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Sunday, May 19, 2002

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The road to the Super Bowl went through Heinz Field last season, and the New England Patriots plowed right through it and the Steelers to get there.

Hines Ward can't wait to repay them.

"Even though they beat us in the championship," Ward said, "we want to go back and repay them. Especially up in that new stadium on Monday night. We want to show the world that, even though they beat us, we're capable of getting back to the championship and getting another shot at the Super Bowl."

The Steelers open the season Sept. 9 against the defending Super Bowl champions, who will christen CMGI Field.

"All the players, we talk about that game," Ward said. "Just the attitude around the locker room, we're ready to play that Monday Night Football game in New England and we're working hard right now to do it."

The Patriots beat the Steelers, 24-17, in the AFC championship Jan. 27, but not all of Ward's teammates are thirsting for revenge.

"Different things motivate different guys," linebacker Jason Gildon said. "Me, personally, I'm just ready for the team atmosphere coming back and getting back to where we were last year. I'm really more concentrating on the team getting back in the groove of things. I think that's better than trying to look ahead to an individual game."

Lee Flowers, their emotional strong safety who called the Tampa Bay Buccaneers "paper champions" last year, has a different view to the season opener against the Patriots, at least he does right now.

"I don't think it's a revenge thing. They're on our schedule. We're trying to be better than we were last year and for us to be better than we were last year is going to have to be 14-2 and the Super Bowl.

"It's not so much as if we win that game, OK, that's automatically the key to the Super Bowl. We're still gong to have 15 more games. I think they're just one team in the way of our goal.

"I think what Hines was probably saying is if you want to start a season off with a sense of urgency, there's no better way than starting off with New England. That right there is definitely throwing gas on the fire, and the fire's going to be burning for 15 more games."

Negotiations update

The Steelers are not close to signing any of the handful of veterans who are entering the final year of their contracts. Defensive end Aaron Smith is the only player they've been talking to regularly about a new deal.

The others include Flowers, Alan Faneca, Wayne Gandy, Amos Zereoue and Kimo von Oelhoffen.

"They haven't spoken to me recently, a few months ago," said Neil Schwartz, Gandy's agent. "We haven't spoken since. He'd like to stay, he likes it there a lot."

Mark Bartelstein represents von Oelhoffen and Faneca and said both players would like to stay put.

"We've talked about Alan and Kimo; nothing imminent is happening," Bartelstein said. "I don't sense a major sense of urgency."

Neither does Flowers, who said he won't become concerned unless he is unsigned the day before free agency begins next March.

"I don't like to get into that kind of stuff, I think it takes away from the game, takes away my focus to try to win a championship," Flowers said. "I'm not worried about it. The money is out there.

"If fans think I'm worried because we signed a lot more guys in this locker room than myself, I'm not worried about it. Those guys deserve their money. ... I think this locker room has been very good about not worrying about somebody else's contract. Over the years, you've never seen a situation going on like the Giants right now. Their whole locker room is torn apart right now because you have guys talking about other guys' contracts, and that's a no-no. When the time comes, the right decision will be made."

Playing through

Coach Bill Cowher has given his team off Monday so the players and staff can attend the Merril Hoge, Hines Ward, Mark Bruener golf tournament at Southpointe.

Cowher and his predecessor, Chuck Noll are going to play in the tournament.

Former Steelers cornerback Rod Woodson also will play and bring a little pregame hype for the Raiders-Steelers game Sept. 15 at Heinz Field. Woodson, released by Baltimore, signed to play safety for the Raiders. Quarterback Jim Kelly, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Aug. 3, also will play.

Bruener understandably was proud of the $84,000 raised from the event last year, which, because of a matching grant from Highmark, produced $168,000 for the Western Pennsylvania Caring Foundation.

"For Coach Cowher to give us a day off to be involved in this says a lot about what he and the team thinks about it," Bruener said.

The glory of Kordell

Fox Sports Net spent time Thursday filming an episode of "Beyond the Glory" featuring Kordell Stewart.

Does this mean that he has arrived?

"I've been here for 29 years," Stewart said, "so I arrived a long time ago."

Stewart said this has been his most relaxing off-season in years, mostly because, in previous years, he was at odds with his offensive coordinator or learning a new offensive system in previous years.

"It's totally different from all the other off-seasons we've had the past couple of years," he said. "I hung around a little bit and traveled."

Tickets available

The Steelers are selling a small number of individual game tickets at Heinz Field through the mail beginning today.

Fans can buy two tickets for two of the 10 games (including two exhibitions) at home and should specify the games they wish to attend. Requests will be filled as they are received with the best available seats, which might include singles. If the requested games are unavailable, the Steelers will substitute tickets for other games unless the order specifically states not to do so.

One order per household or business firm will be accepted and orders will not be mailed to post office boxes.

The price is $46 a ticket plus a $2 fee on the total order for mailing and handling. Checks or money orders should be made payable to the Pittsburgh Steelers and mailed to the Pittsburgh Steelers Ticket Department, P.O. Box 6763, Pittsburgh, PA 15212. Do not send cash. Phone, credit card, hand-delivered or fax orders will not be accepted.

The Steelers will play the New York Jets (Aug. 8), Minnesota (Aug. 29), Oakland (Sept. 15), Cleveland (Sept. 29), Indianapolis (Oct. 21), Atlanta (Nov. 10), Cincinnati (Nov. 24), Houston (Dec. 8), Carolina (Dec. 15) and Baltimore (Dec. 29) at Heinz Field.