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Monday, November 12, 2001

Compiled by Ed Bouchette, Dejan Kovacevic, Ron Cook and Bob Smizik

Steelers (6-2) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-5), 4:05 p.m. Sunday, Heinz Field. TV, radio: KDKA; WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970). The Steelers have lost five of the past six meetings, including a 21-3 defeat in the season opener Sept. 9 at Jacksonville.

Mike Logan, Steelers FS, left early in the second quarter with a sprained neck and did not return.

Jon Witman, Steelers FB, left in the fourth quarter with a back injury and did not return.

Earl Little, Browns SS, left late in the second quarter with a concussion and did not return.

The Steelers deactivated CB Jason Simmons (hamstring), C Chukky Okobi, G Keydrick Vincent, OT Mathias Nkwenti, LB Justin Kurpeikis, DE Chris Combs and DT Chris Hoke. RB Amos Zereoue returned after missing one game because of a shoulder injury and carried four times for 20 yards and had a 62-yard reception. OT Wayne Gandy returned after missing one game because of a hamstring injury and got the best of Browns DE Courtney Brown. The Browns played without DE Keith McKenzie (foot), LB Wali Rainer (ankle), DT Devone Claybrooks, FS Earthwind Moreland, G Richard Mercier, WR Andre King, WR JaJuan Dawson and TE Rod Monroe.

Quarterback Kordell Stewart had his 200-yard passing streak end at two games but it was no fault of his own. He completed 18 of 32 passes for 188 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He should have had two touchdown passes and another 50 to 60 yards passing. Amos Zereoue, for one, caught a short pass and ran 62 yards before he ran out of gas at the 2 with no one in front of him in what should have been a touchdown reception. Plaxico Burress dropped what would have been a 22-yard touchdown pass. “I saw it and tried to get to it so bad that I probably misjudged it a little,” Burress said. “If we had lost this game, I would have put everything on me. Troy Edwards dropped what would have been at least a 35-yard pass inside the 10. Hines Ward also dropped a pass. That goes both ways, however, because Cleveland S Percy Ellsworth dropped what should have been an interception on the game’s first drive.

The biggest reason Steelers S Mike Logan was happy was that his neck, which was jammed when he made a tackle on the kickoff team late in the first quarter, is fine. But he also was happy about getting to see the end of the game after a trip to a Cleveland hospital for a precautionary CAT scan. “We were just leaving the hospital to come back when I heard the game was going into overtime,” Logan said. “I made the ambulance driver race back. He did a nice job.”

Throughout the game, Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle was advertised as the “Official supermarket of the Cleveland Browns” on side boards at Cleveland Browns Stadium. And Heinz, the Pittsburgh company whose name graces the Steelers’ new stadium, has a major ad on the Browns’ scoreboard.

The Steelers’ defense, ranked No. 1 in the NFL, was upset last week despite dominating Baltimore because the Ravens scored the winning field goal in the fourth quarter. Yesterday, the Steelers’ defense allowed only 58 yards in the second half. “This was a good win for us defensively,” SS Lee Flowers said. “We finally got the monkey off our backs by finishing up a game. We got on the field with 6:06 left and said here we go again, we have to buckle down, we have to win this game. We did a good job.”

Browns QB Tim Couch was as sharp in the first half as he was dull in the second. He completed 8 of 14 for 89 yards and a touchdown before halftime, 10 of 19 for 71 yards after that. Those numbers don’t show much disparity, but all seven of his sacks came in the second half, and his early incompletions were the result of drops while his later incompletions were thrown off the mark. “They started bringing a little more pressure,” Couch said. “They tried to make me get rid of the ball quicker.” The Steelers still were impressed with Couch’s poise. “He’s a good quarterback, and I told him that after the game,” SS Lee Flowers said. “He kept us flat-footed for two quarters. Then we went in and made some adjustments to what they were doing.”

The Browns have lost two overtime games in a row, including their heartbreaker in Chicago last week. That has greatly dampened the enthusiasm that followed a 4-2 start, but Coach Butch Davis insisted his team is not finished: “We’re disappointed we didn’t win this game. Our guys went out and spilled their guts all over this field. We’ve got to figure out a way to capitalize on the other team’s mistakes.” His players seemed no less resolved. “This team will not quit,” LB Dwayne Rudd said. “We’ve got a bunch of fighters in here. We’re going to stay together, play hard and work to correct our mistakes.”

Cleveland LB Brant Boyer on the running style of Jerome Bettis: “He pounded us and wore us down late in the game. You have to give credit to them as they made the plays that it took to win the game. Their offensive line does a good job of blocking and letting Bettis run the ball. I think we did a good job for the most part, but he broke out on some big plays. We couldn’t stop him at the end and that is what won them the game.”

Kicking five field goals against the Browns is nothing new for Kris Brown. He did the same thing in 1999, only that time it wasn’t enough. The Steelers lost, 16-15.

With his 19-yard run in the first quarter, Steelers RB Jerome Bettis passed Ricky Watters for 12th on the NFL’s all-time rushing list. He has 10,760, and next in his sights is O.J. Simpson at 11,236.

The overflow crowd of 73,218 was the largest in the three-year history of Cleveland Browns Stadium.

By giving up a safety in the first quarter and a field goal in the third, the Steelers allowed their first points of the season in those quarters. They entered the game with a 17-0 edge in the first quarter, 34-0 in the third.

The safety recorded by former Steeler Orpheus Roye in the first quarter was the first of his career and the Browns’ first since 1993.

The Steelers have three or more sacks in five consecutive games. They had seven yesterday, including 3 1/2 by LB Jason Gildon.

QB Kordell Stewart threw for 188 yards, falling just short of his third consecutive 200-yard passing game. He hasn’t had three in one season since stringing together six Nov. 1-Dec. 6, 1998.

The overtime game was the second in as many seasons for the Steelers -- they lost, 26-23, to the Eagles Nov. 12, 2000, at Three Rivers Stadium -- and their all-time mark is 15-7-1.

The Steelers improved to 44-54 in Cleveland, including victories in nine of the past 11 meetings.

Rookie LB Kendrell Bell had his fifth sack and sixth-year veteran LB Earl Holmes had sack No. 8 1/2 -- for his career. While Holmes has led the team in tackles the past two seasons, he has never been one to pressure quarterbacks. It was his first sack since Oct. 1, 2000, at Jacksonville and only his second in the past three seasons.

Corey Fuller, Browns CB: “I don’t want to keep hearing how young we are. On our paychecks, it doesn’t say how young we are.”

The Steelers seemed to soak in the lively -- some might say rabid -- atmosphere in Cleveland before, during and after the game. That was best evident with the way defensive players relished each chance to celebrate big plays in front of the Dawg Pound.

“I think we really like playing against a crowd that really has hatred for us,” SS Lee Flowers said. “I mean, these guys are here giving us the finger and yelling, ‘Hey, you, come over here and I’m going to kick your butt!’ That’s cool, you know? That makes me want to tear my sweater off and start playing some football. It turns all of us on.”