The Steelers soon will decide whether to stick with grass at Heinz Field or finally make the move to artificial turf.

They had meetings on the matter this past week.

"Don't rule out grass," one official cautioned as mounting sentiment grows inside the organization to install artificial turf.

They've already chosen the type of artificial surface if they make the change -- the new generation of FieldTurf that West Virginia University installed last summer and the New England Patriots put down in 2006. It's called Duraspine and it cost WVU $901,152 to install.

The cost has little to do with the Steelers' decision. They paid $150,000 last November to have sod placed over their deteriorating DDGrassMaster field, which is grass tied together and down by synthetic fibers.

The DDGrassMaster, which also is used by the Denver Broncos, was supposed to be an improvement over Heinz Field's original all-grass field. It was great in September and October. By November, after poundings by Pitt and the Steelers for two months, the five high school championships played at Heinz Field applied the coup de gras.

Injuries and their own players' professed preferences for grass are reasons the Steelers have stayed with the grass that turned to dirt and mud by late season. They believed it to be safer. In that sense, it's been a well-intentioned experiment.

But when the Steelers played on the rock-hard artificial surface at Three Rivers Stadium for 31 years, they often cited studies that showed there were fewer serious injuries in games on those old artificial turfs than there was on grass in the National Football League.

As part of their investigation, the Steelers have gathered research from the NFL on injuries -- how they occurred and on what surfaces. They will use those studies as they determine whether to make the switch to FieldTurf's Duraspine.

Some in the organization believe the grass at Heinz Field has become a national embarrassment heightened by the Monday Night game against Miami and the downpours that occurred often during home games this season. The field also ranks at or near the bottom of annual NFL Players Association surveys of its members. Pitt officials have urged the Steelers to switch to artificial turf.

A new artificial surface also could help the Steelers on the field in a couple of ways. First, as they evolve under quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker from the old plowhorse offense into something sleeker. Parker has said he prefers artificial turf, which is no surprise because of his style of running. Second, by increasing income to help with the ever-increasing cash outlays for signing bonuses. Although there is a salary cap in the NFL, the cash needed for signing bonuses has become a problem for some teams in smaller markets.

By having artificial turf, the Steelers can attract more events like the Kenny Chesney concerts, knowing the field can hold up. The Rolling Stones, one source said, wanted to play in Heinz Field during the fall but were turned away because of concerns about the grass. The income from such events could help fund signing bonuses.

There really is little downside to having the new, safer generation of FieldTurf at Heinz Field. The Steelers have been practicing on FieldTurf since 2000 at their UPMC indoor facility on the South Side with no known serious injuries coming from it.

For those into aesthetics, the field would be forever green -- unless it snows -- and those slanted white lines the Steelers and Pitt use can disappear and end zones for each team zipped in and out.

The next former Steelers player to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be Rod Woodson next year. He should be a shoo-in.

A teammate of his should have been voted in by now but center Dermontti Dawson, selected to seven Pro Bowls and considered at least the equal to Hall of Famers Dwight Stephenson and Mike Webster, hasn't even made it to the semifinal 25 let alone the final 15.

Yet a punter, Ray Guy -- not even close to the best in the history of the game -- keeps making it to the final 15. The hall of fame should have a special wing -- make that a closet -- for special teams players. That would be better than having punters such as Guy -- who participated in probably an average of five plays a game -- somehow knocking real players such as Dawson out of spots in the finals. Put Guy in the special category, along with Steve Tasker if you must and a few kickers. They can even put in a long-snapper because, as the supporters of kickers and punters have argued for years, they are part of the game too.

It's good to see Mike Tomlin stick by his guns, but does he think we believe that if he had to do it over again, had he time to think about it, he would really order his team to go for a two-point conversion from the 12 with 10:29 left in his first playoff game?

You can argue one way or the other about him going for two at the 2, but once the penalty came, he had to kick it for the small chance of making it from the 12 -- the risk vs. reward was not in Tomlin's favor on this one.

"Yes, I'd do it again," Tomlin said. "I throw caution to the wind. I play to win."

On this one, however, he threw common-sense to the wind.