Home >  Sports >  Steelers

Thursday, January 02, 2003

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Hit the Steelers in the head enough times with a two-by-four in the playoffs and they get the message. Maybe a Super Bowl berth isn't their divine right.

	More Steelers Coverage: Steelers Report 1/2/03

New England did it to them last year as 10-point underdogs in the AFC championship game, the third time the Steelers lost a title game at home in eight seasons.

It shocked the Steelers that they were not headed to the Super Bowl after an AFC-best 13-3 season, a No. 1 seed, a bye, a playoff victory at home against Baltimore and then ... elimination.

Their path is different and seemingly more difficult this time. There was no bye that came with the AFC's No. 3 seed and a 10-5-1 record, so they will play Cleveland at home Sunday. If they win that, it's off to Tennessee, and if they win that, there's another game, and if they win that they will have landed in the Super Bowl with no time off in between.

It's such a long road that the only prize the Steelers can think about these days is what's behind Door No. 1, the Cleveland Browns.

"I just think it's more of a focus," receiver Plaxico Burress said. "It's more of a day-to-day thing for us now because last year we were already thinking 'Super Bowl,' and I think that's one of the things that hurt us. And now we're just taking it one day at a time, and I think that's the way we should approach it."

The Steelers had a week off last year and then polished off Baltimore, 27-10, at Heinz Field. But New England tripped them up by returning touchdowns on a punt and a blocked field goal to win, 24-17.

Yesterday, the Steelers talked as if they were lulled into overconfidence last season because they were seeded first and did not have to play in the opening round of the playoffs. It's different this time.

"You look at the way the regular season went for us," cornerback Dewayne Washington said. "It was definitely not a cakewalk. We had to battle through every game, and this year we're coming in and playing in the wild-card game, so we know we have an uphill battle. I just think the guys are focused on Cleveland right now and whoever we play after this. We can't think that far ahead."

Last year, the Steelers not only went 13-3, they overpowered many of their opponents. Their average margin of victory was by 8.8 points. Their average margin of victory this year was by 2.7 points.

They can't help but have a different attitude entering the playoffs this time, if for no other reason than they've been knocked down a couple pegs.

"I think we're playing right now with more a sense of urgency," safety Lee Flowers said. "We played at such a high level last year, winning 13 games. Now, we're more humble. We were so up and down this year.

"But that part of the season is over with. Thank God we got into the playoffs and have a second chance. I think we learned a lot from last year. We can't take everything for granted."

Of their previous seven trips to the playoffs, the Steelers have had first-round byes five times. They reached the AFC championship game in four of those and lost their opening-round game at home to Buffalo in 1992, Bill Cowher's first year as their coach. In the two years they had to play in the first round, they lost in overtime in Kansas City in 1993 and beat Indianapolis at home in 1996 then lost at New England the following week.

"I think it's good for us to play this first week," Flowers said. "For us, especially, when you sit out that first week you tend to get too confident and you sometimes overlook your opponent. It's best we play this week and just keep rolling. What better way than to play the Browns this week?"

Despite playing their longtime rivals, which has spawned some spicy talk and actions before, during and after games recently, you could not hear a disparaging word about the Browns in the Steelers' locker room yesterday. The Steelers sounded like Christmas carolers singing Cleveland's praises.

"If you ask me, this is probably going to be the hardest game we play," Burress said. "Cleveland's a divisional opponent, they know what we're going to do and we know what they're going to do."

Burress agreed with Browns defensive tackle Gerard Warren that the winner of this game will win the Super Bowl.

"Cleveland's a good team, no question about it. They earned their spot to get to the playoffs. Any team that's in the playoffs, you earned it. I think he's right.

"Everybody's hungry around here. The way we ended last season, we were expecting to go. We were already thinking, already knowing who would go and we kind of hit a bump in the road. We weren't focused on the task at hand, we were thinking one step ahead. We kind of fell on our faces at the end."

Cowher disputes that his team took anything for granted last season, but if his players want to feel that way, so be it.

"I think it's always one of those things, you reflect back and feel you wasted an opportunity," Cowher said.

They get another chance, starting Sunday.