Tomlin vs. Ken Whisenhunt and his assistant head coach/offensive line coach Russ Grimm. How’s that for high drama? * It was very encouraging to see the Steelers’ offensive line to open up holes for Willie Parker and to

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see “Fast Willie” rush for 146 yards Sunday against the Chargers. It was also encouraging for the way the O-line protected Ben Roethlisberger. But let’s keep this in perspective. The Chargers’ defense isn’t very good. The one the Steelers will face this week is. In two games against the Chargers this season, Parker combined for 261 yards and averaged 5.0 yards per carry. In Parker’s last two starts against Baltimore, he gained 89 yards and averaged only 2.4 yards per carry. True, the Steelers’ offensive line has gotten better and better this year but the true test comes Sunday.


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Steelers' offense left high, dry in third By Mike Bires Times Sports Staff

NFL history was set Sunday at Heinz Field when the Steelers routed the Chargers, 35-24, in an AFC divisional playoff game. The Chargers only getting off one offensive play in the third quarter is an NFL record.

The previous low for any quarter in the 43-year Super Bowl era was three plays by the Arizona Cardinals in a 1999 game against the Minnesota Vikings. “It was crazy,” Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel. “We were just sitting there all that time on the sideline while our offense was on the field. It was like I was looking around for a cocktail waitress to come by so we could order us up some drinks.” In the third quarter, the Steelers held a 14:43 to 0:17 edge in time of possession. That whopping margin is also believed to be an NFL record.

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Bires: Steelers protect ball and home-field advantage By Mike Bires Times Sports Staff

PITTSBURGH -- One by one, the top seeds in the Super Bowl tournament dropped like flies.

Down go the Tennessee Titans.

Down go the Carolina Panthers.

Down go the New York Giants.

In the first three games of the NFL’s divisional round of the playoffs, the home teams, seemingly well-rested after well-deserved byes and all favored by the odds makers, fell by the wayside.

But in the fourth and final game of the weekend, the Steelers refused to lose.

“We talked about it today,” Ben Roethlisberger said early Sunday evening. “We’re a band of brothers. We’ve got a special group of guys. We said, ‘Let’s be the one who turns it round.’ ”

Sure enough, the Steelers, the AFC's No. 2 seed, refused to self-destruct like the top-seeded Titans and Giants and the second-seeded Panthers. They crushed the visiting San Diego Chargers, 35-24, in a game that wasn’t as close as that final score indicated.

Unlike the other losers on Saturday and Sunday, the Steelers played one of their most complete games of the season.

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“We played our kind of football,” coach Mike Tomlin said.

That’s tenacious defense, a smash-mouth, run-oriented offense with just enough passing, and an edge in special teams play. Most importantly, the Steelers took care of the football with no giveaways and two takeaways.

That’s the way teams advance in the post-season.

Just ask the Titans, Panthers and Giants about taking care of the football. Each lost the turnover battle this weekend.

“This is not about the other teams that lost, it’s about us,” wide receiver Hines Ward said. “We stayed focused.”

Now the Steelers focus on the ultimate AFC Championship Game _ Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore.

The NFL’s nastiest rivals meet at 6:30 p.m. next Sunday at Heinz Field for the right to go to the Super Bowl.

“What else would you expect? Us and the Ravens,” Tomlin said. “It would be a big game if was a scrimmage. It just happens to be the AFC Championship Game.”

With victory in three of their four Super Bowl appearances in the last nine years, the New England Patriots are clearly the team of this decade. But the Steelers aren’t too behind. They’re playing in their fourth AFC Championship Game in the last eight years.

If the Steelers take care of the football next week against the ball-hawking Ravens, chances are they’ll be going to the Super Bowl for the second time in four years.

“It’s a special group of guys,” Roethlisberger said of the Steelers.

And unlike the other top seeds who lost this weekend, the Steelers have a chance to make their season even more special.



Mike Bires can be reached online at [email protected]



Woodley tears down that wall By F. Dale Lolley, Staff writer

[email protected]

PITTSBURGH - Give Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin some credit. He knows which buttons to push.

In recent weeks, Tomlin did the oral equivalent of poking a sleeping lion with a stick, teasing linebacker LaMarr Woodley about hitting a wall in his first season as a starter.

After picking up 91/2 sacks in the Steelers' first eight games, Woodley had just two in the second half of the season.

Tomlin's prodding seemed to wake up Woodley. In the Steelers' 35-24 playoff win Sunday over San Diego, Woodley recorded a pair of sacks, five tackles, three quarterback pressures and three tackles for losses.

So much for hitting the wall.

"I tease him about that but, really, he has not," said Tomlin. "He has played at a high level. The thing that we need from him is consistent pressure. I think that he provides that. It does not always manifest itself into sacks. It did (Sunday)."

The Steelers will need that type of effort from Woodley on Sunday against Baltimore in the AFC Championship game.

But considering Woodley's playoff history, maybe Tomlin should expect a strong effort.

In two career postseason games, Woodley has recorded four sacks.

"The opportunity was just there," said Woodley, who did not have a sack in his final four regular-season games.

"I made sure I wrapped (San Diego quarterback Phillip Rivers) up. If you look at some of the other late games, I had the quarterback right there and didn't wrap him up. This time I couldn't let him get away in a crucial game like this."

Woodley did more than wrap up Rivers. On his second sack, he spun Rivers in a circle, slamming him to the ground. Rivers was visibly shaken after the play, staggering to his feet. And his next two throws sailed high, forcing a San Diego punt from its own 1-yard line.

"I hope I don't get fined for that," Woodley said of his slam of Rivers.

But the sacks might not have been Woodley's best play of the game. That came in the first quarter when he was in pass coverage on speedy running back Darren Sproles.

After the Chargers had scored on their first possession and forced a Pittsburgh punt, San Diego faced a third-and-five from its own 14. The Chargers slipped Sproles out to the right, and he took off down the

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field with Woodley in pursuit. Woodley's coverage was so good that Rivers had to loft the ball high and over Sproles' head, forcing and incompletion and San Diego to punt.

That punt was returned for a touchdown by Santonio Holmes.

"He definitely has the speed that I don't have," Woodley said of Sproles. "A little angle pursuit helped me beat him to a certain spot and that forced the quarterback to throw it over his head."

It was the kind of play that doesn't show up in the statistic sheets, but certainly helped the Steelers advance to the AFC Championship.

"He is a good football player," said Tomlin. "He is a young guy who's going to continue to get better. We are glad to have him."

Odds and end zones

The Steelers are five-point favorites over the Ravens. ... The Steelers won both games against Baltimore this season and are trying to become the 12th team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 to beat a team three times in the same season. ... San Diego's 15 rushing yards - on 11 carries - was the sixth-lowest total in NFL playoff history.

Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

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01/13/2009

Interesting comments after Steelers' big victory Commentary by Jim Wexell

Ben Roethlisberger's comment after the game was as crisp as his passes during the game: "We put up 35 tonight, so it kind of showed people and kind of shut the critics up that we can score points when we have to." Hear that? I have to shut up now. But who needs to run at the mouth anyhow when so many others will do it for you? So here are some of the more interesting comments made in the wake of the Steelers' 35-24 playoff win over the San Diego Chargers: - Russ Grimm from the front of the Steelers' bus before it left for the 2005 AFC Championship game in Denver: "If anyone here is scared, get the (expletive)off now." (Obviously, this was mentioned by someone else Sunday in an attempt to figure out the Arizona Cardinals' success.) - Ryan Clark when asked if he could audible out of the doomed fake punt: "Yeah, I could have, but I wasn't going to. No way. I got the call from the sideline and as I walked back on the field I already had my mind made up." - Willie Colon on his continued problem with illegal formation penalties: "Those calls are (expletive). But I don't want to say anything. Oops, I guess I just did." (Don't worry, Willie, the league can't fine you for calling officials asterisks.) - A longtime journalist on Mike Tomlin's personality: "There's no Bill Cowher in him. Mike's a good guy to deal with. He understands the adversarial position he has to take with the media, and he does it with class. There's a lot of Chuck Noll in him." - Kordell Stewart is called a "Quarterback Expert" on ESPN2. After another panelist said that beating a team three times in one season is "almost impossible," Stewart was asked if that gives Baltimore the advantage: "It may give them something to fight for, but what more do you need?" (Since 1960, the team with two wins is 13-8 in the third game; since 1980, 10-7. Two-win teams playing at home for a conference or league championship are 4-1. The Steelers are 2-0 playing for a 3-game sweep, with both occurring against the Cleveland Browns, a.k.a., the old Ravens.) - Former Ravens coach Brian Billick, appearing on "Mike & Mike in the Morning", on the upcoming Steelers-Ravens game: "I thought Pittsburgh gained more from that bye week than any other team that had the bye. They look healthy. Ben Roethlisberger looks healthy. Willie Parker looks healthy. That's as healthy as I've seen those two individuals and that team all year long. ... That bye week to me plays an even bigger factor now that Baltimore's had to fight through an additional game. They're playing in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh looks on rhythm and healthy. They're going to be a formidable team." (Because of a hurricane in the gulf the second week of the season, the Ravens have played 17 consecutive weeks. Pass-rusher Terrell Suggs has a sprained shoulder; running back Le'Ron McClain is hobbled by a sore ankle; cornerback Samari Rolle has an injured groin.) - Skip Bayless, the cock-sure analyst for ESPN2, didn't like the Steelers' performance against the Chargers: "It's not time to crown the Pittsburgh Steelers. You can throw the football on Pittsburgh's defense, even at Heinz Field, after dark, in the cold. ... I'll give you this, Roethlisberger was outstanding on third down, but, hey, when San Diego got the ball back, they moved it. I don't think the Steelers are invincible on defense." (After a week of being used at the universe's tool to motivate the Steelers' offense, I'm happy to allow Skippy the honors this week for the defense.)

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Steelers hope to put home losses behind them By ALAN ROBINSON Associated Press

PITTSBURGH January 12, 2009 11:49 pm — Tom Brady. Tom Brady. John Elway. Detect a trend? No NFL team has lost more conference championship games at home in less time than the Pittsburgh Steelers did during the 1994-2004 seasons – four of them in five tries, repeatedly costing them the opportunity to build an addition onto their already spacious Super Bowl trophy case. The numerous January home-field losses defined former coach Bill Cowher’s career for a decade, and left Steelers fans constantly wringing their Terrible Towels amid cries of “Why can’t we win a big one here?” There’s something to remember from all those defeats, though: The other team’s quarterback generally was pretty good. And the opposing quarterback Sunday in the Steelers’ seventh AFC championship game in 15 seasons won’t be Brady or Elway, but Baltimore rookie Joe Flacco, who did little in two regular season games against them.If any Steelers team of recent vintage appears equipped to cast aside the bad memories all of those January home-field losses, it may be this one – a team that, unlike those of the 1990s, has numerous players who have already won a Super Bowl in black and gold. “To me, this is the Super Bowl,” Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said of the third Ravens-Steelers game in less than four months. “You don’t want to have a bad taste in your mouth by losing and watching that team go to the Super Bowl.” When the Steelers finally won a fifth Super Bowl three years ago, they clearly thrived on playing every game away from home and dodging the constant questions of why they couldn’t win big playoff games at home. Now, because many of them already own Steelers Super Bowl rings, there are no expectations inside their locker room there will be a letdown to match that of, for example, the January 1995 loss to San Diego in which defensive back Tim McKyer was so disoriented after allowing the game-winning touchdown catch that he was carried off the field. Then there were all those interceptions Kordell Stewart threw into the Broncos’ arms in January 1998. The Patriots losing Brady to injury in January 2002 but still winning with Drew Bledsoe at quarterback in the second half. The Steelers squad with the best record in club history, the 15-1 team of 2004, losing to the Patriots again in a bitter-weather blowout. Ancient history, these Steelers say. After all, they were the only home team to win during the divisional round last weekend, beating the Chargers 35-24 on Sunday. How about that: The home-field advantage paying off for the Steelers in January. “It’s big,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “The last time we were here (for the AFC title game) my rookie year, I didn’t play so well, so I’ll be looking for a little redemption. It’s going to be a great battle.” If anyone can relate to what Flacco is going through this week as a rookie quarterback about to play for the AFC championship, it’s Roethlisberger. No rookie came close to accomplishing what Roethlisberger did by going 13-0 during his rookie season, then beating the Jets in the divisional round. But in the AFC championship game rematch against the Patriots, who had lost earlier in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger looked like an ordinary Joe while going 14-of-24 for 226 yards and three interceptions. Brady, as usual, was exceptional, throwing for 207 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions as the Patriots rolled to a 41-27 victory in a game they led 41-20 until the final minute. They went on to win their third Super Bowl, and their second after beating Pittsburgh to get there.

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Flacco probably can’t be just any old Joe if the Ravens are to win in Pittsburgh, where they have dropped seven of their past eight. Yet he was exactly that against the Steelers this season, going 27-of-59 for 307 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in two close losses. For comparison’s sake, Flacco is 257-of-428 for 2,971 yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a rookie. Roethlisberger was 196-of-295 for 2,621 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2004. Flacco couldn’t get the Ravens into the end zone in last month’s 13-9 loss to Pittsburgh in Baltimore, completing only 11 of 28 passes for 115 yards and two interceptions in perhaps his worst game all season. “That’s what games are going to be in December in the NFL,” Flacco said. Now he’ll find out what these games are like in January. He hopes the experience isn’t as deflating as it was to Roethlisberger four years ago. If it is, the Steelers may discover again what it’s like to win a conference championship game on their home field, something they’ve done only once in 29 years. “I’m going to my fourth championship game,” Ward said. “I’m 0-2 at home. So I want to win this one – I’m tired of losing at home.” A couple of million Pittsburghers probably feel the same way.

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baltimoresun.com Bring on the Steelers

After two losses to heated rival, Ravens get another shot

By Jamison Hensley | [email protected]

January 13, 2009

When the Ravens were watching the AFC divisional game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers on Sunday, they found themselves in an unusual situation. The Ravens players were actually rooting for the Steelers. As in most of the postseason, the Ravens got what they wanted, gaining a rematch - or third grudge match - with their division rivals in Sunday's AFC championship game. "We were kind of hoping for it. It's an opportunity for one of our organizations to really build up the level of hatred," Ravens inside linebacker Bart Scott said. "Somebody is going to be happy, somebody is going to be hurt." Comments like these yesterday were surprising from the usually tight-lipped Ravens, who rarely give opponents "bulletin-board" material. But the Ravens still feel the sting of two losses to the Steelers this season. On Sept. 29, the Ravens led 13-3 in the second half only to lose on a 46-yard field goal in overtime. Lastmonth, the Ravens held a 9-3 advantage in the fourth quarter only to fall on a controversial touchdown catch by Santonio Holmes in the final minute. After evening the score with the Tennessee Titans last week, the Ravens are looking for more redemption. "If you feel like you didn't necessarily get beat but you lost the game, you always want to have the opportunity to play that team again," Ravens safety Jim Leonhard said. "Pittsburgh's got us twice this year, and give them all the credit in the world for doing that, but we feel like we have our opportunity in front of us. We have one goal all season, and that's to win the Super Bowl. And we have to beat Pittsburgh to get there." Leonhard said that before he joined the Ravens it was obvious the teams didn't like each other. His opinion didn't change after playing two games in the heated rivalry.

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"You know you have to come to work 60 minutes that day or you're going to get it handed to," Leonhardsaid. While the players and coaches have changed over the seasons, the bad blood has remained. Earlier this season, Ravens defensive end-linebacker Terrell Suggs bragged about having bounties on Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and running back Rashard Mendenhall (who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury on a hit by Ray Lewis). Suggs later said there were no bounties, saying they were players that the defense were focused on stopping. In the last meeting, Ravens cornerback Frank Walker spat in the face of punter Mitch Berger, according to Berger. Walker explained that it was an accident, calling it a "slobber moment." Said Ward after Sunday's win over the Chargers: "It's not going to be a street fight. It's going to be a war." This is one topic on which Ward and Scott - two of the biggest adversaries - both agree. "It's two teams that try to impose their will on each other," Scott said. "Whenever you have two teams that are evenly matched, both sides are going to pay the price on the body. I look at it like [Miguel] Cotto and [Antonio] Margarito. Nobody is running or ducking or hiding from each other. We're going to stand in the middle of the ring, and we'll see who comes out on top." Altercations, late hits and personal fouls have been a running theme in this rivalry. Ravens linebacker Jarret Johnson made a costly mistake in the first meeting with a late hit on Ward. That personal foul jump-started the Steelers' rally. In a series in which tempers can flare, Ravens coach John Harbaugh said his team won't keep its emotions "in check." "But our emotions are going to be focused and directed at what needs to be done to win a football game," Harbaugh said. "Our guys are smart and disciplined. I think they'll be that way on Sunday." This third meeting wasn't a surprise for the Ravens or the Steelers. The Ravens not only wanted another shot at the Steelers, but some players also predicted it after the second meeting. "Some teams you know when you face them once or twice there is the possibility you'll have the opportunity to play them again, and the Steelers are one of those teams," wide receiver Derrick Mason said. "We just had to be patient, and our opportunity is here. We just have to take advantage of it." With two road wins already in this season's playoffs, the sixth-seeded Ravens are not backing down from the challenge. "You want to play the best, and I think they are the best right now," Scott said. "You want to test yourself. We look forward to it."



Copyright © 2009, The Baltimore Sun

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baltimoresun.com Suggs' availability for Steelers game will 'be close'

Harbaugh in wait-and-see mode about linebacker's sprained shoulder

By Ken Murray | [email protected]

7:18 PM EST, January 12, 2009

Terrell Suggs has said he won't miss Sunday's AFC championship game, but Ravens coach John Harbaugh today tempered the optimism on his pass-rushing linebacker's injured right shoulder. At his weekly news conference, Harbaugh said Suggs had a magnetic resonance imaging exam and suggested Suggs' availability against the Pittsburgh Steelers would "be close." "I'm not going to sit here and say it's positive, or we're happy about it," Harbaugh said. "We'll just see how it goes. It's going to be close. He's going to work real hard to try to get back. That's all we know." Suggs sprained the shoulder when he tackled Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins from behind late in the first half Saturday. He was listed as questionable to return, but never got on the field in the second half of a 13-10 win. Suggs, who wasn't available to reporters today, has not missed a game in his six-year NFL career, a stretch of 96 consecutive games, the Ravens' longest such streak for a position player. He is also the team's second all-time leading sacker behind Peter Boulware (70). His 53 sacks since 2003 are tied tie for eighth in the league, and his 413 yards in losses are second behind Robert Mathis (415) of the Indianapolis Colts. They've got Ryan's back Part of the attraction safety Jim Leonhard had to the Ravens when he signed as a free agent last summer was the chance to play for defensive coordinator Rex Ryan. Eighteen games later, Leonhard understands he might get only one season with Ryan, who interviewed for head coaching openings with the New York Jets and St. Louis Rams this week. "If he doesn't get a head coaching job somewhere, I'd be surprised," Leonhard said today. "He's a tremendous guy to play for, and I think he'd be a great head coach. As a player, I would love to play with him whether it's here or somewhere else, but as Ravens, we would all like him to be back."

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Ryan, 46, is thought to be a leading candidate for the Jets' job, but Leonhard has no doubt about the coach's focus this week. "We know that come Sunday, we're going to get all of Rex Ryan," he said. "He's going to be there for us;, he's not looking ahead. He loves us, we love him." Linebacker Bart Scott accepted the reports that Ryan could be departing as part of the business. "He's a great coach;, I think he's due," Scott said. "He's been deserving of a head coaching job, and we'd all be happy for him. But right now he's our coordinator, and we're going to go out and play hard for him." End zone On the injury front, Harbaugh acknowledged the team has concerns about several players, among them cornerback Samari Rolle, who hurt his groin late in the third quarter Saturday and didn't return. ... Leonhard said he suffered only a mild concussion and felt good by Sunday. ... Running back Ray Rice made his first game appearance in five weeks Saturday, albeit brief, since injuring his lower left leg against the Washington Redskins. Harbaugh declared Rice healthy and "ready to go." The Ravens were greeted at BWI Marshall Airport upon their return Saturday night by an estimated 2,000 enthusiastic fans. "The fans really touched us," Harbaugh said. ... Harbaugh started his news conference by thanking all members of the organization for their support during the season. He also paid tribute to retiring Colts coach Tony Dungy, saying his impact on the NFL "was somewhat transforming" and that he "changed the face of the league" in a positive way. Harbaugh played high school football at Ann Arbor (Mich.) Pioneer High in a league that Dungy had played in earlier and knew him from that association. Dungy called Harbaugh when the Ravens hired him and has been "somewhat of an adviser and friend."


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baltimoresun.com Why Ravens fans hate Pittsburgh

Weird foods

By Kevin Cowherd

January 13, 2009

Ever try a famous Primanti Brothers sandwich? You'll need a jackhammer to open your arteries. Two slices of Italian bread, grilled meat, cheese, tomatoes - OK, that doesn't sound bad. But get this: It also comes with coleslaw and french fries - inside the sandwich! All of it teetering 10 stories high on waxed paper. The fries poke out of the sandwich like wriggling centipede legs. The provolone congeals into La Brea Tar Pits consistency. This will shock you: It's a big favorite of drunks. When the bars close, the Primanti's in the Strip District looks like Woodstock.


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Monday, January 12, 2009

Report: Big Ben injury serious

ESPN.com news services Pittsburgh Steelers fans were concerned when Ben Roethlisberger went down against the Cleveland Browns in the final regular season game. Turns out, they had reason to worry.

The team said then that their franchise quarterback suffered a concussion, but the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Monday that the injury was more serious.

Roethlisberger suffered a spinal cord concussion, and he called it "scary" when he could not feel team doctors sticking a pin into his arm on the field.

The quarterback was tackled by two Browns defenders and appeared to hit his head on the turf. His face mask was removed, he was placed on a spinal board and carted off the field. At Pittsburgh's Presbyterian Hospital, he quickly regained feeling in his arms and was later released. The newpaper reported that he never lost feeling in his legs.

According to the Post-Gazette, Roethlisberger passed all of his follow-up tests for concussions.

He returned to the field for a playoff game on Sunday and passed for 181 yards and a touchdown, without an interception, in the Steelers' 35-24 win over the San Diego Chargers.

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January 13, 2009

Pennsylvania Governor Takes a Rooting Interest

By LYNN ZINSER

Gov. Edward G. Rendell of Pennsylvania will be rooting hard for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh

Steelers in their N.F.L. conference championship games Sunday. But if both of them win and advance to the

Super Bowl, he will not pretend to be neutral. After all, he has been an Eagles season-ticket holder for more

than 30 years and even has a postgame television show. People in Philadelphia still call him Mayor.

“I’m not going to change,” he said in a telephone interview Monday. “I told the people of Pittsburgh this

when I was running for re-election. If they had a longtime Pittsburgh mayor and the Steelers were in the

Super Bowl and he said he was rooting for anyone other than the Steelers, they would skin him alive.

“I have to be loyal. If it costs me some political points, that’s life.”

Rendell would be thrilled to run that risk because it would mean the teams from both sides of his state would

have reached the Super Bowl. That would require an Eagles victory at Arizona in the National Football

Conference championship game and a Steelers victory over Baltimore in the American Football Conference

title game.

For most governors, that would be reason to host a news conference and smile a lot. But Rendell is hardly

your average governor when it comes to sports. This is a man who — legend has it — sparked the snowball-

throwing frenzy in a playoff game against Dallas in 1989. He has said he paid someone to throw a snowball at

the field so he would not bother fans.

To Eagles fans, Rendell is one of them. He says true Steelers fans will understand. “The casual fans might be

upset, but I don’t care,” he said.

Rendell says an Eagles-Steelers Super Bowl would send happy, rowdy Pennsylvanians rushing to Tampa,

Fla., whether they had tickets or not. And he would become the de facto mayor of Tampa for two weeks.

That chain of events was almost realized in 2005, when the Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl but the

Steelers lost in the A.F.C. championship. Rendell said 25,000 Eagles fans went to Jacksonville for the game

even though they did not have tickets. He said he expected double that if both teams made it to Tampa, and

he expressed sympathy for Gov. Charlie Crist of Florida.

“Eagles fans and Steelers fans are such enthusiastic blue-collar rock ’n’ rollers, there may not be much left of

Tampa when they get done with it,” Rendell said. “Governor Crist is a friend of mine, so I will offer to send

the Pennsylvania National Guard down to help.”

Rendell said that when he was in Jacksonville in 2005, he was stopped on the street by 17 Philadelphia men

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sharing a recreational vehicle. They had no tickets and nowhere to stay but the R.V.

He said that he would continue the tradition of opposing governors’ placing a bet on the outcome of the

game, and that he would bet against himself in the event of an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. If the Eagles

were to win, Pittsburgh would donate a shipment of sandwiches from Primanti Brothers to a senior citizen

center and a homeless shelter in Philadelphia. If the Steelers were to win, Philadelphia would send Pat’s

cheese steaks to a senior center and a shelter in Pittsburgh.

And Rendell plans to be at the game to celebrate and, naturally, to do pregame and postgame shows: average

governor stuff.

“Can you imagine what it would be like to have those two fan bases, so knowledgeable and enthusiastic, in

the same Super Bowl?” Rendell said. “The only thing that would come close is if the Jets and Giants both

made the Super Bowl. It would be a dream for so many of us.

“But nobody in Pennsylvania is counting on it yet. We know better.”

Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

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By Tom Pedulla, USA TODAY

Tony Dungy, a trailblazer and a model for all coaches with his grace and class, announced his retirement from the Indianapolis Colts on Monday.

"Don't shed any tears for me," Dungy, 53, said at an emotional news conference while his wife, Lauren, looked on. "I've gotten to live a dream most people don't get to live."

The prospect of moving into another phase of his life had intrigued Dungy for some time. Even after the defining moment of his 31-year NFL career, when he became the first black coach to hold aloft the Vince Lombardi Trophy after guiding Indianapolis to a 29-17 victory against the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI to close the 2006 season, he wavered about his future.

"I have a real peace about it that this is the right time," said Dungy, who often emphasized that faith, family and football are his priorities, in that order.

PHOTOS: Dungy's career retrospective VIDEO: Dungy explains his retirement DUNGY'S LEGACY: He won 'the right way'

On Monday, he mentioned the possibility of working as a television analyst but said, "I really don't know what I'm going to do from here. I know I want to do something that will allow me to spend more time with my family and allow me to connect with young people."

He and Lauren have two daughters, Tiara and Jade, and three sons, Eric, Jordan and Justin. They have struggled to cope with immense grief after another son, James, committed suicide at age 18 in December 2005 while attending school in Tampa.

Kansas City Chiefs coach Herm Edwards, a member of Dungy's coaching staff with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a close friend, believes family considerations played a huge role in the decision. "He's got a lot of fathering to do," he said.

While Dungy expressed regret at having not turned his 11 postseason appearances into more NFL titles, most would argue he had little left to prove.

"He's done about as much as he can do in football," Edwards said. "I know he wants to go into the community and do other things. That is his higher calling."

NFL COACHING CAROUSEL: Who's coming, going on the sideline

Dungy has no regrets. "I won't look back and think that I could have done anything more, that if I'd put more time in, maybe we'd have won one more game," he said. "I think I did all that I could do. I think our coaches and players did all that we could do.

"The Lord blessed us with one (Super Bowl win), and that's one more than a lot of people win."

Among other activities, Dungy has spent time visiting young prison inmates in Tampa, where he now makes his home.

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He said after his Super Bowl triumph, "When I was young, I thought prison was a place where you put bad people away. When I got to Tampa and I started visiting prisons, I just realized these were 17-, 18-, 19-year-old kids who had made a wrong choice and had so much more life ahead of them that we can't afford to waste."

Dungy, knowing how great the pull of the game can be for some coaches once they step away, kept the door slightly ajar for an eventual return. "I can't imagine coming back," he said, "but who knows what's going to happen five years from now?"

Jim Caldwell, another former Buccaneers assistant and member of his staff for the last seven years, will be elevated from associated head coach to head coach in keeping with a plan that was put into place last year.

He will have three-time NFL MVP quarterback Peyton Manning to direct a high-powered offense but faces enormous pressure as he follows in the footsteps of the only coach to produce six consecutive 12-win seasons and 10 playoff appearances in a row.

"He's ready. He's going to be fantastic," Dungy said of the offense-oriented Caldwell, who lacks experience as an NFL coordinator.

"He's going to keep us winning."

Victory lane

Dungy established himself as one of the finest head coaches of this era over the last 13 seasons. He compiled a lifetime record of 139-69 in the regular season, a .668 winning percentage that ranks seventh in league history.

After spending 15 seasons as an NFL assistant coach and going through countless interviews for a top job without receiving an offer, he gained the opportunity he yearned for when he was hired to take over the lowly Buccaneers in 1996.

After enduring a 6-10 record in his first season, he would never suffer another losing record as a head coach. He gradually built Tampa Bay into an NFC power. The Bucs reached postseason in each of his last three seasons there before he was hired by the Colts in 2002.

Indianapolis rattled off five consecutive AFC South titles before the Tennessee Titans ended that string this season. The Colts were hit hard by injuries in starting 3-4 with Manning and defensive stars Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders hobbled at times. But they swept their last nine regular-season games before suffering a 23-17 overtime loss to the San Diego Chargers in the wild-card round.

The wild ride of a season demonstrated the steady hand that Colts president Bill Polian respected so much.

"When we were 3-4 and injured and things looked as bleak as they possibly could," Polian said at the farewell news conference, "a friend of mine said to me, 'You know, there's no God-given right to winning. You better get used to the fact that one of these years, the breaks will go against you and the injuries will become too great and the obstacles will become too high. You won't have that magical season.'

"I said, 'No, no. … That's not the case at all. We have to keep scratching and patching and sooner or later Tony will do his magic,' and so he did. This season, I think — and most of us around this team believe — was his greatest coaching job of all."

Held in high esteem

Polian, with his voice cracking, said of the coach who kept Indianapolis a power despite operating within the NFL's parity-driven system, "We'll miss his faith. We'll miss his optimism. We'll miss his patience — and that's something he taught me in abundance. All of which contributes to the Dungy magic."

Like Polian, Manning, who spoke with Dungy by phone on Monday, was emotional about his coach's departure.

"We went through some of the memories. We've had some great memories together," Manning said. "I told him I loved him. He told me he loved me the same. We'll always be in touch, but I am sad that he won't be my coach anymore."

The coach's announcement prompted a wide range of reactions from across the league.

REACTION TO DUNGY: What they're saying about coach's departure

• "We are losing one of the all-time great coaches," said Bears coach Lovie Smith, a former Dungy assistant coach and his counterpart in his Super Bowl triumph. "He is one of the modern-day pioneers of our game."

• Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney said, "I think we'll miss his knowledge, what he does. He's a good person. He's the kind of guy you'd want to see in the league. But on the other hand, if he feels it's time for him to move on, then I respect him for it."



Copyright 2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

• Running back Warrick Dunn, who played for Dungy in Tampa Bay, said, "The good news is that coach Dungy may leave football, but what he's really doing is moving his extraordinary influence to other places. Just like he did for me and for countless other players, he will always be able to help teach young men how to be grown and able men."

• Long-time rival Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots, known for his chilly postgame greetings, said, "People often say that teams reflect their coach, and that can be said of Tony Dungy's teams, which are consistent winners every single year."

For African-American coaches still striving to make inroads, Dungy will always be the one who showed the way.

"He's given a lot of energy, a lot of hope, to black coaches with the way he did it," Edwards said.

Contributing: Jim Corbett, Jarrett Bell, Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star

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The Associated Press

Four members of Congress want the Department of Labor to monitor the NFL Players' Association's search for a new executive director, according to a letter obtained Monday by the Associated Press.

In a letter dated Jan. 8, Reps. G. K. Butterfield, Gregory Meeks, Edolphus Towns and Bobby Rush also asked that a "detailed disclosure and description report" of the search be provided to the group and the labor department.

"We would like to ensure the integrity of the search process and that the process is transparent, fair and compliant with all applicable Department of Labor rules and regulations, and the NFLPA Constitution rules and by-laws," they wrote in the letter to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.

Eight candidates remain in the running to succeed Gene Upshaw as executive director, a person familiar with the search told the AP.

The candidates include former union presidents Troy Vincent, Mike Kenn and Trace Armstrong, sports attorney David Cornwell, former union executive vice president John Spagnola and former NFL player Jim Covert.

Roderick West, CEO of New Orleans' gas and electric companies and Ben Utt, another former NFL player, round out the list.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorized to release the information.

Candidates are scheduled for interviews with the executive committee next week. The list then will be trimmed to three or four finalists, who will address the union's 32 player representatives in Hawaii in March.

NFLPA president and Tennessee Titans center Kevin Mawae and Richard Berthelsen, acting executive director of the players' union, also received copies of the letter.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Monday, January 12, 2009

McDaniels agrees to four-year deal ESPN.com news services ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Josh McDaniels, the man behind the New England Patriots' scoring machine, inherits an offense in Denver that needs only an oil change.

The defense? Well, that needs an overhaul.

The 32-year-old McDaniels signed a four-year deal with the Broncos to replace Mike Shanahan, the only NFL head coach to get fired by a team he led to consecutive Super Bowl wins.

Of course, that was in the 1990s. Shanahan won just a single playoff game in the decade since John Elway retired and team owner Pat Bowlen fired him Dec. 30 after the Broncos missed out on the playoffs for a third straight season. He had three years and $21 million left on his contract.

McDaniels guided an offense that had led New England to 18 straight victories before a stunning loss to the New York Giants in last season's Super Bowl. That team scored an NFL-record 75 touchdowns and 589 points.

Bowlen thought enough of McDaniels to bypass defensive sages Steve Spagnuolo of the Giants, Raheem Morris of the Buccaneers and Leslie Frazier of the Vikings even though Denver's defense allowed more points and had fewer takeaways than any other team in the NFL last season.

"What I was trying to do was pick the best guy," Bowlen said. "It didn't matter really that much whether it was an offensive or defensive guy, he's going to be the head coach. I think Josh has the ability to go out and find a very good defensive coordinator."

McDaniels helped the defensive staff in New England for three seasons before serving as quarterbacks coach in 2004. Bill Belichick promoted him to offensive coordinator in 2006, and his career took off.

"I'd like to personally thank Bill Belichick for providing me my foundation in this league and for mentoring me for eight years," McDaniels said at his introductory news conference Monday night.

Under his guidance, Tom Brady threw for a record 50 touchdowns in '07 and came within a whisker of the NFL's first 19-0 season. McDaniels' reputation grew stronger in '08 when Brady was lost with a knee injury in the opener and Matt Cassel, who hadn't started a game since high school, led the Patriots to an 11-5 record.

"Josh McDaniels is one of the finest people and brightest, most talented coaches I have ever worked with," Belichick said in a statement. "Since joining us eight years ago, Josh performed a variety of roles and excelled in every one of them."

McDaniels agreed to a four-year deal believed to be worth about $8 million to replace Shanahan, who was fired 48 hours after the Broncos became the first team in league history to blow a three-game divisional lead with three weeks left.

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Shanahan was 146-91 in 14 years in Denver, leading the Broncos to Super Bowl titles following the 1997 and '98 seasons. The Broncos have gone 24-24 since losing to Pittsburgh in the 2005 AFC title game.

That was unacceptable to Bowlen, who reached out to a man half his age to resurrect a once-proud franchise that's still looking for a general manager.

McDaniels is a baby-faced 32-year-old whiz kid who's younger than many of his players. He has been around football fields since he was a toddler hanging out at the high school in Canton, Ohio, where his father coached.

"My age has never been a factor. It's never going to be a factor," he said. "It's about performance. It's about what you're capable of getting the players to do."

McDaniels goes from one potent offense to another. With talented players like Jay Cutler, Eddie Royal, Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, Ryan Harris and Ryan Clady, it's seemingly just a healthy running back away from greatness.

The Broncos finished second in the NFL in yards last season but in the middle of the pack in scoring, done in by Cutler's 18 interceptions, Marshall's 18 drops and an astonishing seven tailbacks on injured reserve.

Cornerback Dre' Bly was one of many Broncos players excited about the team's new head coach.

"That's enthusiasm, man," Bly said, according to the Rocky Mountain News. "Coach Shanahan had a lot of respect. Guys looked up to him and had a good relationship. But with a guy like him, it's like with [Broncos assistant] Jeremy Bates -- exciting, enthusiasm. It's like what Mike Tomlin brings to Pittsburgh. He brings excitement to that team. It's good for our team. And I hope we respond to him."

McDaniels reportedly already has started filling his staff with the Broncos. NFL.com reported that former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan is expected to join Denver as the team's defensive coordinator.

The Broncos would like to see most of Shanahan's offensive assistants stick around, although McDaniels' hiring put a wrench in Cutler's hopes that position coach Jeremy Bates, another 32-year-old rising star who calls the plays, will stay.

Denver's dreadful defense now belongs to the engineer of the Patriots' powerful offense.

The Broncos, who yielded more points (448) and pried away fewer takeaways (13) than any team in the league last season, will be adjusting to their fourth defensive coordinator in four years. Nine times they allowed 30 points or more and Cutler and the offense just couldn't keep up.

"As much as I've coached offense the past four or five years here, I'm a football coach that's built to understand defense," McDaniels said. "That's where I learned my foundation. ... and I think that my goal as the head coach is not just to improve the defense. It's to improve the team."

McDaniels is the fourth member of Belichick's coaching staff to leave either for a head coaching job in the NFL or a prestigious college job. None has been very successful out on his own. Romeo Crennel left for Cleveland in 2005 and Eric Mangini joined the Jets a year later. Both were fired last month, with Mangini replacing Crennel in Cleveland. And Charlie Weis is on the hot seat at Notre Dame.



McDaniels said he's been shaped by Belichick, Weis and Nick Saban, who gave him his first job as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in 1999.

"I hope I've taken all the good things from them," McDaniels said, adding that he'll also add a "different vibe."

"I'm going to have a lot of energy," he said. "I can smile."

Bowlen said he changed his mind about hiring a general manager and indicated his top adviser, personnel chief Jim Goodman, would have an increased role instead.

"I have no plans to hire anybody else," Bowlen said.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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