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Monday, September 10, 2001

Compiled by Ed Bouchette and Ron Cook

The Steelers play the Browns in the first regular-season game at Heinz Field at 8:30 p.m. Sunday (ESPN).

Two seasons ago, the Steelers spoiled the opening of the Browns' stadium -- and Cleveland's return to the NFL -- with a 43-0 victory on a Sunday night.

Josh Miller, Steelers P, left with a bruised left leg. He is expected to play Sunday.

Will Blackwell, Steelers WR, likely has a torn ACL and will be out for the season. They will probably sign Demetrius Brown off their practice squad to replace him.

Plaxico Burress, Steelers WR, left with a separated shoulder.

Hines Ward, Steelers WR, has a sprained ankle.

Kimo von Oelhoffen, Steelers NT, left on the second play of the game with a sprained ankle.

Kendrell Bell, Steelers LB, left with a sprained ankle, came back and then left for good.

Kordell Stewart, Steelers QB, played with a sprained ankle.

Jaguars WR Jimmy Smith, who had eight catches for 126 yards, including 34- and 15-yard touchdowns, might have been the best player on the field, a remarkable achievement after he was hospitalized for 30 days last spring, had three abdominal surgeries and had a section of his small intestine removed because of a blockage.

"The power of the will," Jaguars Coach Tom Coughlin said. "He set his clock that he was going to be here for this one and he was."

Smith, who was held to two catches for 20 yards by Steelers CB Dewayne Washington in the Steelers' win at Alltel Stadium last season, got even with Washington. He beat him easily to make the 34-yard touchdown catch that gave the Jaguars a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter. Later, his 15-yard touchdown pushed the lead to 14-3.

It's not surprising Smith came back so strong. He had more catches and receiving yards than any NFL receiver in the past five seasons.

"He's about as good as you get at his position," Jaguars QB Mark Brunell said.

Veteran Mike Jones was one of eight Steelers scratches yesterday, which was surprising because Jones has been the backup to starter Earl Holmes at inside linebacker and had been sharing duties with Holmes in the dime defense.

Plus, the Steelers paid him a $250,000 signing bonus as a free agent from the Rams this year. Coach Bill Cowher explained that he instead activated rookie OLB Justin Kurpeikis because he played on special teams and needed him in the heat of Jacksonville. "Mike will be out there next week," Cowher said.

The other inactives were injured CB Chad Scott and FB Dan Kreider, rookie offensive linemen Chukky Okobi, Keydrick Vincent and Mathias Nkwenti and rookie DL Chris Hoke.

Jaguars OT Tony Boselli was flagged for a 15-yard person foul in the second quarter for pushing LB Earl Holmes in the back after the play. He did it because Holmes had roughed up WR Keenan McCardell after the whistle. Boselli, though, was the one the officials caught. That cost the Jaguars a 14-yard reception to the Steelers 19. Instead, on the next play, Mark Brunell threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Smith for a 7-3 lead. "It probably wasn't the smartest thing I could have done," Boselli said. "It cost us 15 yards. Fortunately, we scored a touchdown. At the same time, you can't let linebackers take cheap shots at your receivers. I'll get yelled at when I get home with my wife."

There were no obvious goofs by the replacement officials, who called no holding penalties. "I liked it," Boselli said. "These guys did a great job. I thought they controlled the game. They let us play and tried to protect guys when it was needed. The game ran smoothly and they had control of it." Said Cowher: "They were fine. They weren't a factor in the game as far as I'm concerned."

On Thursday, the Jaguars announced the NFL television blackout had been lifted and the game would be shown in the Jacksonville area. That supposedly means the game was a sellout the minimum 72 hours before kickoff.

However, the Jaguars were still pushing tickets Saturday when, in a full-page advertisement in the Florida Times-Union, the copy said, "Tickets to the 2001 season opener are going fast." Not so fast, however, that the game was sold out, apparently. Good seats were still available yesterday. The paid attendance was announced as 63,784 in the 75,000-seat stadium.

Steelers radio analyst Myron Cope, on the coin flip made by President Bush for all 10 of yesterday's 1 p.m. starts: "The way the economics of the country are going, if Bush flipped a 50-cent piece, it might be a quarter when it landed."

Jacksonville QB Mark Brunell threw three touchdown passes in the first half for the first time in his career.

DE Aaron Smith, who led the line with four sacks last season, had the Steelers' only sack when he chased Brunell out of bounds for no gain.

Jacksonville's Mike Hollis missed a 22-yard field goal, wide to the left, for the shortest miss of his career.

Jaguars Coach Tom Coughlin ran his opening-day record to 6-1. Bill Cowher is 4-6.

The Steelers did not have a receiver with 100 yards for the 17th consecutive game.

The Steelers fumbled five times, tying a Jacksonville opponent's record. They lost two.

Game time temperature was 83 degrees.

Kris Brown had not punted a football in a game since his days at Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas.

That was good enough for him to take over the punting chores yesterday when Josh Miller left the game for good with a bruised left leg.

It wasn't the first punt Brown had trouble with so much as it was the first snap. It was raining hard when Brown went back to punt for the first time in the third quarter, and the ball slipped through his hands. He ran backward and grabbed it.

"I picked it up, turned around and no one was there," Brown said. "I kicked it downfield. It wasn't pretty but I guess it served its purpose."

Brown certainly did that. He punted three times yesterday for an average of 35.3 yards, not bad under the circumstances. He has fooled around before practice on occasion, punting the ball, but never in practice.

"I just wanted to get the ball down. I didn't want to fumble the ball and give them good field position or shank the ball."

The Steelers expect Miller to be back punting Sunday against Cleveland.