Steelers notebook
Intangibles favor the Browns PITTSBURGH – For the most part, the Steelers are healthy, and because of quarterback Tommy Maddox they are a juggernaut offensively. The Steelers are understandably favored to win today’s game, but the intangibles favor the Cleveland Browns.
The second-place Browns are the more desperate team, they are playing at home with revenge in mind, and they are facing a Steelers team that just whipped its most hated rival.
From the old Browns to the new Browns, the Steelers could be stepping into a snake pit.
Nonsense, say the Steelers.
“I think that how everybody – the media and fans – feels about this game and will try to hype it up, it’s going to be enough for us because we already hate them,” said defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen. “This is going to be their biggest game of the year. I mean, this is going to kill ’em. That’s also what we thrive on, putting people down and out. And as far as them having emotion because their owner died, and I’m sorry about that, but I don’t think they’re going to get up as much as us. This game means everything to them, so that’s our motivation.”
As for playing a fourth road game in the last five weeks, wide receiver Plaxico Burress says bring it on.
“We play so well on the road, it’s unbelievable,” Burress said. “It’s like we’re a different team on the road. I believe if we could play all our games on the road, we would. We love to go on the road, man. I’ve never been on a team like that. In college, you hated to go away. But now you’ve got a team that has a lot of confidence in itself playing on the road. We love to go into other people’s houses, for some reason, and we play well.”
The Steelers have won 13 of their last 19 road games since losing in Cleveland early in the 2000 season.
PREDICTING THE BROWNS: After New England and Oakland had spread out the Steelers and attacked with the passing game, Cleveland came into Heinz Field last month, after having success with a similar offense the previous week, and rushed for a season-high of 123 yards. Tim Couch threw fewer passes in only one of his six starts this season.
Why?
“We had a bye week just before we played them,” said Steelers defensive coordinator Tim Lewis. “I’m sure they probably felt we would’ve rectified the problems that we had in the first two weeks.”
Lewis figures the Browns will throw more this week, but that’s not how von Oelhoffen would attack the Steelers.
“To beat us, you’ve got to run the ball,” he said. “Our offense is rolling now. They’re holding the ball, converting third downs, gaining 5, 6, 7, 8 on the run. They’d better slow it down by establishing the run, holding onto the ball and keeping our offense off the field. People will, at this point, not be able to come out and throw the ball on us anymore, considering the way our offense is playing.”
ROOKIE BUST?: Browns first-round pick William Green obviously misses his days as an I-back at Boston College. The rookie running back is now in a one-back offense and struggling mightily. Through the first half of this season, he gained only 151 yards on 67 carries, an average of 2.3 yards per carry. The team’s leading rusher is Jamel White with 390 yards on 87 carries (4.5 average).
Lewis, the Steelers’ defensive coordinator, compared the two backs.
“He does have breakaway speed, is powerful, quick and does a good job of cutting back,” Lewis said of Green. “The other guy hits the hole much quicker. Jamel White is much more of a downhill, straight-ahead guy. He’s not bigger, he just hits it harder. William seems to be trying to find where to run, but once he gets rolling, he’s rolling. He’ll run you over and runs through arm tackles. The other guy attacks it harder and he’s a good receiver.”
White rushed for 105 yards and caught three passes for 14 yards against the Steelers in the first game.
IRON MAN: Steelers cornerback Dewayne Washington will start his 116th consecutive game Sunday, the longest current streak among NFL cornerbacks.
“I’ve got a lot of people praying for me,” Washington explained. “My grandma, everybody’s praying for me. And I do my best to keep myself in the best shape I can year around. When the season’s over, I normally watch the Pro Bowl, and the day after the Pro Bowl’s over I get real mad and I start working out from that day forward. And I think a lot of it is genetics. I feel I was born to play the position. I just go out there and do my thing, and I don’t really go out there trying not to get hurt. I’ve been knocked out several times, but I’ve been fortunate enough to come back and play the next game.”