Clark, Polamalu developed deep trust

Sunday, December 21, 2008
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu pretty much had his mind made up. There was no chance the new man -- that Clark guy from Washington -- was going to be as good as former teammate Chris Hope. There was just no way. No disrespect to anyone, but hadn't the team gone 15-1 in 2004 with Hope and Polamalu terrorizing opponents in the secondary? Hadn't it won the Super Bowl in 2005?

Poor Ryan Clark, right?

Not exactly.

Turns out the man had his own preconceived ideas when he replaced Hope after that Super Bowl season.


Troy Polamalu

"I said there was no way I'd like Troy as much as I liked [former Redskins teammate] Sean Taylor and that there was no way Troy would be as good as Sean or as good as everyone was saying he was," Clark said after practice the other day in the Steelers' cafeteria.

You might guess what's coming next.

"I'm sure glad both of us were wrong," Clark said, grinning.

Ya think?

Clark is on a legitimate Super Bowl contender for the first time in his career, an 11-3 team that will play Hope -- what a coincidence -- and the Tennessee Titans in Nashville today with the top seed in the AFC playoffs at stake. "We feel like we have the goods to get [a Super Bowl] done," Clark said. "If we don't, there are going to be 53 very disappointed people."

The Steelers' defense -- the best in the NFL -- has been huge in the team's success. "Without a doubt, this is the best [secondary] group we've had," Polamalu said. "In the past, our Achilles' heel may have been pass defense. Not anymore. That's all attributable to Ryan."

It's official.

Clark and Polamalu are thrilled both were wrong.

So are the other Steelers.

"I was hoping this would be how it turned out," Clark said. "I talked to [Steelers linebacker] Larry Foote about it. He said it wasn't like the guys didn't like me. It was just that I was replacing a guy that they loved."

Polamalu remains close with Hope, who left as a free agent and signed a six-year, $30 million deal with the Titans. The two are looking forward to playing together again in the Pro Bowl Feb. 8. Polamalu, a defensive player of the year candidate, made it for the fifth consecutive year. Hope, who has four interceptions this season and ranks third on the Titans in tackles, made it for the first time.

Hope's story is remarkable because he came back from a serious neck injury last season that required surgery in January. But it's no more amazing than Clark's tale. He came back from near death.

"The first speech I got from the doctors in the hospital was that my lungs had filled, my kidneys were dented and my stomach was closing," Clark said. "My spleen had gotten enlarged and infected and it died ...

"I never really thought I was going to die except for maybe one day when I was at home. I was so cold, I couldn't stop shaking. My wife got out the hair dryer and was blowing it on me. My mother was there, putting hats and coats on me while I was in bed. I still couldn't get warm. That was rough."

Clark had his spleen removed in November 2007, then his gall bladder in December. His weight plummeted from 203 to 170. "A lot of people were skeptical I'd ever be able to play again," he said. "They didn't think someone could lose that much weight and strength."

But doctors cleared Clark for training in late January. By June, his weight was up to 198. He was back in the starting lineup next to Polamalu the first day of training camp. The Steelers had learned just how valuable Clark was last season when he was out. Anthony Smith and Tyrone Carter tried and failed to play his position.

Is it any wonder that Clark says this is the most fun he has had in football?

"I learned that tomorrow isn't promised," he said, referring not just to his illness, but also the shooting death of his good friend Taylor little more than a year ago.

"I'm convinced God picked me and kept me for a reason ... Why not play with a smile on your face?"


Ryan Clark

So Clark has, through a dislocated right shoulder injury that forced him to miss the Nov. 3 Washington game -- of all games -- and despite some nasty hate mail after his brutal hit on New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker Nov. 30. I thought that hit was late and told Clark so. He said he respected that opinion, but he couldn't disagree more.

"I did my job on that play," he said. "I don't like that people said I tried to hurt him. I don't like being called a dirty player. I know what it's like not to be able to play and to almost have football taken away from me. I never want to be a guy who takes it away from someone else."

It's a shame that the Welker hit received more attention than Clark's many other contributions to the Steelers. The latest came in the win against the Baltimore Ravens last week when he intercepted a pass that was tipped by teammate Ike Taylor.

"I feel like I'm playing well, but it's hard to feel like you're playing great when you see Troy out there," Clark said. "I see him do things that I've never seen anyone do. There's no one else I'd rather play with."

The two really have come a long way.

"I feel like we've played all our lives together," Polamalu said. "Ryan is so unselfish and so smart. We communicate with each other and trust each other. That trust is the big thing."

The same sort of trust Polamalu had with Hope.

The same trust Clark had with Taylor.

Imagine that.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
First published on December 21, 2008 at 12:00 am

Ellis' death a 'tremendous loss'

By Rick Starr, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Sunday, December 21, 2008

Dock Ellis, a right-handed pitcher who won 96 games for the Pirates from 1968-75, died of apparent liver disease on Friday at the USC Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to wife, Hjordis. He was 63.


Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis (17) is shown in Bradenton, Fla., in this Feb. 1974 AP file photo taken during spring training.

Ellis claimed in his autobiography, "Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball," that he was under the influence of the illegal hallucinogen LSD in 1970 when he threw a rare Pirates' no-hitter in a 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.

But Chuck Tanner, who managed Ellis in 1979 when the pitcher returned to the Pirates for a brief stint and helped Pittsburgh reach the World Series, said Saturday he has always been skeptical about the LSD claim.

"It's a great story, but I don't believe it for a minute," Tanner said one of only seven no-hitters in Pirates history. "I've never believed it. Dock was one of those guys who loved the limelight and would do anything to get it."

Ellis performed in the era before baseball drug testing.

"No way could you pitch a no-hitter against those hitters on drugs," Tanner said of Ellis, who walked eight and hit a batter that night. "Here's what people forget: Dock was a good pitcher who could locate his fastball and get people out."

Ellis, who conducted the normal postgame interviews following the no-hitter, waited until his retirement to make his LSD claim.

Ellis, a 6-foot-3 right-handed power pitcher, went 138-119 and posted a 3.46 ERA during a 12-year career.

"He had good stuff, that's all I know," Tanner said. "He had good control of his fastball."

Ellis finished 19-9 in 1971, when the Pirates won the World Series. However, Ellis lost the opening game of the series to Baltimore Orioles ace Dave McNally.

Ellis pitched on four Pirates' NL East winners and started Opening Day three times (1971, '72 and '75).

In his only career All-Star Game appearance, in 1971, Ellis gave up a towering home run to Reggie Jackson off the light standard at Detroit's Tiger Stadium.


1975 Topps

Always capable of the unexpected — or outrageous — Ellis opened a game against Cincinnati in May 1974 by drilling Pete Rose in the ribs, Joe Morgan in the side and Dan Driessen in the back. After walking Tony Perez, Ellis delivered two consecutive pitches near Johnny Bench's head. Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh finally yanked Ellis out of the game.

In May 1972, Ellis was maced by a security guard at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati in a dispute that was settled out of court.

In August 1973, Ellis was ordered by Pirates officials to stop wearing hair curlers to the ballpark. Ellis began wearing curlers following an Ebony magazine article, he said.

Tanner said some pitchers preferred a few calm moments before a start. Not Ellis.

"He was hyper, always talking to everyone," Tanner said.

Ellis was 96-80 with the Pirates in the first half of his career, before joining the New York Yankees (18-9), Oakland (1-5), Texas (20-21) and the New York Mets (3-7).

The Pirates traded Ellis following the 1975 season to the Yankees for Doc Medich. Ellis went 17-8 in 1976 for the Yankees and won a start in the AL Championship Series against Kansas City.

Ellis, who was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver, was on a transplant list when he died, according to ESPN.com.

Ellis served as a drug and alcohol abuse counselor and spokesman to baseball players and organizations during the past two decades, including the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the Black Athletes Foundation for Sickle Cell Research.

"It's a tremendous loss to the family," Hjordis Ellis said.

Former Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis dies at 63

Saturday, December 20, 2008
By Ben Walker, The Associated Press


Darrell Sapp/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Dock Ellis throws the ceremonial first pitch of the last game at Three Rivers Stadium in 2000. He threw out the first pitch at Three Rivers Stadium when it opened.


Dock Ellis, who infamously claimed he pitched a no-hitter for Pittsburgh under the influence of LSD and later fiercely spoke out against drug and alcohol addiction, died yesterday at the age of 63.

Ellis died in California from a liver ailment, former agent Tom Reich said.

"I've been in this business for 40 years and there was never a more standup guy," Reich said.

Ellis' death was first reported by ESPN.com.

Ellis went 138-119 with a 3.46 ERA from 1968-79, spending most of his career with the Pirates. He went 19-9 in 1971 when Pittsburgh won the World Series, and made his only All-Star appearance that summer -- and what a show it was. Ellis was tagged for one of the most memorable home runs in All-Star history, Reggie Jackson's monster shot off the light tower at Tiger Stadium.

In 1970, Ellis overcame eight walks to pitch a no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader at San Diego. Several years after he retired, the right-hander said he was high on LSD during the victory.

At a time when drugs, race and other issues in American society were colliding with baseball, Ellis often was at the forefront. He spoke his mind and stood by what he said while playing with the likes of Willie Stargell, Dave Parker and Roberto Clemente.

"He didn't take nothing from nobody," Reich said. "He was very much ahead of his time."


Post-Gazette archives

Pirates pitcher Dock Ellis on the mound in 1971.

Ellis played on four Pirates teams that won the NL East and also pitched for the New York Yankees, Oakland, Texas and the New York Mets.

Ellis was traded with Willie Randolph and Ken Brett from the Pirates to the Yankees for Doc Medich after the 1975 season. He was 17-8 in 1976 for the Yankees and won a game in the AL championship series against Kansas City.

The Yankees hired Ellis in 1986 to offer guidance to their minor leaguers on drug and alcohol abuse.

"I hope to make these young players aware of the stress involved in being a professional baseball player and drive home the point that drug and alcohol abuse is not the way to relieve that stress," Ellis said at the time.

Ellis kept up his campaign against addiction for the rest of his life, and frequently joined former teammates to support them on their charity work.

First published on December 20, 2008 at 2:30 am

Steelers defenders chuckle over absence of holding calls against foes

Saturday, December 20, 2008
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Looking for that special statistic for someone this holiday season?

Searching for that nugget that will take someone's breath away, an eye-opening surprise that defies description and seems impossible to believe?

Here it is:

The Steelers are on the precipice of setting a club record for sacks in a season, needing nine more in the final two games to break the franchise standard of 55. Their 47 sacks are the most in the AFC, second only to the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL, and the 26.5 registered by James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley combined are the most by any tandem in the league. Already, they are the most by any linebacker tandem in franchise history, and the Steelers haven't exactly lacked in pass-rushing linebackers over the years.


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

James Harrison, pictured sacking Minnesota quarterback Gus Frerotte in preseason game, and LaMarr Woodley have a combined 26.5 sacks this season -- most by any tandem in the league.

What's more, Harrison and Woodley are rushing from each end of the line of scrimmage, coming off the edge and trying to run around -- or, in Woodley's case -- run through offensive tackles, most times in one-on-one situations. For tackles, that is an especially difficult task against Harrison, who is 5-foot-11 and uses his strength to get under, up and around tackles.

"I still haven't seen too many guys who can block him one-on-one without holding," said inside linebacker James Farrior.

But guess what?

Apparently, nobody is holding. At least, not according to the officials.

The Steelers have not seen an opponent called for offensive holding since the fourth quarter of the Nov. 3 game against the Washington Redskins, when left tackle Chris Samuels was penalized for holding Harrison.

That's six games -- 24 quarters -- without a holding penalty against the best pass-rush team in the AFC.

"That's shocking, actually," said center Justin Hartwig. "We sit out there and watch the defense and you see James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley getting around the edge like every play, and guys are just grabbing onto their shoulder pads and pushing them from behind.

"There are so many plays that are holding, but they don't call them. It happens so often. I don't know if the refs come to expect that, that they're just going to get around the corner every time, and they just don't call it or what."

OK, opponents have been called for offensive holding two other times since the 23-6 victory against Washington. But they hardly count.

In each instance -- against Indianapolis Nov. 9 and New England Nov. 30 -- the offensive holding penalty occurred on a punt return by the opponent.

When told of the penalty drought, Steelers defensive players reacted with mock sarcasm.

"I guess teams are doing a great job of blocking us," Farrior said.

"We don't get held -- ever," said defensive end Brett Keisel. "It's unbelievable."

"They're great athletes," said nose tackle Casey Hampton, trying to hold back a smile. "They get their hands inside and do their job."

The subject was a particularly touchy one with the 340-pound Hampton, especially because he was called for a holding penalty against the Patriots -- a penalty that enraged for four-time Pro Bowl tackle because he thinks he is held all the time without a flag even being thrown.

Hampton was so upset with the call he sacked Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel two plays later, only his second sack in 76 regular-season games.

"They play their best game against us every week," Hampton said, still smirking. "They just block us so well. They don't hold us."

It should be noted that, of the six teams the Steelers have played since the last offensive holding penalty, two of them -- the Colts and Patriots -- lead the league in fewest offensive holding penalties (9).

But, one of them -- Baltimore -- leads all potential NFL playoff teams with 22 offensive holding penalties. Left tackle Jared Gaither, who has lined against Harrison twice this season, has five of those.

None, though, in the 13-9 loss Sunday to the Steelers.

The Steelers are not complaining about the lack of holding penalties being called. They just find it amusing, if not ironic, considering the tenacity of their pass pressure.

"We can't get caught up in the referees," Farrior said. "That's something we can't control. We cry and gripe and more stuff like that, the more likely they will be to not call it. We have to keep our mouths shut, play our game and, hopefully, they'll start calling 'em."

In other words, hold on.

First published on December 20, 2008 at 12:00 am

Farrior pounds away on the field

Friday, December 19, 2008
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

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

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

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

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

But 218 pounds?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Even some of Farrior's teammates were surprised.

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

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

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

It is not a weighty issue with Farrior.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

First published on December 19, 2008 at 12:00 am

Wilson: Pirates need 'more players' to compete

Shortstop urges management to practice accountability it preaches

Friday, December 19, 2008
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson set to earn $7.25 million in the last year of his three-year contract.

Jack Wilson, sounding convinced he will return as the Pirates' shortstop next year, yesterday urged management to bolster the 2009 roster and heed its own call for accountability.

"The only thing I wish we could do was compete," he said in an extensive phone interview from his home in California. "I wish we could go out and get some more players to make our team competitive. And, you know, now that this whole trade thing has probably blown over, that's going to be my new focus on the Internet: Instead of looking for my name and where I might go, hopefully, we might get some players. Because we need them."

Management has attempted aggressively to trade Wilson this offseason, but a field of suitors that might have been at three around the time of Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings earlier this month has dwindled perhaps to none. The most serious suitor, the Los Angeles Dodgers, agreed to terms to bring back free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal late Wednesday.

And that, apparently, changed Wilson's focus from potential new employers to the current one. The Pirates' sole move of note this offseason was the free-agent signing of utility infielder Ramon Vazquez.

"I always said I wanted to honor my contract and, in the negotiations we had for that, the organization had talked about building a team," Wilson said. "I wanted to make sure that, if I was giving up a couple years of free agency, I had a chance of competing. That's one of the main things that went into my signing that piece of paper, that we'd compete. Since I signed that, that hasn't happened. We've lost key players who were going to be part of that team they were talking about. They are now gone."

Wilson, the Pirates' most tenured player, signed his three-year $20.2 million contract in 2006, and he did so under the team's previous management. He has one guaranteed year left at a salary of $7.25 million.

His reference to the "lost key players" was to outfielders Jason Bay and Xavier Nady, traded for prospects this past summer.

"I just want to compete," Wilson continued. "At this point in time, I look at where we're at, and that's one of the things that's hard for me to look at. I really hope we can change that outcome."

He mentioned the mantra of accountability cited so often by the new management headed by team president Frank Coonelly and general manager Neal Huntington.

"The biggest thing stressed over the past year was accountability," Wilson said. "That includes everybody in the organization, as far as having accountability for themselves and in wanting to win. It's not just the players."

Wilson was asked what action, specifically, he thought management should take. Previous management often was criticized for signing quick fixes, while the current management seems focused on the future well beyond 2009.

"Well, people still talk about Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa," Wilson said, referring to one-year free-agent flops from 2007. "They both retired right after they were with us. They just wanted to play one more year. ??? Look, we've got to do whatever we have to do to try to find a way to compete. I know that there are 25 players right now who would love to compete at this level for the Pittsburgh Pirates. There are eight core players who are dying to compete. There are thousands and thousands of fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates who are dying to compete. And we all need to be accountable for that."

Coonelly, asked to respond to Wilson's comments, did so by email from his PNC Park office.

"We agree with Jack that everyone in the organization must be and is held accountable, and that starts with ownership and management," Coonelly said. "That is precisely what we told the players in the spring. We also agree with Jack that we have a large core of players here who are working extremely hard to compete and to win. Like our players, management is working very hard to build a team that will consistently compete for championships. Ultimately, we are all judged by whether we accomplish this singular goal."

Coonelly cited, as many in the front office have this winter, the Philadelphia and Tampa Bay models.

"We have said very clearly that a championship organization, regardless of market size, starts with a strong core group of players built from within. This year's World Series opponents provide the latest proof that drafting and developing is far more effective than attempting to buy championships on the free-agent market. I am not sure if Jack is suggesting that we return to the days when the club signed veteran players in their last years like Burnitz and Randa but, if he is, that is not a suggestion we are likely to follow. While we are aggressively pursuing several free agents in addition to Ramon Vazquez, the free-agent market is not where we are going to build the core of our team."

Wilson later clarified that he was not advocating acquiring one-year fixes.

Of sending away Bay and Nady, Coonelly added, "I am sure that Jack misses some of the players who were here when he signed his contract three years ago, but he is not alone in playing for a team that has experienced significant turnover. Indeed, only seven players who were on the Red Sox World Series team in 2004 were on the Series roster of the 2007 team. Instead of worrying about who is and who is not here, we all need to figure out how we can win with the 25 players who report to Bradenton this spring."

Wilson acknowledged having an intense interest this offseason as to where he might get traded, including imagining what it would be like to join a contender for the first time in his career. But he was adamant that he would take no issue with a return to the Pirates.

"Through this whole thing, I've said I wouldn't mind coming back to Pittsburgh and playing there, and I don't," he said. "For a moment, you're thinking about the chance to play for a team that's been in the playoffs, whether it was the Dodgers or Twins, and it does get exciting to think you can go into a season with a chance to compete for the playoffs. But I signed a contract that I would be a Pittsburgh Pirate through 2009, and I'm giving 100 percent to honor that."

Wilson added that he should be held accountable, too, particularly after a season in which he played in only 87 games because of the first disabled-list stint of his career.

"I started working a week after the season, a month earlier than usual, because I still had that bad feeling in my stomach that I wasn't out there to help my team," he said. "There's only one thing I can do about it, and that's to get in the best shape of my career. I'm holding myself accountable."

Might it not seem unusual to take the field at PNC Park in a Pirates uniform after that memorable standing ovation for his final at-bat in the last home game?

"It was nice, God willing, that I was healthy enough to have that last at-bat. But, even then, it was more of a just-in-case reaction. A lot of people, including myself, thought it was going to be my last game in Pittsburgh. So, no, I won't find it awkward at all. I love Pittsburgh. I love the people there. I've loved raising my family there. I'll be happy to be back."

NOTES -- A formal announcement on catcher Ryan Doumit's contract extension, the financial terms of which are expected to be completed soon, will not come until early next week. ... The Pirates have had discussions about bringing back reliever Denny Bautista, who became a free agent last week when the team did not tender him a contract through arbitration. ... Center fielder Chris Duffy, released by the Pirates last month, signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers.


Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com
First published on December 19, 2008 at 12:00 am

Pirates tab Denver man as new broadcaster

Neverett will join Brown to handle play-by-play duties

Friday, December 19, 2008
By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Pirates hire Tim Neverett as new play by play announcer.

Most play-by-play men live for the big call, but this was one Tim Neverett was dreading.

He had spoken with the Pirates late last week and knew he was one of two finalists to fill the vacancy left by Lanny Frattare's Oct. 1 retirement and, as Neverett acknowledged, "It made for a really long weekend" waiting for the result.

His last words on Friday to Marc Garda, the Pirates' director of broadcasting: "I'm the right man for the job."

And, when the phone rang Monday in Neverett's home in Highlands Ranch, Colo., Garda's first words to him: "You were right. You're the right man for the job."

Neverett broke down, failed to compose himself and asked Garda if he could call back.

"I needed a minute," Neverett recalled. "It's been a long time, and I was so honored to have such a chance."

Neverett, 42, was announced yesterday as the Pirates' choice to share play-by-play duties with Greg Brown, culled from a pool of 200. He worked the previous four years for FSN Rocky Mountain as the host of pregame and postgame shows for Colorado Rockies broadcasts, as well as doing some play-by-play for the Rockies and for college football and basketball on Versus and the Mountain West Conference Sports Network.

Before that, he called more than 1,000 minor league and college baseball games, from Boston to Providence, R.I., to Las Vegas to Nashua, N.H., where he started broadcasting in 1985 at age 19 for what then was the Pirates' Class AA affiliate.

"Tim's ability, combined with his work ethic, passion for baseball and desire to make a positive impact in the community, made him the ideal addition to our broadcast team," Pirates president Frank Coonelly said.

There will be no formal Voice of the Pirates designation. That was dropped by Frattare two years ago out of respect for Brown. Brown will take the lead play-by-play role, but he and Neverett are expected to roughly split duties between television and radio.

The Pirates are responsible for hiring the announcers for their broadcasts, though they kept their local rights-holders, FSN Pittsburgh and Clear Channel, involved in the process.

The initial count of applicants was 200, a figure that was reduced to 40 simply by listening to submitted tapes. From there, communications director Brian Warecki, who oversaw the process, and Garda took it to 10 to four -- when the first face-to-face interviews were conducted -- to two and, finally, to Neverett. The only local applicant to reach the final 10 was Jason Dambach, play-by-play man for the Pirates' Class AA affiliate in Altoona.

None of the area's top local possibilities, including Stan Savran and Rob King, applied.

Neverett and his family -- wife Barbara and three sons, ages 14, 12 and 9 -- have lived in Denver the past five years, and he sounded eager to end what has been a nomadic existence.

But he also seemed aware that, for someone who has visited Pittsburgh only casually, he has a formidable task ahead to gain the respect of an audience that has a history with play-by-play men that ranges from making icons of them -- Bob Prince, Mike Lange -- to quickly dismissing them.

"It's like drinking out of a fire hose," Neverett said. "It's going to be my No. 1 priority, to get established in the community. With only one sport to focus on, it's going to give me a lot of opportunity to learn. There's no way I can say I was born in Pittsburgh. I wasn't. But I think I can become part of it."

On the air, according to those who have heard Neverett's tapes, his style comes with a wry personality but is mostly no-nonsense, stick to the action and let the color commentators -- still Bob Walk, Steve Blass and John Wehner, in the Pirates' case -- do their thing.

"When you talk about baseball, people tune in every single night, and you become part of the fabric of the game," Neverett said. "I think I bring a friendly style, an informative style. I think I have the ability to fit in with Greg, Bob, Steve and John, and I think we'll have good conversations about baseball. But I think I'm pretty straightforward. I don't have schtick, so to speak. But I have a style, and I think that will develop over time with the Pirates."

His top priority?

"Get the score right. Always."


Dejan Kovacevic can be reached at dkovacevic@post-gazette.com.
First published on December 18, 2008 at 7:18 pm

NFL approves new ownership structure for Steelers

Vote is 31-0 to allow restructuring that keeps Dan Rooney and his son in control of the team

Thursday, December 18, 2008
By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Associated Press

Steelers owner Dan Rooney walks in the hallway during a break of the NFL owners meeting in Irving, Texas, yesterday.


IRVING, Texas -- The NFL yesterday unanimously approved sweeping changes in the ownership structure of the Steelers, but the team still plans to operate the Rooney way.

"We wouldn't have done it if we thought we wouldn't be able to handle it," said team president Art Rooney II.

"We plan to operate along the same guidelines we have historically. We're not planning to change anything dramatically. We'll pretty much operate as much as possible the way we have. Obviously, we are headed into difficult economic times. We'll do our best."

By a vote of 31-0, the owners approved a proposal that consolidates ownership of the Steelers in the hands of Dan Rooney and Art II, his oldest son, while separating ownership of the family's gambling interests from the football team.

Under the plan, the Steelers will be borrowing about $250 million as Dan and Art II buy out all or part of the shares held by the four younger sons of franchise patriarch Art Rooney. The Rooney family agreement calls for a closing to take place before March 31, 2009.

The debt exceeds NFL limits and required a waiver, and commissioner Roger Goodell gave his blessing to the proposal after an owners meeting at the posh Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving, a suburb of Dallas.

PNC Bank will handle the loans for the buyout, using the team as collateral, but it was unclear how much will be borrowed and how much will come from three new partners who were also approved yesterday. They are the Paul family of Pittsburgh; James Haslam III of Knoxville, Tenn., and Thomas Tull of Los Angeles.

The Paul family owns Ampco-Pittsburgh, a specialty steel manufacturer headquartered Downtown, and has interests in TV and radio stations, banking, fitness centers and real estate.

Mr. Haslam, 54, is president of Pilot Travel Centers, the nation's largest retail operator of travel centers and truck stops.

Mr. Tull, 38, has a film production company called Legendary Pictures that co-produced and co-financed such films as The Dark Knight, 300, Batman Begins, We Are Marshall and Superman Returns.

The Wall Street firm of Morgan Stanley had been retained by the Rooneys to line up investors, and more may be made public at a later date.

Each of the five Rooney brothers inherited a 16 percent stake in the Steelers when their father, who founded the franchise in 1933 for $2,500, died in 1988. The remaining 20 percent is owned by the McGinley family.

But NFL rules require a controlling interest of at least 30 percent by one entity, in this case, Dan and his son. The plan approved yesterday will bring them to that threshold.

Twin brothers Timothy and Patrick Rooney will each sell their 16 percent ownership in the Steelers while staying in control of Empire City Gaming at Yonkers Raceway and the Palm Beach Kennel Club, one of the most successful greyhound tracks in the country. Art Jr. and John Rooney will sell parts of their stakes in the Steelers. After the sale price was set at $800 million a month ago, a 16 percent share works out to $128 million.

Dan Rooney, who took over daily operations of the Steelers about the time his father was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964, said he has no concerns about the Steelers staying competitive in today's economic climate and with NFL labor issues looming after the 2010 season.

"I don't at all," he said. "This year, they said we had the toughest schedule in the league, too. Here we are [playoff-bound at 11-3] with a great coach and excellent players. The team has been a big part of Pittsburgh, and that's the way it should stay under our direction. That was my goal, and Art's goal, from the beginning."

The restructuring, which has caused stresses and strains within the family while a fair settlement was being sought, has been simmering in the two years since the Steelers won Super Bowl XL.

But Dan Rooney said the family remains tight knit.

"My brothers, they came along. They saw the benefits of doing it this way. We still talk to each other and only fight as we always did," he said with a chuckle. "Everything's fine."

The NFL raised concerns about the franchise being out of accord with NFL rules on majority control and its prohibitions against gambling even as the commissioner let it be known he wanted the Rooneys to retain control of the Steelers.

The NFL bans owners from being involved in gambling, even those forms sanctioned by government, and the family-owned tracks had expanded to include video game slots and/or poker rooms. The Chief, a storied horse player who kept the franchise going in the Great Depression with his racetrack winnings, bought the Palm Beach Kennel Club in 1970 and purchased the Yonkers harness track in 1971.

The Rooney family could have made more money by accepting the offer of hedge-fund billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller, who attempted to buy a majority stake in the team. But the family preferred this way to keep the franchise under its control.

Dan Rooney thanked Mr. Druckenmiller for his efforts and hoped he would remain a Steelers fan.

The owners meeting yesterday, at which the principals left the marble-floored corridors to be whisked away by their waiting limo drivers, was a far cry from the first one Dan Rooney attended in the 1950s. At that one, he lobbied for the players to receive more than one pair of football shoes per season.

It was Dan who made some of the most important personnel decisions in franchise history, from accepting the resignation of volatile coach Buddy Parker in the mid-1960s to the 1969 hiring of coach Chuck Noll, who won four Super Bowls.

The NFL guideline for interviewing minority candidates for coaching vacancies is known as the Rooney Rule in his honor, and he has guided the league in everything from expansion to labor disputes to the election of new commissioners.

He and the Steelers were both born in 1933, and he stuck firmly to the goal of keeping the team in Pittsburgh for the next 75 years.

"This was a big step," said Art Rooney II. "We still have to get to a closing and finalize everything. We're looking to getting everything wrapped up early next year."

Robert Dvorchak can be reached at bdvorchak@post-gazette.com
First published on December 18, 2008 at 12:00 am

Steelers' Polamalu, Harrison, Farrior only picks for Pro Bowl

No offensive players going to game

Wednesday, December 17, 2008
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

The Steelers have griped about fines and holding calls, but they're likely to find the most egregious decision by the NFL came in the selection of the Pro Bowl yesterday.

The team with the second-best record in the AFC and with the league's best defense placed just three players for the Pro Bowl. Free safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker James Harrison will start, and linebacker James Farrior is a reserve.

If that does not rile up the 11-3 AFC North Division champs, there's more. The New York Jets placed a league-high seven players on the AFC team, the Tennessee Titans have six and the Baltimore Ravens, who lost to the Steelers twice, have five.

The Steelers will gather today after two days off to begin preparations for a game against the Titans at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn.

They have not had fewer players in the Pro Bowl in the past eight years, or since linebacker Jason Gildon was their only representative after the 2000 season. They also had three on the team after the 2003 season. More Steelers could be added as some players decide not to play because of injuries or other reasons.

If it's any consolation to the Steelers, the New York Giants placed just one player on the Pro Bowl roster a year ago and went on to win the Super Bowl.

Among the obvious snubbed from the NFL's top defense were end Aaron Smith, nose tackle Casey Hampton and linebacker LaMarr Woodley. Hampton was second among the fan voting at defensive tackle, of which three were chosen. Hampton, Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker missed out after making it a year ago, when six Steelers were selected to the Pro Bowl.

The game will be played Feb. 8 in Honolulu.

The squads were selected by a combined voting of fans, players and coaches. Harrison made it for the second year in a row. Polamalu tied Donnie Shell's high of five Pro Bowls for a Steelers safety. Farrior made it for the second time, his first five years ago.

A handful of former Steelers also made the Pro Bowl, including safety Chris Hope, who will play against them Sunday in Tennessee. Other former Steelers are Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter, Jets guard Alan Faneca (his eighth) and Cardinals special teamer Sean Morey.Inside

Peyton and Eli Manning become the firstbrothers to play QB in the same Pro Bowl.

Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First published on December 17, 2008 at 12:00 am

Harrison thrives on muted emotion

By Scott Brown, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Wednesday, December 17, 2008

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

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


Steelers James Harrison celebrates at Gillette Stadium.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That is because Timmons looked like Harrison has so many times this season while tearing around the edge and then chopping down on the throwing arm of Flacco as he sacked him.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The one thing Harrison isn't missing is the desire to excel. That is why he said he won't look back on what he has accomplished until the season is over.

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

Steelers, Big Ben clutch in no-huddle

Wednesday, December 17, 2008
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Ben Roethlisberger completed seven passes for 89 yards on the Steelers' winning drive Sunday in Baltimore.

Lost, perhaps, in the controversy surrounding Santonio Holmes' winning touchdown Sunday was how the Steelers arrived at that point.

They drove 92 yards against the second-best defense in the NFL in the closing minutes, using 12 plays, only one of them a run. Ben Roethlisberger, operating out of the no-huddle offense, completed seven passes for 89 yards on that magnificent drive in Baltimore, one of them an intentional spike to kill the clock.

On another day in which the Steelers' ground game gained little, it was not just their No. 1 defense that bailed them out. Roethlisberger passed for 246 yards against that ravenous Ravens defense with one touchdown and no interception.

It was much the same the previous week on a 67-yard touchdown drive by Roethlisberger against Dallas. And on Nov. 16 against San Diego when he completed 6 of 6 for 62 yards on a 73-yard drive that ended in Jeff Reed's winning field goal with 11 seconds left. And in Jacksonville, when an 80-yard drive ended with Hines Ward's touchdown catch with 1:53 to go. And in overtime against Baltimore the first time when his 24-yard pass to Mewelde Moore put them in position for Reed's winning kick.

Roethlisberger and the Steelers have made a habit this season of ditching their huddle and pulling games out near the end by throwing the football, prompting a question to coach Mike Tomlin at his news conference yesterday: Why can't they do that earlier in games?

"We'll do whatever it takes for us to win on a weekly basis," Tomlin replied. "It was needed at that time, no doubt. It's been good when called upon.

"But we've got to be capable of winning in a lot of ways, whether it's deliberate-huddle football, no-huddle, multiple wide receivers, one wide receiver, two tights, two backs, we've got to be able to move the ball and win in a variety of ways because that's what's going to be required.

"But at that time, no doubt, the no-huddle was needed and it worked for us."

Perhaps they will find more time to ride that horse as they prepare for the playoffs. The Steelers had one of the best running teams in 2005, ranked No. 5, and were only No. 24 in the passing game. Yet they stunned three consecutive playoff opponents on the road by throwing early, grabbed leads and then sat on them.

Then, on their way to victory in Super Bowl XL, it was called strategy. Today, such a move might be out of necessity. The Steelers rank 23rd in the NFL running the football, which would be their second-lowest since they joined the AFC in the 1970 NFL merger. Their passing game ranks 17th, not a lot higher but more than it has been in four of the past five seasons.

The Steelers ran for just 91 yards on 27 tries against the Ravens, 21 of those on four Roethlisberger scrambles. Their backs produced only 64 yards on 22 runs in that game.

Against Dallas, they managed only 70 yards rushing and Roethlisberger had 17 of those.

The ground game has not been the same since Willie Parker was injured early, injured again and then re-injured, nor since Rashard Mendenhall was lost. But a new running back has added to the offense, and he has done so both on the ground and in the air. Moore has caught 37 passes even though he had none through the first three games, and that's third-most on the team.

Moore poses something the Steelers have not had in years in their backfield, a threat to catch a pass. He was on the field during that no-huddle 92-yard drive, making the Ravens' defense respect his ability to run and catch.

Tomlin was asked yesterday what worked on that drive that did not earlier.

"It was just a function of guys making plays, feeling the urgency of the moment and wanting to deliver for the team," he said. "They pressured on that drive, they had pressured earlier. They dropped eight on that drive, they had dropped eight earlier. We protected. We threw the ball. We caught the ball. Really, there's no more depth to it than that."

Indeed.

NOTES -- Defensive end Brett Keisel "hopefully" will play Sunday, Tomlin said, after missing three games with a sprained knee, while Marvel Smith's situation is "status quo," which means he likely will miss a 10th consecutive game with back problems. Tomlin said "we came out of the game pretty healthy" and "this is as encouraging an injury situation as we've had in a while coming out of a football game." He did not mention anything about safety Ryan Clark, who was spotted at the South Side facility on crutches yesterday.

Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First published on December 17, 2008 at 12:00 am

Ward ultimate love-hate player

The Steelers and their fans embrace Ward as the 'ultimate competitor,' while in Baltimore and around the league he is a marked, disliked player because he's a winner

Wednesday, December 17, 2008
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Post-Gazette photo illustration


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

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

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

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

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

Well, guess what?

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

Losing is one thing in Baltimore.

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

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

Smirking, actually.

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

It goes back to a 2001 game when Ward drilled Ravens safety Rod Woodson with a block and bloodied his nose, prompting Woodson to swear he would get even. Last season, Ward popped Reed and linebacker Bart Scott with brutal blocks, leading Scott to promise to "kill" Ward and tell him, "Payback is a [bleep]." Earlier this season, linebacker Terrell Suggs went on a national radio show and said the Ravens had a bounty on Ward when the teams played Sept. 29.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Especially against the Ravens.

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

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

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

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

It didn't matter in the end.

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

The win was plenty good enough.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
First published on December 17, 2008 at 12:00 am

Steelers bask in glow of comeback

By Scott Brown, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, December 16, 2008


Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger runs off the field after the Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 13-9 in an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008, in Baltimore.(AP)

After the Steelers' latest and perhaps most satisfying come-from-behind win, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger lingered on the field to bask in the glow of it.

He did not show nearly the same urgency in getting to the locker room as he had in leading the Steelers to the end zone not more than 15 minutes earlier, and Mike Tomlin finally said, "C'mon, No. 7, let's go."

Before the two disappeared into the cramped visiting quarters at M&T Bank Stadium, Roethlisberger said to the second-year coach, "I may be late, but I'm always on time."

Nothing more accurately captures the season Roethlisberger is having and, specifically, what he did in front of a record crowd and to an equally hostile defense Sunday in Baltimore.

He led a 92-yard drive that culminated in the only touchdown of the game, and the timing of Roethlisberger's fourth-quarter heroics could not have been better for the Steelers.

Their 13-9 win over the Ravens clinched the AFC North title and assured them of a first-round playoff bye. If the Steelers win their remaining two games, they will earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

If a defense that hasn't surrendered more than 300 yards of total offense in a game is a major reason why the Steelers' are Super Bowl contenders, so is Roethlisberger's uncanny knack for elevating his play when his team needs it most.

The win at Baltimore represented the fourth time this season Roethlisberger has led a fourth-quarter drive that tied the score or put the Steelers ahead for good. For his career, the fifth-year veteran has rallied the Steelers from a fourth-quarter deficit 17 times.

"He's one of those guys that can get out and make plays," Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said. "That's a special skill that most quarterbacks have."

It is becoming increasingly clear that the tenser the moment, the calmer Roethlisberger is. In those fourth-quarter drives this season, Roethlisberger has displayed the patience and precision of a surgeon. He has completed 75 percent of his passes on those drives and thrown for 269 yards and three touchdowns.

"He's done it time and time again," Tomlin said of Roethlisberger's play in the clutch. "A lot's been said about our offensive struggles, particularly here in the last couple of weeks. But one thing that's been consistent is when we have to move the ball, we do."

When asked who sets the tone for that mindset, Tomlin said without hesitation, "Our quarterback."

BALTIMORE - DECEMBER 14: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers throws a pass against the Baltimore Ravens on December 14, 2008 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

The drive Roethlisberger engineered late in the fourth quarter against the Ravens may have been his most impressive of the season -- if not his career -- given the stakes involved and the caliber of Baltimore's defense.

The third-down play that capped it was vintage Roethlisberger.

He rolled left to avoid pressure, reversed field after he saw a couple of Ravens defenders blocking his path to the end zone and fired a 4-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes.

Officials initially ruled Holmes down inside the 1 after he was pushed out of the end zone as he caught the pass. The call was reversed following an official review of the play after it was determined that Holmes had established both feet in the end zone on the catch and that the ball had broken the plane of the goal line.

After the game, Roethlisberger couldn't help but take a dig at those who have criticized him for trying to do too much to keep plays alive.

Of his game-winning touchdown pass, Roethlisberger said, "I scrambled back to the right 'cause, you know, I hang onto the ball too long."

He didn't want to let the moment go after the Steelers had snapped a five-game losing streak in Baltimore and run their own winning streak to five games. That is why Tomlin had to deliver a playful nudge to get Roethlisberger into the locker room.

But if there are parts of his game that still need honing, Roethlisberger showed in Baltimore that he has mastered the seemingly impossible trick of arriving late yet somehow showing up just on time.


Rising to the occasion

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger seems to be at his best when the Steelers need it most. Here is a look at the fourth-quarter rallies he has led this season:

BALTIMORE - DECEMBER 14: Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers throws a pass against the Baltimore Ravens on December 14, 2008 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 13-9. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

10/5 at Jacksonville — Situation: Steelers trail, 21-20, when they get the ball on their own 20-yard line with 6:33 left. Drive: : 11 plays, 80 yards in 4:40. Roethlisberger: : completes 6-of-8 passes for 61 yards and a touchdown and the Steelers win, 26-21.

11/16 San Diego — Situation: Steelers trail, 10-8, when they get the ball on their 13 with 6:41 left. Drive: 13 plays, 72 yards in 6:30. Roethlisberger: completes all seven of his pass attempts for 62 yards, setting up Jeff Reed's 32-yard field goal. Steelers win, 11-10.

12/7 Dallas — Situation: Steelers trail, 13-6, when they get the ball on their 33 with 5:10 left. Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards in 3:06. Roethlisberger: completes 4-of-6 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown and rushes two times for 10 yards. After Steelers tie the score, cornerback Deshea Townsend returns an interception 25 yards for a touchdown and a 20-13 win.

12/14 at Baltimore — Situation: Steelers trail, 9-6, when they get the ball on their 8 with 3:36 left. Drive: 12 plays, 92 yards in 2:53. Roethlisberger: completes 7-of-11 passes — one of the incompletions is a spike to stop the clock — for 89 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers beat the Ravens, 13-9, to clinch the AFC North title.

Tomlin has grown as a coach

Tomlin was tough in his first season, showing players who was the boss. This year he is more comfortable with his team and has grown as a head coach -- and possibly coach of the year.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

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

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

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

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

"I appreciate it, coach," Ward said.

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

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

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

Can you say NFL coach of the year?

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

That's some coaching.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not just with Ward.

With the team.

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

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

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

The man really does have a kinder, gentler side.

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

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

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

Parker's timing was lousy.

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

Tomlin let Parker know he didn't appreciate it.

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

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

Touche.

But the story doesn't end there.

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

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

Farrior isn't alone.

We've all watched Tomlin grow.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
First published on December 16, 2008 at 12:00 am

Tomlin skips out on tough decision

By Scott Brown, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, December 15, 2008


Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin celebrates the Steelers' fourth-quarter touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008, in Baltimore. The Steelers won 13-9.(AP)

Would Mike Tomlin have gone for the win had wide receiver Santonio Holmes been ruled down at the 1-yard line after a third-down catch late in the fourth quarter?

"We never have to say," Tomlin said with a smile after the Steelers' 13-9 win over the Ravens Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

Officials initially ruled Holmes down at the Ravens' 1 after he hauled in a pass in the front of the end zone and then got pushed out of it by safety Ed Reed. The Steelers were trailing, 9-6, at the time and could have tied the game with what would have been a chip shot for kicker Jeff Reed. The referees, however, changed the call to a touchdown after an official review.

"What would I do?" wide receiver Hines Ward said when asked what might have happened had the Steelers faced a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. "I would go for it."

• After the only touchdown of the game, Reed had to kick off from the Steelers' 15 because of the personal foul penalty he drew on his extra-point attempt. The Ravens took advantage of the good field position and moved inside the Steelers' 40 before William Gay intercepted a Joe Flacco pass in the end zone. Reed said he got the penalty because he took issue with Baltimore's Frank Walker nearly rolling onto his leg after he had kicked the extra point. Reed added that Walker spit in Mitch Berger's face after the Steelers punter tried to defuse the situation.

"He attempted to take out my knee, I don't care what he says," Reed said. "I'm frustrated because I put our team in a bad situation, but I'll get over it."

• The Steelers weren't exactly sharp at the outset of yesterday's game. They were penalized three times in the first quarter — the Steelers entered the contest averaging six penalties a contest — and they dropped three passes, including two by Nate Washington. The Steelers also yielded a 46-yard punt return to Jim Leonhard on the final play of the quarter after they appeared to have the Ravens' safety bottled up inside Baltimore's 15-yard line. Leonhard's return set up the first score of the game, a 28-yard field goal by Matt Stover.

• Fullback Carey Davis played yesterday despite a calf injury that had put his status for the AFC North showdown in question. The Steelers were without two starters — defensive end Brett Keisel (knee) and left tackle Marvel Smith (back). Keisel has missed the past three games because of a sprained collateral ligament in his left knee. Smith hasn't played since early October because of back spasms. In addition to Keisel and Smith, cornerback Fernando Bryant, outside linebacker Bruce Davis, defensive end Orpheus Roye, offensive tackle Tony Hills, defensive tackle Scott Paxson and quarterback Dennis Dixon were inactive for the Steelers.

BALTIMORE - DECEMBER 14: Santonio Holmes #10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers makes a catch with both feet in the endzone for a late fourth quarter game winning touchdown as Ed Reed #20 of the Baltimore Ravens defends on December 14, 2008 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 13-9. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

• Ray Rice, the Ravens' third-leading rusher and second-leading receiver before yesterday's game, did not play against the Steelers because of a calf injury. Joining the rookie running back on the Ravens' inactive list were wide receivers Marcus Maxwell (hip) and Terrance Copper, cornerback Evan Oglesby, offensive tackles Oniel Cousins and David Hale, running back Jalen Parmele and quarterback Todd Bouman.

• James Farrior left yesterday's game early with what he said was a stinger, but the inside linebacker returned before the end of the first quarter and played the rest of the way.

• Willie Parker served as one of the Steelers' captains yesterday. Tomlin had rebuked Parker late last week for saying the Steelers weren't successful running the ball because the coaches had gotten away from a power running attack. Parker rushed for 47 yards on 14 carries against the Ravens.
• Tomlin gave the players today off. They don't have to return to the team's South Side practice facility until Wednesday.

Digits

160 — Consecutive regular-season games in which Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward has caught at least one pass.

202 — Yards of total offense for the Ravens.

311 — Yards of total offense for the Steelers.

Steelers define what they're all about

By Mike Prisuta, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, December 15, 2008

BALTIMORE - DECEMBER 14: Hines Ward #86 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs the ball against the Baltimore Ravens on December 14, 2008 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 13-9. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

BALTIMORE - As his team piled into the visitors locker room at M&T Bank Stadium, some bouncing off the walls and some ambling in as if they had expected this all along, Mike Tomlin put the issue to rest once and for all.

"Steeler Football is 60 minutes," the coach repeated at a decibel level loud enough to hear down the hall.

The rest is just details.

The Steelers needed some 59:52 of the 60 minutes they battled the Ravens on Sunday.

Their AFC North Division-clinching 13-9 triumph wasn't official until William Gay took a knee at the 11-yard line after intercepting Joe Flacco's desperation heave into the end zone.

Ben Roethlisberger was the next to take a knee.

Once that happened, it no longer mattered that Willie Parker had been held to 47 yards on 14 carries, or that the running game had produced just 91 yards overall and averaged 3.4 yards per attempt.

It was Parker who had publicly bemoaned the Steelers' recent habit of, in his estimation, too often giving up on the running game and, in the process, losing the identity of what he perceives "Steeler Football" to be all about.

Perhaps the "AFC North Division Champions" hats that were passed out in the locker room brought him back up to speed on what that really means.

It didn't matter that the winning touchdown, a remarkably resourceful pitch-and-catch between a scrambling Roethlisberger and a tight-roping Santonio Holmes on the money side of the goal line, was scored out of a two-tight ends set.

It didn't matter that Holmes had dropped a couple of passes and fumbled twice before making the play of the season.

It didn't matter that Holmes' touchdown wasn't a touchdown until enduring a replay review. (Max Starks said they would have gone for it on fourth-and-inches had it come to that.)

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Nate Washington (85) catches a pass in front of Baltimore Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle (22) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008, in Baltimore. The Steelers won 13-9.(AP)

It didn't matter that the Steelers led for a mere 43 seconds against a Ravens team that had attacked and competed as hard as the Steelers.

What mattered was the 60 minutes.

What mattered was winning.

For long stretches, the Steelers appeared incapable of doing so, and the Ravens determined not to let them.

The visitors' first quarter featured a delay-of-game penalty, a dropped pass by Nate Washington, a false start on Willie Colon, a personal foul against Mewelde Moore, a dropped pass by Holmes, another drop by Washington, and punt returns of 18 and 46 yards surrendered to Baltimore's Jim Leonhard.

And the fourth quarter opened with Roethlisberger trying to make a play on third-and-1 from the Baltimore 24 but instead turning the ball over on what was first announced as an interception and then changed to a fumble.

Either way it was one of the worst plays Roethlisberger has ever made.

But when the Steelers got the ball back with 3:36 remaining and 92 yards separating them from the touchdown that would win the game, win the division, secure a first-round postseason bye and keep home field throughout the AFC playoffs within reach, Roethlisberger was the $100 Million Man.

"We hung together," Tomlin said. "Hopefully, that's the signature of Steeler Football for '08."

Their way is to find a way.

The rest is just details.

All defense, a little offense is title recipe

By John Harris, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, December 15, 2008

BALTIMORE - DECEMBER 14: William Gay #22 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates his interception late in the game against the Baltimore Ravens to clinch the win on December 14, 2008 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 13-9. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

BALTIMORE — We know that the Steelers have a championship defense. But can they win Super Bowl XLIII with this offense?

"Coming into this game, we felt like if they give us 10 points, we're good,'' Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton said. " We felt like if we got 10 points out of the offense, we were going to be OK.''

OK? How about the Steelers defense playing out its mind for what has it been now, 14 weeks?

Sunday's 13-9 Steelers win over the Baltimore Ravens fhat clinched the AFC North title, capped by the offensive's brilliant 92-yard game-winning touchdown drive late in the game, was a microcosm of how the Steelers can win the Super Bowl.

If the Steelers continue to squeeze the life out of opposing offenses - and there's no reason to believe they won't treat their final two regular-season opponents, Tennessee and Cleveland, with similar disdain - they'll provide their still work-in-progress offense with the window of opportunity to make enough plays for the team to be a favorite in any game.

"We've got that type of confidence. We feel like we can shut any team out,'' inside linebacker James Farrior said of the Steelers' No. 1 ranked defense. "We haven't done it yet this year, and that's our goal. Any time a team gets 4 yards or more, that's a big play for us. We've got high standards around here.''

Believe it or not, so does the Steelers' offense, which for the first 56 minutes of yesterday's game produced six points along with high anxiety for coach Mike Tomlin.

And then second-year linebacker Lawrence Timmons sacked Baltimore's Joe Flacco on third down, forcing a punt and providing the offense with one last chance for redemption.

"That was definitely the play of the game,'' inside linebacker Larry Foote said. "I don't take nothing away from the offense, but I've got to go with my defensive commrades.''

BALTIMORE - DECEMBER 14: Willie Parker #39 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs the ball against the Baltimore Ravens on December 14, 2008 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The Steelers defeated the Ravens 13-9. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Until quarterback Ben Roethlisberger pulled a rabbit out of his hat on that final drive and completed 7 of 11 passes for 89 yards and a controversial 4-yard touchdown to Santonio Holmes, it was difficult to believe the Steelers weren't heading to their first loss in over a month.

Even with the defense holding another offense, and another quarterback, to ridiculously low numbers.

Flacco managed a mere 22.2 passer rating, by far the lowest rating among the quarterbacks faced by the Steelers during the team's current five-game winning streak - the team's longest streak since a 14-game run in 2004.

The five quarterbacks - Flacco, Dallas' Tony Romo, New England's Matt Cassel, Cincinnati's Ryan Fitzpatrick and San Diego's Philip Rivers — averaged a 42.8 passer rating and only 10.4 points per game against the Steelers.

Meanwhile, the Steelers' No. 25-ranked offense has picked up the pace and is averaging 20.6 points during the team's best winning streak in four years.

"They've been driving the ball, having a couple of turnovers. But we had confidence in what they could do,'' Hampton said. "We just knew they had to hold onto to the ball. And they did that.''

Nate Washington, who had three key receptions for 49 yards on the final drive, said the offensive players have never felt pressure to compete with the league's best defense.

"No pressure,'' Washington said. "I can't say enough about our defense. I think the best thing they do besides the plays that they make is they never get down on us. If you beat one, you have to beat us all.''