Tyrone Carter's grandmother counseled him that good things happen to those who are patient.

And when the free safety got his chance to play Sunday in place of the injured Ryan Clark, Carter responded with two interceptions, of which one went for his first career touchdown. He also had seven tackles and forced a fumble against the Browns, earning him honors as the AFC defensive player of the week.

"You always want to end with a bang. And when you get an opportunity, you want to take advantage of it," Carter said after practice yesterday. "Jerome Bettis didn't complain when he wasn't starting, so why should I? I'm not selfish. We're here to win."

Even though he's not ordinarily a starter, Carter says he has stayed sharp with the help of veterans like Troy Polamalu. When he would come off the field, Polamalu would ask Carter about his techniques and proper positioning in defensive sets.

"Troy wants for me to be his eyes. So when he comes to the sideline, I have to tell him something I saw," Carter said. "It means I have to be up on each play. That keeps me in the game as well."

His noteworthy performance is a good tuneup for the playoffs.

"It's do or die now. There aren't any more games for us if we don't win," Carter said. "What you did in the season doesn't mean anything if you go to the playoffs and lose the first game."

Roethlisberger, others rest

Still feeling the effects of a mild concussion, Ben Roethlisberger did not practice for the second consecutive.

He did not talk to the media, but the coaching staff indicated he would not have practiced much because Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon need repetitions going into the playoffs.

"He'll be fine. If he's not, we won't change," said offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. "We're still going to run what we run and be who we are. He wouldn't have gotten any of the reps anyway."

The bye week is an opportunity for some of the younger players to get in some work.

"Somebody is going to make a play [and] do something unexpected. I use the example that Nate Washington caught his first pass in the AFC championship game," Arians said. "One of these young guys is going to have to do that for us. They don't know who it is, and I don't know who it is. But it's been good to get them this work."

Hines Ward, James Harrison and Willie Parker were also in sweats.

Ward is among those players who might take in a college bowl game or two over the weekend, but he won't be watching any of the first-round games.

"I'm going to take my son to Dave & Buster's, get as far away from football as possible so I can come back on Monday and focus on the task at hand," he said.

The bye week is also a chance to get younger players acclimated to the challenges ahead.

"For guys who have never been in the playoffs, it's a whole different atmosphere," said defensive captain James Farrior.

"It's like rookies who start playing in the preseason. The regular season is a whole other level. Playoff football is the next level after that," he added. "The game [is] so intense. It's going to be an experience they've never felt before. We just have to keep them under control."