Last year, the Steelers had Superman at wide receiver in Bobby Shaw.
Now, they have Super Glue at quarterback.
The extra-strength glue that can repair a broken coffee cup is being used to hold together Kent Graham's injured right thumb, and it helped him stay on the field yesterday.
Trainers applied a glob of the stuff yesterday after they punched tiny holes on the edge of his thumbnail to release the blood that had built up beneath the nail from a cut.
The cut occurred Tuesday when Graham followed through on a pass and his hand struck rushing linebacker Jason Gildon's helmet.
After a painful night during which he placed his throbbing thumb and forefinger on ice, and after the drill-and-super glue routine, Graham did not miss a beat in practice. He took his usual snaps, and his accuracy did not seem to be affected.
"It's sore, but I was able to throw with it. It was tough to spin it. Some balls came out a little wobbly."
Tight end Mark Bruener, who caught his share of those passes, did not notice a difference.
"He seemed fine to me."
Graham still had some swelling in his thumb and had some problems gripping the ball, but said he could have played in a game yesterday.
"I have plenty of days here before the game so I'm sure I'll be fine."
Wide receiver Plaxico Burress was added to the Steelers' injury list with back spasms. He is listed as probable.
Burress, the team's leading receiver after one game with four catches for 77 yards, did not practice, but he expects to today. He hurt his back while overstriding Tuesday. Malcolm Johnson replaced him at split end.
Defensive end Kevin Henry also joined the list as probable with a groin injury, but he went through a full practice.
Strong safety Lee Flowers did not practice again. He is listed as questionable with a groin injury. Linebacker Levon Kirkland practiced part-time and running back Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala went through a full practice. Both are listed as questionable.
The Browns have won three times in their 18-game history -- all on the road. They won at New Orleans and in Three Rivers Stadium last season, and at Cincinnati's new stadium last week.
They have not won in their own new stadium yet.
"Yes, there is a lot of talk about that," Cleveland Coach Chris Palmer said. "Starting with our owner, right on down. He thinks it would be good for us to try to win a game at home this year."
Jerome Bettis, on the attention the Pitt-Penn State game seems to be snatching away from the Steelers-Browns matchup this week:
"Right now, we're not playing up to our standards, and I'm sure the fans are a little frustrated so they're looking elsewhere to get some entertainment. But we're in this game to win, and it's going to be a great game Sunday up in Cleveland."
Steelers Report: 9/14/00 
