Feature Stories Cover - National Football...

Pittsburgh Steelers

Feature Stories

SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL

Steelers' Roethlisberger has it when it counts the mostSunday, December 21, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Matt Freed/James Hilston/Post-Gazette

Ben Roethlisberger's ability to scramble can get him in trouble, but it also has its rewards.

John Elway was the greatest fireman in football, the best at pulling out dramatic victories at the tail end of games. No one did it better nor more often.

Not only does the name "The Drive" belong to Elway, it was forged in a bronze sculpture titled "Master of the Drive,'' to honor the famous 98-yarder he delivered in Cleveland, and stands as a tribute to the quarterback with the most game-winning drives in history.

Elway pulled games out of the fire so often in the fourth quarter that Denver Broncos public-relations man, Jim Saccomano, a legend in his own right, developed a statistic to quantify it. He devised the "game-winning drive" to put in perspective Elway's late heroics.

"It became something I could no longer recite off the top of my head,'' Saccomano said this week about the many requests for the statistic that came his way during Elway's career.

So, in conjunction with the NFL's official stats keepers, the Elias Sports Bureau, Saccomano researched other quarterbacks and compared them to what Elway had done. He came up with the game-winning drive.

The game-winning drive must be a fourth-quarter drive that either wins the game or ties it for an ultimate victory. It's not an official NFL stat, but unofficially Elway has the most at 47 and that's never been disputed.

It may never be approached either, but there's one fellow who is off to a good start. He, too, wears No. 7, mainly because he loved John Elway. Ben Roethlisberger, the quarterback fastest to win 50

NFL games, has 18 winning touc hdown drives (including one in the playoffs), five of them this season.

Elway's rate of GWTDs during his 16-year career was 2.9 per season. Roethlisberger, with at least three games left in this season, has a rate of 3.6. His passer rating this season is down (80.1, from a team-record 104.1 last season), and his touchdowns passes are way down (15, from a team-record 32), but the way Roethlisberger is performing late in games might be enough for him to earn some of the league's MVP votes.

One off-shore oddsmaker lists Roethlisberger's chances of winning the MVP at 5-1, or third behind Adrian Peterson (3-2)

Page 1 of 3Steelers' Roethlisberger has it when it counts the most

12/22/2008http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08356/936620-66.stm

and Peyton Manning (2-1).

Roethlisberger could be called the "It" guy, as in he has it when it counts.

"I just think that's the difference between good quarterbacks and average quarterbacks,'' said veteran Byron Leftwich, Roethlisberger's backup this season. "What makes good quarterbacks good is that they can come through in situations like that, put teams on their backs and win football games. And you have some guys in those same situations and no matter what, they can't get the job done."

Roethlisberger showed that winning games late would be a trademark of his when he had six game-winning drives as a rookie, one in the playoffs against the Jets.

He will be the first to note that he is not alone in these things, but he has been the common denominator.

Asked about it this week, he recalled an old joke, once told by Jake Plummer, that if he didn't play so poorly in the first three quarters there might be no need for game-winning drives in the fourth.

"I wish it didn't come down to that, but sometimes it does,'' Roethlisberger said. "We'll take it. It adds to the fun and suspense.

"Sometimes we do it just so the fans keep watching."

His most memorable one occurred a week ago, a 92-yarder that beat Baltimore and delivered a division title and first-round playoff bye to the Steelers.

"I didn't give any big rah-rah speeches,'' he said of that drive. "I think the guys look at me now and know me enough to say, 'Let's just go out and do it.'"

Veteran quarterback Charlie Batch, Roethlisberger's backup until a broken collarbone put him on injured reserve this summer, said, "He's one of those guys who understands the situation and thrives on that. You do have to be special to do that.''

His teammates believe as long as they have time on the clock and are within a touchdown, they have a chance behind Roethlisberger.

"That's why everybody calls him one of the best in this game,'' Leftwich said, "because, when the team needs you the most, when it's time to make plays, he jump-started all that. It's what good quarterbacks do. They live for those moments.

"I know what kind of quarterback he is; I played against the guy and now I'm playing with him. I think everybody knows what Ben does for this team."

Fourth-and-Ben

Ben Roethlisberger has won 50 games in the NFL. Eighteen have come after the Steelers were down or tied in the fourth quarter or overtime. The go-ahead drives:

Opponent Down Won Yards Go-ahead score Time left

2004

Bengals 14-17 28-18 89 Bettis 1 run 9:03

at Cowboys 10-20 24-20 24 Bettis 2 run 0:30

at Jaguars 14-16 17-16 56 Reed 37 FG 0:18

Jets 3-3 17-6 80 Tuman 10 pass 12:51

at Giants 26--30 33-30 67 Bettis 1 run 4:57

Jets (ot) 10-17 20-17 72 Reed 33 FG 3:56

2005

at Chargers 21-22 24-22 40 Reed 40 FG 0:06

Ravens 17-19 20-19 60 Reed 37 FG 1:36

2006

Saints 24-24 38-31 78 Parker 3 run 14:55

at Browns 10-20 24-20 77 Parker 4 pass 0:32

at Bengals (ot) 14-17 23-17 78 Holmes 67 pass 13:27

2007



Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected].

First published on December 21, 2008 at 12:00 am

Browns 16-21 31-28 66 Roethlisberger 33 run 11:32

Dolphins 0-0 3-0 36 Reed 24 FG 0:17

2008

Ravens (ot) 20-20 23-20 29 Reed 46 FG 9:01

at Jaguars 20-21 26-21 80 Ward 8 pass 1:59

Chargers 8-10 11-10 73 Reed 32 FG 0:15

Cowboys 3-13 20-13 25 Townsend 25 INT ret .1:51

at Ravens 3-9 13-9 92 Holmes 4 pass 0:50

Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter: 2008

100 56 56.0 678 4 4

Pass attempts Pass comps.

Comp. percent.

Yards passing TD passes Pass INTs

Pittsburgh Steelers TonesNew Pittsburgh Steelers Tones Get Pittsburgh Steelers Ringtones!

Steelers ThongsFind Your Steelers Thongs; View Our Steelers Thongs!



Big Ben has drive of a winner BALTIMORE - The Steelers' game plan Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Stadium was pretty simple.

Pittsburgh wanted to play things close to the vest, try to limit the mistakes and keep the game close going into the fourth quarter, when they hoped their edge in experience at quarterback would make the difference.

That's the kind of confidence this team has in quarterback Ben Roethlisberger - even against a defense as good as Baltimore's.

Roethlisberger's numbers aren't as gaudy as they were last season when he set team records for touchdown passes and passer rating. But in terms of moxie and making things happen at just the right moment, he has shown time and again that he's among the best in the NFL.

Trailing 9-6 with 3:36 remaining, the Steelers got the ball back at their own 8-yard line following a punt.

"There was never a question of whether we were capable of doing it," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "It was the feeling that we had to do it."

What gave Tomlin the confidence that it would happen?

"Our quarterback," he said.

In the lore of Pittsburgh football, the 13-9 victory over the Ravens won't go down as one of the best drives in team history. Those are usually reserved for playoff games or must-win situations. The Steelers were in neither of those.

When you're backed up at your own eight-yard line with under four minutes remaining against one of the best defenses in the league - at their stadium - let's just say that driving the length of the field is the last thing on a normal person's mind.

The Steelers, however, never doubted they would, at the very least, get an opportunity at overtime.

"I'll take my chances with them," said defensive end Aaron Smith. "They've done it enough times. I would never doubt them.

"Teams can only stop us for so long. We've got too many weapons and (Roethlisberger) is the kind of player who sooner or later is going to make something happen. He's just done it too many times to doubt him."

Roethlisberger was masterful on the final drive, calling his own plays, hitting different receivers, moving the ball and finally passing to Santonio Holmes to close things out.

The touchdown was Roethlisberger improvising at his finest.

The play called for a quick pass on a curl route to wide receiver Hines Ward, with a pass to Mewelde Moore in the flat as the secondary option. The Ravens covered both receivers and Roethlisberger saw an

Page 1 of 2Big Ben has drive of a winner

12/15/2008http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Print/12-15-Steelers-Ravens-column

opening to his left.

"I scrambled left and was going to run it in, then a bunch of purple jerseys showed," he explained. "So I scrambled back to the right because, you know, I hold the ball too long. The line came in and cleaned everybody up and I saw (Santonio). He made a great play."

Holmes caught the ball with both feet in the end zone while falling out into the field of play. The play was reviewed and officials ruled he had possession of the ball in the end zone, giving the Steelers a touchdown and an improbable come-from-behind victory in a season filled with them.

"That's Steelers football in '08," said Tomlin, whose team has pulled out five victories in the fourth quarter or overtime.

"I know we've been in a bunch of these, and we've found a way to see our way out of some of them."

And it's happened because Roethlisberger is not just a great quarterback, he's a winner.

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

Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

Page 2 of 2Big Ben has drive of a winner

12/15/2008http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Print/12-15-Steelers-Ravens-column

September 19, 2008

Steelers’ Parker Finds Stardom Comes in a Flash

By JUDY BATTISTA

PITTSBURGH — On Sundays, Willie Parker sat in front of the television with his father, their home in tiny

Clinton, N.C., turned over to a love of the Dallas Cowboys. One day, when the boy was about 5, he turned to

his dad, Willie Sr., and said, “Me going to play that one day.”

This was before little Willie Parker became Fast Willie, so his father told him to sit down.

But just a few years later, Willie Sr. did not even recognize the blur on the field during a recreation league

game because his son was running so fast. A few years after that, Willie Sr. watched in front of his house on

Royal Lane and saw Willie, by then in high school, lining up against Tyson, a pit bull that belonged to a family

member. At the sound of a whistle, the dog took off at full gallop. So did Willie, in his latest scheme to hone

his speed. Willie did not beat the dog, perhaps the last race he lost.

“I knew there was something special since he was 5 years old; it always lingered in my mind,” Willie Sr. said.

“He prophesized it from the time he was 5. It’s amazing. As long as I live, I’ll never forget it.”

Willie Sr. spends Sundays at Heinz Field now, where Fast Willie Parker is reshaping the image of the

Pittsburgh Steelers’ running game. Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis were perfect, hulking stars for

Pittsburgh, a city built on a muscular, industrial image. But they have been replaced by Parker, a compact

symbol for a high-speed age.

Since 2006, Parker is second in the N.F.L. with 3,053 rushing yards, behind only San Diego’s LaDainian

Tomlinson (3,412). And Parker led the league in rushing through 15 games last season, until he broke his leg

in the regular-season finale. He opened this season with two consecutive 100-yard games.

Still, he is not among the N.F.L.’s most heralded runners. Even his coming-out moment — an electrifying 75-

yard touchdown sprint in Super Bowl XL — was overwhelmed by the prospect of Bettis’s winning the

championship in his hometown of Detroit in his final game.

“He’s made a name for himself,” receiver Hines Ward said. “If people are not taking notice of that, I don’t

know what film they are watching.”

Perhaps they are stuck in the endless loop of Parker’s screech-to-a-halt college career. Parker led Clinton

High to the state championship in his junior year. He gave his father the ring. By then, his 11.8 yards a carry

and 20 touchdowns had drawn the attention of a regional scout named Dan Rooney and of the University of

North Carolina, which gave him a scholarship.

In his freshman year, he had 84 carries for 355 yards. Then the coaching staff changed, and so did Parker’s

Page 1 of 3Steelers’ Parker Finds Stardom Comes in a Flash - NYTimes.com

9/19/2008http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/19/sports/football/19parker.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref...

fortunes.

John Bunting, a former linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles — the Steelers’ opponent on Sunday —

preferred a power running game for his Tar Heels. So his staff asked Parker, who has long carried 209

pounds on his 5-foot-10 frame, to bulk up. Parker, already burdened by the killing of his best friend back

home during his sophomore year, balked and spent the bulk of the remaining three years on the bench.

“I take the blame — 50-50 — for letting it go the way it went,” Parker said. “I should have showed how I love

the game. But when they made me mad, I was like, whatever, I know I’m the best you’ve got anyway. To be

honest, I just couldn’t stand those coaches.”

Parker was right about one thing: he was the best they had. That is what his father, struggling to keep Willie

from quitting, kept reminding him. Parker would tell his parents they did not have to attend the games,

because he was not going to play.

“When I wanted to go in there and blow up the building, I would breathe really deep and said a little prayer

and held back,” Parker said. “My dad was always thinking positive. He’d say: ‘You’re going to play this game.

I feel it.’ He had me thinking, I probably will play. He’d play mind games with me the whole season.”

Parker has not spoken to the coaches since; Bunting was fired from North Carolina in 2006. At the Tar Heels’

Pro Day, Parker ran the 40 in a mediocre 4.51 seconds, according to Gil Brandt, the former Cowboys

personnel chief. He has since run it in 4.28.

But Rooney, the son of the chairman of the Steelers, had kept tabs on Parker all those years. And after Parker

was not one of the 16 running backs drafted in 2004, the Steelers signed him as an undrafted free agent.

As a low-rung rookie, he was practice fodder for the starting defense, whose players started complaining

about how tiring it was to chase him around. When the Steelers’ former coach Bill Cowher first saw Parker in

camp, he wondered aloud why he had not played in college.

“The more we saw his ability to get to the corner, you were waiting to see what the kid’s weakness was,” said

Cowher, who told Parker that all those hits he had saved in college were a blessing in disguise. “From that

time on, I didn’t look at the North Carolina stars. I looked at the backups.”

Parker, 27, has lost none of the ebullience of an undrafted player who suddenly finds himself at the center of

one of the N.F.L.’s most successful teams. Like the 5-year-old, he still makes bold proclamations, looking at

himself in the mirror on game day to announce what he wants to accomplish: run hard, score a touchdown.

He thrives on people doubting if he can run between the tackles the way Bettis did. He can, Cowher said, after

learning to be patient by watching Bettis play. And he keeps all the slights in a mental bag that he delves into

when he needs to get mad and motivated.

This off-season, people wondered if he would lose speed after his first major injury.

“If you game-plan the Pittsburgh Steelers, it would be smart to seal off the edges,” Parker said. “At the same

time, you have to seal off some gaps, too. I love being Fast Willie. I’m not fat like Jerome was. I’m not a 240-



pound running back.”

Parker laughs when he needles Bettis, but as he walks the hallways of the Steelers’ offices, replete with

oversized photographs of the team’s great players, Parker jokingly wonders where the pictures of him are. In

at least one way, Parker is very much like them. Harris, a Hall of Fame runner, was prized more for his

blocking at Penn State.

“I never would have painted this picture,” Parker said. “When I won that Super Bowl, I still didn’t believe it

was true and real until a month later.”

A few months after that, Parker went home to Clinton to give his father a Cadillac. He told him to look in the

trunk. There was his Super Bowl ring, glittering in the hot sun.

“Wow — I never suspected he would really give it to me,” Willie Sr. said. “I couldn’t take what was happening,

it was too much. Me and my friend, I said, ‘Let’s take a ride.’ I always say we rode off into the sunset.”

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company

Privacy Policy Search Corrections RSS First Look Help Contact Us Work for Us Site Map



Willie Parker's no fraud By Joe Starkey TRIBUNE-REVIEW Friday, September 12, 2008

Maybe it's because he isn't built like the larger-than-life running backs of Steelers lore - Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis and John Henry Johnson.

Maybe it's because he let down so many fantasy football owners last season.

Maybe it's because he will never match the man he replaced - Bettis - as a media darling.

Maybe it's because he was undrafted.

Whatever the case, "Fast" Willie Parker can't seem to outrun his critics. They call him a track-star back who can't get tough yards, or, as Baltimore Ravens defensive end Trevor Pryce so memorably put it last season, "a fraud."

I must be missing something.

Are we talking about Amos Zereoue here, or a back who needs just 48 yards to pass Johnson for third place on the Steelers' all-time rushing list?

Parker has the best per-carry average (4.5) in franchise history, not to mention three of the club's top eight rushing seasons and two of its three highest single-game totals. He finished second in the NFL in 20-plus-yard runs last season, likely would have led the league in rushing if he hadn't been injured and had no problem grinding out tough yards two years ago, when he scored 13 rushing touchdowns.

Know what else? He keeps getting better. He has learned to change speeds and run more patiently.

But you go ahead and question Parker. Keep pointing out what he can't do. Keep finding reasons the Steelers should replace him.

He likes that.

"He's the first guy in here every day and probably the last guy to leave," receiver Hines Ward said.

True to form, Parker was among the last off the practice field Thursday. Dripping sweat and still trying to catch his breath, he considered the question

Page 1 of 3Starkey: Willie Parker's no fraud - Tribune-Review

9/12/2008http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/sports/steelers/print_587800.html

carefully.

Why isn't he automatically mentioned when people speak of the NFL's top backs?

Fast Willie leaned forward, squinted and said, "One day, they are going to talk about me as one of the best. They'll have no other choice."

About the rap he is stopped too often at the line of scrimmage (31 times last season, fifth-most in the NFL according to an article on ESPN.com) and has too many negative-yardage carries?

"Watch me this year," Parker said. "That's all I'll say."

Then, he said some more: "In the past, I probably got too greedy and wanted to make the big play every time. Barry Sanders had that same problem. I know what to do now. I'm trying to get positive yards, even if it's two yards."

Parker's teammates back him on that. He flashed his form Sunday with a 138-yard, three-TD opener against Houston, stiff-arming tacklers, spinning away from them and running right through them.

"A lot of people think of him as a little back, and he's not," offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said of the 5-foot-10, 209-pound Parker. "He's a handful - a violent runner. I wouldn't trade him for anyone."

I would, but after LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson, I'd have to think hard before trading Parker for any other runner - and it's not like Peterson has proved his durability. Parker has the third-most rushing yards (4,012) in the NFL over the past three years.

Ward was among those who eased Parker's concerns when the team drafted Rashard Mendenhall, pointing out that it could help him.

Pardon Parker if he didn't pop a bottle of champagne that day.

"I'm the type of person where I jump to the craziest conclusions anyway," Parker said. "I thought the worst. That's the way I was thinking. But then, after talking to some people, they made me calm down."

Seems to me, Mendenhall was brought in to preserve and enhance Parker, not to replace him.

Parker isn't perfect. He's just one of the best running backs in the NFL, and already, at age 27, one of the best in Steelers' history.

"If he didn't get hurt, he would have led the league in rushing last year," said backup quarterback Charlie Batch, who is on injured reserve but has seen numerous elite runners in his years in the league. "He's a proven runner, deserving of all the credit he's getting."



Or not getting.

Joe Starkey can be reached at [email protected] or 412-320-7810.

Images and text copyright © 2008 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.

Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com



MONDAY OCTOBER 6, 2008 :: Last modified: Sunday, October 5, 2008 12:20 AM EDT

Business trip for Moore By Mike Bires Times Sports Staff

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. — Whether it’s football, the financial crisis or anything in between those wide ranging topics, Mewelde Moore is a man in the know. A running back who will make his first start with the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight, Moore is among the most intelligent players in the National Football League.

He’s a graduate of Tulane University, the same school that produced Omar Khan, the Steelers highly-regarded football & business administration coordinator. Khan, who negotiates most of the team’s player contracts, often calls his alma mater “the Harvard of the South.” “It is,” Moore said of Tulane’s reputation as one of five “Southern Ivy League” schools. “Of course, Omar went through Tulane a few years before I did. But we were in the same business school.” Moore, signed by the Steelers via free agency in March, is such a smart guy that he earned two degrees (finance and accounting) while playing two sports as a collegian. Besides playing football for the Green Wave, Moore also spent three summers playing baseball in the San Diego Padres’ minor-league system. An outfielder, Moore was selected in the fourth round of the 2000 Major League Baseball Draft after his senior year of high school in Baton Rouge, La. “Man, you don’t know what it meant to me to get my degrees,” said Moore, who had a 3.8 grade-point average in high school. “I always promised my mother that I would graduate. And for me to do it, I had to take 24 (credit) hours in my eighth and last semester. “I never had the chance to take summer classes because I was playing baseball. And if I didn’t graduate on time, I would have had to pay for school out of my own pocket.” Not that money is an issue now for Moore, 26. When he signed with the Steelers, he agreed to a three-year deal worth $4.95 million, a $1.35 million signing bonus included. Besides the money Moore makes by playing football, he and his wife Tymeka, who has a Master’s degree from Tulane, are astute business people. They own a real estate business and plan to franchise health foods. “I’m already an entrepreneur,” he said. But what Moore wants to do more than anything right now is fully display his talents as a football player. He wants to prove to the Steelers that they invested wisely by signing him.

Print Page

Page 1 of 2.: Print Version :.

10/6/2008http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2008/10/06/sports/steelers/doc48e840358059740263...

At Tulane, which competes in Conference USA, Moore had a prolific career. He rushed for 890 yards as freshman, 1,431 as a sophomore, 1,138 as a junior, and 915 as a senior. He’s one of only two players in NCAA Division I history to rush for over 4,000 yards and accumulate over 2,000 receiving yards in a career. He was selected in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft by Minnesota where he developed into a valuable role player. He started11 games for the Vikings, and rushed for over 100 yards in four of them. He also caught 116 passes for 1,093 yards in a four-year stint in Minnesota. That’s why the Steelers signed him as their third-down back. But tonight when the Steelers (3-1) take on the Jaguars (2-2), Moore makes his first start since Dec. 4, 2005. He’s starting because Willie Parker will sit out a second straight game due to a sprained knee and because rookie Rashard Mendenhall is done for the season with a broken shoulder. “In the meeting room, Mewelde is very observant,” running backs coach Kirby Wilson said. “He takes a lot of notes. He asks intelligent questions. He’s an attention-to-detail guy. “It took him awhile to get untracked here, but I’d like to think he found his groove just in the knick of time.” In the Steelers’ first three games, Moore seldom played on offense. His only touch was a 6-yard carry two weeks ago in Philadelphia. But when Mendenhall and fullback Carey Davis (ankle) were hurt last week against Baltimore, Moore carried eight times and caught three passes. His 24-yard run after catching a short toss from Ben Roethlisberger in overtime set up Jeff Reed’s game-winning field goal. “I believe I’m capable of doing everything a running back is supposed to do … ball-carrying, protection, route-running, catching the football,” Moore said. “That’s what I’m preparing to do. “Ever since I got in the NFL, I always put everything I have into my playbook, my studies, my film work, so I can be best prepared for my situation. This is no different than any other week.”

Page 2 of 2.: Print Version :.

10/6/2008http://www.timesonline.com/articles/2008/10/06/sports/steelers/doc48e840358059740263...

Ward ultimate love-hate player The Steelers and their fans embrace Ward as the 'ultimate competitor,' while in Baltimore and around the league he is a marked, disliked player because he's a winnerNFL WEEK 15 x STEELERS @ TITANS Wednesday, December 17, 2008 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Post-Gazette photo illustration

Ron Cook

View all related images

Since Hines Ward joined the Steelers in 1998 and began what is looking more and more like a Hall of Fame NFL career, the team has a 113-71-1 record. He is not into ranking wins, but, if he were, surely the one against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, when he was the MVP, would be No. 1. Just as surely, the 14 wins against the Baltimore Ravens would be next.

"There is nothing like beating Baltimore," a very satisfied Ward said Sunday night as he strolled out of M&T Bank Stadium with a 13-9 smackdown of the Ravens, the AFC North Division title and a first-round playoff bye.

That's why Ward enjoyed his conversations late in the game with Ravens All-Pros Ray Lewis and Ed Reed so much.

"I told 'em both that we were about to score and beat 'em in their own back yard," Ward said, almost giggling.

"No, you ain't!" Lewis and Reed screamed back among a few other unprintable words.

Well, guess what?

Ben Roethlisberger's 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Santonio Holmes with 43 seconds left broke the Ravens' hearts. But what really ticked them off were Ward's contributions to the winning, 12-play, 92-yard drive: three catches for 36 yards.

Losing is one thing in Baltimore.

Losing to Ward and the Steelers is something much worse, especially when the defeat could end up costing the Ravens a playoff slot.

"I'm pretty sure I'm the most-hated guy down here," Ward said, smiling again.

Smirking, actually.

"I love being the most-hated guy here," he said. "I love beating them while [their fans] are flicking me off."

It goes back to a 2001 game when Ward drilled Ravens safety Rod Woodson with a block and bloodied his nose, prompting

Page 1 of 2Ward ultimate love-hate player


Woodson to swear he would get even. Last season, Ward popped Reed and linebacker Bart Scott with brutal blocks, leading Scott to promise to "kill" Ward and tell him, "Payback is a [bleep]." Earlier this season, linebacker Terrell Suggs went on a national radio show and said the Ravens had a bounty on Ward when the teams played Sept. 29.

"I know Hines is loving this," Steelers linebacker James Farrior said after Ward's eight-catch, 107-yard game Sunday. "He always has a chip on his shoulder when he plays these guys because he knows they're going to come at him and try to do something bad to him."

For a long time, it looked as if the Ravens would inflict the worst kind of pain on Ward -- a Steelers loss. They led, 9-3, into the fourth quarter and he had done very little. He had two short catches on the Steelers' first possession, then had just one on their next nine, although that 21-yard play set up their second-quarter field goal.

But Ward had five catches for 74 yards in the fourth quarter, all five for first downs. His 30-yard reception set up the field goal that pulled the Steelers to 9-6. Then, he had those three catches on the deciding drive.

"I'm not surprised by anything that Hines Ward does," Farrior said. "He's the ultimate competitor."

Said Ward, "I thrive on wanting the ball in the fourth quarter. Some guys don't want it. They shy away from it in the big situations. I want it. I love it."

Holmes and wide receiver Nate Washington have had some big moments this season, but they aren't nearly as consistent as Ward. If I'm Roethlisberger, I'm looking for Ward or tight end Heath Miller in every critical spot. It seems amazing now that the Steelers were able to beat the Dallas Cowboys Dec. 7 with Ward getting just one catch for 2 yards. He also had only one catch two weeks earlier against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"It's hard and it gets frustrating, but we're winning," Ward said. "It's a lot easier to get over it when we're winning.

"I like getting the ball, just like all receivers do. But you'll never hear me being a T.O." -- Terrell Owens of the Dallas Cowboys -- "because that's not my style. I just try to make plays when my number is called. I don't make all of them, but my percentage is pretty good."

Especially against the Ravens.

Excluding his rookie season, Ward has 95 catches for 1,167 yards and six touchdowns in 20 games against Baltimore. This was the sixth time he had at least eight catches against the Ravens.

If Ward had a regret Sunday, it's that he wasn't able to finish a block on Scott late in the third quarter. He peeled back on a Roethlisberger scramble and had Scott lined up for a legal hit only to go over top of him when Scott ducked.

"They put a bounty on me and then he ducks," Ward said, shrugging.

"He saw Hines coming and he was scared!" Holmes crowed from two lockers down.

It didn't matter in the end.

Ward didn't need to knock Scott into next week to go home feeling happy.

The win was plenty good enough.

Ron Cook can be reached at [email protected]. More articles by this author


Buy Steelers Jersey Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey On Sale. Home & Away. Only $16.99.

Pittsburgh Steelers Store Pittsburgh Steelers Gear & Gifts For Pittsburgh Steelers Fans.

Page 2 of 2Ward ultimate love-hate player


Nothing dirty about Ward's rugged play Tuesday, October 21, 2008 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ron Cook

So the Cincinnati Bengals want a piece of Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward when the teams play again Nov. 20?

Please.

They had better get in line.

It is a very long line.

Baltimore Ravens safety Rod Woodson threatened to get even with Ward after his nose was bloodied by a Ward block in 2001. Ravens linebacker Bart Scott threatened to kill Ward after he was flattened by a Ward hit in '07. Cleveland Browns cornerback Daven Holly called the Ward block that left him with a concussion last season "a heinous act." Ravens cornerback Chris McAllister used a vulgar term to describe Ward in '04 for no other reason than, well, Ward is Ward.

Now, along come the Bengals after Ward's hard-but-clean block knocked rookie linebacker Keith Rivers out for the season with a broken jaw Sunday.

"Too bad he can't hit someone face up," Bengals safety Chinedum Ndukwe said. "It's the type of guy he is. He's a blind-side guy. That's all right. We play them again."

That didn't bother Ward in the slightest. "They all hate me in the division," he said yesterday. "I don't worry about someone trying to take me out. I don't even think about it. I know they're going to try to hit me hard any chance they get. That's why I always try to hit them hard first."

But this bothered Ward greatly: "I hate that they're saying I'm a dirty player when I didn't do anything wrong. How can it be a dirty play when I don't get penalized? How can it be a dirty play when all I'm doing is playing football and trying to help my teammate get extra yards?"

Those are good questions.

There are a lot of ways to describe Ward. I like Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's version: "Hines plays the game the way it's supposed to be played. ... He's a football player first and a wide receiver second." Ward prefers former Ravens coach Brian Billick's description: " 'I hate the S.O.B., but I'd love to have him on my team.' "

But Ward a dirty player?

Sorry, I just don't see it.

Of all of Ward's many vicious blocks, the only one I can remember coming late and drawing a penalty was his hit on the Browns' Holly last season. Just about everything he does -- though unusually violent for a receiver -- is within the rules.

Of course, that didn't stop the NFL from fining Ward for "unnecessary roughness" on plays that weren't penalized in games against Jacksonville and Baltimore earlier this season. He doesn't think he'll be fined for the hit on Rivers, but who knows? If the league does fine him, it will stink of hypocrisy. That block is the type of brutal hit that makes the NFL game so popular. Rivers was sent flying; his feet must have been 10 feet off the turf. It's the type of play the league surely will market and sell on its 2008 Greatest Hits video.

"It was shoulder to shoulder," Ward said. "If I was a dirty player, I would have gone low on him. I easily could have taken out his leg. But my intentions weren't to hurt him. I just wanted to block him. I can't help that he broke his jaw when he hit the ground. I feel sorry that it was broken, but I don't feel sorry for what I did.

Page 1 of 2Nothing dirty about Ward's rugged play


"No one ever sent me an apology note when I was hurt. Two years ago against Cleveland, Sean Jones hurt my knee with what I thought was a bad hit. Last year, [San Francisco's] Patrick Willis hit me directly on my knee. No one felt sorry for me ...

"I'm a 200-pound wide receiver. [Rivers] is a first-round linebacker out of USC. If I were him, I wouldn't want people talking about me being blocked like that. I'd be embarrassed about it."

Lost in the controversy surrounding Ward's big hit and fines is the fact he's having another superb season. He caught his fifth touchdown pass in the 38-10 victory against the Bengals, taking a cheap hit from safety Dexter Jackson long after he scored.Ward bounced up and grinned in Jackson's face as the officials called Jackson for a personal foul. "I knew that hit was coming," Ward said, shrugging.

Ward didn't take it personally.

"I hardly ever allow it to become personal," he said. "I can only think of one or two times in my career when I lost my cool and allowed it to be personal. I caught a touchdown pass in Seattle and spiked the ball in front of [Ken] Lucas. He had been grabbing me and talking all game. That was personal. After I hit [Earl] Little in Cleveland [in 2001], I stood over him because he called me a 'Chinaman [bleep]' a few plays earlier. I said to him, 'How do you like that from a Chinaman [bleep]?' I know I shouldn't have done it and I deserved that fine.

"But these fines this year? I didn't do anything wrong. I just played football."

And if the opponents disagree?

"If I'm in their head and they're worried about me, I figure I've won already," Ward said.

In the game against the Ravens last season when Ward drilled Scott, he also sent All-Pro safety Ed Reed flying with a block. "The next few plays, all he cared about was getting back at me," Ward said. "He didn't care about his responsibilities. That's not helping his team. That's helping my team."

I'm thinking Ward will be ready for the Giants' best shots Sunday and the Washington Redskins' the next week and the Bengals', Ravens' and Browns' down the road.

Certainly, they had better be ready for his best.

"I'm not going to allow this silly [stuff] to change the way I play," Ward said.

Nor should he.

Tomlin's point is worth repeating one more time:

Hines plays the game the way it's supposed to be played ...


First published on October 21, 2008 at 12:00 am

Page 2 of 2Nothing dirty about Ward's rugged play


Receiver's stock is on the rise By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Nate Washington was talking about the Steelers' offense righting itself while rallying to defeat the Baltimore Ravens -- courtesy of a hair-raising, close-out touchdown drive -- but he could have been discussing his NFL career.

"We never deliberately get in those type of situations," Washington said. "It's just that no matter what happens, no matter the situations that we're in, we do a great job of picking each other up and standing together as a family."

For every big catch that Washington has made during his four years with the Steelers, there always seems to be an equally big drop that prevented quarterback Ben Roethlisberger from consistently targeting him in crunch time.

But with defenses erecting a force field around Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes struggling with inconsistency, Roethlisberger badly needed another downfield receiver he could trust. For the past two games, Washington has been that receiver.

On the Steelers' final drive against Dallas that led to the game-tying touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Ward, Washington caught three passes for 51 yards, all resulting in first downs.

No longer an afterthought in the passing game, Roethlisberger went right back to Washington at key points during Sunday's 92-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown drive at Baltimore.

Again, Washington caught three passes down the stretch, this time for 49 yards and two first downs, including a 24-yarder to the Ravens' 14.

"I don't get down on myself anymore," said Washington, who was signed as an undrafted free agent from tiny Tiffin College in 2005. "I stay confident. I know there's a lot of opportunities out there to be made. Big opportunities. I just try to stay focused on the game itself instead of dwelling on anything that might have happened in the past."

Asked how much better of a receiver he is now, Washington said his improvement has been substantial.

"Ten times better," he said.

A member of the Steelers' Super Bowl XL championship team, Washington

Page 1 of 2Harris: WR's stock on rise - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

12/16/2008http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_603080.html

figures to sign a new contract for substantially more than his current $1.4 million salary as an unrestricted free agent after the season. His big-play potential makes him an attractive option for teams seeking a speedy No. 2 receiver who can beat single coverage.

"I still have a long way to go," Washington said. "I still have a lot of learning to do and a lot of focusing to maintain. I've just been trying to make the plays that I can make.

"It's not necessarily about free agency. It's not necessarily about the money. It's just about I look at everybody in this locker room, and I know the opportunity we have this year. We have a great opportunity to get another championship ring if we handle our business."

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



Page 2 of 2Harris: WR's stock on rise - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review



Steelers' Miller is the total packageHis statistics might not wow everyone, but the Steelers tight end is the total package Monday, November 03, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Steelers tight end Heath Miller entered the weekend with 21 catches, which ranked 11th among tight ends.

Heath Miller has one of those jobs few in his profession covet. He plays tight end for the Steelers, and if a tight end wants to star in professional football, that's the last place to work.

Miller is on his fastest receiving pace since he arrived as the team's No. 1 draft pick in 2005, and he is moving up the list of all-time Steelers tight ends. On the grand NFL landscape, though, it's merely a ripple.

Miller's 21 receptions in seven games has him on pace to catch 48 passes, which would top his career high from last season by one. He also will soon become the team's fourth-most productive receiving tight end with four more receptions and could become their second-best scoring tight end by season's end.

But compared to other tight ends, it's a drop in the bucket. There will be a pass-catching tight end on the field tonight in Landover, Md., but he'll be wearing a Redskins uniform.

Chris Cooley's 40 receptions are second in the NFL among tight ends behind Jason Witten. A converted fullback, Cooley made the Pro Bowl last season when he caught 66 passes.

Yet Bruce Arians, the Steelers' offensive coordinator, said he'd take Heath Miller over all of them.

"Pro bowls have nothing to do with the best tight ends going to the Pro Bowl," Arians said. "It's the guy with the most catches who goes. Those are glorified wide receivers. I've said it every year, Heath's the best tight end in the AFC."

The Steelers have placed just one tight end in a Pro Bowl in the past 45 seasons: Eric Green made it after the 1993 season, when he led Bill Cowher's second team with 63 receptions.

It's Miller's own fault. If he weren't so good at blocking, or so willing, he would likely be Tony Gonzalez or Antonio Gates, or even Chris Cooley -- he just would not have been drafted by the Steelers.

"Heath Miller could be whoever he wanted to be if he were a tight end in their offense," Arians said of the Redskins. "He could be all those guys, because those guys can't block. He can block."

Miller could make a run at becoming the Steelers' second Pro Bowl tight end in 46 seasons because the traditional top AFC tight ends, Gonzalez and Gates, are off in their production with 33 and 30 receptions, respectively. But he would have to pick up the pace, and on a team that has three good wide receivers, it's more likely Miller will catch fewer than 50 passes instead of more.

"In our offense I think it's in our best interests to spread the ball around and use all of our weapons," Miller said. "I think that's when we pose the biggest threat to defenses."

Page 1 of 2Steelers' Miller is the total package


You check your ego at the door when you become a Steelers tight end.

"This offense is not made for it," Hines Ward said. "It's hard for any receiver, tight end or anything, to really be compared up there with everybody else.

"You look at the guy in Houston [tight end Owen Davis with 32 catches] -- they're passing the ball all the time. A lot of that has to do with them playing behind all the time. When we jump up on somebody, we're pounding the ball all the time so the opportunities won't be there as much."

No Steelers player has 100 yards receiving as the team approaches the halfway mark tonight. There have been 100-yard receiving games turned in 76 times in the NFL this season. Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin have topped 100 yards in the same game twice.

As it is, Miller ranks third on the team behind Santonio Holmes, who has 22 receptions. Ward leads with 31 and Nate Washington comes in fourth with 16.

"In this offense, we have a lot of playmakers," Ward said. "You may not put up huge stats, you may have 100 yards every now and then, but it doesn't discredit the type of ballplayer you are.

"Heath is one of those guys when you look at all the stuff he's done on film, he is, in my opinion, one of the better tight ends in the AFC."

Miller entered the weekend ranked 74th among all receivers with his 21 receptions, which put him 11th among tight ends.

The only thing more surprising than a Steelers tight end catching 10 passes in a game would be to see Heath Miller demanding the ball more often.

"I think everybody who's a player on offense would like to get the ball," Miller said. "At the same time, you have to understand the grand scheme of things, and I think I've tried to do that with this offense.

"We all understand we're all in it together and that's when we're most effective."

Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected].

First published on November 3, 2008 at 12:00 am

"How To Lose Stomach Fat"Finally, A Diet That Really Works! As Seen On CNN, NBC, CBS & Fox News


Page 2 of 2Steelers' Miller is the total package


Kemoeatu's work ethic rooted in family By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, October 19, 2008

The proposed wall in question was four stories high. Too high and apparently too much for Chris Kemoeatu and older brother Ma'ake to help build.

Manako Kemoeatu gave his two oldest sons only two days to carry various supplies -- rocks, cement, water -- to the top of a steep hill so he could build the wall. On the second day, however, Chris and Ma'ake were both so exhausted they became convinced they couldn't finish their portion of a job that didn't pay very well in the first place.

That isn't the point, Manako told his sons. If you don't finish, how will we feed our family with the money I'm supposed to earn for building the wall? He made them a promise: If they somehow completed the Herculean task, any other challenges they faced in life would seem small by comparison.

Somehow, Chris and his brother finished the job, lugging the remaining supplies to the top of the hill. The wall was built, and Manako Kemoeatu earned enough money to feed his family.

"Dad was real strict when we were growing up," said Chris, a sixth-round draft pick in 2005 -- the 204th player selected -- turned starting left guard for the 2008 Steelers. "He taught us to be humble and loyal. We grew up in the church, but we grew up poor, too. It made us realize that we had to work hard for whatever we wanted."

"Dad is one of the big reasons why Chris is successful today," said Ma'ake, a starting defensive tackle for Carolina who entered the league in 2002 as an undrafted free agent and joined the Panthers after four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. "Chris worked hard to get where he's at. Dad always told us if you work really hard, don't be surprised if you get to where you want to go."

PRIDE AND POWER

Born in Tonga in the South Pacific while being raised in Hawaii from the age of 3, Chris is a product of his different environments who learned his father's lessons well.

He's a self-made NFL starter who overcame his unfamiliarity with football as a youth to earn a scholarship to the University of Utah. He later becoming an offensive line stalwart on coach Urban Meyer's undefeated team that routed Pitt, 35-7, in the Fiesta Bowl following the 2004 season.

Page 1 of 4Kemoeatu's work ethic from family - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review


He joined the Steelers as a late-round draft pick but patiently waited his turn while learning the nuances of his position from Alan Faneca, one of the best guards in the game who became one of his best friends.

Kemoeatu, 6-foot-3, 344 pounds, is a thickly constructed bear of a man with surprisingly nimble feet who has been known to polish off defenders while opening holes for his running backs. He's a potentially lethal run-blocker and developing as a pass protector.

"First and foremost about Chris is his power," said West Coast-based agent Ken Vierra, who represents Chris and Ma'ake. "When he hits NFL-caliber people, it's an awesome thing to behold. What he has as a guard, you can't coach it, and most guys don't have it. You look around the league, and there's a lot of good guards, but you don't see guys go flying like you do when Chris hits them."

Since becoming a starter this season, Kemoeatu has attempted to show that he's more than just a hard-hitting football player. Exceptionally quiet, he is slowly emerging from his shell while revealing more of his personality.

"He's got a great sense of humor," said Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex, who along with fellow lineman Willie Colon, are Kemoeatu's best friends on the team.

"He's a lot funnier than people think, because they don't think he talks. He has me and Willie cracking up all the time.

"That man can dance, too. He can get down. Don't let him tell you different. Put some music on in the locker room when ya'll (reporters) ain't around, and he can cut a rug."

Kemoeatu agreed that he keeps that part of his personality away from outsiders.

"When I'm out with the guys, that's the one time you get to be yourself," he said. "If the fellas weren't there, I wouldn't be dancing. I'll talk to anybody, but there's certain stuff I'll (say) to them that I wouldn't say to anybody (else)."

FUELED BY ANGER

He doesn't mind discussing how much he has changed since joining the Steelers three seasons ago.

"When I first came to the Steelers, I was kind of mad," said Kemoeatu, who will make eighth pro start today against the Cincinnati Bengals. "I got drafted late. I was disappointed about that. Once I got here, I was glad it happened the way that it did."

Namely, Faneca happened. The veteran guard went out of his way to help ease Kemoeatu's transition to the NFL.



"I'm real thankful that I got to learn from probably the best (guard) I've ever seen play," Kemoeatu said. "As far as the way he played and his passion for the game, I respect that a lot. I can't be Alan Faneca and do everything he does, but I'm going to try to live up to, play and think the way that he does."

Now with the New York Jets, Faneca still maintains close contact with Kemoeatu.

"Chris is a good friend, a hard worker, and has a lot of talent to go far in this league," Faneca said in a recent text message.

FOOTBALL ON THE DOWN LOW

And to think Kemoeatu almost didn't get the chance to play football.

In Tonga -- a group of 36 inhabited islands located south of Samoa - rugby was his father's sport of choice. Manako Kemoeatu forbid his sons from playing American football. He demanded they concentrate on academics to have a chance for a better life.

Chris, however, had other ideas. He would rush home from school and finish his homework and chores so he could sneak outside and play flag football without his parents' knowledge.

"Growing up, we didn't (have a) TV in our house," Chris said. "We couldn't afford it. I didn't really understand football until I went to my friend's house and watched it on TV. I loved played playing it more than I did watching it."

Eventually, Manako came around to his sons' way of thinking and attended their high school games.

"Dad didn't even know you could get a (college) scholarship through football," said Chris, who was named Hawaii's top high school defensive player in 2000. "That's when he started supporting it."

Ma'ake enrolled at Utah in 1998. Chris and another brother, Tevita, arrived at Utah three years later.

At Utah, Chris made the transition from defense to offense. As a junior, he switched from left to right guard under the guidance of Meyer, who had replaced Ron McBride.

After taking the job at Florida, Meyer tried to recruit a fourth Kemoeatu brother, Benji, who is now a freshman guard at West Virginia.

Chris said Benji selected West Virginia because of the school's proximity to Pittsburgh - Tongan families are traditionally close-knit.

When the NFL season ends, Chris, Benji and Ma'ake return home to Hawaii to reunite with their parents and four brothers and sisters.



"It's a good thing understanding your traditions and knowing where you're from," Chris said. "All of that stuff we did growing up, we still do today. The custom back home is that men do all the cooking. It's been that way my whole life."

In keeping with that tradition, Chris prepares huge feasts with Ma'ake consisting of wild pigs, cows and chickens that they personally hunt and cook outside on wooden poles.

THE TRADITION EXTENDS BEYOND FOOD.

"Tongan is our first language," Chris said. "When we're at home, that's the only thing we speak in the house.

"At first, I was mad about it. We'd get teased in school because we couldn't speak English. But now I understand, and I'm glad my parents raised us the traditional way. It makes you appreciate what you have that much more."







Since October, pain has had new definition for family of Aaron SmithSunday, December 14, 2008 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

More than 70,000 people will scream vile things at the Steelers today when they play the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. But to defensive end Aaron Smith, it will be like elevator music compared to the screams from his young son whendoctors began poking his tiny body with needles to do their spinal taps, bone marrow tests and blood transfusions.

"Daddy, make them stop! It hurts so bad! Please make them stop! Don't let them do that to me ..."

"They tell me he's so young that he won't remember any of it," Smith said the other day at Steelers headquarters. "But his mom and dad will remember it the rest of their lives."

Smith's son, Elijah, who turned 5 Dec. 6, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia -- a cancer of the white blood cells -- a few days before the Steelers played the New York Giants Oct. 26. The disease has an 80 percent survival rate, the doctors told Smith and his wife, Jaimie. They are encouraged about Elijah because he has responded well to once-a-week chemotherapy treatments and his follow-up blood tests have been good.

"We feel blessed," said Smith, a man of faith. "We will come out of this and be a stronger family, and my son will be a stronger person."

Smith had much different thoughts on that horrible Tuesday when doctors delivered the news. One minute, he was sitting at Children's Hospital thinking they were going to give his son medication for his high fever and send the family home. The next minute, he was told an oncologist would be in soon to speak with them.

"I don't know what you guys know about leukemia ..."

"I swear at that moment I wanted to vomit on the floor," Smith said. "I didn't know anything about leukemia. I just knew it was something bad. It was a death sentence as far as I knew."

Smith called what followed "the craziest three days of my life." He was excused from Steelers practice by coach Mike Tomlin and stayed at the hospital around-the-clock, leaving only to get food. While his son went through those awful tests and had surgery to implant a port line under his skin for his treatments, he went through the normal stages of denial, anger and depression, asking himself time and again, "Why not me instead of my son?" As he put it, "I would switch in a heartbeat with him. Any parent would jump on that hand grenade."

That's not how life works, though.

"I kept asking, 'Could it just be a virus?' " Smith said. "One of his doctors said, 'It's not a question of if he has leukemia. It's what kind.' "

It wasn't until Friday before the Giants game that the Smiths learned Elijah had the more common form -- the more easily curable form. And it wasn't until Sunday morning -- only hours before the game -- that Smith decided to play because he knew his teammates were counting on him.

Tomlin had visited Smith at the hospital Wednesday and told him to take as much time as he needed for his son and his family. The Smiths also have three daughters -- Elliana, 6; Elysia, 2; and Emilia, 6 1/2 months.

"I don't think you get that support anywhere else," Smith said. "I don't have a normal job. It's not like, if I miss a game, I can make it up later. That's 1/16th of our season. The game was at 4:15, and [Tomlin] told me, 'If you show up at 2 or 2:30 and you want to play, you're playing.' "

Despite the Steelers' 21-14 loss, Smith said afterward, "This was the best part of my week -- by far." His teammates felt bad about letting him down. He might be the most-respected player in the locker room and is invaluable to the defense. "Every single one of us wanted to win the game for him," nose tackle Chris Hoke said. Added defensive end Brett Keisel, near tears, "I love the guy so much. If I could be like him and live my life like he lives his, I'd die a happy man."

Page 1 of 2Since October, pain has had new definition for family of Aaron Smith


Said Smith last week, "It's unbelievable the group of guys we have. Honestly, I know some of them better than I know my own family."

By all accounts, Smith played well against the Giants, even though he missed all of the practices that week. "At first, it was awkward," he said. "I'm trying to play an NFL game, and my mind is somewhere else. I didn't know their personnel, the plays they ran, their blocking schemes. I didn't know anything about them."

Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau didn't care. "I knew we were a better team when he walked into the locker room that day. I didn't give a damn about the missed practices."

Smith said LeBeau, more than anyone, has helped him get through Elijah's toughest times. "Talking to him is like talking to your dad." For his part, LeBeau said Smith has "been tremendously solid through this whole thing ... He's been a Pro Bowl defensive lineman since I came back here [in 2004], and this might be his best year." Asked why, LeBeau said, "He never gets blocked."

The road ahead for the Smiths will not be easy. There is the chemo and there may be more steroids treatments. "The steroids was the hardest part to take for me," Smith said. "He was on them for a month. To see my 4-year-old son's body stretch out and his face get round and his personality changes ... "

The Smiths have to keep people away from Elijah because of his weakened immune system, at least until the chemo treatments do their work. He has been hospitalized twice since his diagnosis because of bacterial infections.

It was during one of those hospital stays that Smith said Elijah climbed out of bed and went around the room to each of his sisters, giving them a hug and kiss. "He would be sad and depressed, but he would perk up when they came around. That wasa beautiful moment for me. I'll never forget it."

Doctors did allow Elijah to have friends over for a birthday celebration during a time when his blood count was good. They also let him go to one of his favorite restaurants, Red Robin.

"We come in with the kids and put them in the corner," Smith said. "We are pulling out Clorox wipes and wiping the counters, the seats, the ketchup bottles. People probably thought we were crazy."

"Red," the restaurant's mascot, was there that day. His thing is to hug the kids.

"He comes over and reaches across the table to give [Elijah] a high five," Smith said. "My wife jumps up and was like, 'No, no, no! Don't touch.' Elijah is just looking at her and Red is looking ...

"My wife has been unbelievable through this whole thing. I think women are stronger than men ... She just keeps going."

The Steelers will tell you there is no one tougher than Smith. He wasn't expecting this fight, but now he hopes to make something good come from it. He has thrown his considerable weight behind the team's annual locker room blood drive from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 26 at Heinz Field. Donors will be able to meet current and former Steelers and be eligible to win two tickets to the Steelers-Cleveland Browns game Dec. 28.

"Elijah had to have blood transfusions four, five, maybe even six times," Smith said. "There's such a shortage of blood. I don't think people understand the difference they can make in people's lives by donating. I didn't understand. But you're talking about saving someone's life."

It was time for practice, and Smith had to excuse himself. You might have heard it's a big game against the Ravens.

Smith clearly will be ready for whatever comes his way today. And tomorrow. And all the days ahead.

Ron Cook can be reached at [email protected].


Leukemia SymptomsWhat Is Myelocytic Leukemia? Facts & Learn How Gleevec May Help

Cancer Treatment HospitalHome of integrative & compassionate cancer care. World class doctors.

Page 2 of 2Since October, pain has had new definition for family of Aaron Smith



Farrior pounds away on the fieldFriday, December 19, 2008 By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Steelers linebacker James Farrior has a team-high 127 tackles (86 solo) and 3.5 sacks

When inside linebacker Larry Foote was a rookie in 2002, he reported to training camp weighing 230 pounds. It didn't take him long to realize he wasn't big enough to play his position in the NFL, not when he had to take on 330-pound guards and running backs who were bigger than him.

"I tried to get real heavy when I saw how big the guys were," Foote said. "I tried to get big. I went up to 245 pounds. I was real big."

Turns out, actually too big. The added weight made Foote slower, even sluggish, he said. So he got back down to his original playing weight of 230 -- light for inside standards -- and has settled there for most of his career.

But 218 pounds?

That's what James Farrior, Foote's partner at inside linebacker, weighed Dec. 7 against the Dallas Cowboys. Farrior might have been even lighter for the 13-9 victory Sunday in Baltimore, except he said he missed the weigh-in last week and didn't know his exact weight.

But, to satisfy his curiosity -- and that of his questioner -- Farrior walked over to an electronic scale in the locker room and jumped on, still wearing some of his practice gear.

The scale read 228.2, which Farrior said equated to about 220 pounds, considering his added clothing.

"This is the thinnest he's ever been," Foote said. "He's too thin. He has to get to at least 225 pounds. The year we won the Super Bowl, we were both down in low 220s by the end of the season. It's amazing when you look at how thin he is."

What's amazing is not that Farrior is more than 15 pounds lighter than he was in 2004, the season he went to his first Pro Bowl. Rather it is that Farrior still plays with the same aggressive, hard-hitting style, throwing his 33-year-old body into the middle of the line and taking on running backs such as Baltimore's Le'Ron McClain, who outweighs him by nearly 40 pounds.

With two games remaining, Farrior has a team-high 127 tackles (86 solo) and 3.5 sacks, numbers that already exceed his total from the 2004 season. What's more, he is headed back to the Pro Bowl, one of three players from the NFL's No. 1 defense to be honored.

And he is doing it at a weight that makes him more like a strong safety -- Troy Polamalu weighs 215 pounds -- than a linebacker. At least one in the mold of most inside linebackers, a position once manned in the Steelers' defense by 280-pound Levon Kirkland.

Even some of Farrior's teammates were surprised.

Sunday

Game: Steelers (11-3) vs. Tennessee Titans (12-2), 1 p.m. Where: LP Field, Nashville, Tenn. TV: KDKA.

Page 1 of 2Farrior pounds away on the field


"Two-eighteen?" said outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley, sounding incredulous when he discovered Farrior's weight. "Well, he doesn't play like 218. Whatever weight he brings, even if he's 200 pounds, as long as he brings it."

"Man, he's got that old-man strength," said nose tackle Casey Hampton. "He hits hard. His head is hard. There's something about how he hits."

"He plays hard-nosed, smashmouth football," defensive end Brett Keisel said. "That's exactly how he wants it. He wants the guys to come punch him in the face because he's that type of guy. He's rock solid everywhere. He plays much bigger than hisweight."

It is not a weighty issue with Farrior.

He reported to training camp this year weighing 230 pounds, which was 13 pounds lighter than the weight at which he played last season. But, as the season has worn on, he slowly has lost more weight -- not by design, he said, but because he doesn't always eat a lot during the season.

"During the week, after I go home from practice, I really don't feel that hungry like I usually do," Farrior said. "I feel fine. If I keep it close to 220, I feel I can work with that. It's not a big issue for me."

It isn't an issue for defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, either, not with the way Farrior has performed in his 12th NFL season.

"I just go by what I see on video; I don't pay attention to weight," LeBeau said. "He seems big enough. Look at our numbers against the run. Our backers have to play well against the run or we wouldn't have those numbers."

"He's the quarterback of our defense," said cornerback Deshea Townsend. "He understands where to put everybody and he plays hard. That's the thing you can't underestimate: how he plays with no regard for his body. He'll stick it in anywhere."

Of course, the one area where Farrior isn't lighter is in the wallet.

He signed a five-year, $18 million contract before the season, a surprising deal for a player who will be 34 Jan. 6. But he certainly justified the big contract with another Pro Bowl season, this one more satisfying than the other.

"I think I worked hard all year," Farrior said. "I really didn't make the splash plays like I did [in 2004]; it really wasn't that type of year. It's more of a consistent year, just playing well every week. Being in my 12th year is a big accomplishment for me."



Steelers ThongsFind Your Steelers Thongs; View Our Steelers Thongs!

Page 2 of 2Farrior pounds away on the field


Farrior still playing at elite level By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, November 24, 2008

Steelers defensive captain James Farrior didn't even bother knocking on wood for good luck.

Farrior made his 11th start of the 2008 season, and his 54th consecutive start (including the playoffs) in Thursday night's 27-10 win against the Cincinnati Bengals.

"My body feels good," Farrior said. "I feel good mentally. I'm just ready to keep playing football.''

Since 2007, Farrior, fellow linebackers James Harrison and Larry Foote, cornerback Ike Taylor and tackle Willie Colon are the only starters who haven't been sidelined because of injury or illness.

Not bad for a 33-year-old who signed a five-year contract extension in August. Farrior is three years older than Harrison, five years older than Foote, five years older than Taylor and eight years older than Colon.

Despite the obligatory bumps and bruises that result from a dozen years of toiling in the NFL, Farrior not only lines up and starts every week, he continues to excel.

This season, given the success of the Steelers' top-ranked defense, Farrior is playing at a Pro Bowl level.

Farrior is on pace to lead the Steelers in tackles for the third year in a row, and the fifth time in six years.

Asked about the longevity and endurance that belies his age, Farrior credited his intense offseason workouts with famed speed and conditioning coach Tom Shaw at Walt Disney's Wide World of Sports.

"To be in good shape at this time of the year, you've got to do a lot of work in the offseason," Farrior said. "Tom Shaw, I don't know what I would do without him.

"I give him a lot of the credit to keep me this healthy this time of season. Guys are usually starting to get banged up. Injuries are starting to be a hassle. But if you train and work out good during your off-time and keep your body healthy, you get yourself ready for that stretch run at the end of the season.''

Page 1 of 2Farrior playing at elite level - Tribune-Review


Shaw said Farrior is a special talent because he continues to work hard even as some of his peers are resting their bodies from the rigors of the previous season.

Other Steelers who trained regularly with Shaw last offseason included Taylor, fellow cornerback Bryant McFadden and receiver Santonio Holmes.

"James really is good at what he does, but (his) body has to adapt to the stress that he's going to put on it," Shaw said. "That's why we continue to work hard in the offseason. We're trying to work them but not kill them. We train hard - but smart. I want you to work as hard as you can to get your body in shape.''

The hard work paid off. Farrior entered his 12th training camp at a physical level not much different from when he joined the league as a first-round draft pick.

"We test - that's the big difference in our program,'' Shaw said. "I want to make sure that if your vertical jump was this high when you came out, it's the same thing for your 12th year.''

Said Farrior: "This is what I expected. This is what I go down there and do all that hard work for, to feel like this late in the season.''




Page 2 of 2Farrior playing at elite level - Tribune-Review



No question, Farrior's the team leader"The young guys should be watching his every move." Monday, November 03, 2008 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


James Farrior hopes to play at least two more seasons. There's no reason to doubt he'll make it even if his body aches a little more than it used to.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter got another sack yesterday against the Denver Broncos and -- at the ridiculously old age of 31 -- leads the NFL with 11 1/2. "I don't feel like I'm anywhere near done playing football," he growled. "Look at Potsie. He's my man. What is he? Thirty-three or 34? And he just got a new deal. He's still playing at a high level. A high, high level. Right there is inspiration for me."

You know Potsie, right?

Steelers linebacker James Farrior.

Porter couldn't pick a better role model.

Safety Troy Polamalu gets most of the attention on the Steelers' defense. Linebacker James Harrison is virtually unblockable; "A monster," Farrior calls him, with good reason. And defensive end Aaron Smith might be more indispensable.

But there is no more amazing player on the Steelers than Farrior.

Potsie!

For one thing, there's Farrior's durability. He plays at 225 pounds in an era when most inside linebackers go 250 or 260. That's Jack Lambert-like. Yet, Farrior hasn't had -- knock on wood -- any type of surgery. Since joining the Steelers as a free agent in 2002, he has missed just three games because of a couple of knee sprains and a fourth because former coach Bill Cowher kept him out of the meaningless regular-season finale in 2002 to get him ready for the playoffs. "I've got good genes, I guess," Farrior said, shrugging.

For another thing, there's Farrior's consistency. He hardly ever makes a mistake despite never leaving the field and playing in all of the Steelers' defensive packages. Farrior said he shouldn't make mistakes. This is his 12th NFL season and he's approaching his 34th birthday, Jan. 6, right around the time the Steelers hope to begin their playoff push. "The game gets easier when you understand what's going on," Farrior said. "It definitely slows down. When you can diagnose plays before they happen, you're going to play better."

For a third thing, there's Farrior's production. He is again leading the Steelers in tackles. This will be five times in six seasons if that holds up. "I think I'm playing my best football," Farrior said. "And, hopefully, my best is yet to come."

Page 1 of 2No question, Farrior's the team leader


Tonight would be a great time for Farrior's best game. There's not much doubt what the Washington Redskins will try to do."They're going to be feeding the ball to [Clinton] Portis all night," Farrior said.

The NFL's rushing leader.

"He's ran for 944 yards," Farrior said, knowing the figure by heart.

It's nice to think the Steelers will keep Portis from going over 1,000. If they do, their chances of winning will be excellent because they'll force quarterback Jason Campbell to beat them. It's true, Campbell hasn't thrown an interception all season, but he's not the same threat as Portis, who's averaging 118 rushing yards a game and 5 yards a carry, and has scored seven touchdowns.

"He's got all the running back skills, but his best attribute is his vision," Farrior said. "He's able to find the smallest crease and get through it when no one else can. Then, it's off to the races. ...

"We've got to be perfect with our technique and we can't be out of position. We all know that. We welcome the challenge. We love going against the best and seeing how we stack up."

Know this: Farrior will be in the middle of all of it. His teammates count on him more than any player. Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward might be offensive leaders, but Farrior is the team leader. No one is a close second.

That's why Farrior made it a point to speak with wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who was cited for marijuana possession before the New York Giants game last weekend and was deactivated by coach Mike Tomlin. It's no coincidence the Steelers lost, 21-14.

I'm thinking that little chat with Farrior might have done wonders for Holmes, who will start against the Redskins.

"I didn't have to say much," Farrior said. "I know 'Tone pretty well. He understands now how valuable he is to this team. He learned his lesson. He stood up like a man in front of us and gave his apology. I thought it was heart-felt. I was OK with it."

If Farrior was OK with it, all of the Steelers were OK with it. That's the kind of weight he carries in the locker room.

A lot more than 225 pounds, you might say.

That's another reason the Steelers signed Farrior to a five-year, $18.25 million contract in August. He didn't want to go anywhere. "No player wants to go somewhere and have to start over again. I like it here. I'm on a good team. I've got good players and good coaches around me."

Steelers management didn't want Farrior to go anywhere. His age wasn't a problem. Nor was the team's unsettled ownership issue. The Rooneys and Tomlin knew Farrior's value.

"James shows you: 'This is how we do it here. This is the right way,' " cornerback Deshea Townsend said.

"The young guys should be watching his every move," Polamalu said.

Farrior hopes to play at least two more seasons. There's no reason to doubt he'll make it even if his body aches a little more than it used to. "There are days I'm so sore I don't even want to get out of bed," he said.

Farrior grinned.

It was pretty easy to read his mind:

So what if tomorrow is one of those mornings? Who cares if Portis is feeling just a little worse?





Page 2 of 2No question, Farrior's the team leader


Harrison thrives on muted emotion By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The baseball cap that proclaimed the Steelers 2008 AFC North champions did not exactly go with the gold, pinstriped suit he wore.

What made it look even more out of place: the fact that it was perched on the head of James Harrison as he left the visiting locker room at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium.

The Steelers' outside linebacker is not prone to celebration -- he shrugged off tying the team's single-season sack record when he accomplished the feat a couple of weeks ago -- and reflection and looking ahead are not part of his daily routine, either.

The focus that can be seen in the flinty stare Harrison fixes on a reporter who dares to ask him about a milestone or an opposing quarterback who dares to drop back to pass is one reason why he has emerged as the most dominant player on the NFL's best defense.

And there is a reason why Harrison, one of three Steelers players named to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday, stays so rooted in the moment.

"Let me put it to you like this," Harrison said. "One week they're on (Eagles quarterback Donovan) McNabb, talking about, 'Oh he's washed up,' all that other bull and then the next week, 'Oh, he's the greatest thing going.' That's where that comes from. You're only as good as your last game."

It that is the case, then Harrison may have a little extra motivation Sunday when the Steelers visit Tennessee with a chance to overtake the Titans for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Harrison had five tackles in the Steelers' 13-9 win over the Ravens on Sunday, but he did not register a sack in the victory that clinched the AFC North title. He still is among the NFL's league leaders in sacks -- Harrison is fourth with 15 -- and he needs one quarterback takedown in the Steelers' final two games to set a team record.

It is a measure of how relentless Harrison has been that when Lawrence Timmons sacked Joe Flacco late in Sunday's game, a double-take was required to make sure Harrison had not taken down the Ravens' quarterback.

That is because Timmons looked like Harrison has so many times this season

Page 1 of 3Harrison thrives on muted emotion - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review


while tearing around the edge and then chopping down on the throwing arm of Flacco as he sacked him.

When asked if he has been working with Timmons on his patented move, Harrison said, "He's been watching. Just from last year to this year, it's a great difference in what he's doing."

The same can be said about Harrison, even though he broke through in 2007 and made the Pro Bowl in his first season as a starter.

He has nearly doubled the number of sacks (81/2) he had last season, and his seven forced fumbles have already eclipsed the number (six) he had in 2007. Harrison also excels on special teams -- playing them is almost unheard of for a player of his caliber -- which is another reason why his teammates say he needs to be prominent in the discussion for NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.

"He better (be)," cornerback Deshea Townsend said.

"Yeah, definitely," safety Troy Polamalu said, "but it's tough on our defense to get any consideration like that because we're such a team defense."

The Steelers are No. 1 in the NFL in total defense and passing defense and second in rushing defense. They have tied a record by allowing fewer than 300 yards in 14 games to start the season -- the Los Angeles Rams in 1973 are the only other team to accomplish that feat since the NFL merger in 1970 -- and if Harrison is not the unit's heart, he is at least its scowl.

His demeanor is reminiscent of Jack Lambert, another Kent State product who excelled and intimidated as a Steelers linebacker. Whether Harrison is that intense all of the time is up for debate.

"I've seen the soft side of James. When he gets around his son he gets a little soft, he gets silly," inside linebacker Larry Foote said. "He's definitely a weirdo, though, don't get me wrong. He has definitely got some screws missing."

The one thing Harrison isn't missing is the desire to excel. That is why he said

Quite an encoreJames Harrison made the Pro Bowl in his first season as a starter, and the Steelers' outside linebacker has built on what he accomplished in 2007. Here is a look at his 2007 and 2008 seasons:

Tackles (total) Sacks Forced

FumblesFumble Recoveries Interceptions

2007 80 8.5 6 1 1*2008 93 15 7 0 1*Two games remaining in regular season.



he won't look back on what he has accomplished until the season is over.

"And then after you get your nice little time (off)," Harrison said, "you start preparing for the next season."

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





It's time to recognize Harrison Tuesday, November 18, 2008 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Ron Cook

Steelers' James Harrison View all related images

Last season, linebacker James Harrison was a curious and wrong-headed choice by the Steelers as their MVP. He had a bigyear and made the Pro Bowl, but he wasn't the MVP. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was. But this season? The crime will be if Harrison isn't NFL Defensive Player of the Year. No one has been more dominant. No one has been more of a game-changer.

"A beast," teammate Larry Foote called Harrison.

Even that doesn't do the man justice.

It's not so much Harrison's 12 sacks, second-most in the NFL behind old pal Joey Porter's 13 1/2 in Miami, or his team-high 28 quarterback hurries or his four forced fumbles or the "splash play after splash play" -- coach Mike Tomlin's words -- that he continues to make, game after game. It's that he does it as the most marked man on the field.

We're talking double- and triple-team blocking.

We're also talking holding by the opponents on a lot of pass plays.

It's almost enough to make you think Harrison is unblockable one-on-one, at least legally.

"No one is unblockable," Harrison said, flatly. "There were plenty of plays [Sunday] where I was blocked."

Really?

You could have fooled me.

Probably could have fooled San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, too.

Harrison definitely wasn't blocked on one of the most significant plays in the Steelers' 11-10 victory. He took advantage of a rare, incredible mismatch with tight end Brandon Manumaleuna on a third-and-9 play from the Chargers' 3 early in the second quarter. It was cruel and inhumane punishment for the San Diego coaches to ask Manumaleuna to block Harrison

James Harrison

The 2008 numbers

Category No.

Tackles 67

Solo tackles 45

Sacks 12

Interceptions 1

Page 1 of 2It's time to recognize Harrison


without help. Harrison blew by him to the outside and crushed Rivers, forcing a fumble that resulted in a safety for the Steelers.

Maybe that play wasn't quite as huge as the one Harrison made to save the Steelers' fannies in a game Sept. 29 against the Baltimore Ravens when he sacked quarterback Joe Flacco and forced a fumble that teammate LaMarr Woodley returned for a touchdown. But it was awfully important in a one-point game. So was Harrison's interception of a horribly thrown Rivers pass from the Steelers' 17 late in the second quarter.

Splash play after splash play ...

All of this doesn't happen by accident.

"His work ethic is second to none," Tomlin said of Harrison.

"You should see him in the weight room," Foote said. "Pound for pound, he has to be the strongest guy on the team. You put that together with his speed and his mind-set and you've got an unbelievable player making spectacular plays."

Smallish size generally works against NFL players, but it works for Harrison. At 6 feet with a low center of gravity and explosive quickness, he's often impossible for big offensive tackles to handle. "He can turn the corner and he has enough power to run through and lean through contact," Tomlin said.

That's exactly how it happened when Harrison ate Manumaleuna's lunch, dinner and bedtime snack.

It's no wonder Harrison's teammates line up to push him for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. They love the season that linebacker James Farrior is having and they'll tell you defensive end Aaron Smith might be their most indispensable player. But Harrison's season is off the charts. In addition to sacking the quarterback, forcing fumbles and making interceptions, he has found the time to have 10 special teams tackles, second only to Anthony Madison (15) on the Steelers.

"It's sick what he does out there," Smith said.

"He and Joey [Porter] are battling it out, but he has to be the [defensive] MVP of the league," Foote said.

Harrison said he is "flattered" by the attention. That's a mouthful from him. When you perform the way he does, you don't have to say much about your game. It speaks for itself.

This is how consistent Harrison has been: He has had sacks in seven of the Steelers' 10 games. With six regular-season games left, he should easily shatter Mike Merriweather's team sacks record (15 in 1987) and maybe even move into the samegeneral neighborhood as NFL sacks record holder Michael Strahan (22 1/2 in 2001).

That is one very exclusive neighborhood.

Not that Harrison acts haughty.

"I'm not going to lobby for [Defensive Player of the Year]," he said. "If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."

Harrison has something more important on his mind at the moment -- the Cincinnati Bengals, the opponent Thursday night at Heinz Field. He had a huge game against them in the Steelers' 38-10 victory Oct. 19, getting two of the Steelers' seven sacks and five quarterback hurries.

Get this: The Bengals allowed eight sacks Sunday in their 13-13 tie with the Philadelphia Eagles, but that is only the beginning of their troubles. Veteran left tackle Levi Jones was in and out of the game because of a knee problem. If he can't go Thursday night, rookie Anthony Collins probably will make his first NFL start.

Harrison will be waiting, no matter what.

For him, Thursday night can't get here soon enough.



Average Steelers' IQ=126Are You Smarter Than a Steelers Player? Take a Real IQ Test Now!


Page 2 of 2It's time to recognize Harrison


OLB Harrison emerges as NFL's best By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, November 17, 2008

Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison is the best defensive player in the NFL.

Now that I have your attention, let's ask Harrison what he thinks.

That's right, the same James Harrison who wasn't drafted out of Kent State in 2002. The same James Harrison who was released by the Steelers three times. The same James Harrison who watched and learned behind Joey Porter before finally receiving his opportunity at stardom.

"I feel like I am," Harrison said following Sunday's 11-10 win over the San Diego Chargers when asked if he's playing better than any defensive player in the league.

"I think my play should speak for itself."

Loudly and clearly.

Harrison may be second in the NFL in sacks, trailing Porter, now with the Miami Dolphins, but Harrison is the best player on the league's top-ranked defense who has nearly twice as many tackles as Porter.

Yesterday, Harrison finished with four tackles, one sack that resulted in a safety and an interception deep in Steelers territory that ended a San Diego threat late in the first half.

Without Harrison's safety and interception, the Steelers lose -- pure and simple.

"James Harrison continues to make splash play after splash play; he is one of the main reasons we were successful today," coach Mike Tomlin said.

The Steelers don't normally talk contract with their players during the season, but they should make an exception with Harrison, who is in the third year of a four-year, $5.5 million contract that is well below market value.

Considering that Harrison likely will be named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first two seasons as a starter, the Steelers should tear up his old deal and sign him to a new one ASAP.

Page 1 of 2Harris: Harrison emerges as NFL's best - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review


"Oh, man. I really can't say enough about the guy," defensive captain James Farrior said of Harrison. "I got a lot of respect for the guy, not for what he's doing now but where he came from. He started out at the bottom. He was a rookie free agent when he first got here. He got cut three times, went to a couple of different teams, came back and stuck with it.

"You can just see in his eyes the determination he plays with. I think he holds that in the back of his head, all the stuff he went through to get to this point."

Harrison came up big twice in the second quarter. On third-and-9 from the San Diego 3, Harrison beat the blocks of two players to drop quarterback Philip Rivers for his 12th sack of the season.

Not only did Harrison's sack cause a fumble, he also tackled offensive lineman Marcus McNeill, who recovered the fumble in the end zone, for a safety.

"They had the tight end, and the back tried to give me a little bump. He tried to chip, and I ended up going around him. (Rivers) held the ball too long," Harrison said.

"When you single block him, he's going to cause something to happen," Farrior said. "You can't block him with nothing but linemen, and there'd better be two of them."

On his interception, Harrison said he was surprised Rivers threw the ball with Harrison standing so close by.

"I didn't think he was going to throw it, considering I was already out there. I thought he would throw it a little wider, but he threw it straight to me," Harrison said.

Harrison galloped 33 yards to the Steelers' 43 with 1:23 left before halftime. His interception set up a 21-yard Jeff Reed field goal that sliced San Diego's lead to 7-5.

Harrison was directly responsible for five points. It's difficult to imagine the Steelers pulling out their one-point win without his two big plays.




Page 2 of 2Harris: Harrison emerges as NFL's best - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review



The Steelers in 2008: Lamarr WoodleyFriday, September 05, 2008 By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

After spending just one week at training camp as a volunteer assistant, Kevin Greene discovered all he needed to know about LaMarr Woodley, an outside linebacker playing the same position in the 3-4 defense Greene manned for three seasons with the Steelers in the mid-1990s.

"He's 20 pounds heavier than I played," Greene said. "If he realizes what kind of pain and punishment he brings to the table, weighing 265 pounds, he could be hard to stop.

"I think if he gets a ticked-off, mean streak and starts running over people, at 265 pounds, I don't know if there's anyone who can block him."

Say hello to the next generation of Steelers linebacker.

There were great ones who didn't weigh more than 225 pounds, players such as Jack Lambert, Jack Ham and Greg Lloyd. There were massive ones such as Levon Kirkland, who played in the middle at 280 pounds. And then there were players such as Greene, who weighed 245, and Joey Porter, a four-time Pro Bowler who weighed 250.

Then there is Woodley, last year's No. 2 draft choice whom the Steelers almost couldn't wait to insert into the starting lineup this season.

He registered six sacks as a rookie, even though he spent most of the season sitting on the bench, watching and learning from the player he would eventually replace, Clark Haggans. He has such raw ability and power that The Sporting News named him as the National Football League's Breakout Player of 2008 -- the player most likely to make a big impact this season.

And, make no mistake, he is big -- 6 feet 2, 265 pounds -- the biggest outside linebacker the Steelers have employed as a starter.

"He can lay into you," said right tackle Willie Colon, the player who faces Woodley in practice. "He's a great threat for us. The sky's the limit what he can do."

"I look for big things from him," said inside linebacker Larry Foote.

"I hate to use the 'P' word -- it's gotten a lot of people in trouble -- but he has all the potential in the world," Greene said. "What I saw was a lot of instinct. What I saw was him come up the field, contact the offensive tackle and then do something else to catch the tackle off guard. I saw a lot of instinct. That's not a coach-able thing. You got to have that instinct. That's a non-coach-able attribute."

The Steelers return 19 of 22 starters from last year's 10-6 team that won the AFC North title. The only new starters are center Justin Hartwig, acquired in free agency from the Carolina Panthers; guard Chris Kemoeatu and Woodley. Woodley is a converted defensive end who does more than just rush the passer -- he knows how to rush the passer, a player who combines the power to bull rush with a quick first step to speed rush.

He showed all that at Michigan, where he won the Lombardi Trophy as the nation's top lineman, the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's best defensive end and was named the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year. But, because he was not very tall, he slipped to the second round of the draft, where the Steelers quickly selected him with the 46th overall pick.

"He has the talent, he has the skill that it takes to be successful, but there's a lot more to the position," said former outside linebacker Jason Gildon, a former three-time Pro Bowler. Like Greene, Gildon spent a week as a volunteer assistant at training camp in Latrobe, working with the linebackers.

"He's going to have to approach it from that standpoint that it's not college. You don't have the luxury of sitting back sometimes and learning. In his position, he has to go out and play this year. He's going to have to play at a high level this year. I think he's going to have to get that mind-set where he gets himself up every week and go out and produce.

Page 1 of 2The Steelers in 2008: Lamarr Woodley


"Right now, he's in a new position. He's a starter. He didn't have that last year. But he's the guy this year. Right now, more than anything, he has to be mentally tough to accept that responsibility because, when you step on the field, guys depend on you to produce. It's a lot different than coming off the bench to play in spots."

Despite getting a lot of playing time in the preseason, especially in pass-rush situations, Woodley rarely played in the regular season. He appeared for only 80 of the defense's 933 snaps, yet still managed to register four sacks (the same as Haggans). He added two more sacks in the playoff loss to Jacksonville, leaving only James Farrior (6.5) and Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison (8.5) as the only Steelers players with more sacks in 2007.

"That's what he's been doing since he's been at Michigan," said Foote, who also played at Michigan. "He showed last year he can rush the passer. It's just the mental stuff, like with coverage, that's going to be his only challenge. As far as rushing the passer, he's born with that.

"With his power, he's going to be hard for tight ends and running backs to block him. Anytime a tight end or running back is matched up on him, it should be a sack."

The Steelers are counting on just that. After registering 39 sacks in 2006 and only 36 last season, they are hoping to get more pressure off the left side. Haggans was not re-signed in free agency because the Steelers wanted to get Woodley on the field on a regular basis and were grooming him to be the heir.

Opposing offenses are going to face a quandary: Should they be more concerned with Harrison on the right side or Woodley on the left?

"I had confidence that once I got out there, I had the desire and the power in me to go out there and compete," Woodley said. "One thing about me, I hate to lose. When I'm rushing at you or whatever I'm doing, you're always going to get my best and I'm going to keep coming and coming and coming."

Greene, who had 160 career sacks in his 15-year NFL career, more than any other linebacker, said good pass rushers have more than one move and, more importantly, can adapt their move in mid-rush. That's why he said Woodley has the instincts to be a good pass-rusher -- he can transition on the fly.

"You always have to have a counter move," Woodley said. "Some guys you go up against might be good stopping a speed rusher, but they might not be good against somebody who's a speed rusher who will fake inside and chop your hands down."

"There are a lot of elements to his game that prove he definitely has the potential to be a Pro Bowler the next couple years," Colon said.

There's that "P" word again. The Steelers hope it stands for production.

First published on September 5, 2008 at 12:00 am

Page 2 of 2The Steelers in 2008: Lamarr Woodley



Polamalu making impact on defenseSlowed by injuries in 2007, Troy Polamalu has recaptured his playmaker role on NFL's No. 1 defense Friday, December 05, 2008 By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

Troy Polamalu leads the league with six interceptions this season.

As a man with many football talents, Troy Polamalu makes varied contributions to the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL. To be sure, he is a linebacker in a safety's body, a player as physical as he is athletic. But, somewhere underneath all that hair is a running back or punt returner aching to break out.

Let Polamalu get his hands on the ball and something wild and wonderful is about to happen. Zig-zagging runs. Spin moves. Tumbles. It has been happening with increasing regularity this season, mainly because Polamalu, a four-time Pro Bowl safety, has been getting his hands on a lot of footballs, something he didn't do with as much frequency a year ago.

The result: a league-leading six interceptions, three in the past three games. After going 18 games without an interception, he has been collecting picks the way squirrels gather acorns.

"I just couldn't name the amount of plays he's cut off with his range and his diagnostic intuition, just getting to where the ball is, where the ball is breaking," defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said. "If he doesn't get the guy on the ground, he's sure slowing them enough for the posse to get there. He's invaluable to us back there."

"He's making impact plays that affect the game," said inside linebacker James Farrior. "He does it all the time, but it seems this year he's doing it a lot more."

"I always enjoy watching him play," said cornerback Bryant McFadden. "Sometimes I get caught looking at him when I'm on the field, just seeing what type of gifted guy he is."

So gifted that Polamalu might have another role Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys: Cover Terrell Owens.

LeBeau had Polamalu do that four years ago, the last time Owens played at Heinz Field, when he was with the Philadelphia Eagles. Whenever Owens lined up in the slot, Polamalu was assigned to cover the talented wide receiver -- one of the many wrinkles LeBeau has been known to spring on an unsuspecting offense.

Owens caught seven passes in that game, but for only 53 yards. His two longest catches came on back-to-back plays in the third quarter when he had receptions of 20 and 13 yards -- each time getting drilled by Polamalu after he caught the ball.

"I was on him quite a bit in that game," Polamalu said. "Sometimes it was the defense where I happened to line up on him.

Page 1 of 2Polamalu making impact on defense


"Who knows? Maybe they were trying to attack me. I don't know. Sometimes you do a box-and-one kind of thing. I don't think it will be the case. We have a different defense this year."

The Steelers haven't needed Polamalu to isolate on any of the top receivers because that role has been reserved for cornerback Ike Taylor, who has shadowed Plaxico Burress, Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne and Randy Moss the past six weeks.

But Taylor does not cover receivers if they line up in the slot in multiple-receiver formations. That is the job for Deshea Townsend, who covers the slot when the Steelers employ their nickel and dime defense. That arrangement is one of the reasons the Steelers rank No. 1 in the league in pass defense, allowing just 166.8 yards per game and only one pass longer than 40 yards in 13 games, best in the league.

"I think coaching is the biggest thing," Polamalu said. "They do a good job of preaching certain techniques, and, two, we have so many different weapons on defense."

Maybe none bigger than Polamalu.

On a defense that features two of the top five sackers in the NFL -- James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley -- Polamalu has re-emerged as the playmaker of the unit. His six interceptions are the most by a Steelers player since Rod Woodson in 1996 and just four shy of his total in his previous five seasons combined. Polamalu is second on the team with nine pass breakups and also had a fumble return for touchdown against San Diego that was negated by an admitted incorrect officials ruling.

"He's healthy, he's 100 percent, he feels good," said McFadden, who is scheduled to return against the Cowboys after missing six games with a broken right forearm. "That's the difference a year can make. When you're playing with a guy who's banged up and playing through injuries, and now he's 100 percent and feeling good, he's able to go out and do the things he is accustomed to doing."

One of those is running around with reckless abandon, particularly after an interception. Polamalu has just 58 return yards for his six interceptions, but that doesn't take into account the distance he traverses when he starts zig-zagging around the field, bobbing and weaving, looking for openings.

"You always want to score," Polamalu said. "On defense, we're probably more concerned with scoring than the offense. They're more concerned with controlling the clock.

"Our mind-set is to stop them from scoring or score whenever you get the ball. I think that's everybody mind-set on this defense."

Gerry Dulac can be reached at [email protected].



Avg Steelers Fan IQ=98Can you beat this score? Take the challenge now!

Page 2 of 2Polamalu making impact on defense


Adversity making Clark stronger By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Friday, November 28, 2008

Thanksgiving dinner at Ryan Clark's house didn't just serve as a celebration.

It also marked how far the Steelers' free safety has come in the past year.

Clark enjoyed a full meal with his family after forcing down small portions of turkey and mashed potatoes in 2007 because of an illness that ultimately cost him his spleen and gall bladder.

Fully healthy after a harrowing ordeal that cast doubt on his playing career, Clark has his sights set on feasting on a New England offense that did the same to the proud Steelers' defense a year ago.

Tom Brady carved up the Steelers' secondary for 399 passing yards and four touchdowns, but he won't play Sunday after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first week of the season. Perhaps more significant than who is out for the rematch of contending teams -- Brady's replacement, Matt Cassel, has emerged as one of the NFL's biggest surprises in his absence -- is who will play in Sunday's 4:15 p.m. game.

That would be Clark and starting strong safety Troy Polamalu, each of whom made the trip to New England this past December but were reduced to spectators in the Steelers' 34-13 loss.

"It made us miserable to watch our guys out there and go through what they had to go through and to take the ridicule before," Clark said.

Clark's replacement at free safety, Anthony Smith, made an ill-fated guarantee that the Steelers would beat the unbeaten Patriots. New England went after Smith and beat him on two long pass plays.

Clark will try to do what Smith did not last season and keep the Patriots' wide receivers, six-time Pro Bowler Randy Moss in particular, from getting behind him.

"I think if we stop (big plays)," Clark said, "we're going to have a good chance to win."

Not that Clark figures to lose much sleep while pondering his responsibilities as the Steelers' last line of defense.

Page 1 of 3Adversity making Clark stronger - Tribune-Review


If the last year has taught him anything, it is perspective.

Clark missed the last 10 games of the 2007 season after the high altitude in Denver triggered his sickle-cell trait. That led to two separate operations and Clark spending more time in the hospital than at the Steelers' South Side facility.

Clark also lost his close friend and former teammate Sean Taylor a year ago yesterday when the Redskins' safety was fatally shot during a botched burglary of his home, and his parents' house in New Orleans burned down in August after a storm caused electrical wires to fall on it (no one was hurt).

What Clark endured has only made him stronger if this season is any indication.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pounder is second on the team with 78 tackles, and he has provided a stabilizing force at free safety for the Steelers.

"Ryan is having a heck of a season for us," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "The added bonus is that he does a nice job of communicating with others and making sure that people are on the same page, exhibiting leadership qualities that you desire from a guy who stands in the middle of the field."

Clark has been, perhaps, the most unsung player on a unit that is No. 1 in the NFL in rush defense, pass defense and total defense.

"He's one of those guys that don't get much recognition," Steelers inside linebacker Larry Foote said, "but pop that film in on Mondays, and he's all over the place making tons of plays."

The Steelers will need him to make plays Sunday -- as well as prevent big ones by the defending AFC champion Patriots.

Back and better than everSteelers free safety Ryan Clark has overcome a lot in the last year and is on his way to the best season of his career. Here is a look at what Clark, who made the NFL as an undrafted free agent, has done through the years.Year Team G Tackles Int Passes defended2002 Giants 6 1 0 02003 Giants 16 23 0 22004 Redskins 15 91 0 12005 Redskins 13 72 3 32006 Steelers 13 75 1 42007 Steelers 6 24 0 22008 Steelers 11 78 0 5Note: Clark has also been credited with 2[1/2] sacks during his career



"It's an important game for us. They've been the benchmark for the AFC the last few years," Clark said of the Patriots, who have beaten the Steelers six out of the last seven times the teams have played. "Offensively, they put up a lot of yards the last two games (1,041) and if we want to be the No. 1 defense, we want that claim at the end of the year, we have to hold them down."







It's time for Steelers' Reed to get his dueJeff Reed, among the most accurate kickers in the league, has never been to the Pro Bowl. Maybe it's time. Monday, November 24, 2008 By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Jeff Reed celebrates with Paul Ernster after kicking a field goal in the fourth quarter against the Bengals Thursday at Heinz Field.

Not much bothers kicker Jeff Reed. Not Rob Bironas. Not Shaun Suisham. Not even the slippery surface at Heinz Field, the bane of all kickers. He has stood up to them all at various stages of his seven-year career with the Steelers, never flinching, never backing down, though occasionally slipping and sliding on his home turf.

"That's one of those things where you just kind of deal with the hand you've been dealt," Reed said. It might seem ironic to say that Reed, 29, has stood up to the challenge when sometimes he ends up on the seat of his pants. But, despite the elements he has to deal with at home, Reed has become every bit as dependable and rock-solid as the Steelers' top-ranked defense.

After being the NFL's most accurate kicker last season (23 of 25), he has continued that pace in 2008, converting field-goal attempts of 37 and 38 yards in Thursday night's 27-10 victory against the Cincinnati Bengals. That improved his season total to 18 of 19 (94.7 percent), his only miss coming in the Nov. 9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Since the beginning of the 2007 season, Reed has converted 41 of 44 field goals, a 93.2 percent conversion that leads all NFL kickers.

"When you're kicking here, it mentally wears on you," Reed said. "I never say I'm a head-case because I'm not. That's why I can kick through this stuff. If you're a kicker in this league, you're not ever a head-case."

Reed's misses weren't just routine attempts, either.

Consider:

• A 65-yarder in Denver in Week 6 last season that was attempted on the final play of the first half, only because the Steelers were playing in rarefied air, where the ball travels farther.

• A 44-yard field goal against the Miami Dolphins in the muck and goo at Heinz Field last year, the first game played on a new sod surface that became water-logged from heavy rains and a broken tarp. "It was horrendous," Reed said. "It about hit the pylon."

Accuracy counts

Coming into the weekend, the Steelers' Jeff Reed is among the most accurate kickers in the NFL with at least 15 field goals made.

Kicker Team FGM FGA Pct.

John Carney Giants 21 22 96

Jeff Reed Steelers 18 19 95

John Kasay Panthers 18 19 95

Olindo Mare Seahawks 15 16 94

Stephen Gostkowski Patriots 24 26 92

Page 1 of 2It's time for Steelers' Reed to get his due


• A 51-yarder into the wind on a squishy field against the Indianapolis Colts two weeks ago at home.

Over the years, his accuracy -- heck, his dependability -- has increased, even at Heinz Field.

"Even when it's nice in the preseason, or the first couple games of the season when Pitt plays at 6 p.m. and we play at 1 [p.m. the next day], it's torn up, and that's when it's 90 degrees outside," Reed said. "You slip, you slide, sometimes better than others. Some spots are better than others, like that Miami game last year. My first attempt was horrendous. Thank goodness Ben got sacked on the second one. It was a perfect spot."

Not surprisingly, Reed is even more accurate on the road. Since missing a 41-yard attempt Nov. 28, 2005, in Indianapolis -- in the climate-controlled RCA Dome, no less -- Reed has missed just one field goal away from Heinz Field, and that was the 65-yard attempt in Denver.

Since the miss in Indianapolis three years ago, he has converted 35 of 36 field goals (97.2 percent) on the road, including all seven attempts this season.

Even though he has never been selected to the Pro Bowl, maybe it's time Reed is considered among the best, if not the best, kickers in the NFL.

"It's tough," Reed said. "There are 32 kickers in the NFL and probably at least 100 capable of playing at this level," Reed said. "I have friends who are just as good as me, if not sometimes better. You're like, man, how does he not have a job. And there are some guys you wonder how they keep their jobs, but they're veterans who make big kicks and that's what's important to people."

"That was always coach [Bill] Cowher's saying -- it's tough to get in the league, but it's even tougher to stay."

Reed not only has stayed, he has outlasted training-camp competitions from other young kickers brought in to challenge him. Among the candidates: Bironas, who was brought to training camp in 2004, and Suisham, a strong-legged kicker who was in training camp with the Steelers in 2005.

Bironas eventually signed with the Tennessee Titans and set an NFL record with eight field goals in a game against Houston Oct. 21, 2007. He was selected to the Pro Bowl and named to the All-Pro team last season.

Suisham has kicked for three teams since being cut by the Steelers, but he spent the past 2 1/2 seasons with the Washington Redskins. He has converted 56 of 69 field-goal attempts (81.2 percent) with the Redskins.

"Every time I've had a kicker in camp competing with me, they've made 85 percent of their field goals that I've seen. I know they're capable of kicking. I'm talking about in actual games and practice that I see them.

"[Bironas] was good at the time. That time was trying for me because that was coming off my hip surgery and they didn't know if I would be able to last. He was always consistent and strong-legged. He was a one-upper. If I hit a 50-yarder, he'd go back to 58 yards and say, 'Come back here.' I wouldn't fall into that trap. He's done very well for himself."

So has Reed.

Gerry Dulac can be reached at [email protected].


Phil Dawson Browns 22 24 92

Jason Elam Falcons 21 23 91

Joe Nedney 49ers 18 20 90

Neil Rackers Cardinals 18 20 90



Page 2 of 2It's time for Steelers' Reed to get his due


Tomlin has grown as a coach Tomlin was tough in his first season, showing players who was the boss. This year he is more comfortable with his team and has grown as a head coach -- and possibly coach of the year. Tuesday, December 16, 2008 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Ron Cook

Hines Ward on Mike Tomlin -- "He's more comfortable with his ballclub now." View all related images

One second Sunday night, Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward was standing outside the team bus at Baltimore's M&T BankStadium, saying how coach Mike Tomlin had "done wonders" for this later stage of his fabulous career by excusing him from Wednesday practices and saving his legs. The next second, Tomlin, appearing almost out of nowhere, was right there,listening to every word. Hey, at least Ward was saying nice things about the boss.

"I was just talking about you, coach," Ward said, somewhat sheepishly. "I'm going to keep propping you up so you can do this until you're 40!" Tomlin roared.

An hour earlier, Ward had been a big star in the Steelers' remarkable 13-9, back-from-the-dead victory against the Ravens with eight catches for 107 yards.

"I appreciate it, coach," Ward said.

"A few more years and I'll just make you show up on Fridays," Tomlin said, grinning, before the two headed into the wonderful night as AFC North Division champions.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

That Tomlin just might keep Ward going until he's 40, marvelous roll that Tomlin is on?

Can you say NFL coach of the year?

Certainly, Tomlin's name is in that conversation. Despite the league's toughest schedule and significant injuries to starters Willie Parker, Marvel Smith, Kendall Simmons, Brett Keisel and Bryant McFadden, the Steelers are 11-3 and will play the Tennessee Titans Sunday for, in all likelihood, the top seed in the AFC playoffs. It's not at all difficult to imagine the Steelers winning two playoff games at Heinz Field and stepping right into Super Bowl XLIII.

That's some coaching.

"I've seen him grow," veteran linebacker and undisputed team leader James Farrior said of Tomlin.

"He's more comfortable with his ballclub now," Ward said.

Page 1 of 3Tomlin has grown as a coach


"He's changed his approach quite a bit," safety Troy Polamalu said.

A year ago, Tomlin still was trying to find his way as a first-time head coach. He had inherited a veteran team -- one year removed from a Super Bowl title -- from longtime coach Bill Cowher. Of course, he had to find his way.

The 2007 Steelers started 9-3 and won the AFC North but faded badly down the stretch, losing three of their final four games and another to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a first-round playoff game at home.

"We all ran out of gas," linebacker LaMarr Woodley said.

"We practiced really, really hard at the end of the season," Polamalu said. "All season, actually, from training camp on. We were really beat down."

Tomlin learned. All the smart ones do. He no longer had to show the players he was the boss. They understood.

Tomlin has scaled down his practices this season. Often, he sends the players out during the week without their shoulder pads, much to their delight. They still work hard, but there isn't that sapping intensity that is best saved for Sundays. He also began giving veteran players such as Ward an extra day off each week.

"You never win a game on Wednesday," Ward said. "I'm going into the games 100 percent. You're seeing the results."

Not just with Ward.

With the team.

The Steelers have won five games in a row, the past three against rugged competition -- the Ravens, Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. They outscored the Patriots, 23-0, in the second half. They scored 17 fourth-quarter points to beat the Cowboys. They scored the final 10 points to beat the Ravens.

"Steelers football is 60 minutes," Tomlin gushed to his happy players as they made it back to the locker room after the game Sunday.

A little later, Tomlin told the media, "I think it speaks to the football character of our team. There were several reasons and instances when the faint of heart would have let go of the rope in that football game. They didn't. Hopefully, it's a window to what we are capable of. We'll see as we go forward."

The man really does have a kinder, gentler side.

Of course, that doesn't mean Tomlin can't be tough when the situation demands it.

At training camp this season, Tomlin very publicly made his displeasure known with overweight nose tackle Casey Hampton. It didn't matter that the player nicknamed Big Snack was a Pro Bowler; Tomlin put him on the physically-unable-to-perform list until he rounded into shape.

Just last week, Tomlin firmly handled a potential crisis with Parker, who had complained to the media that the team had gotten away from "Steelers football" by not running the ball enough. Parker also second-guessed the two-tight end, no-fullback system that offensive coordinator Bruce Arians prefers in running situations.

Parker's timing was lousy.

The Steelers were 10-3 and headed into their biggest game of the season against the Ravens, their top division rival.

Tomlin let Parker know he didn't appreciate it.

"The issue for us has been, is and hopefully will continue to be winning -- that's my interpretation of Steelers football," Tomlin said after practice Thursday at the season's most memorable news conference. "Every morning when I come to work, I walk past five Lombardis, not five rushing titles. The issue is winning."

Asked about the effectiveness of Arians' run-game offense in light of Parker's comments, Tomlin said, "It was working pretty good last year when [Parker] was leading the league in rushing before he was hurt."

Touche.



But the story doesn't end there.

When Tomlin reinstated Hampton near the end of the preseason, he made it a point to stress how valuable the big fella was to the Steelers' defense. And before the game Sunday, he told Parker that he wanted him as one of his captains that day.

In both cases, it was Tomlin's way of saying, "We might fuss and fight as a family now and then, but we're all in this together. We have to be together. We can do great things as one."

Farrior isn't alone.

We've all watched Tomlin grow.




»Free Government Grants«Grant Money For Business, Education & Personal Needs. Apply for Free!



Tomlin's trademarks showing on defense By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, December 9, 2008

In 2006, the Steelers ranked No. 20 in the NFL in pass defense and No. 9 in total defense.

Two years later, with essentially the same core of players, the same defensive coordinator and most of the same position coaches, the Steelers are the top-ranked defense in every major statistical category with three games remaining in the regular season.

The difference? Head coach Mike Tomlin, whose 20-9 record in his first two seasons is the best start in franchise history.

Of course, James Harrison is now playing right outside linebacker instead of Joey Porter, and LaMarr Woodley is the new left outside linebacker in place of Clark Haggans, but the other nine starters remain.

Tomlin's impact on the defense alone should make him a legitimate candidate for NFL coach of the year. No team since the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles has finished the season No. 1 in all three major defensive categories as the Steelers are on the verge of doing. The Steelers ranked No. 1 in total defense and No. 3 in pass defense in 2007, Tomlin's first season.

What makes Tomlin's influence more impressive is that the Steelers are 10-3 this season playing what was considered before the season as the league's most difficult schedule. The Steelers have played or will face most of the league's playoff contenders. That includes the Colts, Patriots, Ravens (twice) and Titans in the AFC; the Giants, Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins in the NFC.

Granted, coach Jeff Fisher's Titans are 12-1 and already have clinched the AFC South. Fisher is a leading candidate for coach of the year, as he should be. However, the Titans have played an easier schedule than the Steelers, with wins over the 0-13 Lions, 1-11-1 Bengals and 2-11 Chiefs.

Raise your hand if you predicted the Steelers would be 10-3 with three games to play.

A defensive coach, it's no surprise that Tomlin's biggest influence has been on defense. But Tomlin's strength as a head coach is that he's comfortable enough with himself to allow his assistants to work without allowing his ego to take over.

He gives defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau more freedom to experiment and

Page 1 of 2Harris: Tomlin's trademark showing - Tribune-Review


gamble than LeBeau had under former coach Bill Cowher while quietly tailoring his secondary -- he previously coached the secondary in Tampa Bay -- and the cornerbacks in particular.

"The DB's did a great job covering. They didn't let them get nothing," inside linebacker Larry Foote said of the secondary's performance Sunday against Dallas and quarterback Tony Romo.

Safety Troy Polamalu grabbed his NFL-leading seventh interception against the Cowboys, a career high. And, of course, cornerback Deshea Townsend returned a Romo interception for a touchdown in the game's final two minutes to fuel the Steelers' 20-13 win at Heinz Field.

What a difference a head coach makes.




Page 2 of 2Harris: Tomlin's trademark showing - Tribune-Review


Tomlin: The man and coach he has become By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, July 27, 2008

The offensive line appeared to be suspect even before it lost perennial Pro Bowler Alan Faneca to free agency. Depth is a major concern for a defense that went from very good to middling in 2007 following the late-season loss of Aaron Smith.

"We've got," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, "a bunch of questions to be answered."

The Steelers embark on what essentially is a fact-finding mission today, when the players report to training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.

No one is on the hook more than their second-year coach if answers aren't found to pressing questions such as, will Ben Roethlisberger get ample protection this season, and what happens if Travis Kirschke, Nick Eason or Ryan McBean is thrust into a starting role because of an injury?

Such is the reality for an NFL head coach. Tomlin is particularly attuned to how heightened expectations are in Pittsburgh since he walks past a display that boasts five Lombardi Trophies when he is at the Steelers' South Side practice facility.

Tomlin won 10 games and a division title in his inaugural season. Yet fans may have grumbled more about the fact that the Steelers lost four of their final five games, culminating with a 31-29 setback to Jacksonville in the playoffs.

Fans will demand more from Tomlin in his second season.

"When you lose, you're always subject to judgment," Tomlin said. "I don't shy away from that. I embrace that."

There is a reason why Tomlin is unfazed - and it stems from his understanding of pressure.

One woman's struggle

Julia Copeland raised two sons as a single parent for almost 10 years, and she did so with tough love and creativity. An example of the latter: When meat became too expensive for Copeland to buy, she simply told her young sons that the family had become vegetarians.

Page 1 of 4The man, coach Tomlin has become - Tribune-Review


"That's my mom's beautiful spin on a tough situation," Tomlin said. "She's the ultimate coach to me. I've watched my mother deal with pressure, trying to feed two boys. I get to do what I love to do for a living. I'm blessed."

Such perspective may be traced to Tomlin's upbringing in the Tidewater area of Virginia.

Shortly after he was born in March 1972, his mother went to work in a Newport News shipyard, and she also took a part-time job at night. Copeland and her husband separated when Tomlin was less than a year old and later divorced. After she moved out of her parents' home and before she married her current husband, Leslie, Copeland supported her sons for roughly five years by herself.

Money was tight, and Copeland, 62 and now retired, took the part-time job to buy Christmas presents for her sons: Mike and his older brother, Ed.

Copeland taught her sons various cards games, which they played endlessly. They also watched movies together during the weekends when Copeland couldn't afford to take them out.

Then there is the dietary ruse she and her sons laugh about to this day.

"She said we were going to be vegetarians because it was healthy - all the meat wasn't real good for you," said Ed Tomlin, a former University of Maryland football captain who is director of football development for Under Armour. "So we were going to school bragging about the fact that we were healthier than everybody else because we were vegetarians and we ate right."

Added Copeland: "I didn't realize they weren't eating the meat at school, either," Copeland said. "I didn't find out until later that they were turning down meat, even at school."

Education first

Not telling her sons about her financial situation isn't the only way Copeland tried to protect them.

If she didn't like the friends Ed had started hanging out with, she moved the family. And she made education her sons' top priority, once pulling Ed off his youth football team because she was unhappy with his grades. She didn't let him rejoin the team, despite pleas from his coaches, until he agreed to tackle extra schoolwork as well.

Copeland did more than just talk about the importance of education. In between working two jobs and driving her sons to and from football, basketball and baseball practices, she found time to start taking classes at a local community college.

Slowly but surely, she worked toward a degree in finance. By the time Mike Tomlin was a star wideout at William and Mary, she had engaged him in a



contest over who would graduate from college first.

Tomlin graduated in 1995. And his mother?

"He beat me, but I did get my degree the following semester," said Copeland, a graduate of Christopher Newport University.

The example set by his mother can be seen in Tomlin, from his work ethic to his rejection of excuses, something he did last season when injuries dealt several crippling blows to the Steelers.

The way in which he might most be like his mother: Tomlin doesn't dwell on problems and instead focuses on finding solutions.

"He doesn't blink," Ed Tomlin said. "He's never flustered. That's just my brother."

"He just has that type of wiring," said Bill Johnson, who has been one of Mike Tomlin's closest friends since they met in grade school.

Room to grow

Tomlin's first season as a head coach qualified as a success, though he would be the first to point out that it ended with a thud.

Through it all, his players express faith in Tomlin.

"He's already a good coach," Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith said. "I think he's going to be a fantastic coach, just his demeanor, his personality, the way he approaches it. He's a natural leader. He gets up there and talks."

Case in point was a commencement speech at St. Vincent in May. Administrators asked Tomlin if they could read his speech before he spoke. But he told them there was nothing to read.

Tomlin's speech on trust, preparation and dreams drew a rousing ovation from the graduates, some of whom twirled Terrible Towels.

That his speeches are not scripted or rehearsed may lend a sort of sincerity to them that resonates with those he is addressing, be it recent college graduates or his players.

"People relate to his heart," Ed Tomlin said. "That's what he speaks from, and that's usually something that you can't transcribe, memorize or go over. I think it has everything to do with how effective he has become as a coach."

The Steelers learned quickly that Tomlin is direct. In his first meeting with the players, he acknowledged the elephant in the room when he told them he knew there had been disappointment and anger over the decision to hire him instead of then-assistant coach Russ Grimm. But, he said to the players, no matter how



they had gotten to this point, they had to move forward together.

The Steelers improved their record and won a division title, yet Tomlin couldn't escape criticism over the team's finish. The pressure will be ratcheted up this season since it's safe to say that any grace period he had with fans has passed.

As much as he is second-guessed or criticized, no one holds Tomlin more accountable or to a higher standard than himself. That probably explains something Tomlin used to do in college.

Parents of the players always held a group dinner after home games, but if William and Mary didn't win, Tomlin retreated to the solitude of his dorm room and stewed over the loss.

Sometimes he wouldn't arrive until a couple of hours after the dinner had started, and by then it was time to say goodbye to his mother and stepfather.

Losing isn't any easier now for Tomlin, which is why the pressure he feels - totally different from the kind his mother once knew - is generated from within.

"We're always going to have issues until we win the ultimate prize. I've got no problem with that," Tomlin said. "I don't care what's written, I don't care what's said, what kind of spin is put on our story. The reality is I'm going to do what it takes for us to win."

Just like his mother did.







The type of thing that makes a grown man crySunday, November 30, 2008 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Dick LeBeau -- Might be the most beloved coach in all of football

The Heinz Field crowd for the Steelers-Cincinnati Bengals game Nov. 20, though late-arriving because of abhorrent weatherconditions, still was sizable 20 minutes before kickoff when the Steelers honored defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau at midfield for his 50 years in the NFL. Dan Rooney was there. So was his son, Art II. But LeBeau only had eyes for No. 51 and No. 43 and No. 98 and the rest of his defensive guys -- every last one of 'em -- who were on the sideline to pay tribute to the man who has to be the most respected and beloved coach in all of football.

"I didn't see anybody but those players," LeBeau said the other day in a quiet moment.

It was quite a scene when they swarmed around LeBeau after the brief ceremony. One by one, they shook his hand and hugged him. What an odd way, it seemed, to prepare for a big game, a division game no less.

"I would have stood out there for an hour and froze my butt off if I had to for that man," defensive end Aaron Smith said.

This isn't the first time the defensive players have honored LeBeau. Late in the 2005 season, they each spent $300 to buy a retro LeBeau No. 44 jersey from his playing days with the Detroit Lions and hung them in the locker room before they played the Lions. LeBeau cried. Last season, they dug out those jerseys and wore them to their exhibition game in Canton, Ohio, a not-so-subtle suggestion that they think it's a tragedy LeBeau isn't in the Hall of Fame despite his 62 interceptions as a Pro Bowl cornerback and his long-time brilliance as a defensive genius. LeBeau cried. Then, on the eve of LeBeau's 70th birthday Sept. 9, 2007, they gave him a gold-and-silver Rolex watch. LeBeau cried.

Now, this 50-year thing.

"Sure, I can put it into words what it meant seeing them on the field -- everything. It meant everything to me," LeBeau said. "I'm trying not to cry right now..."

This season, LeBeau's defense is making opponents cry. Going into the game today at New England, it ranks first in the league in run defense, pass defense and total defense. That's one amazing hat trick.

Really, the players' strong performance is the best way to honor LeBeau, isn't it?

"They're playing as if they want me around for another year," LeBeau said.

Another year?

"If he leaves, I don't know how much longer I would want to play," Smith said. "After him, I don't want to play for anybody else. I couldn't imagine this place without him."

Page 1 of 2The type of thing that makes a grown man cry


Smith need not worry.

Even though LeBeau is 71 and the oldest coach in the NFL, he said he feels the way he did, well, 50 years ago. "The stress and strain of the job aren't any worse than they've always been," he said.

As for the Steelers, they seem pretty satisfied with LeBeau's work. "He's doing all right," coach Mike Tomlin said, grinning. No one has a job for life -- Joe Paterno aside, of course -- but LeBeau comes pretty close.

"You can count me among the amazed group when it comes to Dick LeBeau," Tomlin said.

LeBeau hesitated when asked what keeps him going in what clearly is a young man's game. Fortunately, Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt -- a former Steelers offensive coordinator -- did not when asked about LeBeau's longevity.

"I can tell you what keeps him going. I've played enough golf with him to know. He's got a competitive streak that's second to none."

That's it, sure. But there's much more to it. There's the joy LeBeau feels each day when he goes to work with a group of mento pursue a common goal. He loves being around James Farrior (No. 51), Troy Polamalu (No. 43), Casey Hampton (No. 98) and the rest as much as they love being around him.

"They're the greatest," LeBeau said. "I think anybody who comes in contact with them is struck by what good people they are. In today's athletic world, that's not always the case. I'm just so proud of them, on and off the field."

To LeBeau, great defense isn't just about getting sacks, forcing turnovers and preventing touchdowns. The beauty comes from 11 guys working as one. To him, football is the ultimate team sport.

"Our guys grasp that," he said. "I don't have to preach to them about it. They all have great skills and take great pride in themselves as individuals. But the pride in the group is even greater. Gosh, I love that."

The players will tell you it all starts with the man in charge of their unit.

"If he tells us to jump off a cliff, I believe we would do it," Smith said. "If he tells us to do anything, we do it because we know it's the right thing."

It seems funny now the Steelers picked the Bengals game to honor LeBeau. That day, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis sent star wide receiver Chad Ocho Cinco home for violating a team rule. The problem is believed to have started when Ocho Cinco disrespected offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski during a meeting the night before the game.

"For one thing, that would never happen with coach LeBeau," Smith said. "And if by some chance it ever did, the guy wouldn't make it out of the room in one piece. The rest of us would take care of him."

That's respect.

That's devotion.

That's -- and this is a strange word to use with big, powerful men who play a brutally physical game -- love.

Can you blame LeBeau for crying?




Football Recruits CombineHigh School football Combine camp Rivals Underclassmen register today

Page 2 of 2The type of thing that makes a grown man cry


Steelers sing LeBeau's praises By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Friday, October 31, 2008

The architect of the NFL's top-ranked defense remains as overlooked now as his playing career has been taken for granted by Pro Football Hall of Fame voters through the years.

Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said he couldn't care less.

"It's the quality of men we have playing for us - I'm blessed to coach them,'' said LeBeau, whose unit ranks No. 1 in the league in total defense for the second consecutive season.

"It's their effort, their execution. All I do is call the defense. They're the people that make it happen.''

LeBeau has earned the respect of his players.

"It's been the greatest joy of my career,'' defensive end Brett Keisel said of working with LeBeau. "Since he came here, I think it really lifted all of us up. We all just really respect him.''

Defensive captain James Farrior also praised LeBeau.

"He's the general," Farrior said. "He's the guy who puts it all together. That's why we all love him.''

Another testimonial comes from linebacker Larry Foote.

"Coach LeBeau is in our corner," he said. "He listens to the players. If we don't like something, he'll throw it away. When he comes with that love and respect, you have no choice but to give it right back.''

To a man, LeBeau's defensive players believe he should be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. When the Steelers played in the Hall of Fame Game in Mike Tomlin's first game as coach, some of the players honored LeBeau by wearing special jerseys bearing his name and number.

"Last year, when we played in Canton, they showed me I was on their Hall of Fame team," LeBeau said. "That's the only team I want to be on.''

Cornerback Ike Taylor's career probably mirrors LeBeau's more than any

Page 1 of 3Steelers sing LeBeau's praises - Tribune-Review

10/31/2008http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribunereview/sports/print_596071.html

Steeler player. Both played running back in college before switching to cornerback full-time in the pros. Both were selected late in the draft -- LeBeau was a fifth-round pick; Taylor a fourth-round selection.

Taylor credits LeBeau for his development as a top-flight defensive back.

"We play for ourselves. We play for our families. We play for each other. We play because we represent this organization. But we play for coach LeBeau,'' said Taylor, the only defensive back to start every game since the Steelers became the league's top-ranked defense last season.

Taylor said he reached a comfort zone with LeBeau, who compiled 62 career interceptions in 14 NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions.

"He's probably harder on the corners because he played the position," said Taylor, a fourth-year starter. "I kind of had to win coach LeBeau over, me being an athlete. Coach LeBeau is a technician. Throughout the years, he just kept preaching to me, 'Work on your technique, your game will be better.' ''

LeBeau, though, refuses to take credit.

"Ike Taylor's production and steady play is because of Ike Taylor,'' LeBeau said. "He put in the time and the hours necessary to hone his skills. He's one of the best tackling corners in the league, and I don't think he gets enough credit for that.''

LeBeau added: "Perhaps I can help those guys because I learned the hard way from getting burned so many times myself. It's amazing what we learn to hold our position and how we learn to do it -- basically, trial and error in my case. It still holds up pretty doggone well.''

LeBeau's coaching philosophy resonates with his players.

"It seems like we've been in the top five in defense for the past 6-7 years," said Keisel, a starter since 2006, who had a career-high 11 tackles against the New York Giants last Sunday. "It's a place where we expect to be. It's a place where we work hard to be.''

Foote, who has started every game since 2004, appreciates LeBeau's strategic ability.

"If he gets into a chess match with offensive coordinators, he's just that much better than his competition,'' Foote said.

Farrior, long regarded as the Steelers' most consistent tackler, is another one of LeBeau's favorites.

"Coach LeBeau knows the game,'' Farrior said. "He's been around it for 50 years as a player and coach. When he talks, everybody listens.''



A soft-spoken teacher, LeBeau rarely yells when making a point to his players. When he does, they don't take it personally.

"It's not often that he yells at you - he gets me once a year,'' Taylor said. "It means you're in trouble, you ain't doing something right. At the same time, I understand coach LeBeau.''

LeBeau also understands his players and how each of them contributes to the league's top-ranked defense.

"Our goals are top-10 in all categories,'' LeBeau said. "If we can meet those goals, we'll play pretty good defense and give our guys a chance to win.

"They're as unselfish a group of athletes as I've ever been around. They don't really care who gets the sack, they don't care who makes the big play. They fight and play together. I'm proud of them.''






Steelers assistant head coach a pioneer on and off the field By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, November 23, 2008

He sat in a chair, just as one of the great statesmen of the 20th century had done before a speech that offers a glimpse into why the Steelers' defense is as leak-proof as they come, and he seemed just as comfortable talking about the fine arts as he did about football.

John Mitchell may be the caretaker of a defensive line that has been impenetrable but to label him a coach is to say the Steelers are just a football team.

Mitchell collects wine and art and visits museums all over the country. He is an avid reader and is especially fascinated with historical figures such as Winston Churchill. After a recent Steelers practice Mitchell talked about a commencement address Churchill delivered late in his life, before which the former Great Britain prime minister pushed himself out of his chair just so he could stand.

"When (Churchill) got up to the podium, he put his right arm down and his left arm down," Mitchell said. "Looked to his right, looked out center and looked to his left, paused, and he said only six words. The six words he said were 'Never, never, never, never, never quit.' "

Mitchell frequently repeats those words to his players, and it is safe to say they are not tuning him out.

Since Mitchell took over as the team's defensive line coach in 1994 -- he added the title of assistant head coach in 2007 -- the Steelers have given up more than 100 rushing yards per game in just four seasons. The significance of that is the Steelers' defense has long been predicated on shutting down the run. And making offenses one-dimensional is akin to setting a trap for them given how Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau confounds and harasses opposing quarterbacks with his blitzing schemes.

"Our players are blessed to learn the game from a coach like John Mitchell," LeBeau said. "Everybody that comes through his room gets better and I don't know a better compliment you can give to a football coach."

Mitchell's success as a coach is rooted in the six words that were seared into his consciousness long before he started reading about Churchill.

They resonate with him and, by extension, his players for a simple reason: they

Page 1 of 6Steelers' Mitchell holds line - Tribune-Review


tell the story of his life.

A player and a pioneer

A friendly visit between two legendary coaches in 1970 changed the course of Mitchell's life.

Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant had been talking with John McKay when Southern Cal's coach mentioned that he had gotten a commitment from a defensive end who had starred at an Arizona junior college but hailed from Alabama.

The only thing Bryant could tell his assistants when he called back to Alabama was that the kid had grown up in Mobile and that he had the same first and last name as the man who had been with McKay.

Bryant's directive: find him.

They did, and Mitchell didn't think twice about picking Alabama, which had won three national championships in the 1960s, over Southern Cal.

The kid who simply wanted to play football and get an education also signed on as a pioneer. Mitchell became the first African-American to play in a game for Alabama, and it came in 1971 when the Civil Rights movement had advanced equality for blacks but also exacerbated racial tensions in the deep South.

Mitchell said he heard his share of name-calling in the two years he spent at Alabama, but only he will ever know the isolation and ridicule he endured while playing for the Crimson Tide.

"It's hard to understand what someone black had to put up with in the South because it wasn't pretty," said Bobby Stanford, a former teammate of Mitchell's at Alabama. "There was a lot of animosity and there still is to a certain extent between blacks and whites. John wasn't part of that. He didn't want to use being black as an excuse. It's just the way he was and the way he is now."

If he has any scars from his time at Alabama, Mitchell does not show them.

Players who feared the unknown of having a black teammate were more scared of Bryant, Mitchell said with a laugh. The relationship he forged with Stanford also helped Mitchell have what he describes as a fairly typical college experience.

Stanford, who is white, did not hesitate to room with Mitchell. The two became best friends -- they still talk as often as three times a week -- and Stanford's parents opened up their home to Mitchell and also treated him like a son when they visited Alabama.

"Whatever they brought Bobby, they would bring to me also," Mitchell said. "His father would come up on Sunday before they left, wake me up, shake my hand,



kiss me just like he kissed Bobby. They didn't see color. That's why Bobby and I got along so well."

Mitchell's parents had ingrained the same thing in him -- to see people as individuals, not through the prism of race -- which is one reason why he said his father and Bryant were the two biggest influences in his life.

The elder Mitchell worked for the Coast Guard and his duties included locating and recovering smaller boats when stormy weather hit the Gulf. He tended to the restaurant the family owned and also set an example for his son as a loving husband and father.

Despite spending most of his life working and providing for his family, Mitchell said he never heard his father complain.

Bryant, a legendary taskmaster, wasn't any more interested in excuses.

But, Mitchell said, players that went to Alabama entered into an unwritten covenant. And if they gave Bryant everything that they had while they were at Alabama, they had someone in their corner for life.

"Coach Bryant was like my second father," Mitchell said. "I am where I am today because of him."

Impressive body of work

Mitchell bypassed a chance to play in the NFL after Bryant offered him a position on his staff. He coached the defensive line at Alabama from 1973-76 and, like many of his peers, had his share of travels before settling in Pittsburgh.

His players have responded to the same exhortations that Mitchell did while at Alabama -- and specifically to the challenges that Bryant issued in the fourth quarter of games when lungs burn and legs turn to putty.

The Steelers have led the NFL in rushing defense four times during Mitchell's tenure, and they did not allow a 100-yard rusher over a span of 34 games from 2005-07.

What makes Mitchell's body of work here particularly impressive is the Steelers have rarely addressed their defensive line early in the NFL draft. Since 1994, the Steelers have only used three first- or second-round picks on a down lineman.

"I was really the only first-round pick he ever had," said nose tackle Casey Hampton, the 19th overall pick of the 2001 draft, "and just look at the defensive lines we've had throughout the years."

The current one is a testament to Mitchell's ability to mold players and get the best out of them.



Starting defensive ends Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel were picked in the fourth and seventh rounds of the draft, respectively. Nose tackle Chris Hoke, an invaluable reserve, made the Steelers as an undrafted free agent.

All have thrived under Mitchell's tutelage.

If his players don't blink in the face of adversity that is because their coach became an All-American at Alabama, the first co-captain of Alabama's football team and earned a degree in social work while dealing with the kind of outside pressure that most people could not imagine.

Their level of respect for Mitchell is such that Smith said, "I really wouldn't want to play for anybody else at this point of my career. He treats you like a man."

Indeed, Mitchell never undresses a player in public, something he said he learned from Bryant. He also limits his position meetings to no more than half an hour and encourages players to leave the room for a drink of water if they start to nod out.

Mitchell, otherwise, is about as soft as a sheet of ice.

He demands punctuality and attention to detail and is particularly hard on the younger players that he breaks down and builds back up. The Churchill speech he quotes to his players is much like his coaching style: direct and without room for interpretation.

"We make jokes that we're kind of like robots," Hoke said with a laugh. "We're always on time, we're always taking notes, we're always doing things the right way."

"Watch the older guys," Smith said. "They all stand around (Mitchell) because when you were a rookie and you didn't stand around him you got your butt chewed."

Not that Mitchell is above the good-natured ribbing of his players.

When Hampton says Mitchell is "old school" he is also referring to the clothes that are considerably tighter than the garb preferred by the younger generation. And his players joke with Mitchell about when he is going to leave for a head coaching job elsewhere.

It is worth wondering given his success, pedigree and results.

"Oh, I think that's passed me by," Mitchell said, though he admittedly would be intrigued by the right job at the college level. "I'm 57 now. I like what I'm doing. I don't want a job where you go in and kill yourself and don't have a chance to win. If I can find a job that has the resources, has the financial stability, I would be interested."

Not that Mitchell loses any sleep about what the future holds.



There are more museums to visit, defensive lines to curate and stories that are not unlike his own to discover.

"I like to read about people who won't give up," Mitchell said, "people who have the fortitude that they're going to fight on and say 'Hey, I might get knocked down a dozen times but if I get up, I'm going to achieve my goal.' "

Yes, with Mitchell it always comes back to a half-dozen words.

Never, never, never, never, never quit.

Getting to know John Mitchell

Here are some facts and tidbits about the Steelers' assistant head coach/defensive line coach.

• Mitchell is in his 15th season with the Steelers and is the longest-tenured member on the coaching staff. This is his 36th season as a coach.

• He has coached for four different college teams, two different NFL teams and the USFL's Birmingham Stallions. Mitchell became the first African-American coordinator in SEC history when LSU coach Mike Archer promoted to defensive coordinator in 1990.

• He is an aficionado of fine wine but also appreciates the simpler things in life. Mitchell's favorite thing to eat is a "greasy" cheeseburger with ketchup and sauteed onions.

• When he served as an assistant coach under Lou Holtz at Arkansas from 1977-82, Mitchell regularly played in pick-up basketball games with a law professor by the name of Bill Clinton.

Running on empty?

The Steelers have consistently shut down opponents' running games since John Mitchell became the team's defensive line coach in 1994. Here is what the Steelers have given up on the ground per game in Mitchell's 15 years with the organization.

1994: 90.8

1995: 82.6

1996: 88.4

1997: 82.4

1998: 102.6



1999: 122.4

2000: 105.8

2001: 74.7

2002: 85.9

2003: 108.1

2004: 81.2

2005: 86.0

2006: 88.3

2007: 89.9

2008: 66.5*

*Through first 11 games of season






Feature Stories Cover - National Football...

Documents

Transcript of Feature Stories Cover - National Football...