2006
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Weekly News Clips
October 8 at San Diego
Big Ben takes struggles in stride - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 1 of 2
Roethlisberger takes struggles in stride
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, September 28, 2006
A confident and seemingly carefree Ben Roethlisberger held court Wednesday
near his locker at the Steelers' South Side practice facility.
That normally wouldn't qualify as news, but Roethlisberger takes the baggage
of two bad games into the team's bye week.
Not that you could tell he has thrown five interceptions in consecutive losses.
Or that the offense has scored only two touchdowns, both on the ground, since
the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl returned to the starting lineup.
When asked if he heard the smattering of boos that appeared to be directed at
him Sunday at Heinz Field, Roethlisberger grinned and told reporters, "I thought
they were coming from you guys."
What has come from the media -- and fans, for that matter -- is increased
scrutiny.
So far, Roethlisberger has stood tall in the midst of it, just as he normally does
against an opposing pass rush.
"People look at it like we're sliding backwards, and I don't quite think so,"
Roethlisberger said before the first of two practices the Steelers will have this
week. "We've got some ways to go, but I think we're making progress.
Offensively, we will come around, because our defense is playing great right
now. I feel that we let them down. We won't let that happen again."
The Steelers don't play again until Oct. 8, when they visit the San Diego
Chargers. Few would insist the timing of the bye is bad, even coming this early
in the season.
And Roethlisberger might be the biggest beneficiary of it.
"It will give him a chance to reflect and see what we all can do to get better, so
the bye week came at a great time," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "Right
now, we're just playing too inconsistent, myself included."
The bye week will give Roethlisberger and the receivers extra time to work
together.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_472539.html
9/28/2006
Big Ben takes struggles in stride - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 2 of 2
They weren't on the field together much during the preseason, since Ward was
bothered by a bad hamstring and Roethlisberger played sparingly in the
exhibition games.
Not coincidentally, the two -- and the passing game in general -- have appeared
to be out of sync in the games Roethlisberger has started.
Coach Bill Cowher has tried to deflect any blame that might be directed toward
Roethlisberger for the team's 1-2 start by pointing out that the Steelers have
suffered breakdowns in all aspects of the game.
"To me, it's not about pinpointing any one guy," Cowher said. "There's enough
in each phase that we need to get better at."
And the Steelers will get better, Roethlisberger said.
"I think we see the wall, but I don't think we're quite with our backs against it,"
Roethlisberger said. "I think you'll see a new team come out of this bye week."
Scott Brown can be reached at [email protected] or .
Images and text copyright © 2006 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_472539.html
9/28/2006
Starkey: The truth about Big Ben - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 1 of 3
The truth about Big Ben
By Joe Starkey
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, September 7, 2006
Can the most successful third-year quarterback in NFL history -- a quarterback
who loses a game about as often as he loses an appendix -- possibly be
underrated?
Yes, and thank you for asking.
Actually, underappreciated might be the more appropriate term for Ben
Roethlisberger, who will miss tonight's opener against the Miami Dolphins on
account of his emergency appendectomy Sunday.
The Steelers will not crumble in his absence. Tommy Maddox doesn't live here
anymore, so as long as Charlie Batch stays upright, the club should be able to
survive even a couple of games without Big Ben.
At worst, they'll split.
But let's not kid ourselves. Roethlisberger is the Steelers' best player. He's the
main reason the franchise snapped that pesky, 25-year Super Bowl drought,
and he's the biggest key to winning it all again.
He's also one of the top five quarterbacks in football, and I'm not sure I'd rather
have anyone else if I needed to win, say, a playoff game in Denver.
What's amazing is that so few people would agree with me.
What's even more amazing is that so many people still consider Roethlisberger
to be more a function of the Steelers' system than anything else.
Take Sports Illustrated's Paul Zimmerman -- aka Dr. Z -- who is very good but
who deserves an 'F' for his recent assessment of Big Ben. The subject matter
was active quarterbacks who might be first-ballot Hall of Famers. Dr. Z began
with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer, Brett Favre and
Roethlisberger.
So far, so good. But in differentiating between Palmer and Roethlisberger, the
'Z Man' writes, "I like Palmer's chances better. He seems to carry the team,
whereas Roethlisberger, as effective as he is, is more a product of the system."
How many times have you heard that in the past two years? It's right up there
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_469165.html
9/7/2006
Starkey: The truth about Big Ben - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 2 of 3
with the line that goes, "The Steelers don't ask Roethlisberger to do too much."
Unless you include the part about them asking him to carry them to the Super
Bowl, that is.
Remember, the Steelers' running game wasn't working all that well during the
historic run through Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver. So, they put their trust
in Roethlisberger. They came out passing in all three games, and all he did was
ring up the fourth-best three-game playoff passer rating (125.8) in NFL history.
Behind some guys named Montana, Simms and Aikman.
It's true that the Steelers system fits Roethlisberger's talents, and that he's
lucky to have so much talent around him. But couldn't the same be said of
every great quarterback? The West Coast offense and throwing to Jerry Rice
kind of fit Joe Montana's skill set, wouldn't you say?
What's also true of Roethlisberger is that he does some of his best work when
"the system" breaks down.
Remember that touchdown pass just before the half in the AFC title game, the
one where he scrambled away from pressure and lofted a ball just over 20
Broncos fingertips, to Hines Ward in the back of the end zone? That wasn't in
the game plan. Neither was a similar, Elway-like scramble-and-chuck to Ward
in the Super Bowl.
You know, the one where Roethlisberger straddled the line of scrimmage
before heaving a cross-field cannon shot.
How many other quarterbacks make that play?
Roethlisberger is stunningly efficient, and it's not as if he dinks and dunks his
way down the field. He led the NFL in two telling categories last season -- yards
per attempt and touchdown percentage.
He obviously had a bad Super Bowl, but, like a pitcher without his best stuff, he
battled and stayed in the game. Besides the big pass to Ward, he ran for a
touchdown, threw a key block on the gadget-play touchdown and turned a
broken play into a first down when the Steelers were running out the clock.
In other words, he found ways to help his team win the game, which is what a
complete football player does. And which no quarterback in the NFL does
better. Roethlisberger's career record stands at 27-4.
Yeah, 27-4.
Joe Starkey can be reached at [email protected] or .
Images and text copyright © 2006 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_469165.html
9/7/2006
Starkey: The truth about Big Ben - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 3 of 3
Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_469165.html
9/7/2006
Big Ben, Miller developing healthy rapport
Page 1 of 2
Big Ben, Miller developing healthy rapport
Monday, August 14, 2006
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Ben Roethlisberger was not supposed to drop back deep in the pocket
in the game Saturday, not supposed to let some young Reggie White wannabe have a shot at
smashing his pumpkin.
But then, as most of Pittsburgh knows, Roethlisberger does not follow well-defined paths
(such as those which supposedly do not take rookie quarterbacks to 13-0 records, or 23year-old quarterbacks to Super Bowl victories).
So, the quarterback who two months ago nearly stopped an entire city in its tracks over a
motorcycle accident, not only dropped back to pass, he ducked pass rushers, scrambled
away from a safety blitz and, on one nine-play series, recreated everything that has been Big
Ben for two seasons.
Everything but score, that is.
It was a good, easy stretch before he embarks on more playing
time Saturday against Minnesota in Heinz Field.
And there was a moment during that nine-play series against
the Arizona Cardinals, on a scramble, that should become more
familiar as he and the season progress.
Coming up
The Cardinals, showing no leniency toward Roethlisberger in
his first action, sent Adrian Wilson on a safety blitz.
Matchup: Steelers vs.
Roethlisberger faked a handoff to Willie Parker, then moved to Vikings.
his right and deftly eluded Wilson while still looking down the
When: 8 p.m. Saturday.
field. He saw tight end Heath Miller streak open. Roethlisberger Where: Heinz Field.
threw on the run and hit Miller for an 11-yard gain and a first
TV/Radio: KDKA, FSN
down.
Pittsburgh/WDVE-FM
(102.5), WBGG-AM (970)
and the Steelers radio
Miller will be a prime receiver for Roethlisberger this season.
network.
The team's first-round draft picks from 2004 and 2005 built a
rapport last season that should become more evident in this one.
Related coverage
Miller, as a rookie, finished second to Hines Ward last season
A Steelers postgame
among Steelers receivers with 39 catches and second among
analysis: Position battles
receivers with six touchdown receptions after he had only two
catches in his first three games because his coaches wanted him
Breakfast with: Ben
to know he had to block first, run pass routes second.
Roethlisberger
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06226/713412.stm
8/14/2006
Big Ben, Miller developing healthy rapport
Page 2 of 2
"The biggest issue you had with Heath last year was his ability
to block an NFL player," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said. "We always knew he
could be a good receiver. Now we have a better idea of how we can use him."
Anyway they want, because Miller proved he can block -- as he did on Willie Parker's 75yard Super Bowl run -- or catch. He's the best combination of both on this team since Eric
Green.
"He's the perfect Steeler for us at that position because of his ability to do both,"
Whisenhunt said. "He's a good receiver. He's a good blocker. I don't know if there is a
perfect, but he is a good fit in both areas of our game."
With Jerome Bettis retired, Miller could represent a shift in how Whisenhunt calls plays on
the goal line. The past two years, it was bust the Bus up the middle. Miller gives the Steelers
an option they used at times last season.
"A lot of times the defense will dictate what we do in the red zone," Miller said. "If they're
going to be stacked in the box against the run, it would be awfully easy for us to play-action
to myself or Hines as we did a bunch of times last season. If the defense will allow us to run
the ball, give us a little daylight to run the ball, I'm sure we'll do that first."
Said Whisenhunt, "When you're looking at the talent on this team and the ability to do
things in the red zone, Hines and Heath both pop up at you. I'm sure they'll both get their
opportunities."
The Steelers might never have had the opportunity to draft Miller in 2005 were it not for one
opportune injury. Miller played with a sports hernia during the 2004 season at Virginia. He
had surgery after the season, which is why, even though he caught 144 passes in three
seasons and was voted college football's best tight end, NFL teams turned away from him
on draft day. The Steelers gladly picked him up with the 30th choice.
"Who knows where I could have ended up?" Miller said. "I could have had a really good
workout and been higher. ... I couldn't think of a better place for me to be."
Right on target with Ben Roethlisberger.
(Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-3878. )
Back
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06226/713412.stm
8/14/2006
Cook: Batch meets the challenge
Page 1 of 3
Cook: Batch meets the challenge
Friday, September 08, 2006
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
That was some challenge they threw at Charlie Batch last night.
Not Ben Roethlisberger's appendectomy.
Not even the Miami Dolphins and their ferocious defense.
The Bus.
Really, a big yellow school bus.
It rolled through a Heinz Field tunnel and onto the field moments before the Steelers and
Dolphins kicked off the NFL season. Out hopped Jerome Bettis -- the one and only Bus, as
far as Pittsburgh is concerned -- to thunderous applause that lasted as he waved a Terrible
Towel, held up his Super Bowl XL ring for all to see and slowly made his way the length of
the field to an end zone set and his new career as an NBC broadcaster.
How was Batch supposed to top that homecoming?
Well, guess what?
The kid from Homestead did in the Steelers' 28-17 win.
"Everybody said we couldn't do it without our starting quarterback," linebacker Joey Porter
said in the happy locker room after the Steelers did do it. "This team is bigger than that.
Charlie performed the way he's supposed to. He proved a long time ago he can play
quarterback."
It wasn't easy. Batch made it hard on himself by fumbling a first-down snap at the Miami 1
early in the fourth quarter as the Steelers were driving for a go-ahead score and a 21-17 lead.
You could almost read every mind in Steeler Nation at that point.
Big Ben wouldn't have done that.
True. But what came next after the Steelers' defense gave Batch the ball back at his 13 with
6:25 left? Roethlisberger couldn't have done it any better.
Batch's play fake to Willie Parker was a beauty, his lob of a pass to tight end Heath Miller
behind Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas even prettier. The big tight end somehow
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06251/720142.stm
9/8/2006
Cook: Batch meets the challenge
Page 2 of 3
managed to outrun cornerback Will Allen to the end zone for the winning score.
It turns out Batch suggested the play to Steelers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. "It
worked exactly the way we drew it up," Batch said.
It was Batch's third touchdown pass of the night.
Yeah, it was a pretty sweet homecoming.
It came at a great time, not just for Batch and the Steelers, but for a grieving city. Like most
people in town, Batch tuned into coverage of Mayor Bob O'Connor's funeral earlier in the
day. That only added to his roiling emotions at game time.
"I wanted to dedicate this victory to him," Batch said later. "Hopefully, we could ease the
grieving process a little. I think, through sports, you're able to do that."
There's not much doubt the late mayor would have loved everything about this night. His
city looked fabulous for the NBC cameras. His football team won a big game.
It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise that Batch had a big hand in it. It's not like this
was his first big game. He started a couple last season and won 'em both when he hadn't
thrown a pass in anger for the better part of two seasons. There was no reason to think he
wouldn't get it done this time. He's as healthy as he has ever been and also played
extensively in all four of the exhibition games.
It took all of three passes for Batch to shake off what little rust he had. After that 0 for 3
start, he completed 15 of 22 passes for 209 yards, no interceptions and those three
touchdowns. His passer rating was a positively Big Ben-like 126.5.
"None of us are surprised," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "The guys are very comfortable
with Charlie."
Batch certainly gave the Steelers better quarterback play than Daunte Culpepper did for the
Dolphins. Culpepper's two late interceptions -- one by safety Troy Polamalu, the other by
linebacker Joey Porter, who returned his 42 yards for the clinching touchdown -- easily
trumped Batch's lost fumble in the costly turnover category.
Batch's first touchdown pass went for 27 yards to wide receiver Nate Washington, who
made a nice catch over safety Travares Tillman for a 7-0 lead. His second went to Ward -- a
7-yard bullet in the middle of the back of the end zone -- for a 14-7 lead. So much for
Ward's hamstring problem.
It would have been a shame if Batch's fumble had denied him of this victory. As it was, the
win served two valuable purposes beyond getting the Steelers off to a 1-0 start in defense of
their Super Bowl championship.
One, it gave the Steelers reason to believe they don't have to rush Roethlisberger back for
the next game Sept. 18 at Jacksonville. If he's not ready until the big showdown with the
Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field Sept. 24, so be it.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06251/720142.stm
9/8/2006
Cook: Batch meets the challenge
Page 3 of 3
And two, it gave Bettis plenty to talk about on the NBC telecast.
Know this:
Both the Steelers and The Bus were grateful.
(Ron Cook can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1525. )
Back
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06251/720142.stm
9/8/2006
Ward targeting some big goals for the 2006 season
Page 1 of 3
Ward targeting some big goals for the 2006 season
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Hines Ward was the first player in Super Bowl XL to
perform in a national commercial ad when he accepted
a trip to Disney World -- "and I'm taking the Bus" -- in
the moments after the Steelers defeated Seattle in
Detroit.
Since then, there has been little advertising activity, at
least in this country.
Ward has become a popular commercial spokesman in Peter Diana, Post-Gazette
his native South Korea, where he is trying to fight
Hines Ward has not cashed in on
the success of the Super Bowl XL
bigotry against mixed-race people there, and where
victory.
the citizens know little about the game of football.
Click photo for larger image.
Yet the Super Bowl MVP couldn't muster much ad
time in America, the birthplace of the game, although
KDKA-TV will replace "The Jerome Bettis Show"
with "The Hines Ward Show" this fall.
Not that he's complaining, nor did he suggest race as a
reason for it. (Disney was criticized in the past for not
picking black Super Bowl MVPs Jerry Rice, Ray
Lewis and Dexter Jackson.) Ward believes others on
the team overshadowed him, such as quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger and safety Troy Polamalu.
"It's hard to get marketed here, America," Ward said.
"You have Troy and Ben. It's tough. I don't know
what's the reason. I'm not marketable like that, I guess.
Saturday
What: Steelers at Arizona
Cardinals in the preseason opener.
When: 4 p.m.
TV: KDKA & FSN Pittsburgh.
"I don't get caught up in it. My thing is, if I keep
producing on the field, keep being a consistent player,
then positive things will happen to me."
A year after his two-week holdout to start training
camp, Ward said he prefers to take a lower profile
anyway.
"I'm staying under the radar," Ward said. "Just stay
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06220/711890.stm
Related articles
Steelers Notebook: Green thing
safeguards Big Ben
Slideshow: Week two begins
Training Camp 2006 photojournal
8/8/2006
Ward targeting some big goals for the 2006 season
low and get better. That's my thing, just continue to
get better as a player, continue to be a leader."
Page 2 of 3
More about training camp
Map and camp schedule
Ward holds the team record with 574 receptions and,
with 7,030 yards, needs 1,694 to pass John Stallworth for the all-time club lead. His aim is
higher.
"My personal goal is to get 10,000 yards," Ward said yesterday. "If I can do that in my
career, that will be my final accomplishment. If I can do it all with the Steelers -- 10,000
yards with this team being in this offense -- that would be like the icing on the cake."
Ward insisted that reaching that goal would not necessarily
mean retirement and that turning 30 (March 8) should not
Steelers receivers
signal that he'll slow down, although a hamstring injury has
kept him off the field since Friday and might keep him out of Hines Ward needs 1,694
receiving yards to pass John
Saturday's first preseason game in Arizona.
Stallworth for most all time.
"Some of the best receivers in the game are in their 30s,"
Ward said.
There are, for example, Terrell Owens, 32; Marvin Harrison,
34 in two weeks; Rod Smith, 36; Torry Holt, 30; and Derrick
Mason, 32.
"Keenan McCardell, he's still going 15 years in the league,"
Ward said. "What makes those guys any different than me?
They know the game, they know how to run routes. I see all
these fast defensive backs and fast receivers come in. How
does someone like a Keenan McCardell or Jerry Rice or Tim
Brown -- all these guys who played the game so long -- how
do they continue doing this?
Rec.
Yds.
1. John Stallworth
8,723
2. Hines Ward
7,030
3. Louis Lipps
6,016
4. Lynn Swann
5,462
5. Elbie Nickel
5,133
6. Buddy Dial
4,723
7. Plaxico Burress
4,164
8. Ray Mathews
3,919
9. Roy Jefferson
3,671
10. Yancey Thigpen 3,641
11. Charles Johnson 3,400
12. Ron Shanklin
3,047
13. Gary Ballman
2,949
Rank/Player
"I'm always looking at them and studying film on them and
trying to learn the game. I put myself kind of in their
category. They say he's not blazing fast, yet he can still get
open. I can create separation and I can catch the ball. That's all you really need in this
game."
He says he does not worry about losing speed, because he never had it.
"A lot of people in this league don't have blazing speed, yet what makes them last so long,
what makes them so productive? I think by understanding the game, understanding coverage
and route-running. Some people lose their speed and they don't know how to adjust their
games."
Ward enjoyed the fruits of winning the Super Bowl so much -- visiting South Korea twice
and meeting the presidents of that country and this one, among them -- he wants to do it
again.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06220/711890.stm
8/8/2006
Ward targeting some big goals for the 2006 season
Page 3 of 3
"The experience after the Super Bowl feels so good. That's the thing that motivates me. I'm
happy to win one, but I want to get another one."
Students of Ward's history also know that perceived means for motivation is crucial to him.
As a three-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl MVP and Steelers' multirecord holder, he no
longer can play the lack-of-respect card.
"People think, 'What's his motivation?' " Ward said. " 'What's the thing that's going to make
him go? Is he content where he is?' It's more, I guess, trying to prove myself over again."
And, he said, to take on a leadership role left vacant when Bettis retired.
"Somebody who wants help, I'll try and help him," said Ward, who stays after virtually
every practice working with other receivers, including the team's two prized rookies,
Santonio Holmes and Willie Reid. "Going out of my way to help these guys learn the game,
that's what Jerome would do."
(Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-3878. )
Back
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06220/711890.stm
8/8/2006
Starkey: Parker contract a win-win - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 1 of 2
Parker contract a win-win
By Joe Starkey
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, September 1, 2006
Deal or no deal?
In the NFL, that game never ends.
Players such as Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor must decide whether to take
good money now or shoot for big money later, on the risk they might wind up
with no money at all.
Teams must identify the precise moment at which to extend multi-year offers
worth millions of dollars. They can't exceed an imposed limit (it's called a salary
cap) and don't want to lose good players as free agents, so their timing must be
impeccable.
Which brings us to Steelers tailback Willie Parker, whose new contract appears
to be a win-win situation.
The Steelers could have had Parker at a bargain-basement rate this year and
likely a decent rate next year, but they would have risked losing him as an
unrestricted free agent after the 2007 season. Instead, he is theirs through
2009, thanks to a new four-year, $13.6 million contract that included a $3.75
million signing bonus.
That is the fifth-highest signing bonus in team history -- but hardly A-Rod
money. Not even Heath Miller money.
If Parker repeats or builds on his breakthrough 2005 season, when he racked
up the sixth-highest rushing total in franchise history, he'll be a wonderful
investment. The Steelers might even consider reworking the deal before 2009.
Of course, Parker might decide he's underpaid well before then.
That's part of the game, too.
As things stand, Parker, 25, probably will have one more shot at the hugemoney contract. He still has plenty of mileage left on those tires, because he
hardly played in college.
Meantime, if he flops or gets hurt, he's still set for life, and little is lost on the
Steelers' end. For an undrafted, unknown free agent out of North Carolina,
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_468686.html
9/1/2006
Starkey: Parker contract a win-win - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 2 of 2
$3.75 million up front has to feel pretty good.
Parker was the longest of long shots. Now, he's a big shot.
Taylor, a fourth-round pick out of Louisiana-Lafayette three years ago, has to
be thinking long and hard about his next move. He could probably rake in
nearly twice as much as Parker up front if he were to sign a contract before the
season-opener, which happens to be six days away -- and, as one pressbox
wag put it last night, $6 million is a long way from the Bayou, baby.
The catch is that Ike can be an unrestricted free agent after the season, and,
last we heard, was looking for an eight-figure signing bonus. Like a contestant
on the popular game show "Deal or No Deal," he could settle for a nice payday
now or take a chance that he'll stay healthy and play well and go for broke later.
A lot can happen in the course of an NFL season.
Linebacker James Harrison, like Parker, took the nice payday now. A starterwaiting-to-happen at outside linebacker, Harrison could have become an
unrestricted free agent in 2008, but he jumped when the Steelers proactively
put a four-year, $5.5 million deal on the table in April. It included a $1.375
million signing bonus.
Not bad for an undrafted rookie out of Kent State.
The Harrison and Parker deals provided further evidence of the kind of astute
management that has the Steelers - who are 31-6 in their past 37 games going into another season with as good a chance as anyone to hit the jackpot.
Joe Starkey can be reached at [email protected] or .
Images and text copyright © 2006 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_468686.html
9/1/2006
Collier: Willie Parker's feel-good story has a ring to it and a brand new Cadillac
Page 1 of 3
Collier: Willie Parker's feel-good story has a ring
to it and a brand new Cadillac
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
By Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
It was not yet the end of June, and Willie Parker had already been relieved of his Super
Bowl ring.
The massive, sparkling chunk o' bling and the black box it came in rolled straight out of
Pittsburgh in the dark of night, surfacing later in the trunk of a Cadillac in North Carolina, a
showroom new pearl white Caddy driven by a man in the company of a woman, both on a
mission of deceit, conspiracy, and, dare we say it, skullduggery.
But it's all good.
The driver was Parker's brother, Jamal, his companion Parker's sister, Kimberly, and the
fleet Steelers' scatback was himself a co-conspirator, happy again to indict himself yesterday
after practice at Saint Vincent College.
"My father worked in a factory and it was very tough on him," Parker said from beneath a
layer of late afternoon sweat. "He had no college education, so he had no choice but the
factory, and he worked there, I don't know, 30-some years I guess."
So Willie Parker Sr., a North Carolina factory worker who with his wife put four kids
through college essentially to keep them from becoming factory workers themselves, was
the greatly admired target of this delicious caper. It was all for him. The ring. The car. The
love.
But it had to start with a lie, of course.
When they asked the 25-year-old who had just ripped off the longest touchdown run from
scrimmage in the history of the Super Bowl what size ring he wore, Willie Parker stone lied.
"I told 'em 13 and a half," he smiled. "That's not my size. That's my dad's."
Oddly enough, there was precedent for this idea.
For a player whose 75-yard touchdown run against Seattle represented more than 40 percent
of the yardage gained in his senior season at North Carolina, Parker had previously
accumulated a surprisingly expansive collection of athletic jewelry. There was that Peach
Bowl ring, for example, and there were two rings awarded him for whipping the Clinton
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06227/713551.stm
8/15/2006
Collier: Willie Parker's feel-good story has a ring to it and a brand new Cadillac
Page 2 of 3
Dark Horses to high school championships.
"I gave all my rings to my dad, so I felt there was no need to change up," Parker said.
He's not one to doubt his instincts, no matter that he pinballed all over the depth chart in
college, no matter that he got to Latrobe just two years ago last month with about as much
fanfare as a night sale at unclaimed freight. Undrafted free agents with anorexic NCAA
resumes often prove to be pretty pliable in NFL training camps, but from the moment Parker
got here, he has rarely taken a tentative step.
He has long believed in himself more than others have, and now it's time everyone caught
up.
On this Latrobe lawn yesterday, every Parker stride seemed to be 5 yards long, his chiseled
physique flashing in and out of creases and bolting free for another 40 yards just for the
sheer joy of it.
He's back from his first season as a starter, in which he gained 1,202 yards, and if that looks
less than wholly spectacular on its face, consider that Franco Harris gained more only once
in a Hall of Fame career, and that in another Hall of Fame career, John Henry Johnson never
gained as many. And for all the crying coming out of the Pacific Northwest on allegedly
questionable officiating spasms that might have altered the course of Super Bowl XL, there
was simply nothing that could be said about Willie Parker streaking across three quarters of
the Ford Field floor in just a few thoroughbred heartbeats. When you're smoked, you're
smoked.
But back to our story.
Parker's best laid plans for his father's surprise had gone off with some precision. Willie
bought him a Cadillac, because he'd always loved Cadillacs, and arrangements had been
made for Jamal and Kimberly to drive it all night to North Carolina. But then a snag: Willie
Jr. got a good look at the ring.
"When I saw it, I knew I wanted it back," he said sheepishly. "But you know, I couldn't. It's
such a good feeling now. I wish I could have been there to see him get it. I know he started
crying."
Parker couldn't get out of Pittsburgh that week. Jamal and Kimberly pulled a theatrical
delivery off perfectly, with Jamal telling dad that yes, this was his new car from Willie, but
that he had just spilled something in the trunk. They brought dad over to open the trunk, and
there was the black box.
"When I gave my dad those high school rings, my mom never felt left out because I guess
she didn't think it was that big a deal," Parker said. "But now it's a Super Bowl ring and I
guess she is feeling left out. But she'll get hers in due time."
Did I mention that he was confident?
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06227/713551.stm
8/15/2006
Collier: Willie Parker's feel-good story has a ring to it and a brand new Cadillac
Page 3 of 3
(Gene Collier can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1283. )
Back
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06227/713551.stm
8/15/2006
Taylor thrilled with new deal - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 1 of 2
Taylor thrilled with new deal
By Joe Starkey
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, September 4, 2006
Not long after signing a five-year contract Sunday, Steelers cornerback Ike
Taylor intercepted two passes at practice.
"It's like I got hands now, you know?" Taylor said, smiling. "It must be the
money."
In truth, Taylor probably could have secured a bigger signing bonus from
another team if he'd become an unrestricted free agent after the season, but he
was plenty pleased with a deal that is worth $23.75 million, including incentives
and bonus money.
He signed it just four days before the season opener, which doubles as the
team's deadline for negotiating contracts.
Taylor originally was seeking an eight-figure signing bonus but settled for $6.4
million -- the fifth highest in team history behind Hines Ward ($9 million), Ben
Roethlisberger ($9 million), Kordell Stewart ($8.2 million) and Casey Hampton
($6.975 million).
Taylor, 26, also received a $1.1 million roster bonus that will be paid out over
the duration of the deal.
According to Taylor's agent, Scott Smith of XAM Sports in Madison, Wis., the
extension is worth $15.5 million over the first three years.
"There was compromise on both sides," Smith said. "The deal represents a
commitment that Ike showed to the Steelers and that the Steelers showed to
Ike."
Even when negotiations stalled, and it looked as if Taylor would play out the
season on a one-year contract and test the open market, he promised he would
be in Pittsburgh next year and beyond.
The Steelers drafted Taylor out of Louisiana-Lafayette in the fourth round of the
2003 draft.
"This is where I wanted to be," said Taylor, who is the highest-paid defensive
back in Steelers history. "My agent knew what I wanted. I told you all I was
going to be here, regardless. I was just that sure of myself. (The Steelers) gave
me a chance to develop."
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_468987.html
9/4/2006
Taylor thrilled with new deal - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 2 of 2
Taylor was beaming in the post-practice locker room, as teammates shook his
hand. Coming off the practice field, he and Steelers chairman Dan Rooney
bumped fists, believe it or not.
"He's like a father to me," Taylor said. "That's my guy. I call him 'Pops.' "
The deal marked the third in recent months in which the Steelers signed a
talented young player to a four-year contract and, in the process, bought out
multiple years of unrestricted free agency.
They signed running back Willie Parker to a $13.6 million contract last week
and linebacker James Harrison to a $5.5 million deal in April.
Joe Starkey can be reached at [email protected] or .
Images and text copyright © 2006 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_468987.html
9/4/2006
Cook: What's not to like about Ike and his new deal?
Page 1 of 2
Cook: What's not to like about Ike and his new
deal?
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Let's see, where were we Sunday when we were so rudely interrupted by Ben
Roethlisberger's emergency appendectomy?
That's right, the Ike Taylor signing.
There are at least three very good reasons why it's a great deal for the Steelers, four if you
count the obvious:
Taylor is a terrific young cornerback, a player on the rise at a demanding position where it is
difficult to find stars. The last thing the Steelers wanted was to lose him as a free agent after
this season.
Taylor's five-year deal, which takes him through the 2010 season, assures a strong measure
of continuity on the Steelers' defense. If you are among those of us who believe that defense
wins championships, you'll be thrilled to know that all of the team's defensive starters are
signed through at least the '07 season, some beyond. Linebacker James Farrior is signed
through '08. Nose tackle Casey Hampton and linebacker Larry Foote are signed through '09.
Continuity, indeed.
There's no reason the Steelers, with their stout defense, shouldn't be able to take another run
at a Super Bowl, not just this season, but for at least a few seasons after it.
Another benefit of Taylor's new contract for the Steelers is that it came at the right price -$22.5 million, which includes a $6.4 million signing bonus. The team clearly won this
negotiation. Taylor came down significantly from where he started in the process; all
indications are that he was after a $10 million bonus. There's no way the Steelers were going
to pay that. They almost never overpay and certainly weren't going to do it with a guy who
has been a starter for just one season.
To his credit, Taylor took charge of his future. That's how it should be. You often read about
players who put their careers in the hands of their agent and allow him to become the bad
guy when a deal isn't struck. Taylor isn't one of those players. He made it clear to his agent,
Scott Smith, that he was paying him to get a deal done with the Steelers.
"I only had to say it one time," Taylor said.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06248/719130.stm
9/5/2006
Cook: What's not to like about Ike and his new deal?
Page 2 of 2
The significance of Taylor's signing for the Steelers goes well beyond the saving of a few
million. Safety Troy Polamalu's contract is up after the '07 season, as are those of
linebackers Joey Porter and Clark Haggans and defensive end Aaron Smith. If you're
ranking those players in terms of importance of being re-signed, Polamalu is No. 1 followed
by Smith, Haggans and Porter. Linebacker James Harrison was signed in April to a new
four-year deal through the '09 season, giving the team long-term insurance in case Porter
and/or Haggans leave.
The Steelers will begin negotiations with Polamalu after this season. They won't want him
to get anywhere near his walk year. To keep him, the team will have to pay him
significantly more than Taylor. His versatility is what makes their defense so unique and
effective. If the Steelers had given Taylor that eight-figure bonus, they would have had to go
to an astronomical number for Polamalu. He still won't come cheap, but at least Taylor's
contract gives the team a starting point in the negotiations.
Now, the reason this contract also benefits Taylor.
Actually, there are 6.4 million reasons.
They can't take that bonus back from Taylor, 26, no matter how he plays this season,
meaning he's set for life.
What value do you put on that peace of mind?
Taylor no longer has to worry about his future, about where he'll be playing next season,
about what impact a dropped interception or getting beat for a touchdown will have on his
contract. Most of all, he no longer has to worry about a serious injury sabotaging his value
in a heartbeat.
Taylor can go into the season with a clear head.
That's the only way to play against the NFL's best receivers, starting with the Miami
Dolphins' Chris Chambers Thursday night.
Back
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06248/719130.stm
9/5/2006
Polamalu's unique spirit uplifting for Steelers, fans
Page 1 of 3
Polamalu's unique spirit uplifting for Steelers, fans
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Citizens of Western Pennsylvania already know the
Steelers can lift spirits, but can these Super Bowl
champions save lives?
All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu, speaking in the type of
calming tones of a Benedictine monk on the Saint
Vincent College campus in Latrobe, proclaimed
yesterday that Steelers indeed not only can save lives
but they do. He has seen it, and not the kind where
they use the Heimlich Maneuver.
Merely walking into a room where a Steelers fan is on
his death bed can improve the health of that person,
Polamalu said, and it's an uplifting experience.
"You can truly save people's lives like that," Polamalu
said. "I've been in situations where people are at home
and getting ready to die, doctors have given up on
them, you know?"
But after a visit by Polamalu, he has seen the deathly
ill improve to the point where "they've been living for,
like, three, four months already.
"It's really beautiful in that way that you can affect
people. In some ways, football is life here in
Pittsburgh, it's their only hope. It's cool to affect
people in that way."
Peter Diana, Post-Gazette
"It stinks in a way if you're eating
dinner and people are bothering
you, but it's beautiful in a way when
you have a kid who has only five
days to live and the biggest thing in
his life is wanting to meet a
Steeler."
-- Troy Polamalu, on his popularity
in Pittsburgh
Click photo for larger image.
By now, most Steelers fans -- in various stages of
physical health -- know that Polamalu thinks, talks,
trains and plays differently than the average pro
football player. He's a California native, but that
doesn't fully explain it. His approach to football and
life follow on a different path than most athletes, and
he's not afraid to express himself.
He refrains from lifting weights for the most part and
he has ridiculed the NFL training camp routines along
Today
When: 3 p.m., open to the public
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06213/710094.stm
8/1/2006
Polamalu's unique spirit uplifting for Steelers, fans
with one of the league's major corporate sponsors,
Gatorade. He swiped again at the drink yesterday
saying that the Steelers training staff does not give
him any guidelines "besides spreading their Gatorade
propaganda."
Polamalu may be the best Steelers defensive back
since Rod Woodson and he's definitely the most
unique with his long hair covering the name on the
back of his jersey, and the extraordinary way he plays
the position of strong safety, one that landed him in
the past two Pro Bowls.
One more unique thing to him: Here is a Californian
who prefers to live in Pittsburgh (he prefers Troy Hill
over Nob Hill). He and his wife, Theodora, spent all
summer at their North Hills home, venturing only on
one three-day trip to California. It does not all have to
do with the hills and rivers here, although he enjoys
the fly-fishing. He derives much of his pleasure within
the confines of the Steelers' UPMC facility on the
South Side and at Heinz Field.
Page 2 of 3
Where: St. Vincent College,
Latrobe
Of note: The campus opens about
90 minutes before practices that are
open to the public.
Related articles
Steelers Notebook: Hamstring
injury slows Holmes
Slideshow: Heating up
Training Camp 2006 photojournal
More about training camp
Map and camp schedule
"I told my wife, around my second year, that there's no better place to be than here in
Pittsburgh," said Polamalu, starting his fourth training camp. "That's one thing Pittsburgh
has over everybody else is this camaraderie of this team and the great coaching situation,
how coach Cowher takes care of you, the training staff and the ownership."
The popularity of Steelers players -- with him among a handful of the most admired -- does
have its drawbacks.
"It's pretty hard to go out here without getting hassled too much," Polamalu said. "When I
go out in California, people could care less, even if you're a Tom Cruise, unless you're a
paparazzi. And, they don't follow football. They're not a big fan of football like they are out
here.
"It stinks in a way if you're eating dinner and people are bothering you, but it's beautiful in a
way when you have a kid who has only five days to live and the biggest thing in his life is
wanting to meet a Steeler. That's where it's positive. It's happened to me a few times and it's
really awesome to affect people's lives."
His own was affected on the field when free safety Chris Hope, a fellow 2002 draft choice,
left as a free agent in March.
"We went through scout team together my rookie year and breaking into the starting lineup,
so we learned everything together and won a Super Bowl together," Polamalu said.
"We got to a point where Chris and I didn't even have to talk. I got to do what I do and he
just reacted to it. To form that type of relationship is tough, being how different a safety that
I am. You really can't practice at it unless you're on the field playing 11 on 11 or in these
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06213/710094.stm
8/1/2006
Polamalu's unique spirit uplifting for Steelers, fans
Page 3 of 3
preseason games."
A trio of players will compete to join him in the defensive backfield: Tyrone Carter, Ryan
Clark, and rookie Anthony Smith. Whoever it is can expect Polamalu to pursue the same
kind of style that has turned him into a linchpin of the Steelers' defense, something fans -- in
good health and poor -- can appreciate.
"I feel I approach what I do and my living as a football player the way they do, in this bluecollar mentality," Polamalu said. "That's a term thrown around a lot, but to say it and live it
and to experience it -- even though it's a high-paying job like a football player -- it's no
different to a hard-paying construction worker, a landscaper. It's a blue-collar mentality."
(Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-3878. )
Back
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06213/710094.stm
8/1/2006
09/06/2006
Hampton has a nose for the game
Mike Bires
PITTSBURGH - When it comes to physiques, Casey Hampton doesn't look like a player.
Times Sports Staff
PITTSBURGH - When it comes to physiques, Casey Hampton doesn't look like a player.
He doesn't have a chiseled body like so many of today's players in the National Football League. He's the
antithesis of lean. At 6-foot-1 and 325 pounds, he has the look of a round couch potato who never turns
down a meal.
The man often called "Big Snack" by his teammates is a wide body for sure.
But in Hampton's case, looks can be deceiving.
He's an extraordinary football player paid millions each year despite the fact his belly hangs over his belt
buckle.
"I honestly think we have the best nose tackle in the game right now," Pittsburgh Steelers defensive
coordinator Dick LeBeau said.
Hampton, the Steelers' No. 1 pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, is easily the best nose tackle in the league.
After all, only seven of the 32 teams play a 3-4 defense that's anchored by a nose tackle. The other 25
teams use 4-3 alignments that feature two defensive tackles.
But LeBeau's point is well taken. Regardless of the brand of defense played, Hampton is an elite
defensive lineman. That's why he's been to the Pro Bowl twice in the last three seasons. The only reason
he didn't go in 2004 was due to a season-ending knee injury he suffered in an October win in Dallas.
"When Casey's on top of his game, he's un-blockable," said Chris Hoke, the Steelers' backup nose tackle.
"When he gets it going, there's just no way to stop him."
Steelers management thinks so highly of Hampton that they made him one of the highest-paid players in
franchise history. Last summer, they rewarded Hampton with a five-year contract extension worth
$22.775 million. Part of the deal included a whopping $6.975 million signing bonus. Only two current
Steelers received more bonus money - wide receiver Hines Ward ($10 million last year) and quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger ($9 million in 2004).
Based on his statistical production - 24 solo tackles, 19 assists, no sacks and no forced fumbles in the '05
regular season - it would appear Hampton is grossly overpaid. But those in the know appreciate what a
special player he is.
That's why the Rooney family, the team owners, agreed to Hampton's lucrative contract extension before
last season.
That's why the Steelers, in a team vote, chose Hampton and Ward as co-Most Valuable Players last year.
That's why the league's fans, coaches and players picked Hampton to play in the Pro Bowl, the NFL's
annual all-star game.
"That was big for me," Hampton said of all the respect he received last year. "Sharing the team MVP with
Hines, that was especially big. We have a lot of stars on this team, and for the guys to vote me in as one
of our MVPs, that tells me that they know how important I am. That's all that matters to me. I'm just
happy that the right people understand."
Years ago as a youngster growing up in Galveston, Texas, Hampton was one of the best athletes in his
neighborhood. He played tailback and fullback on his midget football teams. He even was a sprinter on
his junior high track and field team.
But over time, he started to put on weight. So he switched positions and started playing defensive tackle.
After a stellar high school career, he moved on to the University of Texas where he developed into an
All-American defensive tackle.
The Steelers were so intrigued with Hampton that they picked him with the 19th overall selection of the
'01 draft. By the sixth game of his rookie season, Hampton moved into the starting lineup.
Ever since, he's maximized his strength, leverage, technique, quickness and relentlessness to become
virtually immovable.
"Perhaps masked by Casey's size is the fact that he's a tremendous athlete," LeBeau said. "He's got great
feet, and for a guy his size, he can really run. He has tremendous range for a man over 300 pounds. He's
just a load for the other team to handle. He takes a lot of pride in what he does and identifies with his role
within our defense, which is not the most glamorous of roles."
"He's an elite guy," said Chukky Okobi, the Steelers' backup center. "I should know. I go up against him
every day at practice. I see what he does to the opposition on game day. He's a guy who makes a lot of
offensive coordinators struggle when trying to figure out what to do with him. I'm sure a lot of them
wonder, 'How we going to get around this guy?'"
09/06/2006
So, what exactly makes 'Big Smack' among the best at his position?
Casey Hampton is widely regarded as the NFL's best nose tackle. But what exactly does he do?
For a job description, let's allow Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to explain.
"It's Casey's job to invert the line of scrimmage ... to put the football into the other team's backfield,"
LeBeau said. "He makes them work from their ground instead of our ground. Casey's the best I've ever
seen at doing that."
As the nose tackle in the 3-4 defense used by the Steelers, Hampton's main responsibility is stopping the
opposition from establishing a running game.
He lines up directly over the opposing center. He's looking right into the center's eye. On the snap, he
rams into the center in hopes of pushing him back and bottling up the middle of the line of scrimmage.
Or, Hampton shoots a center-guard gap, again with the attention of clogging up the middle.
So often, a team must double-team Hampton just to neutralize him.
"In a 3-4 defense, our defensive line is so important," LeBeau said. "They don't always get to make the
tackle. But they set everyone else up so they can.
"In an odd front, it all starts with the nose tackle. He's the No. 1 building block. He's essential to
everything we do. With the way we play defense, the nose tackle is our foundation."
Over the last five years - or since they picked Hampton in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft - the
Steelers lead the league in fewest rushing yards allowed.
- Mike Bires
Cook: Smith huge at left tackle
Page 1 of 3
Cook: Smith huge at left tackle
Friday, August 25, 2006
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The question seems to come up at least once a week this time of year. Usually, it's prompted
by that second or third beer at the corner tavern. This time, it's about Hines Ward's
worrisome hamstring injury, which has left this city in a collective sports funk it hasn't
known since who knows when.
OK, since June 12.
Who is the most indispensable Steelers player?
Other than Big Ben, of course.
It's awfully hard to overlook Ward, who will miss the
exhibition game in Philadelphia tonight and, at this
point, has to be considered questionable for the
regular-season opener Sept. 7 against Miami. He was
the team's co-MVP last season and the Super Bowl
MVP. He is the face of the Steelers, now more than
ever, with Jerome Bettis having moved to the
broadcast booth to torture Bill Cowher, among others.
Marvel Smith A man who just does
But there are a lot of other terrific players besides
his job
Ward. There's left guard Alan Faneca, who probably
Click photo for larger image.
plays his position better than anyone else on the team
plays his. There's nose tackle Casey Hampton, the other co-MVP last season and the
defense's immovable anchor. There's linebacker Joey Porter, who brings energy and passion
to the team that's nearly as important as his 101/2 sacks from a year ago. There's strong
safety Troy Polamalu, whose versatility allows the defense to play tricks on opposing
offenses that almost seem unfair.
And the vote here goes to ...
Left tackle Marvel Smith.
Really.
You seldom read Smith's name on these pages. You hardly ever see him doing a television
interview. One reason is Smith doesn't have a lot of extra time to stand around and chat.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06237/716255.stm
8/25/2006
Cook: Smith huge at left tackle
Page 2 of 3
He's almost always the last player to leave the practice field. "An unbelievable work ethic.
You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone on the team who works harder," teammate Jeff
Hartings said. A bigger reason is Smith is -- how do we put this politely? -- rather dull.
Likeable and agreeable enough, he just happens to give lousy sound bites.
"He tends to get overlooked because of his personality, which is a real shame," Hartings
said. "You have to understand Marvel. He's a one-on-one guy."
There's nothing wrong with that. Smith's demeanor is admirable, actually. In our selfserving, look-at-me sports world, he lets his performance speak for him.
How '70s is that?
And Smith's performance talks some game.
Start with the fact he plays the most important position on the most important unit on the
team. At left tackle, he's responsible for Ben Roethlisberger's backside. That's an enormous
responsibility, but there's more to it. Game in and game out, a left tackle faces the
opponent's best pass rusher.
"I can't say I pay a lot of attention to what he's doing because I'm worried about what I'm
doing," said Hartings, a Pro Bowl center. "But I can't help but always notice that he's not
being corrected by coach [Russ] Grimm either in practice or when we review the game
tapes."
Said offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt: "You never have to say anything to Marvel. He
just does his job. I can't think of a greater compliment to pay any professional than to say,
'He does his job.' "
When all this was mentioned to Smith, he gave an aw-shucks shrug and said, "I'm just one
part of a five-man unit. I have a hard time believing any one player makes that much of a
difference."
What?
You expected him to scream, "You're right, I'm the greatest!"?
Not that guy.
Again, the facts do a nice job speaking for him.
In 2003, Smith started just six games and was largely ineffective because of a neck injury.
The Steelers finished 6-10.
"I'm guessing he probably would have meant four or five more wins for us that year,"
Hartings said.
In 2004, Smith played virtually every snap and made the Pro Bowl. The Steelers went 15-1
and advanced to the AFC championship game.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06237/716255.stm
8/25/2006
Cook: Smith huge at left tackle
Page 3 of 3
Last season, Smith missed the second Baltimore game Nov. 20 because of an ankle
problem. The Steelers lost, albeit with Tommy Maddox at quarterback. Smith tried to play
on one leg the next week at Indianapolis but was destroyed by defensive end Dwight
Freeney and had to leave in the second quarter. The Steelers lost.
Smith missed the next three games, the first of which the Steelers lost. He returned for the
second Cleveland game Dec. 24 and finished strong. So did the Steelers. They never lost
again.
That might not make Smith indispensable, but it comes pretty close.
Of course, the Steelers need Roethlisberger, Ward and the others to stay healthy to have a
chance to win it all again.
But they also need Smith.
More than most people outside of Steelers headquarters know.
(Ron Cook can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1525. )
Back
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06237/716255.stm
8/25/2006
Keisel moves into the spotlight
Page 1 of 2
Keisel moves into the spotlight
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Oklahoma drill Chuck Noll loved so much has
long been dispatched from training camp, replaced by
a more subtle, yet equally physical, session.
The drill that used to kick off each Steelers camp at
Saint Vincent College is now a sideshow. Instead of
the entire team, coaches, scouts and media gathering
in a wide semicircle to watch a one-on-one live
blocking drill, complete with hoots and hollers from
the gallery, Steelers linemen shift to a corner of a field
to take care of business pretty much by themselves.
And with Ben Roethlisberger throwing passes at the
other end, it guarantees the linemen do not grab much
attention.
Lake Fong, Post-Gazette
Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel
(99) takes on Alan Faneca (66) and
Jeff Hartings (64) yesterday in
Latrobe.
Click photo for larger image.
But when some defensive end is tossing around
tackles as if he's Reggie White, it's hard not to notice.
"Keisel The Diesel," said 6-foot-8, 341-pound
offensive tackle Max Starks yesterday. "He was pretty
good in that one-on-one. Having a pass-rushing
defensive end who is athletic, it definitely adds an
extra dimension to your defense."
Brett Keisel, at right end, is the first new starter on the
defensive line -- other than forced through injury -since nose tackle Casey Hampton moved into the
exclusive neighborhood Oct. 29, 2001, his sixth game
in the NFL. Aaron Smith enters his seventh season
starting at left end. Those two each have made Pro
Bowls.
Today
When: 7 p.m., open to the public
for a nominal fee.
Where: Latrobe Stadium at Latrobe
High School
Of note: Steelers will sign
autographs at 6:45 p.m.
Related articles
The rare vacancy in the three-man line came open
when Kimo von Oelhoffen, 35, accepted an offer in
free agency from the New York Jets. Von Oelhoffen
started the past five seasons at right end.
So, as the defending Super Bowl champions return 19
starters, Keisel, 27, knows everyone will look to him
Like last year, Steelers LB Porter is
missing camp with a knee injury
Steelers Notebook: Cowher
extension is in slow motion
Training Camp 2006 photojournal
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06214/710325.stm
8/2/2006
Keisel moves into the spotlight
not to mess with the chemistry that has fueled the
defense the past several seasons.
Page 2 of 2
More about training camp
Map and camp schedule
"No question, there are going to be eyes on me. That's
the position I'm in right now. My main thing is I don't
want there to be any drop-off. I know if a run busts open on the right side, people will say,
'Well, if Kimo would have been there, it would have been a different story.' That's my
biggest thing, I want to get better stopping the run."
It is the prime law of the turf for Steelers defensive linemen in a 3-4. They play to stop the
run first and foremost, and to hold double-teams to allow their linebackers to clean up the
play. It's not a glorious position, and success is not counted in the number of tackles or
sacks. Smith's 55 tackles were tops among Steelers linemen last season but only eighth on
the defense.
Now along comes Keisel in a different mold. He's taller and leaner than the prototypical
Steelers defensive end. Von Oelhoffen was 6-4, 299; Smith, 6-5, 298. Keisel is 6-5 and after
packing on 10 pounds since last season, he's still only 290. While von Oelhoffen and Smith
each had their moments as pass rushers (with season highs of eight tackles), neither has the
kind of quickness and speed that Keisel brings to the line.
He showed enough last season as an active backup for the Steelers to sign him to a fouryear, $13.1 million contract on March 14 when he became an unrestricted free agent. His
signing came hours after von Oelhoffen signed with the Jets.
What the coaches see in Keisel is someone who makes plays -- he had three sacks in his
part-time role last regular season and then had two in the AFC championship game in
Denver. He was a special-teams standout long before he got his shot at playing more
regularly in 2004 on a defense that likes to spell its starting ends. He kept his weight at 280
because he knew he had to fly down the field on special teams and he did not want to lose
the ability to do that.
His days as a special teams player are gone, but can he pick up where von Oelhoffen left off
against the run?
"He's going to play well against the run," line coach John Mitchell said. "That's the thing
guys know up front. Our job is to stop the run. I have no qualms how he's going to play.
He's going to play well. Here's a guy who's been here, he knows the scheme, he uses his
hands well, he has great feet. If they run over Brett Keisel, he'll have an opportunity to make
a lot of plays."
(Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-3878. )
Back
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06214/710325.stm
8/2/2006
Steelers' Holmes gaining coach's favor - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 1 of 3
Steelers' Holmes gaining coach's favor
By Joe Rutter
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
First-round draft pick Santonio Holmes had almost nothing to show for his third
preseason game with the Steelers.
Almost nothing, except the admiration of his coach.
Bill Cowher liked the progress Holmes made in the Steelers' 16-7 loss to the
Philadelphia Eagles, even if those contributions were negligible on the stat
sheet.
"He has gotten better and better," Cowher said Monday, emphasizing his
words. "He really has. I thought the other night he really did a lot of good things.
I'm very encouraged by where he's at."
That proclamation came three days after Holmes caught one pass, for a 1-yard
loss, against the Eagles.
With the Steelers facing third-and-4 near midfield to open the second quarter,
Ben Roethlisberger hit the rookie receiver in the left flat, but Holmes quickly
was brought to the ground by Brian Dawkins.
The only other times Holmes handled the ball were on two kickoff returns,
where he averaged a pedestrian 20.5 yards.
Cowher, though, saw some intangibles about Holmes that reinforced why the
Steelers traded up seven picks to draft the former Ohio State wide receiver with
the 25th overall selection.
"Just being around him and his demeanor on game day, I really like it," Cowher
said. "I think he's going to be fine."
Specifically, Cowher was referencing Holmes' competitive instincts and
toughness.
"(The game) is not too big for him. He likes it, and he'll accept whatever role
he's been given," Cowher said. "I can see the comfort he's getting within this
offense. The kid missed all of the coaching sessions, came into camp and
fought through some things, and I liked that."
Through three exhibition games, Holmes has six catches for 42 yards. He also
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_468208.html
8/29/2006
Steelers' Holmes gaining coach's favor - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 2 of 3
has returned five kickoffs and one punt.
Against the Eagles, Holmes worked with the first-team offense as a third
receiver. But Nate Washington is expected to fill that role once No. 1 receiver
Hines Ward returns from a hamstring injury.
That could leave Holmes scrambling for playing time come Sept. 7 against the
Miami Dolphins.
"Right now, I'm being patient," Holmes said. "I'm waiting for coach to call my
number."
Cowher doesn't sound like he's afraid to dial it up. Holmes scored some points
with his coach by shaking off a minor hamstring injury during the first week of
camp.
"A couple of days out there I'm sure a little birdie inside him was probably
saying to shut it down," Cowher said. "But he kept working through it. I respect
that."
Holmes hasn't missed a practice since. That could change Wednesday, when
Holmes is scheduled to stand trial in Columbus, Ohio, on domestic violence
charges stemming from his June 19 arrest. Defense attorney Sam Shamansky
has been trying to get the case dismissed.
Holmes hasn't talked publicly about the case, but he admitted yesterday he's
taking steps toward putting his problems behind him.
"I've learned a great deal," he said. "I look at all the little mistakes I've been
making on and off the field, and I feel I've been able to correct them the past
two weeks and move forward. I haven't had many complaints from the coaches,
not about running the wrong routes or not making the right blocks. Things have
been going pretty good."
Santonio stats
A look at how Steelers' first-round draft pick Santonio Holmes has fared in the
exhibition season:
Receiving: 6 catches, 42 yards
Punt returns: 1 for 12 yards
Kickoff returns: 5 for 105 yards
Joe Rutter can be reached at [email protected] or .
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_468208.html
8/29/2006
Steelers' Holmes gaining coach's favor - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 3 of 3
Images and text copyright © 2006 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_468208.html
8/29/2006
Reid awaits chance to return punts
Page 1 of 2
Reid awaits chance to return punts
"A lot of people think it's a scary job, but I like it a lot."
Thursday, September 28, 2006
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Willie Reid does not like the job of returning punts.
He loves it. Whether he gets to pursue his desire
depends on the other party, in this case coach Bill
Cowher.
"There will be some changes," Cowher declared
after the Steelers practiced for the first of two days
during their off week. "I am not ready to announce
any of them now. We have a whole week to see what
our options are and assess it from there."
He did not have to announce that cornerback Ricardo
Colclough no longer will return punts. That's
assumed. Rookies Reid and Santonio Holmes, along
with veteran Cedrick Wilson are the candidates to
replace him. All are receivers.
Matt Freed, Post-Gazette
Rookie Willie Reid is a candidate to
replace Ricardo Colclough as a
Cowher acknowledged that in the preseason he felt
Reid, who owns the Florida State punt-return record punt returner.
with a 15.4-yard average, would be his punt returner. Click photo for larger image.
The problem is that if he uses Reid, he either must
be among his top four receivers or he must dress
five, plus special-teamer Sean Morey. The top four
receivers through the first three games are Hines
Ward, Wilson, Nate Washington and Holmes.
"The difficulties again are the makeup of the roster on game day," Cowher said. "You can
easily sit there and say you want this and this, but it's not always easy to do. I'm doing what
I think is in the best interest of the team and I will make those decisions accordingly. If I
think that will help us dramatically, then I will make that decision. Again, it comes down to
a coach's decision, and those are things I have to make week to week."
Reid said he understands that, but he would love a crack at the return job.
"A lot of people think it's a scary job, but I like it a lot. You have to have courage, you have
to have awareness. If you've been doing it for awhile, it's not as scary as people make it out
to be. It's something I enjoy doing, something I think is real fun."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06271/725690.stm
9/28/2006
Reid awaits chance to return punts
Page 2 of 2
Penn State saw just how much fun he had in the Orange Bowl with 180 yards of punt
returns, including a touchdown.
He returned 10 punts for 88 yards in the preseason, seven more than anyone else. He, like
Cowher, thought he would return punts in the regular season.
"I had a good little feel I was going to be that guy," Reid said. "But it's a numbers game.
Whenever the coaches call and whenever they get ready for me to play, I'll be there."
Reid said Colclough, "just had a bad game. If you're a punt returner, you're in the limelight.
If you mess up one time like that, a lot of people see it. It's a mistake he made that I'm sure
he won't make it again if he gets the opportunity."
Back
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06271/725690.stm
9/28/2006
Washington getting comfortable - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 1 of 2
Washington grows more comfortable
By John Grupp
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
By most accounts, Nate Washington's final home college football game at tiny
Tiffin University drew about 350 fans.
It was Oct. 30, 2004, and Tiffin beat Walsh that day.
So it's understandable the former undrafted free agent felt rewarded when he
ran onto the field in front of the third-largest crowd in Heinz Field history before
the Steelers' 28-17 season-opening victory against the Miami Dolphins.
"I felt good," he said. "You come out and you work so hard and you know there
are people behind you."
In front of a national television audience and a Terrible Towel-waving crowd,
Washington may have arrived as a key part of the Steelers' receiving game.
The second-year wide receiver made a leaping catch for a 27-yard touchdown
to give the Steelers a 7-0 lead. It was Washington's first NFL regular-season
reception and first touchdown.
Washington also made big plays on a pair of third-down conversions -- a 5-yard
reception on a third-and-two to midfield and an 8-yard end-around on third-andsix to the Miami 13. The drive ended with Charlie Batch's fumbled snap at the
Dolphins' 1, but Washington proved his versatility.
He finished with two receptions for 32 yards and one touchdown, and one carry
for 8 yards.
"I'm getting more comfortable," Washington said. "I'm a lot more relaxed when
they call my number."
After the game, Washington stood outside his locker with an ice wrap on his
right knee, speaking to a group of reporters.
"I had an OK day," he said. "There are a couple of things that I definitely need
to get better on during the season if I'm going to be an accountable guy. I did all
right for my first regular-season game. But I definitely have a lot more to get
better."
On his touchdown pass, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Washington used his 39-inch
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_470033.html
9/12/2006
Washington getting comfortable - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Page 2 of 2
vertical leap to outjump 6-foot-1 Dolphins free safety Travares Tillman for a
highlight-reel catch.
"Nate is a big guy, and I wanted to give him an opportunity," Batch said. "Nate
always talks about how much of a vertical leap he has. I put it up there, and
Nate made a great play."
Admittedly, Washington made a rookie mistake after the touchdown. He spiked
the ball and ran toward his celebrating teammates. Somewhere along the way,
the memento -- his first NFL touchdown ball -- was lost in the shuffle.
"I spiked it by accident, and I ran off the field and somebody asked 'Where's
your ball?' Washington said. "I thought about it, and I went 'Oh, man.' I was so
excited; it didn't even matter to me right then."
Washington appeared in only one game last season but then played in the final
three postseason games, including the Super Bowl, after Quincy Morgan was
injured.
Washington made his mark in the AFC Championship Game at Denver. On the
Steelers' first scoring drive, he made a nifty 13-yard catch along the sideline on
third-and-seven and then broke up a certain interception later in the drive.
Washington never moped when the Steelers drafted Santonio Holmes in the
first round and Willie Reid in the third round of the 2006 draft. The all-time
leading receiver at Division II Tiffin just worked harder. On Thursday, No. 2
receiver Cedrick Wilson didn't catch a pass, and Reid was inactive.
"They have great faith in me," Washington said. "Hopefully, I can show up every
Sunday for them."
Washington's role with the team could change when Ben Roethlisberger returns
from appendicitis. Washington worked extensively with Batch and the other
second-stringers during the team's 2005 mini-camp. The two have developed a
bit of a rapport.
"I've always felt comfortable with Charlie," Washington said. "When I came in
last year, that's who I was playing with a lot."
John Grupp can be reached at [email protected] or (412) 320-7930.
Images and text copyright © 2006 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.
Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/print_470033.html
9/12/2006
Steelers receiver Washington's goal: Follow in Parker's footsteps
Page 1 of 3
Steelers receiver Washington's goal: Follow in Parker's
footsteps
Saturday, August 05, 2006
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
His catch in the big game did not appear on a
magazine cover, he was not invited to Disney World
and there are no book deals in the works.
Receiver Nate Washington was as little known as any
of the 46 Steelers who dressed for the AFC
championship game in January in Denver. He would
have a big hand -- or pair of them -- in starting them
on way to a 34-17 victory and a date in Detroit for
Super Bowl XL.
Washington, an undrafted rookie last season, made
two third-down plays on the same series that not only
helped the Steelers take a lead but also are still
working in his favor these days at training camp in
Latrobe.
The game in Denver was scoreless as the first quarter
waned, and a Steelers drive stalled near midfield. Both
teams were looking for the opening punch that might
start some momentum that could carry them all the
way to Detroit. Ben Roethlisberger glanced to his left
on third down and threw. Washington, who played in
only one regular-season game, made his first NFL
reception, a nice catch near the left sideline for 13
yards and a first down at the Broncos' 33.
On the next third down, Roethlisberger threw again
toward Washington in the end zone. Washington (6-1,
185) performed even better on this one, reaching out
and knocking the ball away before cornerback
Domonique Foxworth could intercept it.
Peter Diana, Post-Gazette
Receiver Nate Washington, an
undrafted free agent last season,
made two big third-down plays in
the same series against Denver in
the AFC championship.
Click photo for larger image.
Today
When: 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Jeff Reed came on after that play to kick a 47-yard
field goal to give the Steelers a 3-0 lead they never
relinquished on their way to a victory.
Where: St. Vincent College, ending
it with their second live goal-line drill in
the past four days.
Nate the Great was born that day.
Of note: The players will be off
tomorrow.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06217/711351.stm
8/5/2006
Steelers receiver Washington's goal: Follow in Parker's footsteps
Page 2 of 3
"For a rookie in a game that big?" coordinator Ken
Related articles
Whisenhunt replied about the importance of those two
plays. "The catch is a catch; that's what you expect.
But for a guy to go up and break up the play, that was
Steelers Notebook: Rookies merit
attention, but in different fashion
really big because it kept us alive."
Those plays could be more reason Washington takes
the field these days when the Steelers use three
receivers or four, despite the presence of two hot-shot
rookie draft picks.
Collier: Football helmet safety pays;
head injuries drop
Training Camp 2006 photojournal
More about training camp
As Hines Ward put it yesterday about the game in
Denver: "Not being drafted, if he misses the ball or
Map and camp schedule
let's the guy pick it off, who knows where Nate might
be right now? You get an opportunity, you have to
take advantage of it. He'll get more opportunities this year. I look for big things out of him,
too."
Those plays were the kind Washington made all last summer that impressed the coaching
staff so much that they found room for him on the roster at the expense of one fewer tight
end. Washington led the Steelers in the preseason with eight receptions, drawing his
inspiration from Willie Parker, another undrafted rookie who made good.
"Willie was hands-down my biggest inspiration last year," Washington said. "I treat Willie
like one of my brothers. I look at his situation like it's one of my own. I said if he can do it, I
can do it."
Washington fought long odds everywhere to become only the second Tiffin University
product to play in the NFL, ending a long drought that stretched back to the 1927 Pottsville
Maroons, when center-fullback-guard-halfback-tackle Walt Jean ended his six-year pro
career. Washington, a Toledo native, went to tiny Tiffin (1,297 enrollment) in Ohio because
none of the big schools wanted him. There, he set eight school records and impressed
Steelers scout Phil Kreidler.
All he did last summer was make plays, in practice, in games. He was timed at 4.5 but, as
Whisenhunt said, "He has deceptive speed ... good game speed, it shows up when he's going
after a ball and separating."
He made the team and was inactive for the first game, then released and put on the practice
squad for a game before he was re-signed the following week. He played briefly in one
regular-season game, not dressing for the final 11 games. But then Quincy Morgan was hurt
in the first playoff game, and Washington put on a uniform as the No. 4 receiver in
Indianapolis.
"It was a joyful time, but, at same time, it was like, OK, there's no time to play around any
more," Washington said.
His assists in winning the AFC championship helped to put a Super Bowl ring on his finger.
Then came April 29 and the first day of the draft. The Steelers not only picked Santonio
Holmes in the first round, but they also drafted Willie Reid in the third, both wide receivers
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06217/711351.stm
8/5/2006
Steelers receiver Washington's goal: Follow in Parker's footsteps
Page 3 of 3
from the kind of big schools that rejected Washington.
"My thought was, it's going to be one hard-working offseason for me," Washington said.
Now, it's the two rookies who must catch him. The Steelers did not trade a third-round draft
pick to move ahead seven spots in order to draft Holmes and have him not play for long. But
that does not mean he will move ahead of Washington this season, merely because they
have more money invested in him. Holmes is at split end and Washington plays in the slot
as the No. 3 receiver and behind Ward at flanker.
"I didn't worry about the guys they brought in, although I have much respect for Santonio
and Willie both," Washington said. "I knew the situation would be in my hands whether I
play or not.
"So far, I'm just showing that I can play here also, no matter who they draft, no matter how
big, or small I am, I can play here at this level."
(Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-3878. )
Back
Copyright © PG Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/pp/06217/711351.stm
8/5/2006
O-R Online | For Haggans, it's in the sack
Page 1 of 2
Thursday, August 17, 2006
For Haggans, it's in the sack
F. Dale Lolley
Staff writer
Thursday, August 17, 2006
LATROBE -- In terms of national exposure, Clark Haggans isn't
exactly Robin to Joey Porter's Batman.
Haggans is certainly worthy of more than a sidekick role.
But the Steelers' other outside starting linebacker knows Porter casts
a long shadow. For as long as he can remember, Haggans has been
competing with Porter.
Clark Haggans(GREG
TARR/O-R)
Dating back to their days together as one of the best defensive end
combinations in college football at Colorado State, Haggans and
Porter -- now one of the top outside linebacker duos in the NFL -have had friendly competitions on the football field, in the dorms and
just walking to class.
"We always have competition, whether it be sacks or playing dominoes, video games, push-ups,
anything," said Haggans. "That's how the whole (team) is. We come up with that kind of stuff to
keep each other going and to be the best we can be."
Haggans wins his share of off-field competitions. But this could be the season when Haggans oneups Porter on the football field.
Though Porter, a three-time Pro Bowl player, doesn't like to lose. He wouldn't exactly begrudge his
longtime cohort some time in the spotlight.
"I've been with him since 1995. I've been playing football with him for more than 10 years. It is
unique," said Porter. "It's been a good thing. I know when he came here, he didn't have to come
into a new thing and find himself or find out what crowd he wanted to hang out with or find out
how he was going to get along in the system. I had just left him the year before and he comes
here and we're right back where we left off. It's been a beautiful situation."
Haggans joined Colorado State in 1996 as a walk-on and became the school's all-time sack leader
with 34 before completing his career in 1999.
Porter, meanwhile, began his career at the school as an H-back before shifting to defensive end for
his final two seasons. He's tied for the school record for sacks in a season with 15 and finished his
http://www.observer-reporter.com/print.asp?ArticleID=25886&SectionID=7&SubSectionI... 8/17/2006
O-R Online | For Haggans, it's in the sack
Page 2 of 2
career with 22, fourth-best at the school.
"It's funny how things like that go," said Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. "And you
know what? When I was in Cincinnati, we had a guy there by the name of Adrian Ross, who played
on that same team and he was a pretty darn good defensive linemen for them as well. Sometimes
things happen like that in cycles for a school."
Porter joined the Steelers in 1999 as a third-round draft pick, while Haggans was a fifth-round
selection in 2000, meaning they have spent all but one year in the past decade playing football on
the same team.
Porter became a starter in just his second season with the Steelers and has made three Pro Bowls,
including last season.
Haggans, meanwhile, didn't break into the starting lineup until 2004. He's been productive, but
hasn't received the accolades Porter has. In fact, he may be best known for being the guy Seattle
offensive tackle Sean Locklear was penalized for on a critical holding penalty in the Steelers' Super
Bowl victory. It was a penalty the Seahawks and their fans were bitter about since the Steelers'
victory.
Haggans said he doesn't care if he ever wins league-wide distinctions.
"I've got a Super Bowl ring, that's all that matters," said Haggans, who recorded his nine sacks last
season despite missing three games because of injury.
"I know what that is and that's why you're out here playing. Everybody goes into training camp
working for that and last year we did it. All that other stuff, it doesn't bother me. I know my own
name and social security number, so I'm good."
Besides, he's as low-key as a 6-4, 243-pounder can be. In fact, when people ask him if he's a
professional athlete, he says he's anything but that.
"I just tell them I'm a professional Twister player or I play pingpong," Haggans said. "I lay low."
If he has another season in which he approaches double digits in sacks and the Steelers go deep
into the playoffs, that would certainly change.
And he'll have Porter helping to push him.
"If he starts off hot, I've got to try and catch him," Porter said. "If I start off hot, he's got to try to
catch me. But the majority of time, we're right there with each other.
"We want to see both of us have a lot of fun and do well, but you always want to one-up the guy,
just for the bragging rights later on."
Related Links
Content © 2006 Observer Publishing Co.
Software © 1998-2006 1up! Software, All Rights Reserved
http://www.observer-reporter.com/print.asp?ArticleID=25886&SectionID=7&SubSectionI... 8/17/2006
ESPN.com - Cowher making sure Steelers remain hungry
Page 1 of 3
ESPN.com: NFL Training Camp 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Cowher making sure Steelers remain hungry
By Michael Smith
ESPN.com
LATROBE, Pa. -- Here at the summer home of the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers,
the team with a 31-7 record the past two seasons, a second veteran NFL head coach named Bill is, yes,
talkin' 'bout practice. Only unlike Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, who cautioned reporters not to make a
big deal about Terrell Owens' finally practicing, Steelers coach Bill Cowher had a very different
message for his team.
Pittsburgh's Sept. 7 season opener against Miami "is getting close, and our players have to understand
the sense of urgency that's needed, start approaching these practices with the focus that's needed,"
Cowher told reporters after Monday's practice, which was a full-contact affair -- unusual for two days
after a game. Saturday's loss to Minnesota dropped the Steelers' preseason record to 0-2.
"We're not where we need to be," Cowher said. "We've set too high a standard around here, and we're
much better than we performed the other night. As I've always said, you can't turn this thing on and off,
and we've got to take it up a notch."
Back in February, at Ford Field in Detroit, the Steelers capped an unprecedented playoff run (three road
victories as the sixth and lowest seed) with the franchise's first championship in more than a quarter
century. But Cowher doesn't necessarily want his players to hearken back to that Super Bowl high.
Instead, he wants them to remember a December '05 team meeting.
Pittsburgh had lost three games in a row to drop to 7-5. Rather than have his team focus on the big
picture -- as in, the fact that it was in jeopardy of missing the playoffs -- Cowher stressed what the
Steelers were doing differently when they were 7-2, especially related to penalties, turnovers and
special-teams play. He then showed the players the moving pictures and had each guy focus in and grade
himself. See what the coaches were seeing.
"I knew they weren't looking at anybody else," Cowher recalled last week. "I think making them be very
introspective about it, worry about themselves, try to pinpoint what the real problems were, that was just
the very simple approach we took."
There has been nothing simple about the Steelers' offseason. Jerome Bettis retired immediately after the
Super Bowl and Antwaan Randle El signed with Washington. There has been the Joey Porter contract
mini-controversy. Hines Ward said some not-so-nice things about Cowher to Sports Illustrated. Firstround pick Santonio Holmes and guard Barrett Brooks have been in trouble with the law. Biggest of all,
Ben Roethlisberger nearly checked out in a motorcycle accident.
And with his contract set to expire after next season, Cowher's uncertain
future in coaching has been a hot topic this summer.
It is all overshadowed the fact that the Steelers may once again have the
best team in football. Pittsburgh returns every starter except for receiver
Randle El, safety Chris Hope and defense end Kimo von Oelhoffen.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2557275&type=story
8/22/2006
ESPN.com - Cowher making sure Steelers remain hungry
Page 2 of 3
They're young; only five starters have eight or more seasons experience.
The Steelers' entire coaching staff returns intact for a third straight
season, practically unheard-of stability for such a successful franchise.
And they've got confidence, having finally shed the "chokers" label.
On paper, everything is there for the Steelers to become the ninth repeat
champion in league history (and third in team history) -- and not as a
wild-card playoff entry this time. The wild card for the Steelers? That
would be themselves, of course.
Last year they were hungry for that elusive title (two prior conference
championship-game appearances this decade, two losses). As with all
champions the following season, now that the Steelers have tasted
victory, are they satisfied? Last year they wanted to win one for The
Bus, for Coach Cowher, for their beloved owner Dan Rooney (aka Mr.
Rooney), for the city, for the thumb … what's left?
Amid many distractions, Bill
Cowher is doing his best to keep
his players focused.
The Steelers have enough holdovers from the best team last year (or the
best team at the right time, however you choose to look at the champs). It's just a question of whether
those holdovers can avoid the Super Bowl hangover.
That's where Cowher comes in. He delivered "one for the thumb," and now he's keeping that thumb on
his team.
Clearly, he wants the Steelers to stay in the mind-set they were in the last four games of the regular
season and through the playoffs, when every game was win or go home. He wants the Steelers
practicing and playing like their backs are against the wall, forgetting all the pats on the back.
"The biggest thing is focusing on the process, that we've got to get a little bit better," Cowher said last
week. "Not talking about a championship or talking about playoffs.
"We're going to have people shooting at us and we understand that, and we've got to win our division. It
starts with that first and foremost. I think that it'll be a very short-term focus that we're looking at,
focusing really on the process more than worrying about the results."
Though Porter, for one, believes the Steelers easily could have gone into last year's playoffs with only
one or two losses (four of their five losses were by seven points or fewer), the bottom line is that
Pittsburgh lost three in a row from Nov. 20 to Dec. 4. Cowher is using the fact that the Steelers were on
the edge of missing the tournament to help maintain their edge.
"I mean, you don't lose three games in a row in the months of October and November and usually make
the playoffs," Cowher said. "We were fortunate to do it; we backed ourselves into a corner. So you
refresh their memories about how our mind-set was, the approach we took, the simplicity of one game at
a time and worrying about every practice to get a little better and then to go out and play with a focus
and play with a confidence and a swagger.
"We've got to come out of the gates doing that because we've got a tough schedule."
Porter still sees the hunger. "Because we're still out here working hard," he said. "Guys are doing the
little things like running to the ball. When we see guys aren't doing things like we normally do, flying
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2557275&type=story
8/22/2006
ESPN.com - Cowher making sure Steelers remain hungry
Page 3 of 3
around on every play, then we know they're slacking. Guys are still hungry. That's what made me come
back to practice earlier than I was supposed to.
"We did it a way we didn't want to do it. We went to everybody's backyard. We would love to have
home-field [advantage] throughout. At the same time, we take it how we get it. But guys are still
hungry."
"Why not do it again, man?" guard Alan Faneca said. "That feeling after the Super Bowl, man, I can
only imagine it to be like a drug addiction. You know, once you taste it you want it again."
Few believed the Steelers could rebound from a three-game losing streak and make the playoffs, let
alone survive the ensuing three-week road trip. Well, it seems they've bought into the underdog role
once again. Notice how the Steelers aren't the most popular choice to win Super Bowl XLI. Teams such
as Carolina, Dallas, Indianapolis, Miami and New England are getting more love nationally. The
Steelers notice.
Roethlisberger hears the doubts. "People [are] saying you can't do it again. We lost Antwaan, we lost
Jerome, we lost that fire, we have a bull's-eye on our chest, there was a motorcycle accident in the
offseason," he said. "All kinds of things that people say why you can't do it."
After his first year Roethlisberger talked to Dan Marino about how to avoid a sophomore slump. This
time around he picked the brains of Steve Young and Troy Aikman about leading a defending
champion.
"All of them say the same thing -- it's easier to get back than to win the first one," Roethlisberger said.
Only this time, the Steelers would rather take an easier, more direct route. Regardless of what Cowher
does after this season, he has that well-known glare of his focused on each step along the road to Miami
and Super Bowl XLI.
"We've got to sustain it," Cowher said. "We've got to sustain a level of play that doesn't put us in that
situation."
Michael Smith is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Contact him here.
ESPN.com: Help | Media Kit | Report a Bug | Contact Us | Site Map | Tools | Jobs at ESPN | Supplier Information | Copyright
©2006 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use for our Site, Terms of Use for ESPN Motion and Privacy Policy and Safety
Information/Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. All rights reserved.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2557275&type=story
8/22/2006
ESPN.com - Steelers shine when times get tough
ESPN.com: NFL Preview 2006
Page 1 of 3
[Print without images]
Monday, August 28, 2006
Steelers shine when times get tough
By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Only 15 franchises have experienced the joys and pleasures of winning the Lombardi Trophy. It's an
exclusive club for a reason.
What makes it so exclusive is how hard it is assemble the talent, peak at the right time and have the
tenacity to win it all. The Steelers, Cowboys and 49ers have five Super Bowl titles apiece, more than a
third of the 40 championships.
The reasons for their success are stability, character players, quarterbacks who are leaders and great
head coaches who set the right agenda. As hard as other franchises try, it's difficult to capture all of
those elements.
Following the most recent Super Bowl, folks were taken aback by a Bill Cowher statement that the
Steelers might not have been the most talented team in 2005. He was right. One or two other teams
might have been more talented on paper. Although the Steelers were a wild card and a No. 6 seed in the
AFC, they would have been the No. 2 seed were it not for some poor performances by Ben
Roethlisberger's backup while Roethlisberger recovered from injuries.
Raiders boss Al Davis has said that in certain years, teams can steal a Super Bowl, and that's what the
Steelers did. They got hot at the end of the season and put everything together when the odds were
against them. The key is to fight adversity, and that doesn't happen if the team isn't filled with character
players and the right leadership.
When Pittsburgh lost 38-31 to the Bengals on Dec. 4 at Heinz Field, the Steelers were at a crossroads.
They were 7-5. The Bengals, led by vocal wide receiver Chad Johnson, came off the field waving
Terrible Towels to announce a new day was dawning in the AFC North, that the Bengals were suddenly
the team to beat.
At that moment, the Steelers started to come together as a championship team.
"We have a board in our meeting room that lists all of our games and all
of our goals," Steelers linebacker James Farrior said. "When we were 75, coach Cowher took everything down and only put up the team we
were playing. He showed us the type of attitude we had to have to focus
on one game at a time. Guys responded to that. We had to stay positive.
He said it wasn't over."
The Steelers had everything in place to make a Super Bowl run. Cowher
has been a good enough coach to get the Steelers to a Super Bowl, but
now he had a quarterback who could be a difference maker in big games.
It's hard to win Super Bowls without a quarterback like Roethlisberger.
And Pittsburgh's roster was filled with experienced players and great
leaders.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2563731&type=story
9/1/2006
ESPN.com - Steelers shine when times get tough
"It starts with organization and it starts with ownership," center Jeff
Hartings said. "This is one of the most stable if not the most stable team
in NFL history. You also have to have high-character guys, and we have
high-character guys on this team. If you evaluate the guys they draft on
this team, it's unbelievable how good this team is for character guys. I'm
one of the lone free agents they brought in here, so I can tell you how
important it is to have character."
Page 2 of 3
Ben Roethlisberger
Seasons are long, and even the best teams face adversity. Maybe it's an
injury. Maybe it's a slump. Maybe it's an off-the-field incident. In a fourmonth season, everything isn't going to go perfectly, so the leadership
has to be in place in coaching and in the locker room to keep the team
focused during the tough times.
The Steelers had all the elements in place. Cowher is a bright coach and
QB Ben Roethlisberger is one of
is loaded with a great group of assistants. Since Chuck Noll turned
many Steelers who respond well
around the losing ways of the Steelers in the 1970s, the Steelers
to pressure situations.
emphasized building teams through the draft. The Rooney family never
overpaid, but it kept a stable foundation. To think that the team has had only two coaches in four
decades of football is incredible.
That type of stability and the team's history of success provided the model for assembling the right types
of athletes and personalities to win.
"Offensively, the quarterback position has to be a good leader," Hartings said. "Even if the quarterback
isn't vocal, he has to be a good leader because he affects everybody. Ben Roethlisberger is unbelievably
mature as a player. Then you have to have guys like Alan Faneca and Hines Ward. Those guys go allout in practice and in games."
When the Steelers were 7-5, they had supreme focus. Cowher said all the right things. Ward, Faneca,
Hartings and others policed the locker room to make sure every player was focused on the week ahead.
"I think we've got a lot of guys who have been around the league for a while," Farrior said. "They
understand the situation we are put into. When you get your backs against the wall, that's the time you
need to step up. The veteran guys on this team do a good job of portraying that message. Coach Cowher
does a good job. Guys don't do a lot of finger-pointing."
That's where Cowher helps. A former NFL player, he knows the mind-set of players in the locker room
during the good times and the bad times. Players believe in him because he's consistent.
When the Steelers were 7-5 last season, Cowher did his best coaching, and because he had veteran
players and great character in his locker room, the players understood the message.
"Coach Cowher has played the game, and he's a great leader," Hartings said. "He doesn't overreact, and
he doesn't let us overreact about good things or bad things. Every guy in the locker room has a great deal
of respect for him. He doesn't say things that are totally out there to get an effect from the team. When
we were 7-5, he told us to evaluate ourselves because we weren't playing as well as we thought."
Because of the character within Cowher's locker room, the veterans looked at their performances and
agreed. They had to pick up their games. On the verge of being eliminated from the playoff race, the
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2563731&type=story
9/1/2006
ESPN.com - Steelers shine when times get tough
Page 3 of 3
margin for error was slim. Then the Steelers went on their roll and won the Super Bowl.
These types of stories underscore how hard it is to crack the elite group of franchises that own a
Lombardi Trophy. It also shows why teams can repeat. If a team has players with the character to win
one, they know what it takes to win another. Bill Belichick assembled the right group of players to win it
three times in New England. From Bill Walsh to Noll to Lombardi to Jimmy Johnson to Joe Gibbs to
Bill Parcells, they know the types of players and the type of leadership needed to win multiple Super
Bowls.
"Defensively and offensively, you have to have the type of leaders who work hard and [who] don't want
to let them down as players," Hartings said. "Offensively, you need to be calm and under control.
Defensively, you need to be kind of wild, loud and enthusiastic, and we have those type of loud guys on
defense."
Without those kinds of leaders and that type of character, it's easy to see why so many teams come up
short. The Super Bowl club is about as elite as it gets in sports.
John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.
ESPN.com: Help | Media Kit | Report a Bug | Contact Us | Site Map | Tools | Jobs at ESPN | Supplier Information | Copyright
©2006 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use for our Site, Terms of Use for ESPN Motion and Privacy Policy and Safety
Information/Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. All rights reserved.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2563731&type=story
9/1/2006
08/16/2006
Cowher will go out 'on his own terms'
By Mike Ciarochi , Herald-Standard
LATROBE - Let me say this up front, just so there is no confusion:
I will retire the day I hit the Powerball.
There, that's out of the way. Don't you appreciate my honesty? Didn't think so.
Now, as far as this Jerome Bettis-Bill Cowher tiff is concerned, why do any of us care?
I'm perfectly content to let Cowher coach the Steelers until he's had enough, to let him go out on his own terms. Of course, it's easy for me
to do that. I'm not signing his paychecks.
But there was a phrase in the last paragraph that Bettis must have forgotten. It is a phrase that I'm certain Cowher brought up when he
called Bettis Monday morning - even though Cowher never mentioned it in his discussion with reporters later that day.
The phrase, in case you missed it, is "on his own terms."
Everybody wants to go out on his or her own terms, right? Nobody wants to be shown the door in hopes of not letting it hit them on their
backside on the way out. Nobody wants to be allowed to resign. We all want to decide for ourselves when we've had enough.
It is likely what galled the coach most about what his former player told a national television audience. Because when Bettis told America
that he believed this will be Cowher's last season as coach of the Steelers, he basically took from Cowher what the coach was so careful to
protect for Bettis.
Bettis took away Cowher's ability to go out on his own terms. If Cowher in fact makes 2006 his last season as coach of the Steelers,
everybody will remember that Bettis told us so in training camp. Even if Cowher sticks around another year, a lot of people will think his
choice was made simply to prove Bettis wrong.
Cowher handled his reaction perfectly, if you ask me (he didn't). The coach was as honest as he could be.
Who among us knows for a fact today how you will feel a year from now about your job, your life situation or whether you'll still be
driving the same car.
Think back about 18 months. The Steelers were just coming off another gut-wrenching AFC Championship Game loss at home and Hines
Ward was crying in front of TV cameras because he believed Bettis had played his last game and didn't have the opportunity to play in, let
alone win a Super Bowl.
At roughly the same time, give or take, Bettis was in Cowher's office being talked off the ledge by a coach he had come trust. In that
season-ending meeting, Cowher told Bettis to put off any decisions, rash or otherwise.
Somewhere in that speech, Cowher must have used the argument he presented on his own behalf Monday. "Time has a way of refocusing
people."
Bettis listened to Cowher and returned for what would be a resoundingly successful final season that will have as much to do with landing
Bettis in Canton five years down the road as would any other factor.
Throughout the season, speculation swirled about Bettis' future, whether he would ever play again. If was widely believed he would retire,
but Bettis was allowed to drag it out until he was ready to make an announcement.
How would Bettis have felt if Cowher had announced during his last pre-Super Bowl press conference that Bettis would retire after the
big game?
That's how Cowher must have felt Sunday night when he heard Bettis.
Sports editor Mike Ciarochi may be reached at [email protected]