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Wednesday, October 03, 2001

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Steelers (1-1) vs. Bengals (2-1), 1 p.m. Sunday, Heinz Field. TV: KDKA. Radio: WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970).

SS Lee Flowers has a slight tear to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and likely will miss the inaugural regular-season game Sunday at Heinz Field. Coach Bill Cowher will list Flowers as "doubtful" for the game, but the injury is similar to one that kept cornerback Chad Scott out of the opener Sept. 9 in Jacksonville. Myron Bell, who replaced Flowers in the second quarter in Buffalo, will start in his place. Flowers was in Atlanta to be with his wife, Kara, who gave birth Monday to a baby girl. He will return today.

Cowher will list DE Kimo von Oelhoffen as questionable today, but he might upgrade him in a day or two. "He has run very well," Cowher said. "I am very optimistic about that one." He listed three other players as probable: FB Jon Witman (back), CB Jason Simmons (knee) and PR Hank Poteat (knee).

Cowher on the quarterback situation: "I don't plan any changes." That comment came in his statement to his news conference yesterday, without a question from a reporter.

"I recognize, and the team recognizes, that we have to be more efficient throwing the football," he said. "We need to start completing some of those balls that we throw [deep]. They covered them sometimes, and a couple times we had guys open and we did not hit them."

The Steelers have the 29th-ranked passing attack in the NFL, the same ranking they had at the end of last season.

QB coach Tom Clements met Monday with QB Kordell Stewart "and they both scrutinized the whole thing," Cowher said. "Maybe there were a few mechanical things."

The Steelers have not used the 4-3 defense in their first two regular-season games, and it becomes less likely they will with the way their linebackers have been playing. Cowher cited the play of OLBs Jason Gildon and Joey Porter and ILBs Earl Holmes and Kendrell Bell as the reason they haven't used the four-man line they practiced in training camp and in September.

"We have it in every week," Cowher said. "With those four guys, it's tough to go the other way."

Hank Poteat is the fourth-leading punt-returner in the AFC with a 13.1-yard average.

"I think Hank is special," Cowher said. "He'll make at least one guy miss. The other day, [Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala] blocked two guys and [Poteat] made the other two miss on the one big return that he had."

Cowher likely has sent tapes of some calls made Sunday by the officiating crew in Buffalo to the NFL offices. Referee Tom White's crew called six personal fouls or unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against the Steelers in the first half and a dozen overall penalties in the game for 125 yards.

Cowher makes weekly reports on the officials but declined to say whether he was critical this week.

The NFL changed its officiating supervisors this year, forcing Jerry Seeman out and handing the job to Mike Pereira and Larry Upson. "They are good," Cowher said. "I know them both very well. They have been very responsive. I talked to Mike yesterday."

The Steelers rank first in the AFC in rushing and second in the NFL with 145 yards a game. Since Cowher became coach in 1992, they have run for 19,532 yards. ... WR Hines Ward is tied for fifth in the AFC with 16 receptions, but he has played one less game than the four receivers ahead of him. He needs six catches to tie Dick Hoak for 20th place in team history. Hoak had 146 receptions. ... Kordell Stewart ranks next to last in the AFC with a 59.1 passer rating.

LB Jason Gildon needs two sacks to tie Greg Lloyd for fifth place on the team's all-time list. ... The Steelers look as if they finally are headed for 300 yards passing Sunday against Cincinnati. That is because they have 288 through the first two games. ... Cowher owns a 13-5 record against Cincinnati, the only opponent he has beaten more than eight times.