Saturday, October 04, 2003

By Gerry Dulac, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Mike Logan remembers last year's playoff game against Cleveland because his knee was injured making an interception in the third quarter and he never returned. The injury -- the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments were torn-- required major reconstructive surgery in the off-season.

But Logan remembers the game for another painful reason -- the way Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb kept passing for big gains against the Steelers.

"I remember them throwing it all over the field and us trying to chase it down," Logan said.

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The Steelers spent most of that January day trying to identify which of the Browns' four wide receivers -- Kevin Johnson, Quincy Morgan, Dennis Northcutt and Andre Davis -- was going to catch the ball. Then they tried to keep up with all the other players the Browns kept using on offense.

By the end of the day, Holcomb had passed for 429 yards -- third most in playoff history -- and three touchdowns. What's more, nine Cleveland receivers caught passes. Northcutt led the assault with six catches and touchdown catches of 32 and 15 yards, but it was his dropped pass on third down in the fourth quarter that ultimately allowed the Steelers to come back from a 12-point deficit in the final 4 minutes and 30 seconds for a wild 36-33 victory.

"I think, initially, everyone was just kind of surprised they were having so much success against us," Logan said. "After we got a couple scores from our offense, and got a turnover, it kind of turned the tide for us a little. I think the surprise was over and we were able to regroup and finish the game off."

The secondary never was able to regroup. Not against the Browns. Not in Tennessee the following week, when Steve McNair passed for 338 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-31 Titans' victory.

The season that began with Tom Brady and Rich Gannon combining to pass for 697 yards in the first two games ended with the secondary allowing 767 passing yards in the final two.

The Steelers needed the entire off-season to recover and, more important, regroup. After four games, they appear to have done so, though the game against the Browns (1-3) at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow at Heinz Field should give a better indication if the problems have disappeared or are merely in remission.

"I expect Cleveland to come out and give us a big dose of it because they had so much success against us last year with it," said Logan, a starter this season at strong safety after playing as the dime back in 2002. "I don't expect them to come back and do anything different than what they did last year."

Well, they might.

For starters, Holcomb has been replaced as the starter by Tim Couch after his fibula was fractured in Week 3. Also, the Browns' suspect offensive line, which has been juggled since left tackle Ross Verba had a season-ending injury in the preseason, might force Couch to keep an extra player in for protection.

The Browns have looked little like the team that freely moved the football against the Steelers in the wild-card playoff game at Heinz Field. Their rush offense ranks 29th out of 32 teams and their pass offense isn't much better, ranking 24th in the NFL.

Maybe they're just waiting for a game against the Steelers to get going.

"We thought Kansas City might come out with some spread," Logan said. "We thought everyone might emulate what people did to us last year. A couple times they've done it. We've been able to play well against it and prevent teams from doing that and having success. If we just stick to our basic packages, we'll be fine."

After ranking 20th against the pass in 2002, the Steelers rank second in the league after four games, allowing an average of just 137.3 yards per game. They haven't allowed a quarterback to throw for more than 161 yards, and they haven't appeared to be discombobulated when teams spread the field and use five receivers .

But, unlike those other teams, the Browns will use Johnson, Morgan, Northcutt and Davis when they go to a empty-set. Individually, they are not the best receivers in the league. But the Steelers think they are the deepest group, and most diverse.

"Especially as far as their base package," free safety Brent Alexander said. "You can't sit there and say this is what they're always going to run. For the most part, [Morgan] and [Johnson] will be on the field, but other than that they can bring in all their wide receivers and you can't really say, OK, you're going to take away this particular guy.

"That's the biggest problem they present defenses -- you can't focus in on one guy. A lot of times most teams you play, there is usually a dominant receiver. You take him away, that really slows down the offense."

The Steelers think they match up better against the Browns because Logan, a former cornerback, has replaced Lee Flowers at strong safety. And No. 1 pick Troy Polamalu, who plays in the nickel and dime packages, has the speed to run with any of the Browns' wide receivers.

They do not expect a repeat of what happened last time the teams met at Heinz Field.

"I think it's a good matchup for us because we put a lot of cover guys on the field," Logan said. "It's a matter of trying to stop Holcomb or Couch from just picking that ball up and tossing it around."

NOTES -- TE Jay Riemersma (shoulder) and ILB/special teams standout Clint Kreiwaldt (knee) did not practice for the third day in a row and remain questionable for the Browns. The Steelers will not determine if Riemersma can play until he is tested before the game. ... WR Plaxico Burress (hip pointer), who has practiced the past two days, was upgraded from questionable to probable on the injury report. ... The team practiced under the lights last night at their South Side facility ... Browns LT Barry Stokes (high ankle sprain), who replaced injured Ross Verba, did not practice much this week and might not play against the Steelers. He is listed as questionable on the injury report. If Stokes can't play, the Browns are down to their No. 3 tackle, Joaquin Gonzalez, who has never played left tackle in two years in the NFL. ... Fans can help sick and disadvantaged children by contributing to the Children's Hospital Free Care Fund before the game. Students from Thiel College, wearing fluorescent green vests, will be collecting in parking lots, outside all three stadium gates and in seating sections until kickoff.

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