Tuesday, August 19, 2003

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The nickname for Tommy Maddox is Tommy Gun. Not Tommy Gun Shy. Not Tommy Under the Gun.

	Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox has completed 11 of 23 passes for 100 yards in two preseason games. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette) Click photo for larger image. Related article Notebook: After further review, Cowher encouraged

He has been a little of each in the Steelers' first two preseason games. One visiting scout who took in the game Saturday night against Philadelphia thought Maddox was being too patient in the pocket. Perhaps that comes from coordinator Mike Mularkey's urgings for Maddox to be more patient than he was last season to cut down on interceptions.

Maddox's strength in his first NFL season as a starting quarterback came in his quick decisions and release of the ball. It helped make up for his lack of mobility. And with the current condition of the Steelers' offensive line, he needs to make decisions quicker than ever.

He was sacked twice by the Eagles, but just one counted because an offside penalty negated the other. And with the first team's running game going nowhere for the second consecutive game, it was Maddox or bust for the Steelers' offense.

If any of this concerns him, he's not letting on.

"Not at all," Maddox said yesterday. "It's the preseason, and that's what the preseason is for."

The statistics show it has not been a good preseason for Maddox. He was 5 of 10 for 54 yards with two sacks and a 66.2 passer rating in Detroit. He was 6 of 13 for 46 yards with one sack and a 55.3 passer rating against Philadelphia. He also underthrew Plaxico Burress on what would have been a long touchdown pass in Detroit, and misfired on what would have been another against Philadelphia.

Further inspection, though, shows this: Burress dropped two passes thrown right to him Saturday night. The first came on third-and-4 on the Steelers' first series, right after Maddox was dropped after the offside penalty. The second came in the second quarter, a slant that might have gone 54 yards for a touchdown because no defender was close to Burress.

Give Maddox completions on those two, add in 10 yards for the first drop and 54 the second, and then give him another touchdown pass for the 14-yarder to Antwaan Randle El that referee Walter Anderson took away from him and Maddox's statistics could be 9 of 13 for 124 yards and two touchdowns. That does not take into account his pass attempts in the series after the drops, but the general idea is that his lowly 60.1 passer rating may not truly reflect the way he has thrown, particularly in the second game.

But then, the bad throws, drops and the poor running game all add up.

"I think the important thing was, they put points on the board and we went down and answered both times," Maddox said. "Some games, you're going to come out hot as can be and some games you're not. We don't need to make a habit of it. I'm not saying we don't need to work on coming out hot right off the bat, but if you don't, you just have to deal with it."

Maddox and the Steelers' first-team offense had just one quarter in Detroit and a little less than two against Philadelphia. If they did not come out hot, they went to the bench that way. They will go into the third quarter Thursday night against Dallas, giving them more of an opportunity.

Coach Bill Cowher said he also may keep his first teams on the field longer in the final exhibition game Aug. 29 at Carolina. In past seasons, they would make a brief appearance -- one or two series -- and get off the field. Last season, they played almost a full half in the final exhibition game because Cowher wanted them to get off to a faster start in the regular season.

"There was some good things to take away from the game," fullback Dan Kreider said. "And there are things that need to be worked on. There were a couple of dropped balls and the run game can always use some work."

The first-team running game has gone nowhere. Starter Amos Zereoue ran for 18 yards on six carries Saturday. In Detroit, starter Jerome Bettis ran 19 yards on eight carries.

"We haven't played a full game, either," Kreider said. "You have to look at that, too. We definitely took a step forward this week compared to the Detroit game."

The Steelers also have used a vanilla offense. The closest thing to some Mularkey trickery was a reverse by Hines Ward in Detroit, and Randle El's rollout, 12-yard pass completion against the Eagles.

"We're not doing a lot of game-planning for these guys," Randle El said. "We're just running plays. We had chances to make plays and we didn't. We will once the season gets going. Right now, we're getting in the groove."

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