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Monday, October 30, 2000

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

Steelers vs. Titans, 1 p.m. Sunday, Adelphia Coliseum. TV: KDKA. Radio: WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970). When these teams met Sept. 24 at Three Rivers Stadium, QB Steve McNair came off the bench to spark a late TD drive in Tennessee's 23-20 victory. That game also marked the last time the Steelers lost.

Kimo von Oelhoffen, Steelers NT, had a slight knee injury in the second quarter but returned.

Hines Ward, Steelers WR, had pain in his lower back in the fourth quarter but returned.

Travis Taylor, Ravens WR, sustained a broken left clavicle in the third quarter and will be out four to six weeks.

Steelers OT Wayne Gandy doesn't look anything like Knute Rockne, but he took a page out of the old Notre Dame coach's book at halftime yesterday. Gandy, the Steelers' left tackle, gave the kind of fiery speech the legendary Irish coach was known for giving. "It was a hell of a halftime speech that got everybody fired up," LB Joey Porter said. "It was a little something extra in the coffee," G Rich Tylski said.

Gandy did not like the way the offense was playing, and when they came into the locker room trailing 6-0, he let everyone know it. "Sometimes, somebody has to crack the whip. The coaches can say it a million times. I was just trying to rally the troops, that's all. I felt the offense could play with a little more heart than we'd been playing in the first half. This kind of game, against a defense like that, you have to understand it's going to be a struggle. We're talking about every yard is going to count. If it looks like only two yards there, go get four. Make somebody miss, do something."

Steelers rookie FB Dan Kreider earned good grades for his first NFL start from one of those who counts most -- Jerome Bettis. Kreider caught the only pass thrown to him for 14 yards, but more important were the blocks he threw for Bettis against one of the NFL's better defenses. "Dan went in there and smacked a couple guys in the face so it made it a lot easier," said Bettis, who lost his previous two fullbacks, Jon Witman and Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, in each of the previous two games because of injuries. "Dan did a great job. I'm sure all those linebackers on the other side of the field know Dan Kreider right now. Running behind him felt real good."

LB Joey Porter sacked Trent Dilfer twice to take the Steelers' lead with seven sacks. All seven have come in the past five games after he went without a sack in the first three. "I can't say enough about the way the defense is playing," Porter said.

Baltimore Coach Brian Billick was 1-1 on instant replay challenges on consecutive plays. Referee Bernie Kukar denied his first challenge, when Corey Harris fumbled on a kickoff return. That gave the ball to the Steelers at the Baltimore 27. On first down, the officials ruled that Bobby Shaw made a diving catch of a Kordell Stewart pass at the 12. Billick challenged that, and Kukar ruled that Shaw trapped the ball and upheld the challenge.

Some of the toughest questioning Billick faced after the game concerned a decision to punt at the Steelers' 33 with less than eight minutes remaining. A few reporters wondered why PK Matt Stover wasn't summoned to attempt what would have been a 50-yard field goal. Billick's answer was simple: "Matt felt it was outside his range." Stover booted a team-record 51-yarder in the second quarter, but this time he was facing the other end zone, with the wind blowing against him. He told Billick he didn't think he could make it: "I told him we needed to get to the 30 or the 32 to try it. I felt if we punted that we'd get the ball back." The Ravens did punt, to the Steelers' 9, but they didn't get the ball back until only 2:54 remained.

Dale Hamer, who lives in Murrysville, officiated his first Steelers' regular-season game in nine years. He served as the head linesman.

Ravens rookie RB Jamal Lewis caught a swing pass and turned it into a 40-yard gain in the second quarter, the longest reception against the Steelers since the third game of the season.

The Ravens' defense was missing one of its top performers, DT Tony Siragusa, who was a late scratch because of injuries to his neck and leg. Steelers RB Jerome Bettis, who had 8 yards on nine carries when these teams met Sept. 3, managed 65 yards on 18 carries yesterday. "Siragusa's a solid player for them," Bettis said. "It's a little different with Siragusa not in the ballgame."

The Steelers deactivated FB Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala (ankle), FB Jon Witman (leg), OT Shar Pourdanesh (knee), WR Troy Edwards (hip), G Tom Myslinski, DE Jeremy Staat, LB Clark Haggans and DE Chris Combs.

The last time the Steelers won five in a row was 1997. The last time they won six in a row was 1995, when they won eight in a row after starting 3-4. They were 5-3 at this point last season and lost seven of their final eight games to finish 6-10.

RB Jamal Lewis was responsible for 146 of the Ravens' 274 yards from scrimmage. He had 93 rushing and 53 receiving.

Ravens PK Matt Stover has converted 41 of his past 43 field goals, including both attempts yesterday. He leads the NFL with 78 points and has accounted for Baltimore's past 46 points.

The Ravens fell to 1-8 at home in October. Their previous home win in October came in 1996 vs. the Rams.

The Steelers improved to 7-3 all-time vs. the Ravens, 4-1 in Baltimore.

Shannon Sharpe, Ravens TE, on Coach Brian Billick inserting QB Trent Dilfer in place of Tony Banks: "Brian made a change because he wanted to give us a little spark. We got six points, so it didn't happen. I guess I'm next in line. I want to play quarterback."

So, Shannon Sharpe, about those Steelers ...

Sharpe, you might recall, offered the following stinging assessment of the Steelers after Baltimore's 16-0 victory Sept. 3 at Three Rivers Stadium:

"The Steelers have some real problems that they need to have addressed. That's probably the worst in my 11 years I've seen a Steelers team look. And I'm sure Bill Cowher is very disappointed, because they've got a lot of internal turmoil."

Just before closing his postgame news conference yesterday, Cowher offered an indirect, belated response to Sharpe.

"One last thing," he told reporters. "Can you guys please go tell Shannon Sharpe that our problems here are fine. And I appreciate his concern after the first game about all the internal problems we had. Tell him we're fine. Thanks."

Without being aware of Cowher's shot, Sharpe attempted yesterday to amend his original comments.

"I said they were not a very good football team that day," Sharpe said, emphasizing the last two words. "I also said that when we play them again that they'll be a lot better football team. And they are. Coach Cowher has done a great job of keeping those guys together and believing in their system. They started out 0-3, and here they are going one way, and we're going another."

Steelers S Lee Flowers, who works out with Sharpe during the off-season in Atlanta, has bristled at some teammates' suggestions that the "turmoil" comments started with him.

"They thought I told him something," Flowers said. "I told Coach Cowher that never came from me. Shannon is great person to start controversy in the locker room."