Elise Amendola, Associated Press While the numbers might indicate otherwise, Bill Cowher says New England coach Bill Belichick is no different in New England than he was in Cleveland. Click photo for larger image.

There's a perception that the Bill Cowher vs. Bill Belichick matchup is one-sided, and it has been just that -- in favor of Cowher.

While Cowher's Steelers are 0-2 against Belichick's Patriots, it wasn't that way when Belichick coached the Cleveland Browns. Cowher had his number back then when the two met nine times between 1992-95. Cowher's team beat Belichick's Browns seven out of nine times, including one playoff victory after the '94 season.

Cowher said Belichick is not much different with the Patriots than he was with the Browns, even though he's winning more.

"I think he has always been a bright coach," Cowher said. "I know Bill from way back when we both became coordinators, myself at Kansas City and him in New York. We actually spent a whole day together talking football. I have a lot of respect for him.

"We had some pretty good games when he was [in Cleveland]. Even back then, he had to make the unpopular decision with Bernie Kosar, just like he had to do in New England with Drew [Bledsoe]. He is a football guy. He is always doing things for the best interest of his teams.

"Sometimes people don't always agree with him and then maybe draw too many quick judgments of him. Now, I think he has kind of vindicated his past. Which I don't think that he ever needed to do to begin with."

Not open, shut case
College teams often schedule a week off before a big game, and the NFL schedule did the Steelers a favor by giving them last weekend off before they become the latest team to try to stop the streaking Patriots.

Or did it?
The Steelers' record after open weeks under Bill Cowher is a winning one, but barely so. They are 7-6 in the 13 games after an off week, which included two in 1993. More recently, they are 2-2 in this century, including the unusual circumstances of 2001 when they had two weeks off because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that caused the NFL to cancel one weekend's worth of games that preceded the Steelers' scheduled off week.

"I have not found it to be a problem," Cowher said of the game after an open week. "Certainly, there is probably a little bit of rustiness that you have to shake off early in the game to get back up to the speed of the game because it's been a week off, particularly when you are playing a team that doesn't come off of a bye ... but once it's all said and done, once a game has unfolded, and everyone gets acclimated, it becomes immaterial."

Big Ben updates
Ben Roethlisberger will have one streak broken. After winning the past four NFL rookie of the week awards, he was not nominated this week. ... Bill Parcells' comments about Roethlisberger seem more and more apropos. Roethlisberger's 100.1 passer rating is the best as a rookie than any other active NFL quarterback who was drafted in the first round. If he maintains his .690 completion percentage (78 of 113) he would shatter the all-time best record for rookies. That belongs to Dan Marino, who completed 58.4 percent of his passes in 1983. ... Roethlisberger, though, has a long way to go before he can equal the best passer rating by a rookie in Pittsburgh history. That belongs to Kordell Stewart, who compiled a 136.9 passer rating in 1995. Of course, Stewart attempted only seven passes as Slash; he completed five for 60 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.

Injuries
QB Tommy Maddox (elbow) and CB Chad Scott (knee) are out. LB Kendrell Bell (hernia) and WR Lee Mays (turf toe) are questionable. RB Duce Staley (knee) and RB Verron Haynes (knee) are probable. Coach Bill Cowher said Maddox threw 15 passes of 10 to 15 yards Monday and, while he is not close to practicing, he is "making progress." Cowher said they will see what Bell does and go from there. If Mays cannot play, that would move special-teamer Sean Morey up to the No. 4 receiver.

Quick slants
Jerome Bettis, only 323 yards from passing Tony Dorsett and moving into fifth place among all-time NFL rushers, might fall back a step first. The New York Jets' Curtis Martin needs only 66 yards to move past Bettis into sixth place on the all-time list. Bettis, in his 12th NFL season, has 12,417 yards rushing. This is Martin's 10th NFL season. Since Bettis joined the Steelers in 1996, he has 9,326 yards, third most in the NFL over that span. Martin is first with 10,792 yards, and Eddie George next with 10,259 yards.

LB James Farrior is back on top as the team leader with 47 tackles. He also has three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two sacks and one interception.

Verron Haynes leads the team in special-teams tackles with 13, including 11 solos. Clint Kriewaldt is next with 12, followed by James Harrison's 11 and Sean Morey's 10.

Bill Cowher said he has no plans to have defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen spend any practice time at nose tackle this week. Von Oelhoffen was their starting nose tackle in 2000, the year before the injured Casey Hampton was drafted. Chris Hoke will make his first NFL start Sunday in Hampton's spot.

What do the New England Patriots do if quarterback Tom Brady leaves the game with an injury? It happened in the AFC championship game after the 2001 season, and Drew Bledsoe came off the bench to throw a touchdown pass. If it happened this time, the Patriots would look to Rohan Davey, a third-year pro who has played in six games, or former Steeler Jim Miller, a 10th-year pro listed as their No. 3 quarterback.

Before and After

Bill Belichick's record with the Browns and his record with the Patriots:

Browns	Category	Patriots
5	Seasons	5*
36	Victories	45
44	Losses	25
.450	Winning percentage	.750
2-7**	vs. Steelers	2-0
1-1	Postseason	6-0

*-Includes current season **-Includes playoffs