The more Bill Cowher looks at the big picture, the more Jerome Bettis' playing time keeps shrinking.
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Jerome Bettis ran for 91 yards against the Ravens in the teams' first meeting Nov. 4 at Heinz Field. ((Peter Diana, Post-Gazette)) | |
Just four days after saying Bettis would play if he were ready against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night, Cowher apparently has changed his mind, downgrading the American Football Conference's third-leading rusher from probable to doubtful yesterday for the nationally televised game in Baltimore at PSINet Stadium.
If Bettis does not play, it will be the first time in his nine-year National Football League career he has missed back-to-back games.
"Given our situation, and barring no other injuries to any other backs, it's unlikely he'll play Sunday night," Cowher said. "I'm not going to rule him totally out, but he's doubtful at this time.
"I'm weighing risk and reward, and I think the risk far outweighs the reward."
The reward for a Steelers victory against the Ravens (8-4) is clinching their first AFC Central Division championship since 1997. The risk, though, is doing further damage to the hip/groin injury that forced Bettis to sit out an 18-7 victory against the New York Jets last Sunday, only the fourth game he has missed in his NFL career.
Bettis did not practice for the second day in a row, but Cowher said he's making "great strides" in his recovery.
"This is purely about Jerome and his health status and his availability to this team going down the stretch," Cowher said. "It's going to be very important. I'm looking at more than just this Sunday.
"Certainly, if this was a playoff game and there was a chance of there being no tomorrow, we'd have to re-evaluate that decision. That's not the case. I'm just dealing with the reality of where we are."
Cowher's decision surprised Bettis' backup, Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, who rushed for 50 yards on 21 carries in only his second NFL start against the Jets.
If Bettis doesn't play, Fuamatu-Ma'afala will start against the Ravens, who are second to the Steelers in rush defense (74.5 yards per game). But the Steelers also will use Amos Zereoue a little more in an attempt to combat the Ravens' defensive speed.
"I'm real surprised," Fuamatu-Ma'afala said. "He was doing a lot of warm-ups. I thought he had a good shot at playing this week. I'm happy for the opportunity."
Bettis said Cowher told him of his decision yesterday at practice.
"You can't argue with the head coach," Bettis said. "I know my place."
Bettis, who has been told by Cowher not to discuss his injury or availability for the game, would not elaborate on the decision.
"That's what the coach says," Bettis said, smiling. "I'm still not going to talk about it. It is what it is. That's the end of it."
Bettis was injured near the end of the third quarter of the Dec. 2 victory against the Minnesota Vikings and did not play the rest of the game. At the time, he was leading the NFL in rushing with 1,072 yards and was on pace for his best season as a professional.
But, before the game against the Jets, Bettis was passed as the league's top rusher by Curtis Martin, who was awarded 12 yards rushing when a pass was changed to a lateral by the Elias Sports Bureau. After sitting out against the Jets, he was then passed by Kansas City's Priest Holmes, who leads the NFL with 1,146 yards, and Green Bay's Ahman Green (1,094).
"I'm disappointed," Bettis said. "It's frustrating to have an injury, especially when you're going through the season so smooth."
After having four consecutive 100-yard games against Baltimore, Bettis has not rushed for over 100 yards in his past six outings against the Ravens, who haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in a 49 consecutive games, including playoffs. He came close in the previous meeting, a 13-10 Steelers loss Nov. 4, rushing for 91 yards on 23 carries.
Without Bettis, the Steelers rushed for 134 yards against the Jets, their third-lowest output of the season. What's more, the longest run by Fuamatu-Ma'afala was 6 yards, though Zereoue had a 19-yarder in the fourth quarter.
"I think everyone is confident in Fu, but also Amos, as well," Bettis said. "I think they proved last week they can get it done."
"Hopefully, I'll go out there and be a little more relaxed, just take my time a little bit more," Fuamatu-Ma'afala said. "It comes with experience. You guys see Jerome out there making those unbelievable cuts? I'm just trying to get to that point."
Cowher still holds keys to Bus 
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