Home >  Sports >  Steelers

Thursday, December 13, 2001

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Steelers (10-2) vs. Ravens (8-4), 8:35 p.m. Sunday, PSINet Stadium, Baltimore. TV, radio: ESPN; WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970) and Steelers Radio Network.

A report on ESPN yesterday said the NFL will consider new rules after the season to thwart the kind of deception the Steelers, for one, have used on offense this season. One play cited was a direct snap to HB Jerome Bettis as QB Kordell Stewart walked down the line, pretending to shout out a play to his wide receivers.

Mike Mularkey, the offensive coordinator behind their innovative plays, wondered why the league would pick on the offense for deception when defenses do it all the time.

"I compare that to what defenses attempt to do every single play," Mularkey said. "They disguise coverages. We're disguising good plays that we run. I don't know the difference."

The coach has put a muffler on the Bus. Bettis, who did some running yesterday but did not practice with the team, was not allowed to talk about his status.

"Coach is taking it from here," Bettis said. "It's out of my hands now. Whatever he says, goes. We can talk about the Ravens."

Coach Bill Cowher said Tuesday he would not issue daily updates on Bettis, who is listed as questionable for Sunday with a groin/hip injury. He missed only his fourth game of his nine-year career Sunday against the Jets and he has never missed two in a row.

Cowher said he likely will not decide whether Bettis will play until Sunday, but Baltimore plans to see him.

"Bettis is going to play," Ravens Coach Brian Billick said. "We have been having a little fun with it here in Baltimore. I would approach it the same way that Bill is. You have to qualify it. You have to say 'We are going to see how he is going to practice and how he is going to come along.' I don't have to be that diplomatically correct because it is not my team. Bettis is going to play and that is what we are counting on. He likes playing against us and we like playing against him. It is a big game; he is going to play."

Baltimore S Rod Woodson says the difference between Bettis and his backup, Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, is patience.

"Jerome ... will wait for holes to open and hit the gap. I don't know if Fu is that patient. That makes a difference."

Besides Bettis, LB Earl Holmes (knee) and WR Hines Ward (thigh) did not practice yesterday. Each is listed as probable for Sunday.

The Ravens weren't happy with a comment Plaxico Burress made after the Steelers beat the Jets, 18-7, Sunday.

Burress referred to the Steelers' 13-10 loss to Baltimore Nov. 10, where the Steelers outgained the Ravens, 348-183: "We beat those guys up physically. We know it. All we have to do is go down there and beat them up again this time and hopefully come out of there with a win."

Ravens LB Ray Lewis wasn't pleased when he read that.

"Last time, he caught one touchdown pass," Lewis said. "What nerve does he have to talk? He doesn't even play a physical ballgame. First of all, he can talk about the trenches, but he's not down in the trenches. He doesn't know the blows his teammates are taking. So how does he know how physical it was? If you look at the yardage, that's probably what they're talking about. They outgained us. But I know many games we outgained people and lost. I'll take the 'W' any day. We don't worry about what he says. He's not a factor."

Said Baltimore TE Shannon Sharpe: "Stats don't mean anything. ... I'm not going to dignify what he said with a response. If Hines Ward would have said that, as physical as he plays the game, OK, I could give some credence to that. But 'Plexiglass' -- no. ... For No. 80 to say what he said is wrong"

Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations, isn't the only person in his family involved with a successful football team this year. His brother, Bob, is the offensive coordinator for Bridgewater, Va., which will play Mount Union for the Division III championship Saturday in the Stagg Bowl at Salem, Va.