Friday, September 12, 2003

By Gerry Dulac, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Tommy Maddox looked down the middle of the field, hoping to find his tight end, when he saw something strange happen: Baltimore safety Ed Reed, who was patrolling the middle of the field, ignored Hines Ward and decided to cover Jay Riemersma.

	Jay Riemersma scores a touchdown in the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette) Porter won't play vs. Chiefs Steelers Report: 9/12/03

"In the coverage they were in, I was thinking Jay would be the guy," Maddox said. "Then I see the safety jump him and there's no one else behind him. I didn't think Hines would come open like that."

When Reed came up to cover Riemersma, Maddox changed his mind and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Ward, who was open down the middle of the field.

Reed bit on the play because, two series earlier, Maddox went down the seam on a similar play and beat the Ravens' second-year safety with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Riemersma, the Steelers' new tight end.

"When they bit on Jay, I ran a post route right behind Ed Reed and went for an easy touchdown," Ward said. "It was a case of both of us helping each other out."

After just one game, this is what Riemersma has done for the Steelers' offense.

He is unlikely to receive the acclaim of tight ends such as Baltimore's Todd Heap or the one the Steelers will face Sunday in Kansas City -- Tony Gonzalez.

And his statistics from his first game with the Steelers -- two catches for 29 yards -- are not the stuff of Pro Bowl mention.

But Riemersma, acquired in free agency from the Buffalo Bills, wasted little time in his debut showing what he can mean to the Steelers' offense. Not only does he give Maddox a big, reliable target in the middle of the field, but, as was the case against the Ravens, Riemersma also might create more space for Ward and Plaxico Burress, the most productive receiving tandem in the NFL.

"Plex and I both knew, watching him in training camp, we were hoping he'd get out to a great start," Ward said. "If he gets off to the great start, then it's really hard for teams to defense us [because] they've got a lot of matchup problems.

Steelers' tight end Jay Riemersman has pass broken up in the end zone by Detroit's Brian Walker during a preseason game. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette)

"Even though he doesn't put up big stats, his presence on the field is more than enough. Now teams are going to have to sit there and have to really think about, 'Do you put a linebacker on Jay or do you want to put a smaller strong safety on Jay? Do you double Plex and I every time and leave Jay one on one? Or do you pick and choose when to double?' A defensive coordinator really has his hands full."

It couldn't have been a better beginning for Riemersma (pronounced REEM-ers-ma), who is 6 feet 5, 252 pounds and had 204 catches and 20 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Bills.

The Steelers signed him because they thought he could be another option in their passing game, an alternative when Ward, their Pro Bowl receiver, and Burress continue to see the two-deep zone that has become popular in the NFL. But he also drastically improved his blocking since the beginning of training camp, one of the other reasons he supplanted Mark Bruener as the No. 1 tight end.

Against the Ravens, Riemersma -- not Heap -- was the tight end who most influenced the game. And against the Chiefs it could be Riemersma -- not Gonzalez -- who most determines which team remains unbeaten after two games.

"I think it's very important," Riemersma said of his good beginning. "We complement one another. You will see plays being made in this offense in waves. You'll see one guy have a really big game and then the next guy have a really big game, and it's just because we're giving the defense multiple things to think about. You can't cover everybody."

The Steelers already had an added threat in the middle when Ward and Burress are being doubled along the sidelines -- slot receiver Antwaan Randle El. But Randle El, who had 47 catches as a rookie, plays primarily in third-down passing situations.

Riemersma gives the Steelers something different -- a third receiver in first-down or run situations. Both of Maddox's touchdown passes in the third quarter -- the 20-yarder to Riemersma, the 28-yarder to Ward -- came on first down. That will give the Chiefs, and subsequent defenses, something extra to think about.

"I think it helps, certainly, just getting involved and making a play," Riemersma said. "It just gives the defense one more thing to think about and confuse them a little bit. The coaching staff does a great job putting us in position to make plays, and that's very evident. It's our job to make them."

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