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Steelers offense warming up to taskSteelers offense has experienced a warming trend lately, and warmer temperatures in Tampa should provide another lift Saturday, January 24, 2009 By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It's not just that their offense has scored 89 points in the past three games, their most productive three-game output of the season. Or that they feel as though they left at least 18 points on the field against the Baltimore Ravens because of dropped passes and were on the verge of a blowout against the NFL's No. 2 defense. • Some of the players are encouraged by another factor that could lead to an unencumbered performance by the offense when the Steelers play the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII next Sunday in Tampa, Fla. • It will be the first time in nearly three months they will play a game where it isn't snowing and temperature will be above 48 degrees. • "When the hot weather comes, I'm like a kid in the candy store," said wide receiver Nate Washington. "You get excited to go out and play in hot weather."

"It makes a ton of difference," Hines Ward sad. "You feel good playing in nice weather."

The Steelers have had little of that, especially in the past seven games, beginning with the freezing rain Nov. 30 in New England, a game in which they scored 33 points.

Since then, the warmest game-time temperature in which they played was Dec. 14 in Baltimore, when it was 45 degrees. They played in 8-degree wind chill at home against Dallas, 19-degree wind chill in Tennessee, 48 degrees with 22 mph winds at home against Cleveland, 26 degrees and snow in a playoff victory against San Diego and 26 degrees and light snowlast week against the Ravens.

The last time the Steelers played when it was above 48 degrees was Nov. 3 in Washington, when the game-time temperature was 51.

"It gives the offense an advantage," said wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who has scored on touchdowns of 67 and 65 yards in two playoff games. "When you have great field conditions, your mind-set is totally different. When you're playing under duress from the weather, coaches start thinking different, players play different. It can have a different outcome on the game."

"Cold weather takes a toll on your whole body," Washington said. "When I go play in cold weather, I'm thinking more about my assignments, making sure I get the little things right."

Certainly, the Steelers have not let the biting cold and snowy conditions slow their offense lately. They scored 31 in the regular-season finale against the Browns, 35 against the Chargers in the divisional playoff and 23 against the Ravens, a game in which dropped passes by Holmes, Willie Parker and Limas Sweed cost them touchdowns.

Holmes also said he would have scored on a 50-yard touchdown near the end of the first half on a slant play in which the ballthrown by Ben Roethlisberger was slightly behind him. That occurred on the drive in which the Steelers failed to kick a field goal because time expired.

"That really should have been a blowout game," Washington said. "But it is what it is."

The Steelers are hoping the warmer temperatures in Florida will be an additional panacea for their offense.

Figuratively, and literally, taking off the wraps, if you will.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to go out there and guys can utilize the football skills they have," said Ward, who expects to play despite a sprained knee that kept him out of the second half against the Ravens. "When you're playing in wind and snow, it's really hard to throw and catch. You have to factor that in.

"You see guys who play in domes or down South in good weather, they put up huge numbers. You rarely see guys playing in snowy conditions going out there and putting 1,400 [receiving] yards up in the snow.

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"You look at all the wideouts leading the charts; they're playing in mostly nice weather or predominantly domes. You look at guys playing outdoors in the north, when you're putting up 1,200 or 1,300 yards in these weather conditions, then you're having a great year."

Ward, who had his fifth 1,000-yard receiving season, has a point.

The top five receiving yardage leaders in the NFL -- Houston's Andre Johnson, Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, Carolina's Steve Smith, Atlanta's Roddy White and Detroit's Calvin Johnson -- play in warm-weather climates or domes. Among the top 10 yardage leaders, the only exceptions are Green Bay's Greg Jennings, Denver's Brandon Marshall and New England's Wes Welker.

That's why Ward and his offensive mates are eager to play in warm weather -- or, at least, weather warmer than they have experienced the past three months. They think it will be beneficial for their offensive performance.

Most of them, anyway.

"I don't know if it makes a difference," said Parker, who was held to 47 yards on 24 carries against the Ravens. "We're professionals. Whatever the weather is, we're going to go out and play. We love to play in nice weather, but we'll have to wait and see."

First published on January 24, 2009 at 12:00 am

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Rousing rally sends the Steelers off to Tampa in quest of sixth NFL titleSaturday, January 24, 2009 By Sadie Gurman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Lake Fong/Post-Gazette

Members of Pittsburgh Poison All-Stars Dance Team, from left, Chelsic King, Erin Tobin, Chelsea Steigerwald and Karlie Hartman, cheer for the team during the Steelers pep rally at Heinz Field last night.

From the Fort Duquesne Bridge last night, Heinz Field looked like a roaring ocean of black and gold, of swinging Terrible Towels and winking camera flashes.

A line of cars wound around the stadium, horns honking, a traffic jam even the Steelers had to fight through to make their appearance on the pep rally stage.

This was an aerial shot of Steelers Nation, a bird's eye view of the tens of thousands of loyalists who crowded together to send their beloved team to Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa next Sunday.

Inside, fans waved signs, donned jerseys, and raised their voices, screaming during Super Bowl highlights on the Jumbotron and waiting for the Steelers to dart across the field. A group of girls from the Pittsburgh Poison All-Stars Dance Team jumped up and down, ponytails bobbing, snapping pictures with their cell phones when the team finally appeared.

"This is almost like groupies at a rock concert," said Dave Green, of Baldwin, who, along with his son, Tyler, hasn't missed a game this season. Or ever. "This is Steeler Nation, right here."

The pair waited, cameras in hand, outside the stadium hoping to snap a few shots of the players as they made for their cars. A flood of other hooting and hollering fanatics paraded down the sidewalk behind them.

"It's just insane," Tyler said.

In the throng, clutching hands, were Chuck and Vickie Knox, of Washington, Pa., and their granddaughter, Alyssa, 8, who unzipped her puffy winter coat to reveal a Troy Polamalu jersey.

"It's fun," she said of the rally before grandpa interrupted. "I don't think she's quite into it yet," Mr. Knox said. "She'll get there."

A closer look revealed the entire family was covered in Steelers' gear from head to toe. Vickie Knox, with Steelers stickers on her cheeks, tugged off her gloves to display tiny Steelers emblems on ruby red nails, which she used to point to tiny Steelers' earrings dangling from her lobes.

And about those nails? They were probably the only spot of red in sight.

"You don't lay a hand on a Steelers fan," she said. "It's black and gold all the way, baby."

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The fandom seemed contagious.

"It's almost like a cancer," Mr. Knox said. "It starts little but it ends up big."

He stood out in the crowd with a mohawk cap of neon yellow-and-black hair, a souvenir he acquired after the Steelers' Super Bowl victory against the Dallas Cowboys in the 1970s.

Back in the stands, Renee Fullum held a bright yellow sign declaring, "Puerto Rico has Steelers fans, too!" She moved to Mount Washington two years ago after 29 years in Puerto Rico, where she watched games on television at Steelers bars, which she said were plenty, even abroad.

"There's a Steeler Nation," Ms. Fullum said. "There's a Steeler World."

Sadie Gurman can be reached at [email protected] or 412-263-1878.


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Steelers Notebook: Harrison tackles extra attentionSaturday, January 24, 2009 By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana / Post-Gazette

The Steelers' heavy-hitting James Harrison

Three years ago, James Harrison was a special-teams standout and backup linebacker in Super Bowl XL. Now he comes into Super Bowl XLIII as the NFL's defensive player of the year and two-time Pro Bowl selection.

All the attention, though, comes with a price: Harrison finds it tougher to get to the quarterback, even though he finished theregular season with a club-record 16 sacks, fourth best in the NFL.

"I kind of liked when they didn't focus on me; I could get through there easier," Harrison said. "Now the [offensive] line slides toward me every time. If it's not both lineman at once, then I'll get chipped. It's something you get used to.

"I started noticing it at the end of last year. I think it might be a little more this year. But it's football. You deal with it."

Injury updates

Offensive left tackle Max Starks (sprained knee) returned to practice wearing a knee brace, the first time he has practiced this week, and inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons also returned after missing the first two days because he was sick.

Center Justin Hartwig was limited in practice, giving him more time to rest his sprained knee.

Holmes' big plays no surprise

Wide receiver Santonio Holmes has made the big plays that ignited the team in playoff victories against the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens, and coach Mike Tomlin was not surprised.

Holmes returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown to tie the score, 7-7, and propel the team to a 35-24 victory against San Diego. And he had a 65-yard catch-and-run for touchdown against the Ravens that gave the Steelers a 13-0 lead in what became a 23-14 victory.

"Santonio has that personality where he always wants to make that splash play," Tomlin said. "He loves that. He wants to kill you with bullets. I like that mentality with him. It's one of the reasons we try to find ways to put the ball in his hands."

Familiar matchup

There won't be any surprises for Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden when he lines up against Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin: The two were teammates at Florida State.

Boldin was a senior in 2003 when McFadden, a No. 2 pick in 2005, was a sophomore with the Seminoles.

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"He was a guy who was always intense, always practicing at a high level," McFadden said. "It was something we always respected because he did the same thing on Saturdays."

A happy camper

Steelers fans attending the Super Bowl won't be the only ones who are glad the game is in Tampa, Fla.

Troy Polamalu, who sealed the trip with his interception return for touchdown in the AFC championship game, is another.

"God had mercy on us this year," Polamalu said. "He said, if I am going to send you to Detroit, I am going to send you to Tampa. It's a blessing, definitely. It will be nice, especially coming from negative degree weather to go down there. It might be like a 75-[degree] swing in temperature, but it will be nice."


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NFL Notebook: Chiefs dismiss EdwardsFormer cornerback was 15-33 in 3 years Saturday, January 24, 2009 From wire dispatches

Herm Edwards, head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs during the worst two-year span in team history, was fired yesterday.

Edwards goes out with a three-year regular-season record of 15-33 and with one year remaining on a four-year, $12 million contract. As head coach of the New York Jets in 2001-05, he had a regular-season mark of 39-41 and was 2-3 in the playoffs.

Edwards had been waiting to learn his fate since president and general manager Carl Peterson abruptly resigned Dec. 15. When Scott Pioli was introduced as Peterson's successor Jan. 13, he was noncommittal and said only that he intended to speak with Edwards.

"This was not an easy decision. Herm is an outstanding football coach and a man of integrity. We appreciate his leadership over the past three seasons, and we wish him all the best in the future," Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said in a written statement.

Pioli said he has had several conversations with Edwards over the past week.

"After careful consideration, Clark and I felt that it was best to make a change," Pioli said.

Bob Moore, a spokesman for the team, said the Chiefs didn't have a time line for replacing Edwards. He said all the assistant coaches still with Kansas City are under contract.

Edwards expressed his gratitude to the Hunt family and said he respected "the tough decision that was made to move in a new direction."

"There is not a more gracious family in all of professional sports than the Hunts," Edwards said in a statement released by the team. "To the players and coaches who worked so hard for our team, I appreciate their efforts."

After Edwards and Peterson launched a full-fledged rebuilding project in 2008, youth and injury led to a 2-14 record and a distressful two-year tally of 6-26 that cost both men their jobs. Particularly embarrassing to Edwards was a defense that managed only 10 sacks this season, gave up a team-record 332 yards rushing in one game and a team-record 54 points in another.

After a 10-year career as an NFL cornerback, Edwards' first experience with Kansas City came as a training camp assistant in 1989. Seventeen years later, he had the distinction of being the first man to become coach of the team that brought him into the NFL through the league's minority coaching fellowship program.

Lions

For the second time in three years, Detroit have turned to an ex-Rams coach to try to turn around their dismal offense. New coach Jim Schwartz hired Scott Linehan as offensive coordinator. The Rams fired Linehan as head coach after the team opened the 2008-09 season 0-4.

Broncos

New coach Josh McDaniels hired Chargers tight ends coach Clancy Barone for the same job in Denver. Barone spent two years with the Chargers. Previously, he was assistant offensive line coach and then tight ends coach with the Atlanta Falcons.

Giants

Coach Tom Coughlin picked Jack Bicknell Jr., one of his former Boston College players, as the NFL team's new assistant

Herm Edwards

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offensive line coach.

Elsewhere

In what's shaping up as a contest between former NFL Players Association presidents Troy Vincent and Trace Armstrong, the union narrowed its list to five candidates to succeed the late Gene Upshaw as executive director. The other three candidates are former Bears and Pitt tackle Jim Covert; Ben Utt, who played for Baltimore and Indianapolis; and Washington-based attorney DeMaurice Smith.


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Sweed not lacking motivation Saturday, January 24, 2009 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Ron Cook

Receiver Limas Sweed can't reach a long pass after beating Baltimore Ravens cornerback Evan Oglesby in the second quarter of the AFC championship Sunday. View all related images

Much will motivate Steelers rookie wide receiver Limas Sweed at Super Bowl XLIII. The chance to win a world championship and a prized ring. The chance to show people again that he's not a bum after that ridiculous dropped pass Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and a season of next-to-nothing production. And, most important, the chance to convince coach Mike Tomlin that he deserves a roster spot next season, a spot that seems anything but guaranteed despite the fact he's a No. 2 draft choice and a big-money guy.

But getting to the White House to meet the president? That isn't high on Sweed's motivational list.

Been there, done that.

"We went after we won the national championship at Texas [in 2005]," Sweed said this week.

President George Bush -- once the governor of Texas and a huge Longhorns fan -- welcomed the team a few weeks after it beat Southern California in the Rose Bowl.

"I started to introduce myself when I shook his hand and he said, 'You don't have to tell me who you are. I know you.' " Sweed said, obviously pleased with the memory.

Is it just me or does everyone seem to know Sweed's name these days? I'm guessing even the new president has heard of him. You might have read on these pages that Barack Obama is a Steelers fan. How could he not know Sweed after that drop against the Ravens?

Steelers fans never would have forgiven the kid if the team had lost the AFC championship game. Many will hold their breath if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throws the ball to him in the Super Bowl. Sweed will have to play a lot as the third receiver against the Arizona Cardinals if Hines Ward's right knee doesn't hold up.

"I'll be ready, definitely," Sweed said.

That makes one of us who is confident.

It's hard to feel good about Sweed playing a big part in the big game, although -- give him credit -- he showed something by bouncing back against the Ravens after the drop that would have given the Steelers a 20-7 lead late in the second quarter.

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Not immediately, of course. Unconscionably, he felt sorry for himself and stayed down on the grass, as if hurt, costing the team a timeout it desperately needed when it didn't have time to kick a field goal at the end of the half. But, a few plays later, he drilled cornerback Corey Ivy with a vicious block that earned a wink and a thumbs up from noted blocking monster Ward, who had to sit out the second half after his knee was sprained.

"Guys saw that and told me, 'Man, you must have really been ticked [after the drop],' " Sweed said.

Ticked probably isn't the right word.

"I felt like I let the team down," Sweed said. "You see guys everywhere on this team pulling their weight. I like to put my hand in the pile, too. That's what coach Tomlin always says, 'Put your hand in the pile. Do your part.' "

Sweed did again early in the fourth quarter, catching a 14-yard pass on third-and-8 from the Steelers' 14. The real surprise wasn't that he hung on to the ball despite a lick from cornerback Frank Walker. It was that Roethlisberger had enough faith to throw to him in another big spot.

"I knew Ben would. He told me right away, 'I'm coming right back to you,' " Sweed said.

"All the guys were supportive. Hines told me, 'I've dropped balls, too. What's important is how you respond. Get past it. Catch the next ball.' "

Tomlin also had a brief message.

" 'Just play, son. Just play,' " Sweed recalled.

Sound advice.

Sweed would be wise to follow up on it.

He has a lot at stake in the Super Bowl, maybe more than he realizes.

There's no doubt Sweed's draft status and four-year, $3.3 million contract -- including a $1.56 million signing bonus -- bought him a pass this season. It certainly wasn't his performance. He was inactive for the first four games and didn't play in the fifth, then had a total of six catches for 64 yards in the final 11 games.

One reason was a lack of snaps. "Man, this is such a stacked team," Sweed said. "I had no idea when I was drafted that it wasthis stacked."

But a bigger reason is Sweed did little with his opportunities. Even in practice, he dropped far too many balls.

That's why the Super Bowl is so important to Sweed, not to mention the exhibition season next summer. Tomlin and the Steelers won't be patient with him forever. The organization has shown on occasion that it's willing to cut a big-ticket player. Remember 1991 No. 1 draft choice Huey Richardson, who was released before the '92 season?

The Steelers have had mixed success with second-rounders in the past 20 years. Right now, it's hard to think of Sweed in the same company with LaMarr Woodley, Marvel Smith, Levon Kirkland and Dermontti Dawson. It's much easier to see him with Alonzo Jackson, Scott Shields, Jeremy Staat and Kenny Davidson.

Sweed begged to differ.

"I can help this team, without a doubt. It's just a matter of time. It's a matter of getting reps and rolling with it ...

"[The Baltimore game] was big for me. I finally got some quality minutes. That's going to make me come back and work harder for the next game. It's going to make me work harder for next season.

"I'm going to be a better player."

Or gone.

Ron Cook can be reached at [email protected]. More articles by this author





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Super Bowl play routinely enhances a free-agent's value By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Saturday, January 24, 2009

It certainly is a Super Bowl for those players fortunate enough to participate in the NFL's ultimate game.

For some, it's more than the chance of a lifetime: It's an opportunity to go bowling for untold dollars.

Three Steelers starters, one injured starter and one key reserve are unrestricted free agents whose market value may never be higher than right now, as Super Bowl XLIII approaches.

If the Steelers defeat the Arizona Cardinals on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla., cornerback Bryant McFadden, tackles Max Starks and Marvel Smith, guard Chris Kemoeatu and receiver Nate Washington hit the market as talented free agents and two-time Super Bowl champions. Tackle Willie Colon and safety Anthony Smith will be restricted free agents.

Super Bowl appearances, particularly most-recent ones and augmented by a high-caliber performance, suggest an increase in a player's value.

After the Steelers won Super Bowl XL in Detroit, starting receiver Antwaan Randle El signed a seven-year, $31 million free-agent contract with the Washington Redskins that featured $10 million in guaranteed money.

A No. 2 receiver behind Hines Ward, Randle El's market value rose substantially following his performance in Super Bowl XL, a stats line that included a 43-yard touchdown pass to Ward in the fourth quarter.

Also from that team, safety Chris Hope signed a six-year, $30 million free-agent contact with the Tennessee Titans.

Both players said they wanted to remain with the Steelers, but when it became obvious that the Steelers couldn't meet their contract demands, they left their comfort zone for better offers.

The same opportunities could be available to this year's group of candidates when the free agency period begins Feb. 27.

Starks started at right tackle against Seattle three years ago.

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"The Steelers gave me my start and gave me opportunities, and they've given me another opportunity for the second time to be able to play in a Super Bowl and to play a different position than the first time," said Starks, a third-round pick in 2004 who started 13 consecutive games this season after Smith went down with a back injury. "It's going to be an interesting offseason to see how all of us fare after the Super Bowl is over."

McFadden took over at starting left cornerback when Deshea Townsend suffered a heel injury in the opener against Houston. McFadden then missed seven starts later in the season after suffering a broken forearm. He returned to the lineup and has started the final three regular-season games and two playoff games.

"This is the place that drafted me, so, No. 1, I'd love to be back here," said McFadden, a second-round pick in 2005 who finished the season with 54 tackles, two interceptions, one sack and tied for second on the team with 11 passes defended.

"I knew that nothing was going to be going on as far as free agency. I try not to think about it too much, but it is part of a situation that's going on. I just focused my whole mentality on playing good football. Everything else will work itself out."

Washington, Kemoeatu and long-snapper Greg Warren all have completed one-year deals they signed as restricted free agents. Washington was fourth on the team with 40 receptions, and his 15.8-yard average led the team. Kemoeatu, who was inactive during the team's Super Bowl XL run, started all 16 games as a first-year replacement for perennial Pro Bowler Alan Faneca. Warren was placed on injured reserve after injuring his knee in a game against the New York Giants in October.

"I'm just blessed to be in this position. A lot of people didn't feel like I should have been on this team, shouldn't have gotten the salary that I did," said Starks, who signed a one-year, $6.8 million contract prior to the start of the season. "We'll see what happens because, ultimately, the outcome in the Super Bowl determines (the future)."

John Harris can be reached at [email protected] or 412-481-5432.

Images and text copyright © 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.

Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com

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Harris: Defensive end's son will be able to travel to Super Bowl By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Saturday, January 24, 2009

On Sunday, Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith advanced to his second Super Bowl.

On Tuesday, Smith received even better news.

Smith's only son, Elijah, 5, was given medical clearance to travel to Super Bowl XLIII on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla.

In October, Elijah was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia - cancer of the white blood cells. He has responded so well to chemotherapy that doctors pushed back his treatment scheduled for next week until after the Steelers play the Cardinals in the Super Bowl.

"He's home, (and) he's doing great," said Smith, a father of four who is in his 10th NFL season. "The Lord has blessed him and all of us abundantly."

When he learned of Elijah's disease prior to the Steelers' Oct. 26 game against the New York Giants at Heinz Field, coach Mike Tomlin told Smith he needed to be with his family.

Despite not practicing all week, Smith showed up and played in the game.

Elijah is healthy enough to watch his father play in person in what may be the most important game of his career.

"This will be the first time he's traveled (since being diagnosed with leukemia)," Smith said. "Dependng on what his (blood) count comes back as, he doesn't go too many places.

"A simple virus or a simple cold can be very dangerous. We have to be careful what we expose him to. I think the fact that he gets to go someplace is more exciting than actually going to the game."

Playing pro football and being a dad isn't easy under normal circumstances. Smith said Elijah's illness has been a tremendous test of his faith, but that wife Jaimie's steadying influence has helped the family endure through the toughest of times.

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"I'm a dad first," he said. "It's not easy. Basically, I'm burning the candle at both ends. My wife has done an unbelievable job."

Elijah has reponded well to chemotherapy, which is scheduled every 10 days. Doctors pushed back his next treatment, which was scheduled for the end of next week, to a couple of days after the Super Bowl. The disease has an 80 percent survival rate, doctors told Aaron and Jaimie.

"He's like any other 5-year-old right now," Smith said. "He gets up, usually torments his sisters a little bit, does some school work with his mom, torments his sisters some more, plays some games with them. Just like anybody else's family. He's about as normal as he can possibly be. Except he takes a little bit of medicine (antibiotic) every day.

"Right now, he doesn't require a lot of attention. It's not like he's wiped out. When he doesn't feel good, you let him rest. You might give him some medicine to make his tummy feel better.

"He's an amazing child. He was skipping around the house on Monday. Wednesday, he was showing me how fast he could run. He just deals with it."

John Harris can be reached at [email protected] or 412-481-5432.



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In copycat league, Steelers have an original in LeBeau By Kevin Gorman TRIBUNE-REVIEW Saturday, January 24, 2009

The NFL is nothing if not a copycat league where today's tendencies, once proven successful, become tomorrow's trends.

It could create a market for septuagenarian coaches.

While watching a wave of 30-something assistants getting coveted head-coaching jobs, Steelers coordinator Bruce Arians sent a not-so-subtle reminder that there is nothing like a true original.

"You've got a lot of guys that are head coaches now that are computer guys that copied other people's stuff," Arians said, "and the two best coordinators in this league are 70 years old - Dick LeBeau and Tom Moore. They're great teachers, and they know why they put it in."

Moore, 70, won two Super Bowl rings as the Steelers' offensive coordinator from 1977-89 and another in the same position with the Indianapolis Colts. Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, 71, has one Super Bowl and has a chance to win another in Super Bowl XLIII Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla.

From top to bottom, the Steelers have reverence for LeBeau and his blitz-oriented schemes that keep opposing offenses and coaches guessing. Arians believes LeBeau is unique because of his ability to be creative, yet simple.

"It's one thing to have exotic schemes - and all these young guys come up now that have these exotic schemes, they copied it off someone else," Arians said. "Dick sits down with a pen and paper and goes through formations and draws up blitzes. They're very creative and beat what you do, but they're very simple to his guys. To me, the biggest compliment is when you flip on the film and all the other teams are doing his stuff. Next year, they'll cut up all the Pittsburgh films and they'll all be running these blitzes next year. But they don't really know why they put them in.

"That's the beauty of it: Dick knows why he put it in."

Among LeBeau's admirers is his boss, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who is impressed by his defensive coordinator's never-ending desire to learn despite boasting the league's No. 1 defense.

"Somebody's that's been in this league 50 years, that's an inspiring quality to me," said Tomlin, 36. "I'm looking to learn. Regardless of my job description

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and job title, I try to come in and learn something new every day and find new ways to skin it and cut it. He shares that same approach. From that standpoint, we're kindred spirits."

Not that LeBeau would ever come across as a know-it-all.

"He probably knows close to all of it," Tomlin said, "but he doesn't wear it, he really doesn't. He's an incredibly humble, down-to-earth person."

ON THE OTHER SIDE

So much of the pre-Super Bowl focus has been on the matchup between Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor, but the one on the opposite side also is intriguing.

It pits former Florida State teammates Anquan Boldin and Bryant McFadden against each other for the first time since they played for the Seminoles.

"We'll probably face off a little bit through the course of the game," McFadden said. "It's going to be a challenge, either way. You're facing a Pro Bowl guy, whichever side you're on."

Boldin missed the Steelers-Cardinals game in September 2007.

"I know he's probably picked up a lot of new traits and things that can make him better," McFadden said. "The only thing I can take from the college experience is how hard he played. We all see it still going on today, knowing that he's going to give 100 percent effort every time he's out there and you've got to be on alert at all times."

INJURY REPORT

Steelers receiver Hines Ward (knee) did not practice for the third consecutive day and is questionable. Center Justin Hartwig (knee) also did not practice but is probable. Linebacker Patrick Bailey (hamstring) was limited. After missing two practices with a stomach virus, linebacker Lawrence Timmons returned Friday, as did left tackle Max Starks (knee).

For the Cardinals, defensive ends Travis LaBoy (biceps) and Antonio Smith (knee) and punter Ben Graham (groin) were limited and are questionable. Running back J.J. Arrington (knee), who did not practice, also is questionable. Boldin (knee) participated fully and is probable.

Kevin Gorman can be reached at [email protected] or 412-320-7812.



Page 2 of 2In copycat league, Steelers have an original in LeBeau - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review


SATURDAY JANUARY 24, 2009 :: Last modified: Saturday, January 24, 2009 12:25 AM EST

Bires: Sweed emotion By Mike Bires Times Sports Staff

PITTSBURGH — Only one Steeler worked overtime after Friday’s practice, and it comes as no surprise that it was the near-goat of the AFC Championship Game. As every one else headed to the locker room, Limas Sweed stayed behind to work on pass catching skills.

After last Sunday, he needs all the extra practice he can get. Sweed, a rookie wide receiver, almost became the most reviled athlete in Pittsburgh for dropping a touchdown pass and then apparently faking an injury. In a brutally physical 23-14 win over Baltimore, Sweed cost the Steelers 10 points. Besides the seven points he threw away by dropping a perfectly thrown bomb from Ben Roethlisberger that should have been a 50-yard TD pass, he also cost the Steelers a chance to kick a chip-shot field goal. He did that by feigning injury after his drop. It appeared that perhaps he had the wind knocked out of him. But according to coach MikeTomlin, Sweed was faking. Sweed’s act cost the Steelers their third and final timeout (When a player is injured with less than two minutes left in the second and fourth quarters, his team is charged with a timeout). That wasted timeout proved costly. Six plays after Sweed’s drop, the Steelers advanced to the Ravens’ 12-yard line only to have the half end before Roethlisberger could stop the clock with a spike. Had they had that last timeout, Jeff Reed would have come in and tried a 30-yard field goal. After his drop, Sweed was reamed out by Tomlin on the sideline. “I leave what specifically was said between him and I,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “I said what I thought needed to be said at that time.” But in this week’s editions of Sports Illustrated, Tomlin said, “I wasn’t mad because he dropped the

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AP photo by KEITH SRAKOCIC ALMOST THE GOAT: Limas Sweed dropped a would-be touchdown in the AFC Championship victory.

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ball. That kind of mistake can happen to anyone. I was pissed that he lay on the ground, faked an injury and cost us our last timeout. My point was, ‘Be a man! Grow up!’” To Sweed’s credit, he did respond positively. Four plays after his drop, he threw a devastating block that leveled cornerback Corey Ivy. Then on a third-and-8 call on the first play of the fourth quarter, he caught a pass for 14 yards and a first down. “He is a young guy that has a desire to help us win,” Tomlin said. “His actions on a day to day basis at this (practice) facility indicate that. Sometimes he fails. He fails inside stadiums and that’s part of being a young guy. But we are in January and it’s time for young guys to grow up. “Hopefully he falls into that category. Hopefully some of those things that happened after that drop are an indication of the direction in which he is headed. We are going to need positive contributions from everyone in order to come back with the Lombardi Trophy.” Yes, Sweed, the Steelers’ second-round draft pick, may have to play in Super Bowl XLIII. If Hines Ward has any setbacks with the knee he sprained in the AFC Championship, Sweed will be the No. 3 receiver. Ward’s injury was why Sweed played against the Ravens in the first place. No doubt, the Steelers coaches hope that Sweed doesn’t have to play much against the Arizona Cardinals. But if he does, they can only hope he’s “man” enough to handle the pressure of the biggest game in sports.

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Fitzgerald big concern for Steelers By F. Dale Lolley, Staff writer

[email protected]

PITTSBURGH - Let the tweaking begin.

The Steelers put in most of their game plan Friday as they prepare to play the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII Feb. 1 at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said earlier in the week the Steelers would only make minor alterations to its game plan after installing the bulk of it this week.

It's a safe bet the defensive plan will revolve around stopping wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who has been a one-man wrecking crew in the playoffs.

In three playoff games, the former Pitt star has 23 catches for 419 yards and five touchdowns. His yardage total is already an NFL postseason record, and there is still another game to play.

"He has 419 yards in the postseason, and it isn't over with. He's breaking some of Jerry Rice's records," Taylor said. "From what he's displaying week in and week out, yeah, he's one of the best in the world."

The Steelers realize completely shutting down Fitzgerald, who caught 96 passes for 1,431 yards and 12 scores, isn't possible. But they'd like to limit his impact.

"I always try to approach it like a great scorer in basketball: You are not going to stop them, you just have to keep them from dominating the game," said Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. "That is what we try to do with a top receiver."

The Steelers have used 6-2, 191-pound Ike Taylor, their biggest and fastest cornerback, against the best receiver of their opponents this season. That has worked well, as only Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne had a 100-yard game against Taylor, catching six passes for 114 yards and a touchdown.

That touchdown, a 65-yard catch-and-run, came on a deep pass down the sideline that bounced off Taylor's hands to Wayne.

Those are the kind of mistakes, however, you can't make against the 6-3, 220-pound Fitzgerald, whose leaping ability and good hands make him the most dangerous deep threat in the league.

"We are working on a shorter step-ladder for Ike to carry around with him so that he can get up higher in the air," LeBeau joked.

To complicate matters, Pro Bowl receiver Anquan Boldin lines up opposite Fitzgerald. Boldin had 89 catches for 1,038 yards and 11 touchdowns in just 12 games.

Getting pressure on quarterback Kurt Warner might be the best way to limit the impact of those two receivers, but even that is difficult. Warner was sacked just 26 times during the regular season despite 598 pass attempts.

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"I guess getting pressure on the quarterback is a big thing," said Steelers safety Troy Polamalu. "There's obviously things you can do change up your coverage. But Ike's been playing well against the best receivers all year long on every team. I would anticipate that he would do the same."

Odds and end zones

Linebacker Patrick Bailey (ankle) returned to practice on a limited basis Friday. ... Center Justin Hartwig and wide receiver Hines Ward, who are both nursing knee injuries, missed their third consecutive practice. ... The Steelers released an injury report Friday even though the NFL does not require one until next week. It lists Ward and Hartwig as questionable.

Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

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01/24/2009

Steelers need Taylor to slow Fitzgerald down

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Ike Taylor doesn't get much attention for being the Pittsburgh Steelers' primary defender against an opponent's top receiver. Sometimes that's good, because it means Taylor isn't getting beaten for many touchdown catches. Taylor will go against the NFL's hottest receiver, Larry Fitzgerald of Arizona, in the Super Bowl, and he has two long weeks to think about it. Given Fitzgerald's outrageous postseason production, this appears to be a bad matchup for any cornerback. "He has 419 yards in the postseason, and it isn't over with. He's breaking some of Jerry Rice's records," Taylor said. "From what he's displaying week in and week out, yeah, he's one of the best in the world." Taylor isn't as recognizable as All-Pros James Harrison or Troy Polamalu in Pittsburgh's league-leading defense, but he played well enough to be a Pro Bowl alternate. He yielded only two touchdowns in coverage despite being matched against receivers such as Terrell Owens, Chad Ocho Cinco, Plaxico Burress, Andre Johnson, Wes Welker, Reggie Wayne, Derrick Mason, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Santana Moss. "Fitzgerald's going to be the talk of the Super Bowl, and that's going to be a key matchup," linebacker Larry Foote said. "If Ike can do a great job on him, our chances of winning increase." Taylor is proud the Steelers easily led the NFL in pass defense, allowing an average of 22 yards per game fewer than any other team. He wonders why the secondary doesn't get as much attention as the rest of the defense. "Regardless of what people don't want to say, the recognition that we don't get, we feel like we do a good job," Taylor said. "We're No. 1 in overall defense, No. 1 in pass defense, No. 2 in run defense, No. 1 in red zone defense. I really don't know who's been putting up those kind of numbers." The Steelers permitted only three teams to throw for 200 yards, and none reached 300. Two were held below 100 yards. "Other teams tend to get more pub than we do, but that comes with the territory," Taylor said. "But we do have a pretty decent secondary. They've got a great receiving corps, with the head man in Kurt (Warner), and this is going to be one of our toughest challenges." Ask the Eagles, who watched Fitzgerald make nine catches for 152 yards and three touchdowns in the NFC championship game on Sunday. The former Pitt star has eight TD catches in his last five games and 11 in his last eight, plus five consecutive 100-yard games. Bryant McFadden, Pittsburgh's other starting cornerback, said Harrison, Polamalu, Aaron Smith, James Farrior and LaMarr Woodley are as important to controlling Fitzgerald as the secondary is. "The pass rushers, they've been our best friends all year," McFadden said. "They're going to elevate from being best friends to family members. These guys are going to be the key for us being successful." Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt has a detailed knowledge of the Steelers' defense after previously being their offensive coordinator. But Steelers coach Mike Tomlin discounts that as a factor because teams and defenses evolve annually. Also, Steelers players are certain that defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, especially with two weeks to prepare, will draw up some schemes Warner and Fitzgerald haven't seen on tape. "One thing you have is faith that coach LeBeau is going to find a way to cover all those guys," safety Ryan Clark said of 1,000-yard receivers Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. As for Fitzgerald vs. Taylor, the Steelers believe it is anything but a mismatch, even though LeBeau calls Fitzgerald the best receiver he has seen at elevating to catch a ball. "This guy is special," LeBeau said. "We are working on a short stepladder for Ike to carry around with him so he can get higher in the air." Taylor played only one season on defense at Louisiana-Lafayette, but has started most of the last four seasons in Pittsburgh. He was benched for more than a month by former coach Bill Cowher in 2006, only to rebound with two consecutive good seasons. To motivate himself, Taylor keeps a clipping about athletes who have come back from adversity - the headline is "Bouncing Back" - in his locker.

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"Ike's the right guy for this," Foote said. "If you wanted to know who had the confidence and the personality and the swagger in this locker room (to defend Fitzgerald), Ike would be the first name that comes to you." Copyright Associated Press 2009

©The Herald Standard 2009

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Trick plays provide spark for Cards by Richard Obert - Jan. 23, 2009 07:12 PMThe Arizona Republic Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt likes going for it on fourth down. He likes pulling out a few tricks. For the Pittsburgh Steelers , in the Super Bowl, expect everything and anything to come out of the playbook. Just maybe not the "Philly Special." It worked to perfection in last week's 32-25 win over the Eagles: Running back J.J. Arrington threw a lateral pass back to quarterback Kurt Warner , who found Larry Fitzgerald deep for a 62- yard touchdown. "The 'Philly Special' would probably not be any good any longer," offensive coordinator Todd Haley said. That play, Haley said, originated in Dallas when he was coaching there. Between Haley and Whisenhunt - the offensive coordinator for the Steelers in the Super Bowl three years ago when he called for a trick play that burned the Seattle Seahawks - don't expect the Cardinals to

suddenly become vanilla and conservative, even though Whisenhunt deadpanned during his news conference Thursday that they would be.

"I think we're going to definitely have some in the book," said Fitzgerald, who is usually on the receiving end of them. "I don't know if Coach is going to call it, but we're definitely going to have a few plays at our disposal.

"That's just the way we do it. It gives the defense a little bit more to prepare for every week when you have more things like that."

The timing of the trickery depends on what kind of success the Cardinals are having.

Usually it is set up by the run, and lately the running game has been effective.

The flea-flicker isn't among Warner's favorite plays because it calls for the deep ball, and he is basically zeroing in on one receiver and not choosing among four or five as he normally would.

But it's worked twice for touchdowns in the past month.

"You always have a couple in your back pocket," Haley said. "It takes the right situation and most of those are off run plays, and the way we've been running the football has helped us do a lot of things. That's just

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one of them." Edgerrin James, who's been key to the set- up with positive rushing yardage in the past four games, says he'd rather just go out and play "old-fashioned football." "You win these games by getting first downs and moving the chains and not having turnovers," he said. "You can put in all the trick plays you want to, but if you have turnovers, the trick plays won't do any good."

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Notes: DRC 'not getting a big head' by Bob McManaman, Kent Somers and Richard Obert - Jan. 23, 2009 05:00 PMThe Arizona Republic

Profile: Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie In many ways, Dominique Rodgers- Cromartie hasn't acted or played like a rookie for months now. The first-year cornerback, however, is entering a whole new world as he and the Cardinals prepare for Super Bowl XLIII. "This is going to be the toughest week," he said. "This is the last game and it's the big show. Somebody like me, who is goofy and likes to play around a lot, I have to cut that out. "Guys who see me joking around are going to get serious with me. I think this week will be more of a focused week for me." It's a Catch-22 moment for the rookie. On one hand, he keeps hearing about how good he has become and on the other, he knows he can't lose his focus. "I like it, but I'm not getting a big head," Rodgers-Cromartie said. "I'm staying grounded and staying humble and just keep

on pressing and taking it as it comes."

Not getting message

Profile: Larry Fitzgerald

Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Steelers receiver Hines Ward have a great amount of mutual respect. They've been text messaging each other this week.

"I said, 'Hines, you've already got a Super Bowl (ring). It would be greedy for you to try to get two when I don't have one yet. Just rest your knee, and just take it easy on us a little bit,' " Fitzgerald said. "He wasn't going for it."

Ward said his sprained MCL suffered against Baltimore in the AFC Championship Gamewon't keep him out of the Super Bowl Feb. 1.

Injury update

Cardinals defensive end/outside linebacker Travis LaBoy has participated in practice on a limited basis this week, but the plan is to increase his workload when a special designed brace arrives.

LaBoy suffered a left biceps tendon injury in the NFC Championship Game last Sunday but is expected to play in Super Bowl XLIII. If the brace arrived Friday as scheduled, LaBoy

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will test it in today's practice. He is listed as questionable for the game. Running back J.J. Arrington missed a second consecutive practice with a right knee injury. Arrington said he suffered the injury just before halftime, but is optimistic about practicing next week and playing against the Steelers. He also is questionable. Defensive end Antonio Smith (knee) and punter Ben Graham (groin) are also questionable, but both are expected to play. Receiver Anquan Boldin (hamstring) has practiced fully this week and is probable. For the Steelers, Ward (knee) hasn't practiced this week and he's listed as questionable. So is linebacker Patrick Bailey (hamstring). The other Steelers on Friday's injury list are probable: center Justin Hartwig (knee), tackle Max Starks (knee), quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (back), running back Mewelde Moore (ankle) and linebackerLawrence Timmons (illness). Docking the check Two Eagles were fined for late hits on quarterback Kurt Warner last week. Safety Quintin Demps was fined $7,500 and defensive lineman Broderick Bunkley was fined $5,000.

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January 24, 2009

Football Pioneer Builds Big Men for Steelers

By SEAN D. HAMILL

PITTSBURGH — John Mitchell, the Steelers’ defensive line coach, will say again and again that he is no hero,

no great man and certainly not worthy of mention as a figure of the civil rights era.

Those who know him, who know what it took to become the first African-American to play football at the

University of Alabama, will say he is all of that.

“He had to be pretty strong just to walk in not knowing what was going to happen when he got there,” said

Jeff Beard, who played on Alabama’s defensive line with Mitchell in 1971. “And I guess the way integration

had gone in Alabama, he would have had a right to be reluctant.”

It was just a little more than seven years after Gov. George C. Wallace stood in a schoolhouse doorway in an

attempt to prevent the university’s integration.

Mitchell, who attended segregated schools as a child in Mobile, Ala., said, “When I saw what Wallace did, it

made me want to go there even more because I wanted to prove to myself that I was worthy of going to that

state institution.”

Mitchell did that and more as a 6-foot-3, 230-pound defensive end who became an all-American, and he has

continued to prove himself throughout 36 years of coaching college and professional football with lessons

learned, more often than not, in Alabama.

In Pittsburgh tradition, the Steelers’ defense has made all the difference in the team’s march to the Super

Bowl. While the Steelers’ linebackers have been the stars, Mitchell’s selfless linemen have added to his

reputation.

“When I wonder how good a coach a guy is, I watch his players, watch how they play, watch how they

respond to adversity, watch what they do, watch how they play techniquewise,” said Clarence Brooks, the

Baltimore Ravens’ defensive line coach, whose team lost to the Steelers in the American Football Conference

championship game on Sunday.

“And forever his guys are always sound techniquewise, always play very hard, look like they’re disciplined in

drills.”

It has been that way for virtually every year in his 15-year run with the team. That longevity is a rarity in the

N.F.L., and it has made him the dean of Steelers coaches.

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Mitchell, a voracious reader of history who collects fine wine, artwork and vintage jazz music, has managed

to get quality results with an assemblage of undrafted free agents and low-round draft picks. Of his top six

linemen, only one — Casey Hampton, the starting nose tackle — was drafted before the fourth round, and two

were not drafted at all.

Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin said that when he took the job two years ago, it was that ability that led him to

add assistant head coach to Mitchell’s title.

“John takes a great deal of pride in what he does, the performance of his men, the development of his men,”

Tomlin said. “I wanted him to have that same kind of ownership over this football team, and the growth and

development of young players.”

Mitchell’s players say it is his attention to detail and an ability to find ways to motivate them that has made

him so good at what he does. It is an approach that, as his players know all too well, comes straight from his

mentor, Bear Bryant.

“When they come in as young guys, rookies, first-year guys, he’s able to break them down and kind of break

them away from what they did when they were in college,” said the backup nose tackle Chris Hoke, who was a

raw, undrafted rookie when he joined the team in 2001.

“His technique is really getting on you and being critical of and paying attention to all the little details,” Hoke

said. “Because if you don’t do the little things, they turn into big things. And when situations come up, I think

he looks back to, what would Coach Bryant do? And then he moves forward.”

He differs from his mentor in one critical way. While Bryant was respected by his players, he was distant

from them personally while they were on the team. The 57-year-old Mitchell, who is married but does not

have children, is famously involved with his.

“One thing about him is he treats us like his sons,” said Deshea Townsend, the Steelers’ longtime starting

right cornerback. “He teaches us about a lot of things. He teaches us about art. He teaches us about wine,

even taking us to wine tastings. He does a lot off the field to try to stimulate us and try to make us better

people.”

Part of that approach is pragmatic, Mitchell said. “You find out what’s important to these guys, and once you

do that, it makes your job as a coach easier.”

But it also is simply who Mitchell is, and all a part of the same personality that made it seem easy to become

the first African-American player to take the field for Alabama, then become Alabama’s first African-

American team captain and first African-American assistant coach.

“I care for my players,” he said. “They’re not only good football players, they’re good people. With my guys I

don’t have to yell. I don’t use profanity with them. They’re men, and that’s how I treat them. I respect them,

they respect me.”

Despite the racial animus that defined Alabama in the early 1960s, Mitchell said that after he transferred in,

from Eastern Arizona Junior College, there was never any conflict or protest over his presence at the



university or on the team in 1971 or 1972, an experience he and others credit to Bryant.

“Coach Bryant pretty much decided what went on with the football team, and everyone respected that,” said

Bobby Stanford, a linebacker on those Alabama teams and Mitchell’s good friend and campus roommate.

Mitchell acknowledged catching his share of stares as he and his white teammates strolled into town together

and into Tuscaloosa’s stores and restaurants. But, he said, “To most of them, I was an athlete first, and that’s

all that mattered.”

Such experiences proved culturally important, said John David Briley, a political science professor at East

Tennessee State and author of the book “Career in Crisis: Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant and the 1971 Season of Change.”

“The people were ready for it,” he said. “But integrating the football team made it that much easier. John

clearly had a role in the civil rights movement.”

By the time Mitchell became an assistant at Alabama after playing for two seasons, a third of the team’s

starters were African-American.

Though progress came swiftly, Mitchell, who has never been shy about voicing his opinion, sees more work

that needs to be done.

He and many other Alabama alumni have bristled because none of the eight men who succeeded Bryant were

African-American. And despite his stellar résumé, Mitchell has never been asked to interview.

“At first it hurt because they hired some people I thought I was better qualified,” he said. “I thought my

résumé was better. But now, you know, I’m happy. The Rooneys treated me like part of their family. I work

with Dick LeBeau. I’ve got a Super Bowl ring. We’re back in the Super Bowl. What more could you ask for?”

He intends to retire in four or five years — “When this current group of guys with the Steelers leave, I’m

going with them,” he said — and he and his wife, Joyce, plan to move back to Birmingham, where he can

finally use the four Alabama game tickets he never gave up, and enjoy the results of his pioneering efforts.

“I’m going to drive down there to Tuscaloosa, watch them play, sit in the stands, eat a hot dog, yell and

scream,” he said. “It will be great.”

Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

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By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY

There is surely a place for the moxie and real-world context that Rex Ryan brings to his new job as New York Jets coach. Introduced to the Gotham City media this week, Ryan began with a not-so-subtle reference to the change in Washington with President Obama.

"With all the cameras, I was looking for our new president back there," Ryan cracked as the klieg lights beamed. "I think we'll get to meet him in the next couple of years, anyway."

That's the spirit. And with a pair of second-year head coaches — Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin and Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt — prepping this week for Super Bowl XLIII, the time frame that Ryan mentioned is hardly unrealistic. Even for a cursed franchise like the Jets.

LATEST OUSTER: Chiefs fire Herm Edwards SUPER BOWL MATCHUPS: Who has edge? Steelers or Cardinals?

Yet Ryan, 46, a few days removed from pushing the buttons for the Baltimore Ravens' defense in the AFC title game, has other reasons to think quick-fix.

In these times, if he doesn't knock it out of the park, it could be his only at-bat.

Retread coaches are so 20th century.

Of the nine coaches named during this hiring cycle, Cleveland's Eric Mangini and Seattle's Jim Mora, Jr. are the only two with NFL head-coaching experience.

Step right up, Raheem Morris, Josh McDaniels and Jim Schwartz.

There was once a time when former coaches such as Brian Billick, Steve Mariucci and Jim Fassel — in their prime years, now media analysts — would have been leading candidates for vacant jobs. Some teams might have called Marty Schottenheimer, Dennis Green or Dan Reeves. And current assistants like former head coaches Dom Capers, Dave McGinnis or Mike Sherman would have made somebody's list.

THE HUDDLE: 49ers consider Reeves as offensive coordinator

It used to be, "Once a head coach, always a candidate."

No more. While Bill Cowher is ultra-coveted and ousted Denver chief Mike Shanahan commands check-with-me status, this

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NFL's youth movement

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trend of providing opportunity to fresh faces will likely remain a while.

THE HUDDLE: Chiefs consider Cowher, Shanahan to replace Edwards

Whisenhunt and Tomlin provide two reasons. John Harbaugh, Mike Smith and Tony Sparano — who made this year's playoffs in their first seasons at the helm for the Ravens, Falcons and Dolphins, respectively — are three more reasons.

Remember, it's a copycat league. There's a new model for success.

"We needed a coach that we felt had the right mixture of experience and youth," Martin Mayhew, the new Lions GM, said of Schwartz, 42, the former Titans D-coordinator.

The average age of the nine new coaches — a list that includes St. Louis' Steve Spagnuolo, San Francisco's Mike Singletary and Indianapolis' Jim Caldwell — is 43.3 years old. The numbers could change with the Raiders yet to settle on their coach and with new Chiefs GM Scott Pioli having pushed coach Herm Edwards out.

If there are indeed 11 new coaches, the total would match the 1997 cycle that were the most since the 1970 merger. But it would hardly match the flavor of 1997.

Wanted: Head coach for an NFL team. Prior head-coaching experience preferred. Long hours. Big bucks. Maybe you can be your own GM, too.

That's a retro ad, circa 1997. That year, Mike Ditka made a comeback, Bill Parcells took over his third franchise and Dick Vermeil was lured back after a 15-year hiatus. Of the 11 slots filled in 1997, eight went to coaches with previous NFL head coaching experience.

Today's landscape reflects just two shot-callers — Bill Belichick and Tom Coughlin — who have won Super Bowls as head coaches. When Shanahan, Tony Dungy, Mike Holmgren and Jon Gruden left within the past month, they took resumes with them that included a combined five Super Bowl victories.

Tomlin or Whisenhunt will join the exclusive Super Bowl Winner's Club on Feb. 1, but both are already card-carrying members of the Future Is Now Club.

In the past five hiring cycles, including this year, nearly 80% of the 33 vacancies were filled by those without previous NFL head coaching experiences. In the 10 years from 1995-2004, about half of the jobs (33 of 68) went to coaches whose resume included a previous NFL head coaching gig.

Undoubtedly, the Rooney Rule — named after Steelers owner Dan Rooney and instituted in 2003 to require at least one minority candidate is interviewed — has opened doors.

But not only for minorities. A culture that embraces thorough, deliberate and expansive hiring processes have led to more interviews for all candidates, black and white.

Two years ago, after Whisenhunt, then the Steelers' offensive coordinator, took the Cardinals job, the Steelers selected Tomlin over their O-line coach, Russ Grimm (who eventually joined Whisenhunt in Arizona). That they weren't considering a coach with previous head coaching experience was nothing new: Cowher and Chuck Noll, Pittsburgh's only other head coaches over a 37-year span, also had no NFL head coaching experience when they were hired for the Steelers job.

So the current trend around the league is old hat for the Steelers.

Of the process that led to Tomlin's hiring, Steelers president Art Rooney II says, "We felt we were almost in a situation where we couldn't go wrong."

Rooney says that Tomlin's presence during interviews helped him emerge from long-shot status. Whisenhunt might have eventually landed the Steelers job, but had a firm offer from the Cardinals.



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"If Mike hadn't been on the scene, who knows?" Art Rooney said. "There's a good chance that Ken could've been our coach. He clearly was someone very much in the front-running position in our search, and the timing came up where we had to make a decision of whether we'd give him the job at that point or not. We didn't eliminate him; we just said, 'We're not ready to make a decision, Ken. You take that and decide if you want to move on in their process, or if you want to stay in our process.' He made a decision to take that job."

Whisenhunt insisted this week that there is no lingering ill will about his departure from Pittsburgh, although Grimm might have a different take in his case.

"A big part of the reason why I am here is because of my opportunity to work with that team," Whisenhunt said. "Why would I have any hard feelings? I don't see why you wouldn't want an NFL job. I had a great opportunity here. There were a lot of things that I thought were in place that would help us have an opportunity to win. I think we have shown that, and I am excited about that."

That it has worked out for Whisenhunt, 46, and Tomlin, 36, supports Rooney's contention that the Steelers were in a win-win scenario in choosing their coach. And that one will win the Lombardi Trophy in just his second season — capping a playoff campaign that began with five of the 12 coaches in either their first or second seasons as first-time head coaches — will be another resounding victory for the notion of starting fresh by breaking in your own head coach.

"There are enough young coaches like Mike who have done a good job, to the point where people think it can be done," Rooney said. "You can hire a young coach and you can be successful. I think that has opened the door, or opened people's minds a little bit, that maybe I don't have to go find a guy who has a few years under his belt. There's not any magic. It's more about finding the right guy for your job."

Quick slants: Sure, Anquan Boldin's eruption directed at coordinator Todd Haley came at the wrong time — on the sideline, during the game-winning drive in the NFC title game, attached to a franchise rarely in the national spotlight. But the Cardinals' Pro Bowl receiver isn't the only one who has had heated discussions with Haley. That Kurt Warner has had similar exchanges with Haley has been underplayed in the context of the flak that Boldin has received. "My wife tells me every week, 'What in the world were you and Todd yelling about this week?' " Warner said. "So, it happens. During the course of things, sometimes you see things differently, sometimes coaches will say something that they don't really know what happened on the field, or you have a different perspective. That stuff happens. ... I've had it happen with Todd a number of times this year and after the game we're talking and texting, and we're just saying, 'Hey, it is what it is,' and we still are going to battle. Sometimes as competitors you get into some of those things." ... Bypassed this week as the list of finalists was cut to five in the search to succeed late NFLPA chief Gene Upshaw were four attorneys with sports backgrounds: Arthur McAfee, in-house counsel for 15 years with the NFLPA; David Cornwell, former league assistant counsel often tapped by players to fight suspensions who recently ignited the legal case that at least temporarily overturned the suspensions of five players in the StarCaps case; Derrick Heggans, former NFL in-house counsel; and Fred Nance, a finalist in the process to replace Paul Tagliabue as NFL commissioner. The only attorney left in the field is DeMaurice Smith, whose track record is strong on white-collar criminal defense and tort liability cases. Trace Armstrong and Troy Vincent, ex-players and former players' union presidents, are the likely front-runners to land Upshaw's old job. Find this article at: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2009-01-23-the-bell-tolls_N.htm

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Friday, January 23, 2009

Boldin has earned benefit of doubt

By Jeffri Chadiha ESPN.com TEMPE, Ariz. -- This season's defining moment for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin wasn't his heated argument with offensive coordinator Todd Haley in Arizona's 32-25 win over Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game. It actually came in late September, when Boldin casually strolled into his team's locker room a couple days after New York Jets safety Eric Smith knocked him cold in a blowout loss on the road.

Boldin didn't show any pain after undergoing surgery on a fractured facial bone. He didn't say much about spending the night in the hospital after being carted off the field in that game. He just wanted to get back to work as soon as possible, even though he'd be sidelined for two more weeks.

That's why we all need to remember one important thing about Boldin as his confrontation with Haley still hovers over the start of Super Bowl week: There's a lot more to him than what we saw in that brief exchange. Whatever happened between Boldin and Haley ultimately proved to be inconsequential. It didn't stop the Cardinals from winning, and everyone around the team keeps referring to it as a nonissue.

"It was something that was really minute," Boldin said. "But [the media] got a hold of it and tried to blow it up."

Look, there are plenty of times when athletes try to downplay negative moments in ways that ring hollow. Grudges can still fester. Hard feelings usually linger. This, however, doesn't sound like one of those situations. As much material as Boldin gave the viewing public to work with Sunday -- and we also can't forget that he was the one who left the stadium in a hurry, supposedly so he could avoid the inevitable questions about the argument -- he's too well-respected in that locker room for anybody not to

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Anquan Boldin didn't let injuries and contract issues distract him from making the Pro Bowl for the third time this season.

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believe his words.

It simply doesn't make sense that a player who cares so much about helping his team would suddenly turn petulant during the franchise's biggest moment. There's no question that Boldin was angry after being left on the sideline during the game-winning fourth-quarter drive. But he also has been through too much in Arizona for us to think he has turned selfish now. As Boldin said during a Thursday news conference, "I was mad because they took me out of the game. Any competitor would have the same reaction."

You really can't blame the man for his eruption. For one thing, Boldin has been with the Cardinals longer than most players on the roster. He has led with his pride, his toughness and a work ethic that still blows away teammates to this day. He also earned his third Pro Bowl nomination after spending a good share of the summer complaining about the lack of change in his current contract while fellow Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald received a four-year, $40 million extension.

This is what true professionals do. They produce, regardless of the circumstances they face.

"I'm sure this season has been bittersweet for Anquan," Cardinals defensive end Bert Berry said. "I'm sure he felt like he deserved the kind of money that Fitz got, but Anquan always has been a team guy. We've seen the way he's responded to challenges, and we also know we're a better team whenever he's on the field."

That's the part that can't be overlooked in all the recent talk about Boldin: This team needs him to be at his best when they meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. The Cardinals have been able to advance through the playoffs largely because Fitzgerald has turned into an unstoppable force on offense. He came up big before Boldin strained a hamstring in Arizona's wild-card win over the Atlanta Falcons, and he came up even bigger in the two victories that followed that one. But this much you can count on: The Steelers won't let one receiver beat them.

You get the sense that Boldin now has found added incentive in a game that already offers plenty of motivation for any football player with a pulse. If he hasn't heard everything that has been said about him this week, he has heard enough to know some critics have ripped his actions. Boldin actually joked that his cousin called him earlier this week after nationally syndicated talk show host Jim Rome blasted Boldin. Regardless of what Boldin has said, he can't like the idea that his reputation is suddenly in question.

So you can assume he'll be less willing to let this whole issue linger any longer. If he's savvy enough to evade reporters after the NFC Championship Game, then he's smart enough to realize he'll face more questions about this subject when the Cardinals reach Tampa on Monday. That's how we do it in the media. We love to wear out a story, especially during Super Bowl week.

Said Boldin: "There are only two teams left now, so all the attention is on those two teams. In Week 1, we didn't have this many [media members] out here. The attention has grown. Do you have to be careful? I guess so. But at the same time, you can't alter who you are. You can only be you and let the rest take care of itself."

That sounds like Boldin's way of saying he can deal with whatever is coming next. Remember, this is a six-year veteran who's playing on his first winning team in the NFL. He has spent a career playing through injuries, battling the frustration that comes with working for a formerly inept franchise, and he still has no idea how the team will deal with his unhappiness over a contract that has two years



remaining. All Boldin knows is that he's approaching the most important game of his life and he doesn't need any more distractions.

That's probably why Boldin's teammates are so confident that he has put this controversy behind him.

"You see the character he's displayed all season long," Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner said. "And for one situation to be his defining moment is crazy."

That is the final point to be made here. For as much as the public learned about Boldin last Sunday, they'll probably learn more about how he responds to adversity in the coming week.

Senior writer Jeffri Chadiha covers the NFL for ESPN.com.

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Sweed eager for next opportunity

January 23, 2009 10:00 AM

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

PITTSBURGH -- Steelers rookie second-round pick Limas Sweed knew the question was coming this week.

What happened?

"I just need to follow it in all the way," Sweed said of his dropped pass and potential touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC title game. "I need to slow down. I think it was a learning experience being in that game and playing in that game. I gained a lot of experience."

Sweed has played sparingly during the regular season, recording just six catches for 64 yards. But he received extended playing time last week against the Ravens due to a knee injury in the first half to starter Hines Ward.

The rookie receiver responded with two receptions for 20 yards and a crushing block on Ravens cornerback Corey Ivy following the drop.

Sweed, who also dropped another deep pass two weeks ago in the divisional round, said he's doing extra work in practice this week with backup quarterbacks Dennis Dixon and Byron Leftwich to make sure it is no longer an issue.

"I'm catching 5 to 10 deep balls from both sides every day until the Super Bowl," Sweed said sternly. "I'm going to go over that every day, because it was something that I wanted to do. It seems to be the only thing that I drop -- a couple deep balls. So why not attack it every day?"

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Limas Sweed has missed a couple of deep passes this season, including one in the AFC Championship Game.

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Tomlin climbed ladder to Steelers quicklyBy Steven Lassan Published: January 23rd, 2009

College Football WriterContact Via Email

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It’s not supposed to be easy replacing legends — just don’t tell Mike Tomlin. In just two seasons as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coach, Tomlin has amassed an impressive resume, especially when you consider the two guys he followed — Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher.

After Cowher stepped aside following the 2006 season, offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt was reportedly favored to be promoted. After all, Whisenhunt was the easy choice since he was on staff and was a successful, Super Bowl winning coordinator. However, Tomlin entered the interview process as a relative unknown and emerged as the 16th coach in Steeler history — just the third since 1969.

When he was hired, several question marks hovered over him — none bigger than simply, who is Mike Tomlin?

From 1990-1994, Tomlin played wide receiver at William & Mary. When playing professionally didn’t work out, he hit the coaching ranks. After a short stint as an assistant at Tennessee-Martin, Tomlin spent most of his collegiate career as a receiver or defensive backs coach.

1995 VMI — wide receivers coach 1996 Memphis — defensive backs and special teams coach 1997-1998 Arkansas State — wide receivers (1997) and defensive backs coach (1998) 1999-2000 Cincinnati — defensive backs coach

After spending 2001-2005 in Tampa Bay as the Buccaneers’ defensive backs coach, Tomlin got his break as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator. In his only year as coordinator, the Vikings ranked eighth in total defense and first against the rush. Three weeks after the 2006 season, he joined the Steelers.

Tomlin’s quick rise up the ladder puts him in position to become the youngest coach to win the Super Bowl. However, as the Steelers and Cardinals prepare for Super Bowl XLIII, Tomlin must face the coach many expected to be in Pittsburgh — Whisenhunt.

Tomlin is widely regarded as a player’s coach — something to which the Steelers have clearly responded. His influence on this team is clearly noticed on the defensive side. Although defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is one the top 3-4 masterminds, Tomlin has contributed to the improvement of the pass defense. In 2005, the Steelers ranked 16th against the pass and 20th in 2006. In Tomlin’s two seasons on the job, the Steelers ranked third in 2007 and topped the league in 2008.

The road to Tampa hasn’t been without bumps for the Steelers or Tomlin in 2008. The offensive line has experienced its share of struggles, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has battled an injured shoulder most of the year and the team lost first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall in the fourth game to a fractured shoulder — all this while battling through the league’s most difficult schedule.

Despite a few setbacks, the Steelers are just 60 minutes away from NFL history. Led by the top statistical defense in the NFL, Roethlisberger and Tomlin’s steady leadership, the Steelers have an opportunity to become the first NFL franchise to win six Vince LombardiTrophies.

Considering the way Arizona has played in the playoffs, a sixth Super Bowl title isn’t guaranteed for Pittsburgh and it won’t be easy with Whisenhunt on the opposing sideline.

“I love the high expectations that come with this job. I'd rather have high ones than low ones,” Tomlin said. “The tradition is awesome. You can't put a price tag on it. It's inspiring.”

As evidenced by his first two years on the job, the expectations from Steeler Nation certainly haven’t bothered Tomlin. If the Steelers earn title No. 6 — and their second in four seasons — the expectations for this coach will only become larger.

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