Home >  Sports >  Steelers

Thursday, January 09, 2003

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Steelers (11-5-1) vs. Titans (11-5), 4:30 p.m., Saturday, The Coliseum, Nashville, Tenn. TV: KDKA. Radio: WBGG-AM (970), WDVE-FM (102.5) and the Steelers Radio Network.

Many Steelers believe the Titans will try the same things on offense that worked Sunday for Cleveland ... spread things out and throw the ball. But there is a caveat. "I don't think they have the five good receivers that Cleveland had," safety Lee Flowers said. "[Frank] Wycheck is an All-Pro tight end. I'm sure they are going to try and spread it out, they've done it before. At this point, we're expecting everything. This is a one-game season, and you have to do whatever it takes to win. The way we have been playing, why not spread it out? They have to do what they have to do to win, and we do, also."

The Steelers have never lost a playoff game to any team that has been in their division. They are 2-0 against Cleveland, 1-0 against the Baltimore Ravens and 3-0 against the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans.

Tennessee moved to the AFC South and the Steelers won the first AFC North this year, but because of their playoff Saturday, this will be the 32nd time in the past 33 years they will play the Titans/Oilers twice in a season. They played only once in 1982 because of a players' strike. "This is Pittsburgh week," Titans Coach Jeff Fisher said. "The familiarity is there, the excitement and enthusiasm is there. We know what to expect; both teams are going to expect a physical battle and with that the intensity level turns up a little bit."

The league named Antwaan Randle El as special teams player of the week for the four playoff games last weekend. While Randle El muffed a punt that led to Cleveland's second touchdown, he returned the next Browns punt 66 yards for a touchdown to cut their lead to 14-7.

RB Amos Zereoue is the Steelers' Ed Block Courage Award recipient for this season. The award is named for Ed Block, the former head trainer for the Baltimore Colts for 23 years whose most passionate cause was helping abused children. Players on each NFL team vote for their team's award winner. The award is for a commitment to the principles of sportsmanship and courage.

Microsoft's Playoff Fever on Xbox.com, which has picked three of the four playoff winners so far after a highly successful season of doing so, has predicted the Steelers will beat Tennessee, 27-25, Saturday. According to the Microsoft people who played the computer game, the Steelers had to come back again to win it, only in not so dramatic fashion this time. They trailed 10-0 early and 25-24 with 1:20 to play. However, they ran the no huddle in the final minute, and Jeff Reed kicked a 38-yard field goal as time expired for a 27-25 victory. Tommy Maddox was 20 of 29 for 263 yards and three touchdowns. Then, Xbox had the Jets beating Oakland Sunday, setting up another AFC championship game in Heinz Field next week. In the NFC, they picked Philadelphia and San Francisco as winners. Xbox has correctly picked 15 of the past 18 games they've chosen.

To look at the two teams' injury reports, it would appear the Tennessee Titans were hurting a lot more than the Steelers. Coach Jeff Fisher listed seven players as questionable while the Steelers have just two. However, Fisher is more liberal on his injury report than the Steelers' Bill Cowher. Fisher prefers a player be listed as questionable where others, such as Cowher, would list a player as probable. Therefore, the injury looks more serious. Questionable supposedly means a player has a 50 percent chance to play while probable increases his chances to 75 percent. For what it's worth, the players Fisher lists as questioanble are OT Brad Hopkins (knee), DE Jevon Kearse (foot), CB Donald Mitchell (ankle/foot), G Zach Piller (calf), CB Samari Rolle (ribs), DT Robaire Smith (knee/shoulder) and DT John Thornton (ankle).

WR Hines Ward (probable, thigh), DE Kimo von Oelhoffen (probable, calf) and LB Kendrell Bell (questionable, ankle) did not practice yesterday. Bell pedaled a stationary bike and afterward said his left ankle felt better this week than it had at the same time last week. He shed the protective boot he wore on the ankle Tuesday.

Jason Gildon finished the season two sacks behind all-time team leader L.C. Greenwood, who has 73.5. Now Gildon is 2.5 behind him. Gildon's career sacks were reduced by .5 when it was discovered he had only 5 sacks in 1997 instead of the 5.5 they put down next to his name. So, his official career total stands at 71, at least until they change it again. ... The Steelers are 7-7 in the postseason under Coach Bill Cowher. However, Cowher's teams have never won a playoff game on the road. They are 0-2, losing at Kansas City and New England. ... The Steelers rank fourth in the NFL with 20 playoff berths since the league merger in 1970. Only Dallas with 22, and Miami and San Francisco with 21 apiece have more. ... The Titans have won eight of the past 10 games they've played against the Steelers.