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Saturday, November 09, 2002

By Gerry Dulac, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Terance Mathis did more than spend eight seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. During that time, he established himself as the team's all-time leader in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns. He also was dependable, catching at least 50 passes each season and starting every game his final six seasons.

The Falcons (5-3) come to Heinz Field tomorrow for a 1 p.m. against the Steelers and, rest assured, Mathis is looking forward to the meeting against his former team.

Looking forward to it being over.

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"It's tough for me, personally, to prepare for a game like this because you want to treat it like it's just another team," Mathis said. "But, you know it's not just another game. Deep inside, you probably still feel a little hurt not being there.

"I have nothing but good things to say about my time there. I really enjoyed it. I accomplished a lot of things. But once you look at the schedule and see it coming, and it's finally here, it's a funny feeling. I can't wait for it to be over."

Mathis was an unrestricted free agent at the end of last season, when he finished as the seventh active pass-catcher in National Football League history (666). But, despite a season in which he led the team with 51 catches, Mathis was not re-signed by the Falcons.

He was released in February and didn't sign with the Steelers until June. Initially, he was brought in to be the slot receiver in case rookie Antwaan Randle El did not develop quickly enough. But Randle El has been the No. 3 receiver almost since the start of preseason, and Mathis has become the team's fourth receiver.

Despite a limited role, Mathis has 12 catches for 113 yards and one touchdown -- a 14-yarder from Tommy Maddox against the New Orleans Saints.

"How it ended, that's what makes it tough for me," Mathis said. "I still don't know why. At the time, I preferred to stay. But I still don't know why it happened. No one still has told me why."

That's why Mathis can't wait for the game to be over.

"After this week, it will be closure," he said.

There were several reasons for Mathis' departure from the Falcons.

For starters, Atlanta had the oldest receiving corps in the league at the start of the 2001 season with Mathis, 34, Tony Martin, 36, and Shawn Jefferson, 33. They started paring the trio when Martin was released during the season. Mathis followed. Jefferson remains and will start against the Steelers, but the emphasis was on obtaining younger receivers..

What's more, Mathis' salary-cap figure was more than $4 million last season, a steep price for a player who turned 35 in June.

Nonetheless, Mathis was a popular guy in the locker room, not to mention a productive player. He was competitive and a hard worker, a guy who added weight and increased his speed with the help of a personal trainer to fit in better with Coach Dan Reeves' offensive style.

But he also was honest and introspective, a guy who bared his soul and revealed his battle with alcoholism in an interview the week leading up to Super Bowl XXXIII between the Falcons and Denver Broncos. Shortly after Reeves came to the Falcons in 1997, Mathis considered retiring because he felt he didn't fit in with the offense. His wife talked him out of it.

"You got to go into this game with a lot of butterflies," Mathis said. "But you got to stay focused and try to stay calm and treat it like another game. But, for me personally, it's a different game.

"I have nothing to prove to those guys. They know what I can do. They've seen what I can do."

Then he paused.

"I can't wait for it to be over."

NOTES -- After practicing early in the week, Jerome Bettis (knee) did not participate in the workout yesterday, and it is unlikely he will play against the Falcons. Nonetheless, Bettis said it will be a "game-time decision" to determine if he misses his third game in a row. He remains questionable on the team's official injury report. "I can play if I want; it's just a question whether we should risk it," said Bettis, whose medial collateral ligament in his knee was sprained in the Steelers' game Oct. 21 against Indianapolis. In his absence, Amos Zereoue has posted the best two games of his career. He had 87 yards on 15 carries after he replaced Bettis against the Indianapolis Colts, then rushed for 111 yards on 29 carries and caught five passes for 62 yards in the victory Sunday at Cleveland. ... Free safety Mike Logan (hamstring) practiced, but his status for the game has not been determined. He also is listed as questionable. "We'll see," Logan said. "I felt good, no problems, no setbacks. I did pretty much everything I was scheduled to do [in practice]." If Logan can't play, he will be replaced in the dime defense by cornerback Hank Poteat. ... Safety Lee Flowers (shoulder) was added the injury list as probable. Flowers left practice his shoulder was injured, but returned. He is expected to play tomorrow.