Steelers football blog

Big Ben sits out practice

Ben Roethlisberger watched practice Tuesday and quickly fled from the Steelers' locker room afterward.

The Steelers quarterback made a considerably less conspicuous exit than he did last Sunday, when he got carted off the playing surface at Heinz Field.

The concussion that Roethlisberger suffered in a 31-0 win over the Cleveland Browns doesn't look like it will have much bearing on the Steelers' AFC Divisional playoff game.

The Steelers will monitor Roethlisberger closely, but he's expected to be OK for the team's first playoff game. And coach Mike Tomlin didn't rule out Roethlisberger practicing before the Steelers take a three-day weekend to recharge and then resume their push to the Super Bowl. Continue

How easily can Roethlisberger bounce back from a concussion?

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was briefly hospitalized Sunday after sustaining a concussion, may be feeling fine when the Steelers play their first playoff game, but will he be thinking clearly?

Mr. Roethlisberger did not spend the night as originally planned and was up walking the halls at UPMC Presbyterian shortly after he was brought there by ambulance, according to team sources.

He was injured when his head bounced off the grass at Heinz Field when he was tackled by Cleveland linebackers Willie McGinest and D'Qwell Jackson late in the first half of the Steelers' 31-0 victory Sunday.

Mr. Roethlisberger is expected to play when the Steelers open the playoffs Jan. 11 at Heinz Field, although it remains in question whether he will practice this week. Continue

Big Ben down, but likely not out

Big Ben threw a big scare into the Steelers on Sunday.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a concussion in a 31-0 victory over the Cleveland Browns, but the Steelers said they were encouraged by testing on their $100 million quarterback.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Roethlisberger should be ready to play in two weeks when the Steelers host a postseason game.

"He is not permanently injured or scarred at this point," Tomlin said after the Steelers finished the regular season with a 12-4 record. "He just has a concussion."

Roethlisberger stayed down after getting sandwiched by Browns linebackers D'Qwell Jackson and Willie McGinest. He hit the back of his head on the Heinz Field turf during a second-quarter pass attempt. Continue

Steelers blank Browns; Big Ben taken from field with concussion

The Steelers wound up their regular season with a methodical 31-0 victory over the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field today.

The game was not without at least one dramatic moment when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger lay flat on the ground after a hit late in the first half. Roethlisberger was carted off the field on a spine board, his helmeted head secured as a precaution.

He was diagnosed with a concussion and taken to a local hospital for observation. Continue

Steelers' season has plenty of ups, downs

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is approaching today's regular-season finale against the Browns as if it is anything but an exhibition contest.

All of the key starters that are healthy will play in the 1 p.m. game at Heinz Field as the Steelers try to finish on a winning note and take momentum into the playoffs.

The Steelers have already wrapped up the AFC North title as well as the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. If that doesn't diminish the importance of today's game for the Steelers it almost certainly does for the fans.

With the Steelers (11-4) looking ahead to the playoffs after today, here is a look back at the season and how it has unfolded. Continue

Hines Ward nears his fifth 1,000-yard season

Ask Hines Ward what has been the key to 11 seasons of accomplishments, and he'll turn the question the way he turns defenders.

"You guys are the key," Ward said during a media scrum this week. "I love it when you write about what I can't do."

Most receivers prefer to run and catch without carrying extra baggage around, but Ward seems to play his best when he has that chip on his shoulder. It's uncertain who, if anybody, wrote that Ward wouldn't be on the doorstep of another 1,000-yard season going into the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns tomorrow. No matter. The former Super Bowl MVP plays his best when everything is on the line. Continue

Chinks in defense's armor? If so, no cause for alarm yet

There are inherent problems with having the National Football League's top defense, perhaps none more acute than trying to guard against panic when an opponent manages even a modest accomplishment. Such was the case against the Tennessee Titans, who managed to become the first team to have more than 300 yards of offense and a 100-rated passer against the Steelers this season.

"It's not the way we play defense," said outside linebacker James Harrison. "It's not the way we're used to playing defense."

The Steelers are trying to become the first team since the 1991 Philadelphia Eagles to finish the season ranked No. 1 in total defense, rush defense and pass defense. They are No. 1 in total defense and against the pass, but have slipped to No. 2 against the run behind the Minnesota Vikings. Continue

Don't ask Tomlin about Sunday

Coach Mike Tomlin's Steelers will do everything they can to beat the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field Sunday, and don't dare question him about it.

Tomlin laid out his plans for the "meaningless" season finale yesterday at his news conference and did not take kindly to anyone who asked him why or how.

"It is a football game, and we are playing the Cleveland Browns. They are a division opponent," he declared. "We have an opportunity to sweep our division, and that hasn't been done around here since 2002. We have an opportunity to play in front of our fans and put an exclamation point on what has been a solid season." Continue

Biggest decision vs. Browns: sit or play?

Sit 'em or play 'em? It's coach Mike Tomlin's turn to again play that game as the Steelers get ready for Christmas with visions of sugar plums, the Cleveland Browns.

Their game against the lowly Browns (4-11) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Heinz Field means nothing to their playoff position. They will enter the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the American Football Conference with a first-week bye. They will play Jan. 10 or 11 at Heinz Field.

That means Tomlin can, if he wishes, rest some of his mildly injured players and a few who really don't need to risk injuries before the playoffs begin. High on that latter list would be linebacker James Harrison, who left the game Sunday in Nashville, Tenn., in the first half with a hip injury. He returned to play the entire second half and even recorded his team-record 16th quarterback sack, but was limping afterward in the locker room. Continue

Titans beat Steelers, 31-14

Ben Roethlisberger committed four turnovers and the No. 1 defense in the NFL looked surprisingly vulnerable as the Steelers lost to the Tennessee Titans, 31-14, at LP Field.

The Titans, who never trailed in today's AFC showdown, improved to 13-2 with the victory and clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Steelers saw their five-game winning streak come to an end as they had problems in all three phases in front of a capacity crowd.

The loss made next Sunday's regular-season finale against the Browns virtually meaningless. The Steelers (11-4), who have already clinched the AFC North title, are locked in as the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs and will get a first-round bye. Continue