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Friday, October 05, 2001

By Gerry Dulac, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Bengals (2-1) vs. Steelers (1-1), 1 p.m. Sunday, Heinz Field. TV: KDKA. Radio: WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970) and Steelers Radio Network.

After starting 16 games for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1999, SS Myron Bell wasn't even invited to training camp the next year and was out of football four months.

He might still be out of football if Steelers safeties Lee Flowers (knee) and Brent Alexander (hand) had not sustained injuries late last season. That's when Bell, a fifth-round pick by the Steelers in 1994, was re-signed by his former team in December.

Bell, though, has become more than insurance. He beat out Ainsley Battles for the backup strong safety position in training camp and will start against the Bengals on Sunday because of the injury to Flowers (sprained medial collateral ligament). Bell is thankful he was given another opportunity after the Bengals discarded him.

"Every game I play from here on out is like a rival game for me," Bell said. "I'm not extra excited [for the Bengals]. I'm excited every week, every game, I get out there to play.

"[The Bengals] gave me an opportunity to go there and have chance to start. Even though we didn't win a lot of games and I wasn't happy there, they still gave me a chance to play. I thank them for that.

"It was an experience, winning seven games out of two seasons. You learn a lot from stuff like that, from stuff going bad. You learn how to appreciate places like this."

DE Kimo von Oelhoffen (ankle) practiced for the second day in a row and is expected to start at right defensive end against the Bengals. He remains questionable on the team's official injury report, though Coach Bill Cowher said he will likely be upgraded to probable today.

Nonetheless, Cowher said he still plans to use rookie DE Rodney Bailey, who played very well in von Oelhoffen's absence. Bailey, a sixth-round pick from Ohio State, has been the biggest surprise of the 2001 rookie class and has merited more playing time.

Bailey played between 270 and 275 pounds his final season at Ohio State, and the Steelers said he would have to add about 20 pounds when they drafted him. But Bailey reported to camp at 295 pounds and began impressing the coaches with his pass-rush ability.

"I never looked at it like it would be a big challenge for me," Bailey said. "I've never weighed as much as I weigh now (292). I gained about five pounds after the season, to about 280, and I felt really light, to be honest. I knew if I kept working, kept running and lifting, the weight would come and I'd still be able to move."

WR Bobby Shaw made a catch in practice that would make every highlight show in the country -- if practices were allowed to be filmed.

Shaw was cutting across the middle of the field, running to his left, and reached back with his left arm to grab a pass from Kordell Stewart. But, instead of pulling the ball in with his left arm, Shaw merely directed the ball behind his back to his right arm and kept running, never missing stride. It looked like a trick performed by the Harlem Globetrotters.

"That was the basketball player coming out in me," Shaw said.

LB Jason Gildon needs 21/2 sacks to pass Greg Lloyd (531/2) and move into fifth place on the team's all-time sack list. He needs eight to pass former DE Keith Willis (59) for third place.

None of that surprises the player who will be facing Gildon on Sunday -- Bengals RT Willie Anderson, who said he votes for Gildon for the AFC Pro Bowl team every year. Anderson said Gildon reminds him of a combination of Lloyd and former LB Kevin Greene.

"He's one of the top pass-rushers in the league right now," Anderson said. "He's the quickest guy I've faced this year. He doesn't take any downs off. He's not just a speed guy; he's a guy with a lot of different moves.

"The best thing about him is he knows how to play the game. He's taking a little bit of both from Greene and Lloyd. He's both of them combined in one. He's got Lloyd's moves and the hustle he plays with."

Bengals C Rich Braham, who was believed to be finished for the season because of a bulging disc in his neck, received a third medical opinion and will not have surgery. Braham, who played at West Virginia, will start against the Steelers. Also, backup FS Darryl Williams (mid-foot sprain), who was deactivated against San Diego, was downgraded from probable to questionable for the game.