Wednesday, October 01, 2003

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

One year ago this week, Bill Cowher ended the Kordell Stewart era in Pittsburgh when he named a new starting quarterback.

	Bill Cowher on Tommy Maddox - "I like his aggressiveness ... But, at the same time, we have to be smarter about some of those decisions." (Matt Freed, Post-Gazette) Steelers Report: 10/1/03

Happy Anniversary, Tommy Maddox! Now, blow out the candles and please cut the interceptions. That's Cowher's gift of advice to his quarterback these days.

Maddox has thrown five touchdown passes and six interceptions, three of which were returned virtually for touchdowns.

"I think it comes down to the decision-making," Cowher said at his news conference yesterday. "It comes down to understanding when there are situations where you take the one-on-ones, which you want to encourage. But you can't force the issue. I think at times, Tommy has indeed forced it. He is the first to admit it after the fact. We have to get him to understand that while it is taking place."

Both of Maddox's interceptions Sunday led to touchdowns that helped Tennessee bounce back from a 10-0 deficit and beat the Steelers, 30-13. Linebacker Rocky Boiman returned one interception 60 yards for a touchdown, and cornerback Samari Rolle returned another 49 yards to the 1. That was converted into a touchdown.

Cowher did not absolve Maddox of blame in either case.

Boiman benefited from Maddox's poor attempt to try to throw the ball away under pressure. Rolle fought in front of receiver Plaxico Burress on a slant route for his interception.

"It was a good play by [Rolle] and, with the result of the play, it was an ill-advised decision by Tommy," Cowher said.

Maddox was fortunate the pass before Rolle's interception wasn't picked off when officials awarded Steelers receiver Chris Doering possession of a pass ruled simultaneously caught by the Titans' Andre Dyson, Cowher said.

Rolle's interception came with less than a minute left in the half and the Steelers leading, 13-9. They were driving from their 45 and had a first down.

"We got away with one the play before," Cowher said. "Chris Doering made a great play to take an interception away from them. We are in that situation and up by four, we are trying to use the clock, and, in the worst-case scenario, we go in by four. We are trying to get with the wind and get another three points.

"So, it is just a little bit of the decision-making. I like his aggressiveness. He made some great throws the other day. But, at the same time, we have to be smarter about some of those decisions. You can call it a fine line or whatever you want, but we cannot continue to have the turnovers that are taking place and win games, because there is a correlation."

Offensive coordinator Mike Mul-arkey, on the first day of training camp, said he wanted his quarterback to stop forcing the ball as often as he did in 2002.

"If he has any doubt whether he can stick it in there or not," Mul-arkey said, "I'm just telling him 'you can't, drop it down.' "

Maddox threw 20 touchdown passes last season and 16 intercetions, a ratio Mularkey believed was too high. He's on a pace -- 20 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions -- both he and the Steelers would like to change.

"You can't give up plays like that," Maddox said about the returns in the loss Sunday to Tennessee. "It is one thing to have turnovers. It is another thing to have turnovers and things go the wrong way. It can't happen."

Cowher has hammered away at the turnover ratio since the end of last season, when the Steelers were 10-0 when they had a positive turnover ratio and 0-5-1 when they did not.

Yet they're tied at the bottom of the AFC with a net turnover ratio of minus-three, and the focus has fallen on the quarterback. Maddox led the league with a 134.3 passer rating but has fallen to 15th at 81.4. His six interceptions are one off the NFL high this season.

"There are some that are going to happen," Cowher said. "You go back to Kansas City. The ball was tipped off of [Antwaan Randle El's] hands, they get it and go in for a touchdown. Sometimes, those are going to happen. But, if you get down to the red zone, you can't throw the one pick that we threw down there the other day in a one-minute situation."

Maddox also threw an interception in the end zone in Kansas City on second down from the 5.

Maddox leads the NFL with 1,168 passing yards, but Cowher said that can be a trumped-up statistic.

"We are getting a lot of yards passing, but they are giving us a lot of yards passing. Some of the games, we have been getting all this yardage because we have been behind so much."

And then the coach said it again.

"Turnover/takeaway is something I have said from the beginning that we have to do a better job of and come out on the plus side of it. That has been a number that is correlated with wins and losses."

It's at least one statistic Cowher believes does not lie.

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