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Monday, October 07, 2002

By Ed Bouchette, Bob Smizik and Ron Cook, Post-Gazette Sports Writers

Steelers vs. Bengals, 1 p.m. Sunday, Paul Brown Stadium. TV: KDKA. Radio: WBGG-AM (970), WDVE-FM (102.5) and the Steelers Radio Network. Think the Steelers have problems? At 0-5, the Bengals are one of three remaining winless teams.

Alan Faneca, Steelers G, left the game briefly to close a nasty cut over his forehead.

Lee Flowers, Steelers S, had an ankle injury but returned.

Dewayne Washington, Steelers CB, had an ankle injury but returned.

Fred McAfee, Saints special teams player, left the game for good in the first half when a hamstring injury was aggravated.

Travis Carroll, Saints LB, left the game with a broken fibula.

Ken Irvin, Saints CB, left with a concussion.

Steve Gleason, Saints S, left with a concussion.

Steelers QB Kordell Stewart, missing his first game after a streak of 30 consecutive starts at quarterback, gave a thumbs up to replacement Tommy Maddox. “He had a good game,” Stewart said. “It was just unfortunate we didn’t come out with a win. I think he played pretty good.” Maddox had career highs in attempts, completions and yards as he went 22 of 38 for 268 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a passer rating of 95.1 for the game. He was sacked four times and lost a fumble. It was his first start in 10 years but he still has not won any of them. He is 0-5 as a starter. “He made some good decisions, made some touchdowns,” Stewart said. “Obviously, there were some mistakes and, like I’ve always said at that position, mistakes are going to be made. When you know that, the opportunity at having some success will come from everyone having confidence in you once you made mistakes. He made mistakes, and they had confidence in him, and he kept working, plugging away, and they had confidence in him at the end.”

The Steelers also started 1-3 in 2000, when they finished 9-7 and missed making the playoffs by a game. They still believe they will turn around this season. CB Chad Scott, in fact, guaranteed they would make the playoffs. “It’s like the first quarter is over for a game,” LB Joey Porter said. “We’re losing right now, we still have 12 more games. We definitely have enough time to bounce back from where we are right now.” Said WR Hines Ward, “We still have to look at our division. We can’t afford to lose anymore. We have to go on the road and at least be .500 and try to win six out of eight back at home. If we do that, hopefully, we’ll get in.” WR Plaxico Burress, who caught his second touchdown pass in three quarters from Maddox when he scored his team’s first points in the second quarter, said, “We have to get it turned around. We want to be a good fotoball team.”

The Steelers packed seven players to the left of kicker Todd Peterson when they lined up from their 30 to try an onside kick with 1:26 left. The idea is for some to run into the Saints while others grab for the ball that Peterson is trying to bounce a certain way off the turf. The ball hit the artificial turf, bounced in the air and Jay Bellamy, a nine-year veteran safety, grasped it for the Saints. “It comes down to getting a good bounce,” said special teams captain John Fiala.

Fiala replaced rookie Larry Foote at inside linebacker early in the fourth quarter. Foote, starting for the injured Kendrell Bell, blew assignments and one time was run over. He left his position too early to pursue Deuce McAllister, who cut back into the hole Foote left to start a 52-yard touchdown run.

Burress and Saints Coach Jim Haslett were jawing at each other on the first series of the game. Burress gestured several times toward the Saints’ sideline, even as a play was ready to be run. Burress laughed about it afterward, saying Haslett was getting on him and he took it in good nature.

Saints WR Jerome Pathon beat Chad Scott for a 54-yard reception in the second quarter that set up the Saints’ second touchdown. “It was a play we worked on all week in practice,” Pathon said. “I hit him with a stutter at about 15 yards. Aaron [Brooks] just threw the ball up and it worked just like in practice.”

Saints LB Darrin Smith had a career day. He had three sacks, 11 tackles (eight unassisted) and two passes defended. “It was a pretty good day today,” he said. “Sometimes there’s a game where everything just seems to go right. It was one of those days for me.”

Haslett was relieved that his decision to go for two points late in the second quarter didn’t come back to haunt the Saints. After McAllister scored to give the Saints a 19-14 lead, Brooks’ pass for Pathon on the conversion attempt was incomplete. “That’s what our thing said to do,” Haslett said, referring to a cheat sheet all coaches carry that helps them in such situations. Usually that early in the game, though, the wise strategy is to kick and take the point. The Saints could have used it at the end. The Steelers would have been in position to kick a tying field goal if they had recovered their onside kick attempt with 1:22 remaining. “I’m just glad it worked out,” Haslett said.

Deuce McAllister, Saints RB, after his 123-yard performance, which included a 52-yard touchdown run: “We knew we were going to have some positive plays because of the way they slant their linebackers. We knew that we could run the ball against them.”

For a while, it appeared Amos Zereoue would become the first Steelers running back in 32 years to top 100 yards in receiving. The last time that happened, Chuck Noll was in his second season as their coach. Frenchy Fuqua did it against Cleveland Nov. 29, 1970, when he caught four passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Zereoue had two catches for 71 yards at halftime and three for 84 -- all screen passes -- by the end of the third quarter. He did not catch another pass.

LB Jason Gildon had his first sack of the season.

Saints K Jon Carney made four field goals, the most against the Steelers in two seasons. David Akers of Philadelphia kicked four against them Nov. 12, 2000.

It’s not often you see a head coach get a Gatorade shower after an early-October win, but this was no ordinary victory for Saints Coach Jim Haslett. He grew up a Steelers fan in Avalon. His parents came down for the game. He didn’t just beat the Steelers, he beat his former boss, Bill Cowher. Word from the Saints’ locker room was that he was so moved afterward that he had tears in his eyes when his players presented him with a game ball. “It means a lot,” Haslett said. “I appreciate the effort these guys gave. And I’m really glad we’re 4-1.”