Steelers notebook
Bell to miss Sunday’s game with Raiders PITTSBURGH – Kendrell Bell will miss Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders after aggravating an ankle injury during Monday night’s game. Bell was originally injured in the second preseason game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting mack inside linebacker and defending NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Bell missed Wednesday’s practice and paced the sidelines with a boot on his right ankle. He’ll be replaced by rookie Larry Foote on Sunday night. The Steelers have a bye the following weekend.
“We’ve got a long season,” said Steelers Coach Bill Cowher. “I don’t want that thing to be going back and forth, so we’re going to rest him the next two weeks and hopefully he’ll be ready to go full speed after that.”
Jeff Hartings and Joey Porter also missed practice Wednesday. Hartings, the team’s center, sprained a medial collateral ligament Monday night, and Porter, the right outside linebacker, sprained his shoulder. Both are listed on the injury report as questionable.
“It’s less than 48 hours right now,” Cowher said.
“I’m optimistic about (Joey) and Jeff.”
Kick returner and backup cornerback Hank Poteat has been ruled out of Sunday’s game with an injured toe.
NEW CORNERBACK: The Steelers signed cornerback Chidi Iwuoma (CHEE-dee eye-WU-ma) and released wide receiver Lenzie Jackson yesterday.
Iwuoma (5-8, 182) played with the Detroit Lions last year after signing with the team as an undrafted rookie out of the University of California. Iwuoma started once and played in 14 games with the Lions, making 10 tackles (four solo) and 11 special teams tackles. He was released by the Lions in the 2002 preseason.
The Steelers also made a change to their practice squad, releasing running back Antwon McCray of Carnegie and signing wide receiver Francis St. Paul.
St. Paul (5-10, 185) was originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2001 draft by the St. Louis Rams and spent the second half of the season on the Rams’ practice squad. He was released by the Rams during the 2002 preseason.
ROONEY ON UNITAS: Steelers owner Dan Rooney lost a friend and former competitor when John Unitas died of a heart attack yesterday in Baltimore.
Rooney was a second-team All-Catholic League quarterback at North Catholic High School in 1949, the same year Unitas was the first-team All-Catholic League quarterback at St. Justin High School in Mt. Washington.
Rooney released the following statement:
“John was a good friend of mine, and I am sorry to hear of his passing. I first came across John when he was a quarterback at St. Justin’s High School and he beat North Catholic. We followed his college career and eventually drafted him. Unfortunately, we did not give him a chance. We cut him and he was given a tryout with Baltimore, and then went on to be the Player of the Decade and have a Hall of Fame career.
“This came as a real shock, because I was just with him in recent months and he seemed in good health. He was his own man and did things the way he believed were best. I had a lot of respect.”
Unitas was born in Pittsburgh in 1933 and was drafted by the Steelers in 1950. He was cut by the team that year and played semipro football in the city before signing with the Colts.
KING KIMO: The Steelers believe they can break their single-season team record of 55 sacks this year, but only defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen made any progress toward that goal Monday night.
Von Oelhoffen had 1.5 sacks against the New England Patriots, or nearly half of the four sacks he recorded last season.
“When the sacks come along I’ll take them, but I’m not going to change my philosophy,” he said. “I have two roles: stop the run and close the pocket down for Jason (Gildon) and Joey (Porter) so everybody else can get a sack. If they run to me, come on in.”
QUOTABLE: Lee Flowers on the Steelers’ lack of success defending the Patriots’ no-huddle offense:
“We’ve opened up a whole can of worms now.”