Hines Ward is among the people with the Steelers who would like to see Plaxico Burress take more advantage of his size, of the mismatches he gets with every National Football League cornerback, to make more plays like he did in their victory against Tennessee on Monday night.
But Burress has a surprise for everyone, including cornerbacks.
He's not using his 6-foot-5, 229-pound frame to get better position and come down with passes that he previously had been dropping.
He's using his speed to get open.
"I just try to beat guys at their own game," Burress said. "I try to beat smaller guys with speed. I think guys look at me on film and say, 'He's not running fast,' or, 'He's not that fast.' But when they get up on me in a game, I go by them every time when I go deep. I try to beat guys with speed first, then body check someone after that."
Burress is not known for his speed, which is 4.5 in the 40. He is known for his size and wingspan, which is why the Steelers made him the eighth overall pick in the NFL draft in 2000.
But, whatever the reason, Burress finally started to use his incredible physical tools in the 34-7 victory against the Titans. Not only did he catch six passes for 151 yards -- the 11th best yardage total by an NFL wide receiver this season -- he also had receptions of 43, 33 and 28 yards in which he used his size to win one-on-one matchups.
Two of those were against Pro Bowl cornerback Samari Rolle, including one in which Burress tipped the ball to himself to set up Jerome Bettis' 7-yard touchdown run that put the game out of hand.
"I know the ball was underthrown [on that play]," Ward said. "But for him to keep fighting and to stay with it, that's a sign of a great receiver -- never give up on the play, always keep fighting."
Perhaps nobody was more ecstatic than Ward to see Burress have the kind of game he had against the Titans. Ward is the team's leading receiver with 33 catches -- tied for ninth in the American Football Conference -- and is the player quarterback Kordell Stewart typically looks for in third-down situations.
But Ward knows that Stewart needs to develop confidence in more than just one receiver to have a successful passing game.
"It really doesn't take the pressure off me -- I want to go out there and still be Kordell's go-to guy," Ward said. "But for us to be successful, we can't just have Kordell being confident in one person. We got to have balance on both sides.
"Plaxico, I'm just so ecstatic for him. I know he was waiting for this big game, and it finally came. Now he has to do it on a consistent basis, week in and week out. We have to expect some big plays out of him, and he's starting to understand that.
"You don't want it to be like this was a fluke game. I'm trying to teach him you got to do it week in and week out. That's what separates you from being the best in the league -- if you can do it on a consistent basis."
Burress is going to see even more single coverage Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens (4-3) visit Heinz Field for an AFC Central matchup with the division-leading Steelers (5-1).
The Ravens like to deploy eight players in the box to stop Jerome Bettis, who hasn't had a 100-yard game against them in his past five outings. They do it by either bringing safety Corey Harris up near the line of scrimmage or taking a defensive back out of the game and using four linebackers and four defensive lineman.
In either case, it forces the Ravens to use their cornerbacks, Duane Starks and Chris McAlister, two former No. 1 picks, in mostly single coverage.
"With our running game, Plex and I are going to be in positions to go up and beat one-on-one matchups," Ward said. "Especially with his size. He already has an advantage over most guys in the league. Now he just has to utilize his size and go up and make some plays for us."
And that's what Burress said he intends to do.
"A lot of people are telling me, you got to maintain and sustain," Burress said. "I'm like, why maintain? Why not see if you can do better. Why not see if you can take it to the next level instead of just staying at that level which I played at Monday night. Don't stand in the same spot. Be even better."
To be sure, nobody is ready to hold a spot for Burress on the AFC Pro Bowl team, just because of one prime-time performance against a banged-up Titans secondary.
After all, he has only 19 catches in six games and still hasn't scored a regular-season touchdown in 18 NFL games.
But, it is a start, a flash of the ability Burress possesses. Still, Burress wants to make sure it doesn't become another flash -- flash in the pan.
"It lets you know if you can play at this level," Burress said. "I've known that from day one, but it took me 16 games to do it. I don't think I've proved anything. When I look at it, I think how much better I can play than that."
Burress out to prove big game not a fluke 
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