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Monday, September 25, 2000

By Ed Bouchette, Dejan Kovacevic and Ron Cook, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

It gets no easier next Sunday, when the Steelers travel to play the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Steelers have lost three in a row to the Jaguars and haven't won on any of their five trips to Jacksonville.

Marvel Smith, Steelers OT, left in the first quarter with a sprained left knee and did not return. He was replaced by Shar Pourdanesh. Smith was scheduled for an MRI last evening, but it appeared that no major ligament damage had occurred.

Kent Graham, Steelers QB, left the game on the final series when Titans DE Kenny Holmes landed on him. Graham has a bruised hip and ribs, but he said nothing was broken.

Joe Salave'a, Titans DT, left on a stretcher in the second quarter after his head struck Graham's hip during a sack. After he was taken to UPMC-Presbyterian for precautionary reasons, Tennessee officials reported that Salave'a has all movement and should have a full recovery. "He's going to be fine," Coach Jeff Fisher said.

Frank Wycheck, Titans TE, left in the first quarter after making a catch and falling headfirst to the turf. He sustained a concussion.

Jevon Kearse, Titans DE, sustained a hip flexor in the first quarter while tackling Steelers RB Jerome Bettis but played despite frequently limping. Kearse's NFL record of getting at least one half-sack in 13 consecutive games came to an end.

The Steelers had an up and down day in the kicking department, not the least of which was Kris Brown's failed 50-yard field goal attempt to tie the score at the end. Josh Miller had another good day, averaging 48 yards on seven punts. Troy Edwards returned one kickoff 37 yards and Hines Ward returned one 31. But the Steelers also allowed Tennessee's Derrick Mason to return a punt 23 yards and a kickoff 46 yards. Brown also has not kicked off strongly or put the ball where his coaches want him to. "Our kickoff coverage, without a doubt, we have to get rectified," Coach Bill Cowher said. "We moved people around and have some young guys doing it. We have to get better placement of kicks from Kris. We reverted to squibbing the thing at the end because of that."

Because the injury to Steelers QB Kent Graham occurred in the game's final two minutes, the Steelers automatically lost a timeout, leaving them with just one. That proved crucial on the final drive, when they were forced to stop the clock with a spike rather than run a play. Also because Graham was out, Miller held for Brown on the 50-yard field goal try. Brown said the hold and snap were good. Just before the final kick was tried, the grounds crew closed the gate behind the goal posts to cut down on the wind that was slightly blowing in.

Cowher believed referee Walt Coleman had ample evidence to overrule a call on the field on the last play of the third quarter when Ward stretched the ball over the goal line for an apparent touchdown. The officials put the ball at the 1, and Coleman ruled there wasn't enough video evidence to overturn that call. QB Kordell Stewart scored on the next play, but the failed challenge cost the Steelers a timeout they could have used on their final, fruitless drive. "I thought it was very clear," Cowher said. "There was no doubt in my mind about the ball breaking plane. When they told me his knee had nothing to do with it, then it was clear to challenge the play."

Each of the Titans' first three games has been decided by three points, including a 16-13 loss to the Bills and a 17-14 win over the Chiefs in overtime. That's a far cry from the dominant form Tennessee showed in reaching the Super Bowl last season. "By no means are we playing the way we're capable of playing," Coach Jeff Fisher said. "We're not getting the little things done. And until we get those things done, we're going to be playing a lot of close games. We were very fortunate today." WR Yancey Thigpen said, "Right now, we're not playing really well as a team. We know that."

Among switches in the Steelers' personnel yesterday, Courtney Hawkins returned punts because Hank Poteat, who had a good day doing so in Cleveland the previous week, was inactive. The team needed Poteat's spot on the active list for G Tom Myslinski because they were concerned about C Dermontti Dawson's hamstring. Hawkins had two fair catches and no returns. And Ward started at flanker ahead of Edwards, who had been questionable with a hamstring injury, and led the team for the second consecutive game with five receptions for 59 yards. No Steelers receiver has a 100-yard game this season.

It looked as if Titans RB Eddie George might have a big day against the Steelers when he scored on a 20-yard run on his team's fourth offensive play. But George knew better. "The Steelers are notorious for stopping the run. Those guys have a lot of pride, especially at home. I had to earn everything I got." George, who became the NFL's highest-paid running back when he signed a seven-year, $42 million extension during training camp, gained only 53 yards on his next 25 carries to finish with 74 yards on 27 attempts. That works out to a 2.7 yards-per-carry average. In nine career games against the Steelers, he has only one 100-yard performance.

Steelers CB Chad Scott's two interceptions tied his previous season high of two in his rookie season, 1997. It's the most he has had in one game. He now has five in his NFL career over the regular season, plus one in the playoffs. "Chad played well," Cowher said.

The Steelers deactivated RB Richard Huntley (hamstring), NT Kendrick Clancy (ankle), LB Clark Haggans, LB Donnel Thompson, WR Malcolm Johnson, OT Larry Tharpe and Poteat.

Titans WR Carl Pickens had just two receptions, but they carried 105 yards, both in the first half. It was his 20th 100-yard game, his first with Tennessee.

The Steelers hold a 38-25 edge in the series, though the Titans have won the past six meetings.

Steelers rookie WR Plaxico Burress had one catch for 17 yards and dropped two others.

In the past two seasons, the Titans are 17-2 against their AFC Central Division opponents.

Tennessee closed out its franchise history at Three Rivers Stadium with a 10-22 record.

* Steelers RB Jerome Bettis rushed for 77 yards, pushing him past Hall of Famer Jim Taylor on the NFL's all-time list.

HE SAID IT

* Bill Cowher, Steelers coach, his eyes watering during his news conference while recalling what he told his team after the loss: "I couldn't give them any words to fill the void. I couldn't give them any words to overcome the hurt. But we are getting better as a football team. The effort they put forth in preparation, the way they laid it on the line today and the way I saw them respond last week, it's unfortunate that the residue of that effort isn't showing up, but it will. I believe it will."

FOURTH-AND-SHORT

* Consider it the first sign that the end is near.

Minutes after the game, the Three Rivers Stadium grounds crew took down the goal posts and began setting up the baseball infield for the final time.

The Pirates will play their final six games at Three Rivers this week, beginning tomorrow.