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Friday, November 09, 2001

By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Steelers (5-2) vs. Cleveland Browns (4-3), 1 p.m. Sunday, Cleveland Browns Stadium. TV, radio: KDKA-TV; WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970).

Two of the Steelers' three players listed as questionable for Sunday -- RB Amos Zereoue (shoulder) and OT Wayne Gandy (hamstring) -- participated in practice yesterday afternoon on the South Side, albeit to varying degrees. Zereoue wasn't at full speed, but Coach Bill Cowher expressed optimism about his availability for Cleveland. "He's getting back there. He's still a little sore. Hopefully, he'll be ready to go. We'll be happy to welcome him back." Cowher described himself as "very encouraged" about Gandy after watching Gandy make it through most of the session. CB Jason Simmons (hamstring) did not practice and is unlikely to play.

The Browns' two players with questionable status, CB Corey Fuller (ankle) and LB Wali Rainer (ankle), also had mixed results yesterday at Cleveland's practice in Berea, Ohio. Fuller participated and said afterward he expects to play. Rainer did not and, thus, has been ruled out for Sunday by Coach Butch Davis. LB Brant Boyer, a ninth-year NFL veteran, will start in the middle in place of Rainer. DE Keith McKenzie, whose ankle was fractured Sunday in Chicago, is out.

Cowher coined a curious phrase when describing the way he plans to improve the Steelers' kickoff teams. "We're doing major tweaking there. It couldn't get any worse, so hopefully it will get better." A "major tweaking" sounds much like a minor overhaul, but Cowher wouldn't specify if he is merely shifting strategies or changing personnel. The Steelers rank last in the NFL in kickoff returns, starting at an average of 22.6 yards away from their end zone. They rank 15th in kickoff coverage, their opponents starting at an average of 26.8 yards. "There is no question the kickoff return has been the most disturbing element of our special teams," Cowher said. "We are looking at it, we are going to evaluate it, and we will get better at it. There is no question we have been out of sync, for whatever reason."

RB Jerome Bettis is impressed with the Browns' defense, but he didn't back off in the slightest when asked if the Steelers could run on it. Cleveland ranks 18th in the NFL, allowing an average of 116.9 yards rushing per game. "We have to feel that we can run on them. That's our philosophy," Bettis said. "Look at the way we approached Baltimore. They've got the best run defense in the game, but our philosophy was that we could run the ball. We know that we have to run the ball or our offense isn't going to go. That's just how it works." Bettis topped 100 yards in each of the Steelers' two meetings with the Browns last season, gaining 133 on 24 carries and 105 yards in a 33 carries. He needs 10 yards to pass Ricky Watters for 12th on the NFL's all-time rushing list. He has 10,507.

QB Kordell Stewart will be aiming for his third consecutive 200-yard passing game Sunday. He hasn't had three in one season since stringing together six Nov. 1-Dec. 6, 1998. Cowher made special note of Stewart's patience against blitzing defenses. "He has never shied away from standing in the pocket in the face of a blitz. That's to his credit, and that's never been anything I've seen him deviate from. ... You have to make teams that blitz us pay for it. You have to be successful against it to stop teams from doing it." Stewart has not passed for more than 173 yards in any of his six appearances against the Browns. Last season, he was 8 of 14 for 83 yards.

OT Marvel Smith still isn't certain whether he will oppose Browns DE Courtney Brown, but he acknowledged paying close attention to him in film sessions. "I'll look forward to it if it happens," Smith said. "You always want to go against the special players in this league. They all play really hard, so it's not just him. It seems like their defense really picked it up a notch since last year. They're a lot more aggressive, a lot more on the attack, causing turnovers and getting after the quarterback." A matchup against Brown wouldn't be Smith's first taste of a premier pass-rusher. He lined up against Titans DE Jevon Kearse two weeks ago and all but silenced him.

Defensive coaches in the NFL have placed an increasing emphasis on stripping the ball in the past decade, making it more dangerous for a carrier to stand up for a third or fourth effort rather than simply go down when surrounded by tacklers. That was the case when WR Troy Edwards fumbled in the third quarter Sunday, as the Ravens had him completely wrapped up, then jarred the ball loose. Cowher advised it would have been better for Edwards to hit the ground. "Yeah, unless you're going to break them all. I just think you have to be careful in this business because people are so conscious of stripping the football. If you get in that situation, then just make sure you have both hands on it."

After watching K Kris Brown answer endless waves of reporters' questions this week, P Josh Miller playfully put up a barricade of masking tape across the corner where Brown's stall is in the team's South Side locker room. Brown was left alone.