Thursday, September 18, 2003

Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. Sunday, Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati. TV: KDKA. Radio: WDVE-FM (102.5), WBGG-AM (970) and the Steelers Radio Network.

More and more, it appears LB Joey Porter will play for the first time Sunday in Cincinnati and assume his starting position at right outside linebacker for the Steelers. Porter has received nothing but good news in the days since he was shot Aug. 31 outside a Denver bar, and his comeback continued yesterday when he went through a full practice with no discernible trouble.

"He looked pretty good," coach Bill Cowher said afterward. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow. It's the most extensive work he's had. He looked pretty good out there." Porter said other than his feet feeling a little heavy, he felt good. No one hit him hard in practice. "It felt good just going out there running around with the boys," Porter said. "I hope I showed him if it was a game-time situation, I am ready to go. "

Porter said the pain in his thigh where the 9 mm bullet was removed has virtually disappeared, and he's ready for the soreness from getting physical on a football field again. "I'm definitely blessed. God is good. He definitely touched me and put me in a situation now that lets me put everything in front of me that means something, lets me know where life stands. I'm just happy to be here. What I've come through and having the chance to go out there and do what I love to do best, play football, 20 days after what happened is actually amazing."

The Bengals also have a player who was shot this year. Rookie CB Dennis Weathersby was shot in California one week before the draft in April. The Bengals selected him in the fourth round. A bullet hit him in the back, passed through him and entered his left biceps. He has not been active in either game.

Cowher and offensive line coach Russ Grimm worry about Hurricane Isabel and not just because it might force the Steelers to practice inside tomorrow if it rains. Both have off-season homes in North Carolina, where the storm is expected to hit. Cowher has one in Bald Head Island in the southern part of the state. Grimm has one in Nags Head, nearer to where the storm is expected to hit land this morning. Cowher had someone board up his windows this week. "All the boards are up. We have another house being built. We are going to check out those new windows they said are the best ones being made. I guess we're going to have the truest test of all taking place."

The receiving game has become a two-man show. Hines Ward (237) and Plaxico Burress (231) have combined for 78.5 percent of the team's 596 receiving yards. They rank one-two in the AFC after two games after catching 31 of the team's 49 passes. The No. 3 receiver is RB Verron Haynes, who has 30 yards on four receptions. Slot receiver Antwaan Randle El has 28 yards on four receptions. The tight ends have combined for three receptions. The running backs have combined for five.

"We're still passing for 300-some yards. It doesn't really matter," Ward said. "Some games, both Plax and I know he's going to have a big game or Sunday we might not have a big game, the tight end might have a big game. Right now our main concern is just get the running game going. If we can be balanced, maybe we don't pass for 300 yards a game, maybe pass for 240 and rush for 120, that's where we want to be at, to get more balance. When we're out there passing all the time, things are susceptible to happening. You've got interceptions, fumbles off of catches, whatnot. When you run the ball, you eliminate some of those things or [have] less chances of bad things happening in the passing game. That's something we have to concentrate on. When we were good, we were able to run and pass. That's something we have to do this year."

Cincinnati has always felt like home to the Steelers because of the thousands of Steelers fans who take advantage of the short drive and the abundance of tickets available. The Bengals sold out their opener, will sell out Sunday and have another sellout against Cleveland. "The great thing about the Steelers' fans, it doesn't matter where we play, we have a lot of fans show up," QB Tommy Maddox said. "This one's a little closer to home, so we usually have quite a few fans there. Like any road game, it's going to be important for us to get off to a good start and try to get our fans into it and their fans not into it."

The Steelers made another change to their practice squad. They released OL Watts Sanderson and signed C Jimond Pugh.

Before LB Shawn Barber intercepted a Maddox pass in the end zone Sunday, the Steelers lined up on second down at the Kansas City 5. RB Jerome Bettis and FB Dan Kreider lined up in the I-formation. Ward split out to the right. Maddox faked a handoff to Bettis, and that sucked in the safety and cornerback. Ward should have been wide open, except for one thing. As the ball was snapped the offensive linemen did not pull off their fakes. Instead of pretending to run-block, they stood up to pass-block. LB Mike Maslowski keyed on the Steelers' linemen, saw them stand up to pass protect and dropped into the zone to break up the pass to Ward. "That was supposed to be a touchdown," Ward said.

Haynes, S Mike Logan and C Jeff Hartings did not practice yesterday, nor did Bengals RB Casey Dillon, but coach Marvin Lewis said Dillon "will be fine."

The two teams' official injury reports:

Steelers: Questionable -- Hartings (ankle), Haynes (knee), Porter (thigh); probable -- LB Clark Haggans (knee), S Chris Hope (groin), Logan (quad).

Bengals: Out -- LB Riall Johnson (calf), WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (hamstring); Questionable -- HB Rudi Johnson (thigh), G Victor Leyva (chest), TE Matt Schobel (hamstring); Probable -- Dillon (knee).

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