Thursday, September 11, 2003

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

If the ground game is a thing of the past in Pittsburgh, it can be a thing of beauty in Kansas City.

	After Amos Zereoue, who will the Steelers be able to count on out of the backfield Sunday? (Matt Freed, Post-Gazette) Porter denies ESPN report Steelers Report: 9/11/03

Coach Bill Cowher employed a simple formula during his many trips back to Kansas City since he became the Steelers' coach in 1992. Score early, run the ball, control the clock, keep the notoriously loud Arrowhead Stadium crowd sedated and the Chiefs' offense off the field.

Cowher's teams followed that philosophy to more success than not, winning four of six games in the regular season at Arrowhead.

"Historically we've been able to run the football and had to run the football in order to win the football game," said running back Jerome Bettis. "It's going to be no different, I think, this time."

Except there is no evidence the Steelers can or will do it this time. The power running game Cowher installed when he took over the Steelers seemingly is gone, replaced by an offense that relies on the pass to move the football and score points. Even Bettis, the 10th-leading rusher of all time, has been replaced in the starting lineup by Amos Zereoue, who caught 42 passes last season.

Now, Bettis is hurt, which would leave the Steelers treacherously thin at halfback if he cannot play. They have Zereoue, who starts, and Verron Haynes, who plays on third downs, and that's it. Dan Kreider is the only fullback. They released Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala and have gone with one fewer back than they did last season.

If Bettis cannot play this week because of a groin injury, they could always promote rookie Dante Brown off the practice squad to the 53-man roster and release someone else.

"I don't think there's a big problem," said Bettis, who is questionable with his injury. "There's one less body but I don't think there's any less ability. What you do have to be concerned about is injuries, and if another guy goes down what happens and things of that nature?"

There's also the trouble the Steelers had running Sunday against Baltimore. Zereoue ran for 56 yards and a 3.7-yard average. He caught no passes. Haynes ran 11 times, gained only 18 yards and caught just one pass. As a whole, the Steelers ran 34 times for 88 yards, a 2.6-yard average.

That won't do it in Kansas City, at least not the way they've done it in the past.

"You have to get the running game established and keep them off balance, so it does become important," Cowher said. "The ability to run the ball and control the clock, you can do that throwing as well, but you get into a passing situation and long-yardage situation, they feast off that."

The ground game traditionally takes longer to develop because it's a more precise blocking scheme. The slow start to the Steelers' running game is a heritage that goes back to the days when Chuck Noll coached.

It took four games before the Steelers topped 100 yards rushing last season. In 2000, they rushed for only 91 yards combined in their first two games.

"In pass blocking, we just have to know where everybody is," guard Alan Faneca explained. "In run blocking, you have to know where everybody is and you have to get there in unison, I guess you can say."

Quarterback Tommy Maddox saw the tape of end Vonnie Holiday dumping San Diego quarterback Drew Brees three times Sunday and knows just how important the running game can be.

"If you can take the crowd out of it by running the ball and making big plays then that is pretty key, especially on the road," Maddox said. "Anytime you go on the road it's important to get the running game going, but especially in a place as loud as Kansas City."

The crowd noise in Arrowhead is not only loud, but the fans also seem to crank it up on cue. It has given their pass rushers precious extra milliseconds to rush the quarterback because the offensive tackles cannot hear the snap count.

"Derrick Thomas for years had the advantage of guys not being able to hear," Maddox said of the late, great Chiefs linebacker.

A good ground game can counter that because the ends or linebackers have to stay back and contain and there's no passer to rush if the quarterback is handing off the ball.

"Their defensive front is a lot better than what we faced last week," left tackle Marvel Smith said, "so I know we have to come out and establish the run early. If we can get our running game going and sustain some drives, we can take the crowd out of it early."

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