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Monday, November 26, 2001

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Party tonight at Morton's, Downtown.

Be there!

Actually, it's a private affair for the Steelers' offensive players. All are invited, every last 300-pound lineman.

"Free food ... I'll get my share," big Wayne Gandy said.

"I'll try for a couple of pounds, at least," said bigger Marvel Smith.

"I guess I had better stop at PNC Bank on the way," Plaxico Burress said.

Yes, the party animal is throwing another one.

There's nothing wrong with this party, though. It's to celebrate the Steelers' 34-24 win against the Tennessee Titans yesterday and their 8-2 start, a first for a Bill Cowher team. No opposing players will be there. Presumably, no one will be arrested for packing.

Then again, if Burress keeps playing like he did yesterday, he can have any kind of party he wants any night of the week.

"No, I won't say that," Cowher said, not exactly smiling.

The boss wasn't pleased with Burress' little soiree at a Strip District club a week ago. Several NFL players were there, including the Titans' Jevon Kearse, who, in a different era, would have been the hated enemy instead of a drinking companion. The Cleveland Browns' Gerard Warren was arrested with a concealed, unlicensed weapon.

"The coach wasn't down on me or anything, but we talked," Burress said. "He just said I had to watch who I associated with. He doesn't want me to bring anything bad on the team. Things are too good right now. We're winning."

Burress brought a much better kind of attention to the Steelers yesterday. He had a couple of drops early but came back to make the biggest play of the game, score a touchdown on a 4-yard catch and finish with a career-best eight catches for 114 yards.

It was enough to make Burress offer to buy tonight for his pals, a decision he might regret about the time 330-pound Keydrick Vincent is ordering his fifth steak.

"A nice gesture on his part," Gandy said.

Gandy, a wise, old pro, said he sees Burress maturing, not just when it comes to whom he invites to his parties, but in how he handles the pressure of being a high-profile player on the high-profile team.

"When you're a No. 1 pick, the microscope is on you from the first day," Gandy said. "People can't wait to call you a failure. A lot of guys aren't strong enough to deal with that. I think he is. He's growing through it."

Burress first began to silence the bust talk with a six-catch, 151-yard night in a 34-7 win against Tennessee Oct. 29. You won't catch any of the Titans calling him a first-round flop. After what he did to them again yesterday, they must think he's a combination of Lynn Swann and John Stallworth.

Burress had two drops on the Steelers' first possession but, in the same drive, made a diving 25-yard catch to set up a field goal.

"I like the way he battled back," Hines Ward said. "In the past, he might have gotten down on himself."

Burress made his most important catch on the first play after the Titans had taken a 14-3, second-quarter lead. He went up and did something he rarely has done -- outfought defensive backs Perry Phenix and DeRon Jenkins to come down with Kordell Stewart's 35-yard pass. Moments later, he scored his touchdown to cut the deficit to 14-10 and give the Steelers a huge emotional lift going into halftime.

"Guys like Lethon [Flowers] have been telling me, 'If the ball goes up in the air, it's got to be yours,'" Burress said. "I'm trying to fight a little harder to make those catches."

Stewart, who played his fifth consecutive superb game, went to Burress again twice late in the third quarter to set up another field goal. It's obvious he's nearly as confident throwing to him as he is the dependable Ward.

"As long as that continues, the sky is the limit for this offense and this team," Ward said.

If Burress was in Cowher's doghouse, he couldn't have picked a better way to get out.

Poor Kearse wasn't so lucky. Word here is Titans Coach Jeff Fisher was ticked Kearse had to go all the way to Pittsburgh to do his clubbing last week. Kearse did nothing to help himself yesterday, playing little because of back spasms.

That leads to a thought ...

The Steelers play the Minnesota Vikings Sunday. Maybe Burress can invite Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss tonight.

Just kidding, Coach.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.