Steelers Notebook: Team spells motivation with an 'R'
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Antonio Brown gave the Steelers a quick lift, taking back the opening kickoff 89 yards. Tennessee kicker Rob Bironas makes one last attempt to bring him down.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Just two games into the season, Mike Tomlin played the no-respect card.
The Steelers were underdogs in their first two games and swept both of them, doing so without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the man who was supposed to replace him, Byron Leftwich.
"Regardless of our demise being reported, we expect to win," Tomlin declared Sunday. "We're pleased that we are 2-0 but we are not astounded by it. We're capable. We're a little bit annoyed, to be quit honest, about our premature reporting of our death."
Chris Hoke, starting for injured Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton, explained why his coach felt as he did.
"A lot of times, you guys don't see what all goes on with our team," Hoke said. "We know we've got a lot of great players out here. We've got a chip on our shoulder this year because of how things went down last year with our five-game losing streak. So, we have something to prove.
"So, sometimes when people write that we're not going to be very good or maybe they'll go 2-2 or 1-3 when Ben's out, that's a lot of the stuff that [ticks] us off."
Peter King, writing in Sports Illustrated before the season, picked the Steelers to win the Super Bowl.
With one quarterback hurt and two injured, Tomlin is not sure what he will do as the Steelers prepare to play in Tampa next Sunday.
"I don't know who is going to play quarterback next week. I know it won't be me. I'm not good enough."
Dennis Dixon left the game with a left knee injury in the second quarter. Byron Leftwich returned to practice the past week and was listed as probable, two weeks after his left knee was injured with a second-degree MCL sprain. The Steelers released Leftwich Saturday to make room for a sixth defensive lineman, Scott McLendon, because of the injury to Hampton.
That left Charlie Batch as the only healthy quarterback Sunday. The Steelers expect to re-sign Leftwich today and either he, Batch or even Dixon could start in Tampa.
"I always want to throw my hat in the ring," Batch said. "It is just a matter of if the opportunity presents itself, I will be ready. You never know when your number is going to be called upon."
The Steelers looked to be OK with other injuries, even though players kept leaving the field with one form of physical ailment or another.
First Published September 20, 2010 12:00 am
