Pittsburgh fans get behind Steelers something Terrible

Tim Sullivan
San Diego Union-Tribune
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/sports/chargers/
Saturday, January 10, 2009


PITTSBURGH – Terry O'Neill is not a Steelers fan. He is, he says, the Steelers fan.

O'Neill is the guy whose heart stopped – literally – on the floor of Cupka's Café when Jerome Bettis fumbled at the goal line during the 2006 NFL playoffs in Indianapolis. He is a fan so fanatical that when he awoke from his near-death experience at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, O'Neill remembers his first question to the doctor as, “Who won?”


Terry O'Neill

“I remember watching Jerome Bettis fumble the football and then (quarterback) Ben Roethlisberger tackled the guy and I just fell over,” O'Neill recalled yesterday afternoon. “It wasn't so much Jerome fumbling the football, but when Ben made the tackle, I couldn't take any more.”

Three weeks after his heart attack, O'Neill returned to Cupka's to watch Pittsburgh win its fifth Super Bowl. Three years later, awaiting this afternoon's divisional playoff game with the Chargers, O'Neill's perspective remains strikingly Steeler-centric.

“I've been a fan since the glory days, since the '70s,” O'Neill said. “The Steelers are the heart and soul of Pittsburgh.”

There is no denying that and no easy way of avoiding it. Airline passengers arriving in Pittsburgh pass a pair of statues en route to the baggage claim. On the right stands George Washington, the father of our country. On the left is a likeness of Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris, posed at the point of his “Immaculate Reception.”

Below them, at the base of the escalators, stands a skeletal model of a Tyrannosaurus rex, currently clutching an oversized “Terrible Towel” in Steelers solidarity.

“If you asked people around here, 'We're going to put two statues of great Americans in the airport. How about George Washington and Franco Harris?' We're OK with that,” said Jon O'Data, a Merry Maids franchisee from Rochester, Penn. “You might get some argument about Terry Bradshaw or Joe Greene. I'd say it's about a five-or six-way tie.”

O'Data's wife, Judy, customarily wears a replica Hines Ward jersey beneath her choir robes at Grace Lutheran Church.

Pittsburgh produced Gene Kelly and Andy Warhol, Heinz ketchup and an estimated 95 million tons of steel during World War II, but professional football has been a primary source of civic pride for 35 years. When the steel industry collapsed and much of Pittsburgh's population left town in search of employment, the success of the Steelers gave the city a new identity and an enduring bond with a generation of emigrants.

Because so many Pittsburgh fans have been compelled to relocate – University of Pittsburgh economist Chris Briem estimates the net population loss reached 50,000 annually in the early 1980s – Steelers fans frequent quasi-official Steelers bars in many NFL cities and several foreign capitals. The standard observation is that the Steelers “travel well,” but wherever the team goes, its displaced fans are already there.

“I have no desire to live in Pittsburgh, but I couldn't give up on the Steelers,” said Dave O'Mara, a Naval Academy graduate who settled in Virginia. “I've taken a distaste for the owner (Dan Rooney), taken a distaste to the coach (Mike Tomlin), taken a distaste to the quarterback (Roethlisberger). By all rights, I'd like to reject the team, but I can't. Once you're from Pittsburgh, it's like you're enslaved.”

It wasn't always thus. Before Harris' “Immaculate Reception,” the deflected pass that beat the Oakland Raiders in the 1972 playoffs, the Steelers never had won a postseason game in 39 seasons. They had defined futility and deserved derision for such shortsighted decisions as the release of Johnny Unitas and the trade of Len Dawson.

The two quarterbacks Pittsburgh rejected both would compile Hall of Fame credentials in other cities. Not until Chuck Noll was hired as head coach preceding the 1969 season did the Steelers begin the foundation work of a successful franchise.

“When I was growing up, you didn't have a lot of people who identified themselves as Steelers fans because they were embarrassed,” O'Mara said. “They were criticized constantly for having let Unitas get away. When I was in high school, kids were (Green Bay) Packers fans.

“But once the Steelers started winning, it was a different thing. My plebe year at the academy (1970), they went 5-9 and we were ecstatic. I left town and when I came back, everybody was a Steeler fan.”

O'Mara credits some of the transformation to Noll's first draft choice, an intense and intolerant defensive tackle named Joe Greene – later renowned as “Mean” Joe Greene.

During a lopsided loss to the Chicago Bears, Greene had the temerity to spit in the face of the ferocious Dick Butkus. He was repeatedly ejected from games for fighting. Yet he succeeded in setting a standard and a tone. Losing no longer was acceptable in Pittsburgh.

“He turned around the mentality,” O'Mara said.

Greene would lead the Steelers to four Super Bowl championships during his Hall of Fame career and now serves the team as a special assistant for pro and college personnel.

“When I got there, we played at Pitt Stadium and I'm thinking somewhere around 25-30,000 people would show up,” Greene said in a telephone interview last week. “As boisterous as 30,000 people were, they were usually shouting their disfavor at us.

“I had a hard time with losing. Coach Noll would probably call it immaturity. He understood my motivation was winning, and a lot of times I reacted very poorly to not winning. (But) I think the message got through and many fans recognized it.”

As the Steelers defense rose to dominance, and the team's losses became more infrequent, the city's blue-collar fans came to see the team as a reflection of themselves. They reveled in the rugged reputation of the “Steel Curtain” and the power running of backs such as Harris and Bettis, disdaining more modern offensive approaches and more provocative personalities.

“Any new style of offense bothers a lot of folks, particularly when the running game falters,” wrote a Steelers fan named Joe, who asked that his last name be withheld because he is performing classified work in Baghdad. “However, one thing remains certain: Ask any native Steeler fan, and there is a good chance that he/she will tell you that defense is the way to heaven.

“Defense. I can't express in words how sacred this is to the city and the fans. That hard-hitting defense on the field in a way reflects a lot of folks in the region who grew up taking a few punches in the mouth.”

Ted Karabinos, tending bar yesterday at Cupka's, calls it “that grinding, tough-guy deal” and emphasized that it's not for everybody.

“If you're a 'me-me-me' guy, you're done,” Karabinos said. “Look at Plaxico Burress (the former Steelers receiver recently suspended by the New York Giants after he accidentally shot himself.) He's a good player, but he doesn't fit the profile.”

If it has become a cliché that character counts, Steelers fans still see this as an effective business plan.

“We might not be the best team. I don't claim that,” Terry O'Neill said. “But we know how to win. You don't see any showboats on this team. You don't see any of those Cincinnati jackasses. We know how to win and how to be decent human beings.

“We've got five rings. We're working on six, and we might get it this year.”

Heart failure may have chastened O'Neill, but it did not change him.

“It's my hope that San Diego has the good time with its team that we've had with ours,” he said. “But not at our expense.”

Roethlisberger Takes Risks as Rushing Fades

By JUDY BATTISTA
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com
January 11, 2009

PITTSBURGH — Perhaps Ben Roethlisberger’s breezy announcement last week that his helmet gave him a headache after his first postconcussion practice would have been met with more alarm if such offbeat medical updates were not such a routine part of his career.


Karl Walker/Getty Images

Ben Roethlisberger (7) was injured after being hit by the Browns’ Willie McGinest in the season finale Dec. 28 and was removed from the field on a stretcher.

From shoulders (sore or perhaps separated earlier this season) to toes (broken or maybe not in 2005), Roethlisberger’s skeleton has sometimes made more news than his statistics, to the occasional dismay of his coaches and the consternation of a small clutch of online fans who wonder if he is exaggerating his ailments. But when Roethlisberger was taken from the field on a stretcher in the regular-season finale two weeks ago, his head immobilized, the truth was right there for everyone to see: Roethlisberger has taken a beating this season, just as the passing game has become more valuable to the Steelers than ever before.

The Steelers reached Sunday’s American Football Conference divisional playoff game here against the San Diego Chargers the old-fashioned way: with their defense. It is so dominating that the Steelers (12-4) triumphed over the N.F.L.’s toughest schedule this season despite Roethlisberger’s being turned into a human piñata. He was sacked 46 times, the third season in a row he has been sacked at least that often.

Not surprisingly, he has fumbled 14 times — the most in the N.F.L. Roethlisberger is partly to blame for the battering because he holds the ball a long time, giving pass rushers those few extra seconds to shed blockers and make their way into the backfield. In this case, the Steelers must hope that past is not prologue: when Roethlisberger sustained a concussion in 2006, he started the next week against the Oakland Raiders. He threw four interceptions and was sacked five times.

“You have to be careful because you can’t play with that tentativeness where you are scared to do anything because you don’t want to make a mistake,” Roethlisberger said last week. “It’s a fine line I walk every time I go out and play.”

At 6 feet 5 inches and 241 pounds, Roethlisberger is better able to withstand blows than the stringy sorts, but he has sometimes seemed less nimble when he scrambles out of the pocket — a hallmark of his playing style — than he was earlier in his career. He is far from fragile, though. Even as he has absorbed the sack barrage in the last three seasons, he has missed only two starts — and one of them came after an appendectomy less than a week before the 2006 season opener.

Although Roethlisberger said he passed a battery of concussion tests, and he and Steelers coaches said he was fine in practice all week, experts in brain trauma say that each concussion a person sustains — this was at least Roethlisberger’s third in two and a half years — makes him susceptible to more. For a quarterback who is hit as often as Roethlisberger is, more injuries of all kinds seem inevitable. It is a Faustian bargain Roethlisberger and the Steelers are willing to make for now.

“I think that’s part of the job,” the offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said. “The job description is you’re going to get hit back there some. Hopefully not to the head. He’s a scrambler; he’s a riverboat gambler. You’re never going to take that away from him; that’s what makes him great. With that come more hits than a normal quarterback is going to take. He’ll take more hits than Peyton Manning because Peyton will just throw it away. He’ll go out and make a play. Sometimes, you get sacked on that. But there’s a lot of big plays on film from that, also.”

The Steelers have needed each of those big plays this season. Counter to a burnished team image that dovetails nicely with the gritty, honest-day’s-work reputation of their hometown, the Steelers became increasingly one-dimensional this season, the passing game given pre-eminence as the running game, especially the power run, struggled.

The franchise that gave the N.F.L. Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier will never be called a finesse team. But with the lead back, Willie Parker, missing five games with a knee injury, the rookie Rashard Mendenhall lost for the season with a shoulder fracture after only four games and the offensive line losing two starters to injury (and guard Alan Faneca to the Jets in the off-season), rushes accounted for only 45.3 percent of the Steelers’ offensive plays this season. That ranked them 13th in the N.F.L., according to Stats LLC, and is down from 51.1 percent last season (ranked third) and 57.2 percent (first) in 2005, their most recent Super Bowl championship season.


Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Willie Parker, eluding the Ravens’ Ray Lewis, said he would not respect the Steelers’ running game if he played on defense.


Since 1992, the former coach Bill Cowher’s first year, the Steelers have been in the top five of rushing attempts for all but four seasons: 1998 (8th), 2003 (tied for 16th), 2006 (tied for 14th) and 2008 (9th). The Steelers were .500 or below in three of those seasons. The exception is 2008. And this year, the Steelers averaged just 105.6 yards rushing, the lowest average of any previous playoff team in Steelers history.

That has led to a minor flurry of complaining about play calling. Parker expressed dissatisfaction last month with the style of runs being called — he and much of the maligned offensive line want more classic I-formation with a fullback, which had success in the finale against the Cleveland Browns.

Coach Mike Tomlin pointedly noted that Parker, known as Fast Willie, was not complaining last season when he led the league in rushing until being injured in the Steelers’ next-to-last game. The Steelers do most of their running without a fullback, and when they played the Chargers this season, they ran largely out of the spread formation. Parker had 115 yards in that game.

“If I was on the defensive side of the ball, I wouldn’t respect the running game because we haven’t been that successful this year,” Parker said. “We’ve never been viewed as one-dimensional — we have, but it was a running team. If you look at it now, we’re not a running team no more. Are we a passing team? You could say we’re a passing team.”

That creates a vicious cycle for Roethlisberger: a defense that is unafraid of the running game can rush the quarterback with abandon, and the lack of a significant running threat means the play-action fake, the bedrock of nearly every productive passing attack, is not effective. The fallout: the teams that gave the Steelers trouble this season had outstanding pass rushes. The Eagles sacked Roethlisberger eight times, the Giants and the Tennessee Titans five each. Even Indianapolis, not exactly a defensive powerhouse, got Roethlisberger twice. Those are the four teams the Steelers lost to in the regular season.

When the Steelers and the Chargers played in November (the Steelers won, 11-10), Roethlisberger was sacked four times. The Steelers’ offense dominated, anyway, but they did not score touchdowns.

The Chargers have turned up their pressure since that game under the defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, who took over midway through the season. San Diego forced Manning out of his comfort zone in the wild-card game last weekend. To keep Roethlisberger upright — for this game, this postseason and his career — the Steelers know they must at least try to establish their traditional playoff look: 3 yards and a cloud of snow.

“For us to be known as a physical team, it’s hard to be a physical team when you’re passing all the time,” receiver Hines Ward said. “We can’t be 40-20 pass-to-run ratio.”

The answer for the Steelers may be standing next to Roethlisberger on the field Sunday after all. Bettis is taking part in the coin toss.

Cowher Keeps His Options Open

January 11, 2009
TV SPORTS


Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Bill Cowher coached the Steelers for 15 seasons and led them to victory in Super Bowl XL.

By RICHARD SANDOMIR

The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/

Bill Cowher knows where his coaching itch is. He can find it whenever he wants but chooses not to scratch it or let others seek it out. The Jets and the Browns know that.

“It’s there if I want it to be there,” Cowher, the former Pittsburgh Steelers coach, said late last week from his home in Raleigh, N.C. “Don’t get me wrong; I miss the live elements of coaching. And who’s to say that at some point I won’t go back?”

He is willing to take calls from suitors, but he does it more for his future than for those seeking his services. “Who knows?” he said. “If not this time, next time, if they come and ask again.”

For the past two seasons, Cowher, 51, has been a studio analyst for CBS’s “The NFL Today,” an eager observer of his daughters’ lives and basketball games, and a racquetball player and a golfer. “And my wife and I have a 14-month-old yellow Lab,” he said.

His once-a-week piano lessons are preparation toward fulfilling a distant goal, one he will reach only if he resumes practicing regularly.

“I’ve always wanted to walk into a hotel, sit at a piano and play ‘Piano Man,’ ” he said. Why? “I saw Billy Joel when I was in college at N.C. State, and it always seemed like a good song.”

He may follow up with “Hey Jude” if you put a five-spot in his cup. “The way I’m playing now,” he said, “there’d be no money in the cup.”

Like some former coaches who take television jobs — Bill Parcells and Jimmy Johnson come to mind — Cowher knows that his weekly presence ignites speculation about his future with every firing of a coach.

“By sitting and talking about it, I bring a lot of it on myself,” he said. “I don’t want to say I’m retired and will never come back.”

For now, weekdays in Raleigh and weekends in New York are enough for him.

His youngest daughter, Lindsay, is in high school in Raleigh; his middle daughter, Lauren, is at Princeton; and his eldest, Meagan, is teaching in Manhattan.

“I look forward to having dinner with her Saturday nights in New York,” he said.

All three daughters play basketball (Lauren and Meagan were Princeton teammates), following the lineage of their mother, the former Kaye Young, who played in college and professionally.

“I’ve probably watched more basketball games than anything,” he said. “I’ve coached them on mind-set, not technique. I tell them I like to walk into a gym in the third quarter and not be able to tell by their expressions if they’ve made or missed their last 12 shots.”

Cowher doesn’t teach his brand of saliva-fueled sideline emotion. “My middle one was a lot like me, not good at hiding her emotions,” he said. “The younger one is getting better.”

Very little of Cowher’s sideline personality is in evidence at CBS. He is not in charge (try telling Shannon Sharpe what to do), smiles a lot and contributes his insights.

“He’s fit in because he reads people and reads situations very well,” said James Brown, the host of “The NFL Today” and former host of “Fox NFL Sunday.”

He said that when he watches Cowher debate Sharpe, Boomer Esiason or Dan Marino: “You can see that protruding jaw. He purses his lips, he furrows his eyebrows and makes his point. It’s him saying, ‘Coaches coach and players play.’ ”

Brown recalled Cowher’s response this season when Sharpe said the N.F.L. should have made players aware that a diuretic not listed as an ingredient in a weight-loss supplement was a banned substance. Five players suspended for violating the league’s drug policy were subsequently cleared to play by a federal judge.

“Bill had a letter that he read to players at the start of each season that says no weight-loss pill, no diuretic is to be taken because you’re responsible for what you put in your body,” he said. “His message was: what part of that don’t you understand?”

Cowher says that his shift to network TV has been eased by the caliber of those he works with. But he is still adjusting to speculating about teams and coaches — “the sensationalizing every week.”

He added: “I think, ‘Let’s not overreact this week.’ But it’s our job.”

And it will be his for at least another season. (At least for now.)
As for Eric Mangini, the former Jets coach who got the Browns’ job, Cowher said he was not surprised.

“It’s hard to say he’s not qualified,” he said. “He had a winning record two of his three years. But it all depends on what you’re looking for. Every owner has the right to do what’s best for his organization. Just because the dynamics don’t work in one place doesn’t mean they won’t work elsewhere.”

E-mail: sportsbiz@nytimes.com

Polamalu, Harrison named All-Pro

By staff and wire reports
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Saturday, January 10, 2009


Steeler's outside linebacker James Harrison was named an AP All-Pro.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review

The No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL was rewarded Friday when two Steelers players were named to The Associated Press All-Pro team.

Safety Troy Polamalu was named for the second time to the All-Pro team, and outside linebacker James Harrison was picked for the first time. Balloting was conducted by a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NFL.

Polamalu led the Steelers with six interceptions; he also had 73 tackles and a fumble recovery. The other safety was Baltimore's Ed Reed, the only player unanimously picked for the All-Pro team. Polamalu received 46 votes.

Harrison and Dallas' DeMarcus Ware were chosen at the outside linebacker spot. Harrison had 38 votes to Ware's 45.

Harrison set a franchise record with 16 sacks. He also was second on the team with 93 tackles.

Baltimore's Ray Lewis (39 votes) and Carolina's Jon Beason (18) were first-team selections at inside linebacker. Making the second-team All-Pro list was Steelers linebacker James Farrior, with 12 votes.

Among other Steelers players, Aaron Smith received two votes at defensive end, Casey Hampton received two votes at defensive tackle, and LaMarr Woodley had one vote at outside linebacker. Harrison also received one vote at inside linebacker.

Harrison was among 15 first-timers to make the team.

While standbys such as three-time NFL Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning and Lewis, a six-time All-Pro selection, made the squad, 10 of the 14 offensive players and five of the 13 on defense had never been All-Pros. One of those was Baltimore fullback Le'Ron McClain, who joined Lewis and Reed on the squad.

Reed, who led the league with nine interceptions, was the easiest choice.

"He has a tremendous feel for the game," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Reed, who made his third All-Pro squad. "Very, very intelligent player, studies it as well or better than anybody. And he's a highly disciplined player. He plays his position as well as anybody I've ever seen."

Reed certainly did that this year with nine interceptions, and he had two, including one returned for a touchdown, in a wild-card playoff win over Miami last weekend.

Reed was joined in the secondary by Polamalu and two of the newcomers: cornerbacks Cortland Finnegan of Tennessee and Nnamdi Asomugha of Oakland.


Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was named an AP All-Pro.
Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review

"Wow. I don't know if you can put that into words," said Finnegan, a seventh-round draft pick in 2006. "That's a goal guys want to obtain in their years of playing football. That's the best of the best. That's humbling to ever think you could be voted on for that. I didn't look at that as a goal this year."

Asomugha becomes a free agent after the season and will be able to write All-Pro on his resume.

"The timing is good," he said. "I think it's always good to have certain things in your back pocket as far as leverage and negotiating."

Other first-timers on defense were Harrison, the AP Defensive Player of the Year; end Justin Tuck of the New York Giants; and inside linebacker Jon Beason of Carolina.

"To get the whole swath in one year, that's great," Harrison said.

The slew of new All-Pros on offense included running backs Michael Turner of Atlanta and Adrian Peterson of Minnesota; wideouts Larry Fitzgerald of Arizona and Andre Johnson of Houston; tackles Michael Roos of Tennessee and Jordan Gross of Carolina; guard Chris Snee of the Giants; placekicker Stephen Gostkowski of New England; and kick returner Leon Washington of the New York Jets.

"When you think about the Pro Bowl, it's the coaches, players and fans voting and recognizing you to represent your conference," said Washington, who averaged 25.6 yards per kickoff runback, with one touchdown, and 10.4 on punt returns. "But with the AP All-Pro team, you're representing the whole league, that's a pretty sweet deal."

Also getting a sweet deal were six repeaters from last year's team: Reed, Ware; defensive tackles Albert Haynesworth of Tennessee and Kevin Williams of Minnesota; defensive end Jared Allen of Minnesota, who was with the Chiefs in 2007; and Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson.

Manning made it for the fourth time, one behind John Unitas, who was the first-team All-Pro quarterback for the Baltimore Colts in 1958, '59, '64, '65 and '67. Manning also made it in 2003-05.

Kansas City tight end Tony Gonzalez made his fifth All-Pro team. Gonzalez ended his 12th season owning the triple crown of NFL career tight end records: receptions (916), yards receiving (10,940) and TDs (76).

"I wanted to show everybody that I could still play at a high level, that I could still be a leader," said Gonzalez, who certainly did that with 96 catches for 1,058 yards and 10 TDs for a 2-14 team.

Titans center Kevin Mawae was chosen for the third time. Punter Shane Lechler of Oakland made his fourth team.

"It's a very big honor because it combines both AFC and NFC," said Snee, one of the anchors on the NFL's most impressive offensive lines. "There is so much talent at every position, but speaking of guards there is a lot of talent out there. I'm honored."

In all, 16 AFC players and 11 from the NFC were honored this season. The Titans and Vikings led with four players each and Baltimore had three.

For playoff Steelers, there's no better time for Miller Time

Saturday, January 10, 2009
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/


Heath Miller is tackled by New England Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather (31) and cornerback Lewis Sanders in the third quarter of their NFL football game in Foxborough, Massachusetts November 30, 2008.(Reuters)

Seems like everybody has the answer for what's wrong with the Steelers' offense: Put a fullback in the backfield and let Fast Willie Parker run behind him.

Simple, right?

I'm here to tell you there's a better solution: Throw the ball more to tight end Heath Miller. At least keep him on the field every play so the defense has to worry about Ben Roethlisberger throwing to him.

One of the most puzzling things about the offense this season has been the silly decision to take Miller out and use a four-wide receiver formation on some third-and-4 and third-and-5 plays. Only Hines Ward is a more dependable third-down receiver than Miller -- and even that's a toss-up call.
Here's another way to look at it: Would you rather Big Ben throw to Limas Sweed or Miller?

I thought so.

So what gives, Bruce Arians?

"Well, there are times when a fourth wide receiver is a better matchup against a fourth cornerback," the brains behind the offense said the other day. "It also gives you a little more speed down the field."

On third-and-15, maybe.

Not on third-and-5.

Not ever.

"Well, we need to get Limas Sweed on the field," Arians said. "He's got to play to grow as a player."

Not now.

Not with the San Diego Chargers in town tomorrow for an AFC playoff game.

Not with so much at stake.

It wouldn't be the least bit surprising if Miller, given the chance and the pig, is the difference against the Chargers. "If you put the ball close to him, he'll catch it," said Steelers Pro Bowl linebacker James Farrior, who knows a great tight end when he sees one. "Then, he's going to run over the first guy who tries to tackle him."

That's the way it worked when the Steelers last played January football. You might remember Miller had a career night with eight catches for 85 yards and a touchdown in the 31-29 playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. Four of those catches and the touchdown came during three second-half scoring drives that gave the Steelers a 29-28 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

That's what Miller is capable of doing in a big game.

Just call it Miller Time.

Seems to me it would be awfully tempting to throw him the ball 15 times Sunday.

"Fifteen? I wouldn't bet on that," Miller said, sheepishly, which is how he says just about everything when the topic of conversation is him.

OK, 15 might be out of the question, but it is encouraging that Arians seems to have started using Miller as significantly more than just a terrific blocker. After missing two games at midseason with an ankle injury -- including the odd 11-10 Heinz Field win Nov. 16 against the Chargers -- Miller averaged 4 1/2 catches a game in the next six games. In the most recent game against Cleveland, he had five catches for 55 yards. The game before that at Tennessee, he had eight catches for 69 yards.

"It all depends on what the defense gives you," Miller said. "They were playing a lot of soft coverage in those games, and the underneath stuff was there. But against certain defenses, the better matchups are on the outside. I have confidence that those guys are going to make the plays, too.

"All that matters to me is we play well as a team and have success and win. I don't care how many catches I have. I never have."

That's Miller.

The ultimate team man.

Hey, there are worse things to be called.

Still, it's a crying shame Miller doesn't get more national recognition as one of the game's great players. He just might do his job better than the any of the other Steelers does his. Certainly, he's every bit the player that Chargers' brilliant tight end Antonio Gates is. Gates, a Pro Bowler for the fifth consecutive season, just happens to play in an offense that puts more emphasis on his pass-catching skills than his blocking.

Who knows? Maybe the perception will change tomorrow.

All week, the Steelers talked about finishing in the red zone. In that 11-10 game, they had three possessions inside the Chargers' 4 and came away with just two field goals. It's no coincidence Miller was out with his injury. Betcha didn't know the Steelers are 14-5 when Miller catches a touchdown pass. Roethlisberger would be smart to look for him this time. Arians would be smart to make sure he's in the game at all times.

"Heath gets my vote as best tight end in the league," Farrior said.

Mine, too.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
First published on January 10, 2009 at 12:00 am

L.T. vs. Troy true only in the ads

By Chris Jenkins
San Diego Union-Tribune
http://www.signonsandiego.com/
Friday, January 9, 2009


Troy Polamalu runs away from San Diego Chargers center Nick Hardwick after he intercepted a pass by Philip Rivers in the first half of the NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 16, 2008. The Steelers won 11-10.(AP)

PITTSBURGH – It played like a classic drama, a modern-day version of Troy-vs.-Sparta, including a real Troy from Troy. In the clash of titans, Troy Polamalu did a full-speed head-on collision with LaDainian Tomlinson, the kind of confrontation that people really do pay large dollars to see.

Of course, it was just a commercial. Advertising 201. A creative sales pitch for shoes. Something they got paid large dollars to do.

Truth be told, the two titans didn't really clash, didn't even run into each other. To create the optical illusion, they were told to repeatedly run past each other, leaving the real deal to stunt doubles.

“It was crazy,” said Polamalu Friday amid the reality of the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room. “After the two of us ran by each other, ran by each other, they said, 'OK, let's go live.' We were like, 'Oh yeah, we want to watch this.' So the two stunt guys hit each other 10, 15 times. We were like, 'This is getting old,' so we just left. They were still killing each other when we left.”

Looks like Polamalu and Tomlinson may miss each other again, may have to wait longer for an on-field version of the commercial. They've yet to really collide one-on-one in NFL games against each other and Tomlinson is not going to play tomorrow when the Chargers and Steelers meet in an AFC divisional playoff game at Heinz Field.

“I won on the commercial,” said Polamalu. “In real life, he would have won, definitely. He's the best. LT is maybe the greatest running back to have played the game.”

Polamalu's name automatically comes up when people start throwing around similar accolades about NFL safeties and debates about who's the best, and the Chargers may play against the only three on the short list in three weeks time.

Last week it was Bob Sanders, the Indianapolis Colts safety who was last year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Next week, if the Chargers beat the Steelers and Baltimore beats Tennessee, the Ravens will field turnover-eating safety Ed Reed, who won the league award in 2004 and was third in the 2008 voting.

The recipient of the 2008 honor was Steelers linebacker James Harrison, who immediately said he thought it should have gone to Polamalu, who finished fifth with a couple first-place votes. If the Chargers were allowed a team vote based on their personal experience, they might've agreed with Harrison.

Polamalu simply gave the Chargers fits in the Nov. 16 game, won by the Steelers 11-10. The score that would have been 17-10 if referees hadn't incorrectly disallowed a fumble return for TD by Polamalu on the game's wild last play.

“The game was over, so it doesn't really matter,” said Polamalu with a wry grin. “No controversy here. Some other locker room, but not here.”

The Chargers had their own gripe, one also involving Polamalu, credited with an interception of a ball just a blade of grass off the turf. Whether the ball actually touched the grass – and officials ruled it didn't after seeing the replay – Polamalu did well just to get a single hand under the ball.

“That was pretty special,” he said, this time unable to suppress the tongue in his cheek. “I used to do that all the time as a kid. My high school film is filled with that.”

USC is where Polamalu first established his reputation as a hard-hitting safety. He was with the Trojans when first encoutering Darren Sproles, then at Kansas State and now essentially taking the place of the injured Tomlinson for San Diego.

“He juked me,” said Polamalu.

It was almost kismet when Polamalu, while a Southern California native, was drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round in 2003. Primarily a special-teams guy his rookie year, Polamalu's fortune grew as long as his outsized hair with the return of defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau for a second stint with the Steelers staff.

LeBeau, though 71 years old, gets after it. He's credited with the introduction of the “zone blitz” that Pittsburgh's top-rated defense works to terrifying near-perfection, not just a little of that owing to Polamalu, who's made the Pro Bowl ever since LeBeau's arrival.

“He's fun,” said LeBeau. “He can do anything. He can blitz. He can intercept. He can play at a linebacker depth or he can play 30 yards down the field. There's no parameters on him. He's a lot of fun for a defensive coordinator.”

LeBeau was quite a defensive back in his own playing days, still holding the NFL record for cornerbacks with 171 consecutive games played. He retired with 62 interceptions.

Polamalu has seven interceptions this season – nearly equaling his total (10) for his first five seasons – but you can't put a number on the kind of havoc he creates or the amount of attention he demands of quarterbacks and all offensive players. He's also served notice that the Chargers are playing a different kind of game now.

“We're not an Indianapolis style defense where we're going to give up a certain amount of yardage and be satisfied giving up three points,” said Polamalu. “Our style of defense is to try to choke out offenses, not even give them checkdowns, screens and all those type of things. That's more the personality of our defense.”

And it comes with lots of hair on it.

Therrien's not the Penguins' problem

By Joe Starkey, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Wednesday, January 7, 2009


Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby watch the final seconds of a 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in front of Penguins coach Michel Therrien during a game in Pittsburgh Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009.


It wasn't long ago that Michel Therrien seemed a lock to become the longest-tenured coach in Penguins history.

All he had to do was make it to game 62 to surpass Ed Johnston's mark of 276 consecutive games behind the Penguins' bench.

Now, who knows?

You lose at home to Tampa Bay, Toronto and Florida by a combined score of 15-4 and fall out of playoff position at midseason, a year after going to the Stanley Cup final, and you better start wearing a flame-retardant suit to work.

This is especially true in the NHL, where coaches drop like pucks.

Questions about Therrien's job security have arisen for good reason and won't go away just because the Penguins beat the sad-sack Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday.

Just know this: The team's problems are more about player performance and player personnel than coaching.

Therrien's not blameless, mind you.

But he shouldn't be made the scapegoat.

Therrien didn't sign Miroslav Satan and Mark Eaton to contracts totaling $5.5 million this season. General manager Ray Shero did.

Therrien doesn't have one of the worst save percentages in the NHL. Marc-Andre Fleury, the team's $35 million goaltender, does.

Therrien didn't knock Sergei Gonchar out of the lineup for six months. David Koci did.

Those factors and plenty more have contributed to the Penguins' slide.

Marian Hossa's decision to bolt was a crushing blow. Ryan Malone's apparent unwillingness to take a discount to stay was another -- not that anyone could blame him for wanting to hit the jackpot.

Ryan Whitney's foot surgery, combined with Gonchar's injury, took away two elite offensive defensemen.

Remember, Whitney finished sixth among defensemen in scoring two years ago and had 40 points on an injured foot last season. Once he gets his own power play, he'll be a serious threat to lead all NHL defensemen in points.

Injuries to Tyler Kennedy, Mike Zigomanis, Hal Gill, Fleury and others were setbacks.

And then there is this astounding statistic: Star forwards Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby had gone 23 and 24 games, respectively, without a power-play goal going into last night's game before Crosby tipped a Malkin shot home against the NHL's worst penalty kill.

How is that possible?

Part of the problem has to be the way the players have been deployed, particularly keeping Malkin at the point for so long. Malkin asked to play the point in training camp. That doesn't mean he had to stay there when things began to sour.

Malkin should work the right half-boards, as he did when Crosby was injured last season. Crosby should play down low. Both need to score a power-play goal more than once per Troy Polamalu haircut, no matter where they are positioned.

Also curious was Therrien's decision to scratch defenseman Alex Goligoski the past two games. And Petr Sykora, who snapped the team's 0 for 33 power-play slide last night, needs to be a regular on the top power play.

But even if the coaching hasn't been perfect, better coaching is not what's needed most.

The Penguins need better players. Whitney rounding into form, and Gonchar's return would help to satisfy that need. A winger for Crosby is an absolute must.

In the meantime, the people on hand need to play to their talent level.

One could argue it's the coach's job to make that happen.

I think it's more about the player.

The likes of Maxime Talbot, Jordan Staal and Fleury — who was very good last night — all need to perform consistently better. And if Satan doesn't register a pulse sometime soon, maybe it's time to send a message and cut ties with him.

Despite some obvious deficiencies, this team is good enough to win way more than it loses.

These players are good enough to win.

This coach, for sure, is good enough to win.

Nightmare: The Chargers have karma factor, too

Wednesday, January 07, 2009
By Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

Hines Wards collides with the Chargers' Quentin Jammer in the teams' last clash in November -- a contest that ranked as one of the Steelers' most frustrating on offense this season.


For only the past 39 years, or since the 1970 merger of the NFL with the old AFL, there has been no more difficult place in America for an NFL team to play a road game than Pittsburgh, which is a historical fact asterisked by this footnote:

• Unless the road team is the San Diego Chargers, and the month is January.

Welcome then, to this week's sprung-to-life nightmare, in which Steelers fans around the globe share the vague sense that they're awaiting still another pre-destined kick in the asterisk.

Sure the Steelers are 216-83-1 in this town through two stadiums, three coaches and five Super Bowl championships, and sure 13 of those 216 regular-season wins came against San Diego, but the Bolts of January come hard and come deadly.

Perhaps you'll remember Jan. 9, 1983 -- Chargers 31, Steelers 28, and if not, surely you'll recall Jan. 15, 1995, also known as Chargers 17, Steelers 13 (see also the Curious Case of Alfred Pupunu), in which the heavily favored Cowher-powered home club not only melted like a slush ball in the second half's 60-degree mist, but established the tradition of haunted AFC championship games at home. It was the first of five AFC title games in the city in the span of 11 years, with the Steelers winning exactly once, and that by the skin of the skin of the skin of their incisors.

Generally, the Steelers' audience needs no invitation to fret -- some are already obsessing about the draft, the 2010 draft -- but neither of the franchise's two prior playoff exits at the hands of San Diego can match for imminent pregame peril the Sunday appointment with the Norv Stars.

Does it mean anything that Chargers head coach Norv Turner, in discussing the Steelers with NFL Network analyst Jim (playoffs?) Mora the other day, identified the Pittsburgh quarterback as "Rossinsberger?"

Probably not, but it could indicate that nationally, Big Ben's name isn't on the tip of too many tongues after a season in which he threw only half the touchdown passes of Chargers swashbuckler Philip Rivers, who broke Dan Fouts' franchise record with 34 and who, Mike Tomlin mentioned at his weekly press watering yesterday, "makes great decisions."

None of those were evident here Nov. 16, when these teams played one of the weirdest football games ever witnessed, with the Steelers winning in the final 16 seconds by the unprecedented score of 11-10. What next, 6-4, 5-2?

In that one, LaDainian Tomlinson was held to 57 yards on 18 uneventful carries, failing to gain 100 ground yards just as he has every time the Steelers turn up across the line from him. The bad news is, Tomlinson likely won't play Sunday, and instead the Steelers will contend with Darren Sproles, the pocketful of dynamite who gained -- what was it? -- 799 all-purpose yards against Indianapolis over the weekend, the final 22 of them on the final play of overtime to send Peyton Manning home for a winter of polishing that MVP trophy.

The real number on Sproles was 328 total yards, including rushing, receiving, returning punts, returning kickoffs, and skewering a million Midwestern hearts. At 5 feet 6, 180 pounds, Sproles is, as Tomlin suggested, "not small; he just happens to be short. He's very powerful." Sproles is likely most lethal on screens.

"They've really sharpened their screen game," Tomlin said. "It's second to none. They've hurt people and hurt people badly with screens since we've seen them."

Tomlin refused to cite any other significant differences between these Chargers and November's, but even as Turner's team left Pittsburgh that day in some bewilderment, a tremendous surge of confidence and eventual competence soon ensued, particularly on offense. In their past five games, the Chargers have been averaging 34 points and appear to be taking seriously their unique station as the only team to make the postseason after losing eight of their first 12.

The destiny tag affixes itself to such teams, but San Diego's record was always a bit of a mirage after it lost the first two games by a total of three points. Of the Chargers' eight losses, two were by one point, one by two points, one by three, one by five, one by six, one by seven, and one by nine.

Despite that list, which would appear simply too long for postseason inclusion, the Steelers face, in both an historical and immediate sense, a very difficult obstacle between here and their first postseason victory since Super Bowl XL. Good thing they have Rossinsberger.

Gene Collier can be reached at gcollier@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1283.
First published on January 7, 2009 at 12:00 am

Self-Imposed Obstacles Don’t Stop Steelers’ Harrison

By SEAN D. HAMILL
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
January 6, 2009


Jeff Swensen for The New York Times

James Harrison, with his 1-year-old son, James Harrison III, "plays plays the game on edge," according to Pittsburgh Coach Mike Tomlin.

PITTSBURGH — For the two years that James Harrison has started at right outside linebacker for the Steelers, here are the vital statistics: 24 ½ sacks, 199 tackles, 14 forced fumbles (the most in the league in that period). He has also been named to the Pro Bowl twice, won two team Most Valuable Player awards, finished in a tie for fourth place in leaguewide M.V.P. voting and, on Monday, received recognition as the N.F.L. defensive player of the year.

In a professional sport in which the star status of players like quarterback Peyton Manning and running back Reggie Bush seems to have been designated from the time they were in high school, the 30-year-old Harrison has made a stunning rise to prominence as the snarling heart of the N.F.L.’s best defense.

It is not just that he played at a smaller-profile college, Kent State; or that he was an undrafted free agent; or that he was cut three times by two teams; or that he spent one miserable winter playing in Germany before he started an up-from-nowhere climb five seasons ago to earn a roster spot with the Steelers.

There were barriers — some of them of his own creation, including a couple of brushes with the law — that could have derailed his career at any point, beginning with youth football while growing up in Akron, Ohio, as the youngest of 14 children in a blended family.

Those who have helped him along the way say it is Harrison’s ability to learn life’s hard lessons, and to change as a result, that has made the difference.

“Before, he’d do things his own way,” said Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter, who helped Harrison when they were with the Steelers. “But after he’d been cut a couple times, and after he came back from N.F.L. Europe, he changed. He said, ‘I’ll do everything you ask of me.’ He did that and more. He finally got it.”

Harrison’s intense, no-nonsense personality is the same on and off the field, except when he is playing with his 1-year-old son, James Harrison III.

Harrison conceded Porter’s point.

“I had a little maturing to do,” he said in a recent interview. “When I first came to the Steelers, I wouldn’t say I was uncoachable. But if I had an opinion, I wasn’t afraid to say it. And maybe the first few times, maybe I just cut myself the way I dealt with certain situations.”

Opposing coaches, Pro Bowl left tackles, star running backs and even a wayward Cleveland Browns fan have all wondered what happened after facing Harrison.

“He’s not a guy where you’re going to say, ‘This is what I can do to beat him,’ because he’s good at everything,” said Joe Thomas, the Cleveland Browns’ 6-foot-6, 305-pound Pro Bowl left tackle. Thomas has played against the 6-foot, 242-pound Harrison three times the past two years.

“He’s the type of guy who can bull rush you right over, or he can slip right around you before you even know it,” Thomas said. “Also, he’s got a nonstop motor. He just plays hard every play, to the whistle the whole game.”

Harrison, a Browns fan until the former version of the franchise moved to Baltimore, is infamous in Cleveland for what has become known as the Slam. During a game in 2005, a drunken Browns fan ran onto the field and meandered toward the Steelers’ bench before Harrison lifted him off the ground like a bag of groceries, slammed him down and held him for security.

“He was getting closer to our sideline, and I didn’t know what he was going to do and I wasn’t going to wait to find out,” Harrison said.


Elsa/Getty Images
James Harrison had a career-high 16 sacks this season, a new team record.

Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, who was coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ secondary at the time, said the incident made him think, “That’s a guy that kind of plays the game on edge.”

Tomlin added: “As a coach, you like guys like that. It was a snapshot of what he was capable of that stands out in my mind.”

The three games that Harrison started that season in place of linebacker Clark Haggans offered a hint of what was to come.

Dick LeBeau, the Steelers’ longtime defensive coordinator, said: “I kind of thought we were on the right track when one of the head coaches came up to me after a game that year and said: ‘Where did you get that No. 92? Because we saw he would be playing, and we kind of built our attack around him and he killed us.’ ”

And to think Harrison’s mother did not want him to play football.

“I didn’t want my son getting hurt running around on that field,” said Mildred Harrison, whose tell-it-like-it-is personality mirrors James’s. “And I didn’t want him wasting his time hoping for a pro career. As everyone tells me now, I was wrong.”

She might have won the argument if it was not for James’s lifelong best friend, David Walker, who lived across the street.

“I had to go and help convince his mom to let him sign up,” said Walker, 30, an engineer by training who now sells automation systems and who played defensive back at Ohio University. “We went together and begged her.”

Youth football provided the first of several lessons for Harrison.

“The thing was, if I didn’t go to practice, the coaches were ready to cut him,” his father, James Harrison Sr., said. He said he eventually learned that his son did not play hard when he was not there to watch. “So I tried to make all the practices.”

It was during those early practices, Harrison said, that his father gave him the ethos with which he still plays: “He told me when I started playing pee-wee ball, ‘I don’t care if you’re in a game or in practice — when you’re inside them lines, you play everybody as if they’re playing against you, hit everybody as if they’re talking about your momma.’ ”

Then, in his senior year in 1998 at Coventry High School in the Akron area, he was charged with assault and later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge for shooting a BB gun in the locker room. It was an incident that he and others said was blown out of proportion, but it cost him the interest of major colleges like Ohio State, Notre Dame and Nebraska.

He ended up at nearby Kent State, with his parents paying his way for a year. They almost pulled him out as he struggled to lift his grades and become eligible for the scholarship that awaited him.

Walker said losing the interest of big programs and ending up at Kent State still affected Harrison.

“He made some changes after that,” Walker said. “James is the type of person who will say: ‘I will prove you wrong. I deserve to be here.’ ”

Harrison first joined the Steelers as a free agent in 2002, when his agent at the time persuaded the team to take him in a package deal with a cornerback he also represented. He showed up late to rookie camp, then made it clear he thought he knew it all, even when he made mistakes.

“He liked football,” said his first linebacker coach with the Steelers, Mike Archer, who is now the defensive coordinator at North Carolina State. “But he did not like, in my opinion, the structure of football.”

Even recently, Harrison has stumbled. In March, he was charged with assault after an incident with the mother of his son. The charges were dropped after Harrison accepted responsibility for the incident and took anger-management courses.

Harrison has come to appreciate football’s order. He has blossomed within it partly because he has retained the lessons learned and the perceived slights.

“Because of what he has gone through, I think he plays with a chip on his shoulder,” said the former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who cut Harrison twice before finally adding him to the roster in 2004.

“It’s just a great story. And it’s a testament to James. He’s the one who traveled this road.”

Harrison named AP Defensive Player of Year

By Scott Brown, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Tuesday, January 6, 2009


Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison goes through reps at practice Monday on the South Side.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review

Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison joined elite company in the team's annals Monday when he was named The Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year.

Harrison, the most disruptive player on the best defense in the NFL, is the fifth Steelers player to win the award since its inception in 1971.

Three of the past winners — defensive tackle Joe Greene, linebacker Jack Lambert and cornerback Mel Blount — are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The other recipient, cornerback Rod Woodson, is almost certain to get voted into the Hall in February.

That Harrison has a place among Steelers immortals would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago.

The 6-foot, 242-pounder was cut three times by the Steelers before sticking with the team.

Since becoming the starter at right outside linebacker in 2007, he has made consecutive Pro Bowls and won the Steelers' MVP award two years in a row.
This season, he set a Steelers' record with 16 sacks and finished fourth in the NFL in that category. Harrison led the NFL with seven forced fumbles, led the Steelers with 34 quarterback pressures and finished third on the team with a career-high 100 tackles.

Harrison received 22 votes out of a possible 50. Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware, who led the NFL with 20 sacks, garnered 13 votes. Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed, who had an NFL-best nine interceptions, received eight votes.

Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu had two votes.

"It is a tremendous honor to get it," said Harrison, who made the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Kent State. "I felt like I had a chance of getting it."

His teammates were not surprised he won the award, and defensive end Aaron Smith said Harrison's impact went well beyond the gaudy numbers he compiled.

"Sometimes (opposing teams) had to account two people for him," Smith said. "You get a lot of one-on-one blocks or even come free because they worry about him so much."

All of the extra attention Harrison commanded did not stop him from dominating opposing offenses.

In an 11-10 win over San Diego, which visits Heinz Field for an AFC divisional playoff game Sunday, Harrison almost single-handedly kept the Steelers in the contest.

He accounted for the Steelers' first two points with a sack in the Chargers' end zone. Harrison set up a Jeff Reed field goal before the first half ended with a 33-yard interception return.

"We have been in some tough situations during the year, and he has been the guy who has come up with the big play," defensive end Brett Keisel said. "You would think that teams would start to put three guys on him and things like that and they have tried, but it just hasn't worked."


Harrison affirms his value to Steelers

By John Harris, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Tuesday, January 6, 2009


This Nov. 30, 2008 file photo shows Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison (92) drawing a bead on New England Patriots running back Sammy Morris (34) as he takes the handoff from Matt Cassel (16) during first quarter action of their game in Foxborough. Harrison, the best player on the NFL's best defense, has won The Associated Press 2008 Defensive Player of the Year award, Monday Jan. 5, 2009.
(AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File)

Time to pay up, Steelers. James Harrison has more than paid his dues.

The NFL's newest defensive player of the year is a wedge-buster on kickoffs who also doubles as a two-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker.

How many Pro Bowl players willingly sacrifice their bodies on special teams? How about this one, and only this one?

I don't know what's more impressive: Harrison's franchise-record 16 sacks, his NFL-high seven forced fumbles, or his 12 special-teams tackles, good for third on the team.

"To sit here and tell you I could have been defensive MVP and I could have been a Pro Bowler two times in a row, I'd be lying to you," Harrison said Monday.

Harrison, who's in the next-to-last year of his contract, deserves a new, break-the-bank deal — the sooner, the better.

He also deserves a pat on the back from anyone who's ever played sports only to be told they weren't big enough, fast enough, tall enough or simply not good enough.

"It definitely motivates you, knowing I didn't get drafted and a lot of other athletes I played with got drafted and now they're not really doing that well or they're not in the league any more," said Willie Parker, Harrison's teammate and a two-time Pro Bowl running back who also entered the league as an undrafted free agent. "It's a tough game. Whatever you have in the back of your mind that pushes you each and every day, you've got to use it to your advantage."

Harrison's story has been told so often that it has become Western Pennsylvania folklore.

Harrison was undrafted coming out of Kent State despite leading the Mid-American Conference with 15 sacks his senior year. Somehow, Harrison finished third in the MAC's defensive player of the year balloting.


This Aug. 28, 2008 file photo shows Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison during preseason NFL football action against the Carolina Panthers in Pittsburgh.
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

Twenty-seven linebackers were taken in the 2002 draft, the Steelers' Larry Foote among them. None, it turns out, was better than Harrison, who possesses intangibles that were overlooked by 32 NFL teams that ignored him in the draft.

Being cut four times — including three times by the Steelers — should have made Harrison start looking for another line of work.

To his credit, Harrison persevered. Instead of getting mad, or even, he continued plugging away, excelling on special teams and patiently waiting for his chance to become one of the more feared players in pro football.

"My goal was just to make the team," Harrison said. "I felt like I could come in and contribute to this team and then be a decent starter. I've grown into something that's a little better than that right now.

"I guess since one person's done it, somebody else can do it."

From the unfortunate Cleveland Browns fan who was drunk and stupid enough to venture onto the field, only to have Harrison body slam him like a rag doll, to any opponent who's had the misfortune of encountering Harrison in close quarters, this ice pack's for you.

Harrison fifth Steelers player named defensive man of year

Tuesday, January 06, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

James Harrison, seen here celebrating after a successful interception, has carved a new model for outside linebackers in the NFL.


NFL scouts have a new model for outside linebackers to consider when they scrutinize prospects on the college level.

"Six-foot tall and 255 pounds," James Harrison proclaimed yesterday. "That is the new prototype outside linebacker."

Harrison's unique stature grew immeasurably yesterday when he won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in a vote conducted by The Associated Press. Four other Steelers have won it; three are in the Hall of Fame: Joe Greene (1972, 1974), Mel Blount (1975) and Jack Lambert (1976), and Rod Woodson (1993) should be elected on his first try Jan. 31.

Harrison finds himself in good company, although as a two-year starter at age 30, he says he does not belong with the rest.

"No, I do not because they did it for a long time at a high level," Harrison said. "I have done pretty well for the last two years. That doesn't compare to what they have done."

Nevertheless, Harrison has become an overnight sensation the past two seasons, the classic rags-to-riches story, a relative nobody who went from no job to two-time Pro Bowl player and voted the best in the league.

At the same time, his story is as unique as his size for his position. The previous Steelers winners of this award were high draft picks: Greene and Woodson each in the first round, Lambert in the second and Blount in the third. Harrison, who shares Lambert's alma mater of Kent State, was not drafted.

The Steelers signed him as a rookie free agent in 2002 and then cut him three times over the next two seasons, although he played briefly as a rookie. Baltimore also signed him and sent him to NFL Europe before cutting him.

Probably the only reason Harrison is here today, besides his persistence, was the broken hand starting left outside linebacker Clark Haggans sustained 10 days before the 2004 training camp opened. The Steelers needed another linebacker and dialed Harrison's number.

"If he doesn't break his hand, I am not here," Harrison said.

Harrison's demeanor was so menacing that even one of his former position coaches, Mike Archer, was quoted as saying he could not wait for him to be cut. Harrison matured and focused his menacing nature on opponents rather than his own coaches and teammates.

When Mike Tomlin came in as coach last year, the Steelers released another Pro Bowl linebacker, Joey Porter (who led the AFC with 17 1/2 sacks this season in Miami), to make room for Harrison to start on the right side. He led the Steelers his first year as a starter with 8 1/2 sacks, then set a team record this season with 16 sacks to go with seven forced fumbles -- one causing a key safety in an 11-10 victory against San Diego -- and an interception. His 34 quarterback pressures led No. 2 LaMarr Woodley by 14.

NFL scouts often quickly dismiss 6-footers as candidates for outside linebacker, especially in a 3-4 defense, because they are not tall enough. Harrison, though, uses his height combined with his strength and speed to his advantage.

"He automatically has a leverage advantage on guys," said Steelers offensive tackle Max Starks, who, at 6 feet 8, should know. "Then you add strength and speed to that, it's a deadly combination.

"He's either going to fake a guy out or he's going to just outmuscle him because of leverage. You get under a taller guy, you get under his shoulder pads and you just push him back."

Harrison earned 22 of 50 votes of a nationwide media panel compiled by the AP, nine more than Dallas linebacker DeMarcus Ware.

First published on January 6, 2009 at 12:00 am

Stumbling Penguins missing Gonchar

By Rob Rossi, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Monday, January 5, 2009


The Penguins have been without star Sergei Gonchar for most of this season.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review

Of all the popular theories as to why the Penguins have lost 10 of 15 games in regulation, including the past four, perhaps center Jordan Staal's assessment makes the most sense.

"We don't really know what's going on," Staal said Sunday after an optional practice at Mellon Arena. "That's definitely got to be one of the most frustrating parts, when you don't know how to fix it."

Maybe what separates these Penguins from the group that last season came within two wins of the Stanley Cup are still-weak ligaments in the left shoulder of a soft-spoken defenseman whose absence has created a leadership black hole that is threatening to swallow a young nucleus — not to mention this once-promising season.

"It's tough times right now," goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said. "Something's missing. I don't know what."

Privately, other players do know what — or who — is missing, but ...

"There is no timetable," veteran defenseman Sergei Gonchar said yesterday of his potential return from early-October surgery to correct a left shoulder separation. "We don't know how the ligaments in my shoulder are healing, and if I would (say) any time, I'd not be telling the truth.

"I'll see the doctor next week, and he'll check me out, and we'll take the next step forward. Until then, everything is going how it should. But it needs time."

Time, as Penguins captain Sidney Crosby has reminded of late, remains on the Penguins' side. Their game tonight at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers is only No. 40 on the season.

Of course, only eight teams will make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, and the Penguins, as of yesterday, weren't in that group.

Clearly, they miss Gonchar, who finished last season tops among NHL defensemen in goals (111) and second in points (431) since 2000.

He has not played this season. He was injured in the preseason opener. The Penguins are optimistic he will return in March, though he has yet to receive physicians' clearance to even shoot pucks.

No matter. His return could be just the power boost the Penguins need to secure a playoff berth and the chance to defend their Eastern Conference title.

With Gonchar, the Penguins finished no lower that sixth in each of the past three seasons on the power play, scoring a combined 265 goals on 1,336 changes for a 19.8-percent efficiency rate. Without him, the Penguins awoke yesterday rated 19th on the power play at 17.2 percent. They are 11 for 63 on this 5-10-0 stretch.

"Nobody in the world can run a power play like 'Sarge,' " right wing Petr Sykora said in October. "I've watched him for years. He's absolutely the best."

He is also the Penguins' "rock," defenseman Rob Scuderi said in October.

Added defenseman Brooks Orpik in September: "He's not a guy that says a whole lot, but there is nobody in this room that commands more respect."

That includes Crosby, whose frustrations on various fronts appear at all all-time high, and NHL scoring leader Evgeni Malkin, who has only two points in six games.

Gonchar, a long-standing alternate captain, has provided a dressing room filled with young players gravitas with his calm demeanor and oft-stoic professionalism. He can see this team is searching for leadership and knows players such as Crosby, Malkin and defenseman Ryan Whitney won't gain it overnight.

"It's obviously tough because the guys are learning it right now," Gonchar said. "These guys are quick learners, but they're going through some (bad) stuff, and they're learning how to deal with it by themselves for the first time.

"It's hard, but it's also part of growing from a young player to a veteran. You have to learn how to battle through. I just wish I could help right now."

Steelers players share unique bond

By John Harris, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Monday, January 5, 2009


Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor shares a unique bond with his fellow defensive backs on the team.
Getty Images


Ike Taylor knows the routine by heart: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

When Taylor joined the Steelers as a fourth-round draft pick in 2003, one of the first players to connect with him was fellow cornerback Deshea Townsend.

"As soon as I stepped off the plane, Deshea was there for me," said Taylor, who became a starter in his third NFL season. "We try to make the surroundings comfortable for everybody. We all look out for everybody. So I do it for Smitty (safety Anthony Smith), I do it for (cornerback William) Gay.

"When a rookie, a free agent or whoever (new) comes to the team, we know how tough it is to play in the secondary. We know if we don't play good, we get a lot of the blame. That comes with the territory, because we're the last line of defense."

Townsend was a fourth-round draft pick in 1998 who didn't become a full-time starter until his sixth season.

"A lot of guys had to wait their turn," he said. "By waiting your turn, it taught you how to be patient, how to be humble. They understand what it takes to be a good defense because somebody took them under their wing and showed the younger guys how it's supposed to be done."

Ranked No. 1 in the league in total defense for the second consecutive season, the Steelers feature a unique bond among their players. They seem to care about each other away from the field as much as they do on it.

Members of the Steelers' secondary can be found sitting together during games when the offense is on the field. Other times during games, they sometimes kneel together in prayer.

"I think it's probably one of the biggest reasons for our defense being so successful, that we have a close bond with each other," said inside linebacker and defensive captain James Farrior. "We all go out there with the attitude that we're going to play well for each other."

That's why inside linebacker Larry Foote doesn't mind giving pointers to Lawrence Timmons, even though they play the same position and there's a strong possibility that the younger Timmons will unseat him as the starter next season.

"Eventually you're going to be replaced, but the stuff you learn you've got to pass down," said Foote, a fourth-round draft pick in 2002 who became a starter in his third season. "I do that every day with Timmons. Give him some of my insights, give him some of my tricks the coaches don't really coach. That's the kind of person I am, and that's how the older guys here taught me."

Farrior was one of the "older" guys who signed with the Steelers as a free agent following five seasons with the New York Jets. He and the rookie Foote hit it off immediately.

"Farrior and I came in the same year, so we were both on the same learning curve," said Foote, who was welcomed to the team by linebackers Joey Porter and Jason Gildon.

Foote and Farrior agree it's no accident that the Steelers' defensive players are extremely close.

"You have an owner (chairman Dan Rooney) walking around here every day, who comes to practice almost every day, who talks to the players," Farrior said. "They say he's a lot like his dad (Art Rooney) was back in the day. When you've got a people person at the top, I think it all trickles down. I think you sort of adopt that personality."

Added Foote: "When it comes to bringing new guys in, the team looks at players' character and see how they get along and can they fit in."

Backup safety Tyrone Carter personifies that attitude. Replacing injured starter Ryan Clark, Carter recorded two interceptions in the final regular-season game against Cleveland, returning one for a touchdown in the Steelers' 31-0 win.

"There's a lot of unselfishness out here," Carter said. "There's a lot of guys that could be starting on other teams. Myself included, I feel.

"You look at the money situation. If we weren't close, guys would be bickering that they should be getting paid more money. You take it with a grain of salt and root for the guys. That just shows how much love we have for each other."

Ravens rematch ahead

Monday, January 05, 2009
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


San Diego Chargers Clinton Hart (42) pulls down Pittsburgh Steelers Hines Ward (86) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 16, 2008. (UPI Photo/Stephen Gross)

At the risk of violating Mike Tomlin's most sacred rule -- sorry, coach -- let's look ahead and ponder a couple of delicious questions:

How would you like another Steelers-Baltimore Ravens matchup at Heinz Field in the AFC championship game Jan. 18?

And:

Are you ready for a little more bounty talk and Spitgate revisited?

It's going to happen.

Write it down.

Wild-card weekend couldn't have turned out much better for the Steelers. Because of the results, they get a relatively weak opponent -- the San Diego Chargers -- at home Sunday in their first playoff game and won't have to go to Tennessee for the AFC title game. The Baltimore Ravens are going to take out the Titans Saturday.

Write that down, too.

The Chargers did the Steelers a favor Saturday by beating the dangerous Indianapolis Colts, 23-17, in overtime, thanks, in large part, to two defensive holding penalties and a facemask personal foul against the Colts on the Chargers' winning drive. Better that the Chargers come to Heinz Field -- especially if injured star running back LaDainian Tomlinson can't play -- than the Colts with the great Peyton Manning.

Then yesterday, the Ravens embarrassed the overmatched Miami Dolphins, 27-9. Clearly, they are better right now than the AFC's top-seeded Titans. Heck, they just might be good enough to beat the Steelers at Heinz Field, but who wants to waste time worrying about that now?

I'm going to cite Tomlin's don't-look-ahead rule on that one.

You can argue a home game Sunday against the Dolphins would have been the Steelers' easiest path to the conference championship game, and I won't disagree. The Dolphins were the worst of the AFC teams playing this past weekend. We also lose a little entertainment value with the Chargers as the opponent. It would have been great fun watching Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter squawking at Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker.

Oh, well.

What's important is that the Chargers also are a lesser team than the Steelers. They were an 8-8 club that made the playoffs only because the Denver Broncos gagged down the stretch. I don't buy that they're hot at the right time with five consecutive wins. I might buy it if Tomlinson were healthy, but he left the Colts game early with what appears to be a serious groin injury. It's hard to imagine backup Darren Sproles running for 100 yards against the Steelers the way he did against the Colts. Certainly, there's no way he gets 178 yards in kickoff and punt return yardage against the Steelers' coverage units.

Philip Rivers is a fine quarterback, better than fine if you look at his NFL-best 105.5 passer rating and 34 touchdown passes. But he struggled big-time in an 11-10 loss to the Steelers at Heinz Field Nov. 16. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker James Harrison had interceptions and Harrison sacked Rivers for a safety. Rivers' passer rating was a season-low 44.4. It didn't help that, even with Tomlinson, the Chargers rushed for just 66 yards.

The Steelers, meanwhile, had one of their better offensive days, although you wouldn't know it by the score. They had the ball for a season-best 36 minutes, 31 seconds. Roethlisberger threw for 308 yards with no interceptions. Parker ran for 115 yards on 25 carries. Wide receiver Hines Ward had 11 catches for 124 yards. Blame the Steelers' season-high 13 penalties for 115 yards and tip your hat to the Chargers for keeping the outcome in doubt by sacking Roethlisberger four times and stopping running back Mewelde Moore on fourth-and-goal at the San Diego 1. But the Chargers won't be able to survive that kind of domination Sunday.

So, as long as the game doesn't come down to the punters ...

Did you see the way the Chargers' Mike Scifres kept pinning back the Colts?

I'll still take the Steelers despite Scifres' edge over Mitch Berger.

Here's one final thing to write down:

This isn't the last time you'll be seeing Berger's name in the paper. He'll be front and center in the news when the Steelers and Ravens play in the AFC championship game because he accused the Ravens' Frank Walker of spitting in his face in their game in Baltimore Dec. 14. So will Ward, the object of any number of bounties over the years by the Ravens players.

I can hardly wait.

Sorry, coach Tomlin.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author
First published on January 5, 2009 at 12:00 am

Replay of previous bizarre meeting with Chargers would be fine with Steelers

Monday, January 05, 2009
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Brett Keisel sacks Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers Nov. 16 at Heinz Field. The Steelers won, 11-10.

The most peculiar game involving the Steelers all season took place at Heinz Field Nov. 16 against the San Diego Chargers. Sunday, they'll have a rematch.

The Steelers would like to see a replay, even if it occurs in the same bizarre fashion.

"I'd settle for any win I can get, no matter how we get it," defensive end Aaron Smith said yesterday after Baltimore beat Miami to send the Chargers to Heinz Field to compete for a spot in the AFC championship game Jan. 18.

How weird was that game? The Steelers won on a cold and snowy day, 11-10, the only game decided by that score in NFL history. Ben Roethlisberger passed for 308 yards, Willie Parker ran for 115, Hines Ward had 124 yards receiving, the Steelers had no turnovers and they did not score a touchdown.

The Steelers outgained the Chargers, 410 yards to 213, intercepted Philip Rivers twice and won by a point on Jeff Reed's third field goal with 11 seconds left. The Steelers also had 13 penalties to San Diego's two, and Troy Polamalu ended the game with a touchdown return that was disallowed after a replay review; the NFL later admitted it should have been ruled a touchdown. Those who bet on the Steelers and the five-point spread lost millions of dollars with that wrong call.

"The first time, they played us hard and it was another comeback effort by us," Steelers guard Darnell Stapleton said. "I think they'll come out and play us tough again. I think both teams will be prepared. I think it will be a good game."

Despite the statistical overload by the Steelers that day, they needed a 73-yard drive in the closing minutes to win it on Reed's kick.

"Hopefully in this game we can capitalize and move the ball and get touchdowns instead of field goals," Stapleton said.

Roethlisberger played much better than fellow 2004 draftee Philip Rivers in that game. He completed 31 of 41 passes with no interceptions and had a rating of 96.4. Rivers, the NFL's ratings champion this season at 105.5, was 15 of 26 for 164 yards, two interceptions and a season-low rating of 44.4.

"Let's hope he has another day like that, huh?" Smith said.

The Steelers held the Chargers to 66 yards rushing, 57 by LaDainian Tomlinson.

But San Diego is a different team than the one that dropped to 4-6 Nov. 16. The Chargers won their final four games to finish 8-8 and win the AFC West Division, then beat the Indianapolis Colts Saturday, 23-17, in overtime, for their fifth consecutive win.

"They came on strong," Smith said. "They were a good team that seemed to struggle early on but they came on lately."

Tomlinson played only a little more than a quarter Saturday against Indianapolis and it appears his groin injury may not allow him to play Sunday. Darren Sproles replaced him and ran for 105 yards, caught five passes for 45 yards and had another 178 on a combined seven punt and kickoff returns. Sproles had one carry for no yards, one catch for 9, one kickoff return for 12 and a fair catch on a punt in Heinz Field Nov. 16.

Tight end Antonio Gates, held to 10 yards on two catches by the Steelers, caught eight for 87 against the Colts.

"We have to stop Gates and try to control their passing game, and try to control Sproles," Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend said. "Hopefully it will be snowing and 20 degrees. But it really doesn't matter. At this point, it's one game and go home. Everyone knows that you work all season to get to the playoffs."

The Steelers' victory against San Diego was the first of five in a row as they finished their 12-4 regular season with six wins in their final seven games to earn the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Sixth-seeded Baltimore plays at No. 1 seed Tennessee Saturday in the other AFC divisional playoff game. The winners of the two games will play in the AFC championship game. If the Steelers win, they will either play at Tennessee or the Ravens will come to Heinz Field. The Super Bowl is Feb. 1 in Tampa.

Since 1994, the Steelers are 5-0 in their first playoff game following a bye.

This will be the fourth time in the past three seasons the Steelers and Chargers will play, and the Steelers are 6-1 against San Diego since 1995. They have lost their only two previous playoff games to San Diego, both at home, in 1982 and their infamous upset loss in the AFC championship game after the '94 season.

The Steelers were impressed with the Chargers' victory against the Colts Saturday.

"They ran the ball well, which is the key," Townsend said. "Their defense contained Peyton Manning and didn't give up many big plays."

Everyone knows San Diego's stars, but "I thought they had a good line," Smith said. "That's one thing that stood out in our first game. Not many people talk about their line."


Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First published on January 5, 2009 at 12:00 am

Malkin coming out of his shell in third season

Thursday, January 01, 2009
By Shelly Anderson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/penguins/


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Evgeni Malkin celebrates in March after scoring his 100th point.

While his teammates sat at their stalls and stared blankly following a players-only meeting in the wake of Tuesday's stinging 5-2 loss to Boston, Penguins center Evgeni Malkin slipped out of the locker room.

Normally a crooked, chipped-tooth grin waiting to happen, Malkin had his head down and ran a hand over his dark hair as he ducked into the shower area to avoid the advancing media throng and the cameras that unnerve him.

It had been a rare off night for the NHL's leading scorer, no points despite four shots on goal, on the ice for two Bruins goals and a couple trips to the penalty box.

Still, in a Penguins season that has been somewhat disappointing as it nears the halfway point following a run to the Stanley Cup final in June, Malkin is finding life to be good.

It's not that he doesn't care about the team's results -- anyone who watches him can see he hates losing as much as his teammates do -- but he enjoys the comfort that comes with settling into new surroundings, including a new house and a hockey career that has him on top of the world and almost assuredly headed to his second consecutive All-Star Game.

"Every year is little better," Malkin, 22, said in a thick Russian accent during a one-on-one interview this week.

In his third NHL season, Malkin is still the tall, shy, good-natured hockey player who arrived in Pittsburgh in August 2006 for his rookie season after an emotional, arduous journey from Magnitogorsk, Russia. He had broken his Russian Super League contract, which he said he signed under duress, and snuck away from his Metallurg team during a trip to Helsinki, Finland.

As his highly promoted and quoted teammate, center Sidney Crosby, has become the face of the NHL, Malkin -- known nearly universally now by his nickname "Geno" -- quietly has taken some big steps toward independence when he is away from the safety net of the team by learning English better and becoming self-sufficient socially.

That meant moving out of the home of teammate and fellow Russian Sergei Gonchar into his own house in the area about two weeks ago.

"Big house," Malkin said, adding that he still wants to surround himself with familiar faces, so his Russian girlfriend, Oksana, will be staying with him, and his parents will make extended visits, including one that will start later this month.

He's enjoying the life of a homeowner, or at least most of it.

"I feel OK. I cook," he said. He grills steak and chicken, makes spaghetti and salad. He grocery shops and likes the organic selections at Whole Foods.

Who cleans up?

"My girlfriend. Not me," Malkin said. "My mom when she comes."

On the days of home games, he prefers a midday home-prepared steak and salad to going out, and he sticks to the same pregame snack at the rink -- he is a jam fiend, slapping it on buttered toast.

"Strawberry, raspberry," he said. "I like it. It's sweet."

Without Gonchar, who had shoulder surgery in October and will be out for at least several more weeks, Malkin has had to get by without his go-to Russian ally. He doesn't lean too heavily on Petr Sykora and Ruslan Fedotenko -- his linemates recently -- who speak Russian.

"It's OK. It's my third year. I'm comfortable," said Malkin, who before this season always asked for an interpreter for interviews. He still tends to freeze when the cameras are on, though, and often makes himself scarce when reporters are around.

On charter flights with the team, Malkin has taken to playing cards with English-speaking teammates Matt Cooke, Brooks Orpik and his road roommate, Mark Eaton. They used to play hearts but now have gotten hooked on another trick-based game, snarples.

"I like it," Malkin said. "It helps me talk [with teammates]. It's fun."

Who wins?

"Me. Every time. I'm smart," Malkin said, flashing that grin.

Cooke wouldn't quite back that up.

"He wasn't that good at the beginning of the season, but he's learning," he said. "He's good at counting cards."

On the ice, Malkin is filling out the potential the Penguins saw when they selected him second overall in the 2004 NHL draft.

Malkin, 6 feet 3 and 195 pounds, has 15 goals, 44 assists for 59 points in 37 games going into tonight's rematch with the Bruins in Boston. With slick moves and strong play in both the offensive and defensive ends of the ice, he can dominate games.

When fan voting for the Jan. 25 All-Star Game ends tomorrow, Malkin is nearly a lock to be a starter for the Eastern Conference. Crosby and Malkin have been 1-2 in balloting for weeks, each with more than a million votes.

"Million?" Malkin said, his eyes widening. "Thank you. I think Pittsburgh fans love hockey so much. They're good fans."

The debate has raged for months, and could continue for years, over whether Malkin, Crosby, 21, or Washington Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin, 23, is the best hockey player in the world. Crosby won the scoring title two seasons ago. Ovechkin won it last season, with Malkin the runner-up.

"My favorite is Sid," Malkin said. "Good skater. Good puck control. Good passes. Everything."

Crosby is second in the league to Malkin this season with 50 points.

"More points is maybe because of me better luck," Malkin said. "Sid play better."

Crosby can have all the marketing and media attention, too.

"Sid is good at talking English and talking with media," Malkin said. "I just play hockey."

Shelly Anderson can be reached at shanderson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1721.
First published on January 1, 2009 at 12:00 am