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Tuesday, December 05, 2000

By By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Steelers vs. New York Giants, 1 p.m. Sunday, Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. TV, radio: KDKA; WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970).

Lamont Smith, the agent for Jerome Bettis, opened contract talks with the Steelers' Art Rooney II late yesterday afternoon. Bettis, in the final year of his contract, hopes the talks will lead to a contract that will make him a Steeler for the rest of his career. The Steelers' management doesn't normally negotiate contracts during the season in order to avoid disruptions for the player, but the organization has made exceptions and begun talking toward the end of the year. "It means there's interest in keeping me here past this year," Bettis said. "What the interest is, is yet to be seen. I'm optimistic about these talks, even if there is no deal struck." No deal likely would be struck quickly, but the Steelers would have until March 2 before Bettis would become an unrestricted free agent.

Kris Brown did not attempt a field goal Sunday for only the second game this season. The other game was a 9-7 loss Nov. 5 at Tennessee.

Sunday was the sixth time this season a Steelers game has been decided by three points or fewer. They raised their record to 2-4 in those games. They lost by 23-20 scores in weeks two and three to Cleveland and Tennessee. They beat Baltimore, 9-6. They lost to Tennessee, 9-7, and to Philadelphia, 26-23, in overtime. "We've been struggling to win the big games," LB Levon Kirkland said. "I think this time we had a resolve to take the close game."

QB Kordell Stewart can move into fourth place on the Steelers' all-time passing list over the next three games. He needs 108 yards to pass Mark Malone into sixth place. Malone, who played for the Steelers in 1980-87, has 8,582 yards passing. Jim Finks, who played in 1949-55, is fifth with 8,854 yards and Bobby Layne is fourth with 8,983 yards passing in five seasons. Stewart has thrown for 8,475 yards.

Coach Bill Cowher gave his team the day off yesterday, only the second time this season he has done it on Monday. They also will not work today, their usual day off.