Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward last night made their pitches for the Steelers to keep receiver Antwaan Randle El, but they weren't passionate ones as the start of free agency looms at midnight without any new labor peace in the NFL.

Randle El, about to become the most desired of a dozen unrestricted free agents on the Steelers, does not believe the lack of a collective bargaining agreement extension in the league will affect him. Others predict a slow, perhaps even dead, signing period for this group of free agents.

Randle El did acknowledge that negotiations have gone nowhere with the Steelers, and the uncertainty of the collective bargaining agreement might be a reason.

"We haven't done too much. Certainly, it's been pretty quiet. That's because of the CBA, and it hadn't got done yet. [The Steelers] were sure it was going to get pushed back, and it would have given them more time. But with it not being done now, things will pick up the next couple of days."

Randle El joined a handful of teammates and former Steeler Franco Harris for a VIP screening last night of the Super Bowl XL Champions DVD by Warner Home Video at AMC Loews Cineplex. The others were Roethlisberger, Ward and Jerome Bettis.

Ward said he hoped the Steelers would keep Randle El, but talked as if he were already gone, joining Plaxico Burress as consecutive starting split ends lost through free agency.

"If we don't have Antwaan, the next guy who comes in has to step up and perform, just like when we lost Plax," Ward said. "Everybody kept saying we couldn't win when we lost Plax -- here we are Super Bowl champions!

"It's going to be kind of weird not having Antwaan and Jerome or whoever is not out there with us, but we still have to move on and continue playing football."

Last year, Roethlisberger twice made pleas for the Steelers to keep Burress, who wound up getting no offer from the Steelers and signed with the New York Giants. Randle El succeeded him as the starter in 2005.

Roethlisberger said he would ask that the team try to keep El.

"Always, but maybe I shouldn't, it didn't work last year. Antwaan's one of those guys you want to keep around because he's a great person, a great player."

Roethlisberger said Burress and Randle El didn't compare.

"They're different players, Plax being a big, tall guy and Antwaan's a very good possession guy. If we lost him, we'd lose him big time in the punt-return game. He gives us such good field position every time we get the ball. That would be probably where we'd miss him a lot."

Roethlisberger expects that Cedrick Wilson could replace Randle El. Wilson, the team's only unrestricted free-agent signing last year, played split end when the Steelers went to three receivers and also rotated with Randle El when they used only two. Randle El caught 35 passes for 558 yards and Wilson 26 for 451.

"I have a lot of confidence in Cedrick that he can step in," Roethlisberger said. "He did a great job of filling in this year and he will continue to grow in this offense."

All of the players last night were optimistic that the NFL would reach labor peace soon, but Bettis, who is retiring, issued a warning.

"To be in the 12th hour and both sides to say there's no deal in sight, it is a scary situation. It's been a long time since there's been an adversarial position with players and owners. Hopefully, this gives everyone an understanding what can happen, especially seeing the NHL and what they had to go through with a season that was lost. Hopefully, that doesn't happen."

Bettis took note of the in-fighting among NFL owners over proposed new revenue-sharing formulas.

"Some of them want to keep more of the dollars. When greed sets in, that's a bad thing. That destroys great situations. Hopefully, the greed isn't there and, hopefully from a players standpoint, the greed isn't there as well.

"There's more than enough for everybody to eat well."