Many would buy Steelers, even in current financial crisis

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1 Many would buy Steelers, even in current financial crisis Page 1 of 2 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Many would buy Steelers, even in current financial crisis Monday, September 22, 2008 By Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The current credit crisis, making it difficult to swing a loan for a $150,000 mortgage, might prove almost as vexing for anyone attempting to convince a lender to finance $537 million or so for a football team -- somebody, say, such as Steelers chairman Dan Rooney. Yet experts contend there remains a long line of potential outside buyers for the Steelers, even after New York billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller formally announced he has exited the bidding. And it's a line of suitors who would require no assistance from any financial institution. "[Druckenmiller] would've paid cash. I don't think he would've had to worry about financing very much," said Pitt professor Jay Sukit, a former investment banker who a decade ago left that realm -- his onetime employers Salomon Brothers and Smith Barney went out of business -- to teach at the Katz Graduate School of Business. One of his former clients, Les Alexander, purchased the NBA Houston Rockets in 1993 for $85 million in cash. "Frankly, it seems to me most people who buy these sports franchises don't worry much about financing -- different from what the Pirates went through when Kevin McClatchy tried to buy them [in 1996]. Pro football franchises are so lucrative, they attract buyers." The potential pool may be shrinking in today's economic environment, but bidders still exist, the experts say. Especially for a valuable commodity such as a National Football League franchise. Especially for one of its brand-name products such as the five-time Super Bowl champion Steelers, worth roughly $1 billion in one recent valuation by Forbes magazine. Mr. Druckenmiller's offer involved an immediate cash payment. A source indicated that he had assessed the team's enterprise value -- which takes into account the value of the entire business and includes the purchase of stock, not assets -- at $840 million. "For everyone who's out of the picture, there's somebody else standing on the sideline when it comes to the National Football League," said Bob Caporale of Game Plan LLC, a Boston-based group that unsuccessfully bid for the Chicago Cubs recently and regularly consults for pro-sports ventures such as the purchases of the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Dodgers. The company possesses a subsidiary firm with $215 million in reserve for investment. "The NFL continues to have, in my opinion, the most stable and sensible economic model. Our experience is, there continues to be interest in the NFL. I think the only issue is the values have increased to such a level obviously there's a much smaller universe of people who can afford a team." One expert, attorney Jeffrey S. Phillips of the Stout Risius Ross financial firm that in part deals in sports mergers and acquisitions, doesn't rule out Mr. Druckenmiller from the potential bidders. In other words, just because the other four Rooney brothers decided not to accept his offer now, that doesn't preclude them from rejoining forces and forging a deal in the end. "You see people withdraw bids and suddenly they become re-interested," Mr. Phillips said. "I wouldn't say that means he's definitely walking away. You'll see how things work out." Mr. Druckenmiller vowed to keep Dan and son Art Rooney II in control of the franchise, designating Dan as "principal owner," if he was able to buy the four other Rooney brothers' stake. However, such a white-knight arrangement conceivably could have changed after a while. "The first time [the new co-owner doesn't] like the direction something's going, do you exercise the fact that, 'I own 64 percent of the team and I want this coach fired, or this player signed, or this draft pick selected?' " asked RSS' Phillips. "It would be a tough one to think that the person would sit by as a passive owner after you write a $550 million check." Game Plan's Mr. Caporale said, "Certainly from the standpoint of historical performance, Dan clearly has done an admirable job. From a standpoint of logic and intelligence, it makes sense [to keep him and Art II in charge]. The issue unfortunately in this business is ego and not what makes sense." As Mr. Sukit put it, ego is the reason people buy into sports, particularly when it requires bringing $550 million-plus to the deal.

2 Many would buy Steelers, even in current financial crisis Page 2 of 2 Dan and Art Rooney II announced late Friday afternoon that they -- as NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated in their August sitdown in New York -- aim to keep the franchise all in the family, where it started with Art "Chief" Rooney in "I know the NFL definitely wants ownership that's individual, that really wants to be part of building the team. They don't want corporations. And they have the 30-percent limit," said Brian Marler of the sports-investment branch of Houlihan Lokey, an international investment bank. "And I would imagine the NFL wants a local presence before anyone else." However, experts noted those NFL rules -- a primary owner must hold a minimum 30-percent stake -- and debt limits -- $150 million against the team as collateral -- could gum up such plans. "They'll probably find a suitor somewhere who'll buy it for cash," said Pitt's Mr. Sukit. "The thing I find problematical in this market is, if Dan Rooney tries to buy out his brothers, where will he find the funding? Right now, you don't see a lot of lending going on. You see all these investment banks in unbelievable turmoil." The details of Dan Rooney's offer to his brothers have not been disclosed. The NFL did not know the identity of any potential investors when Dan Rooney and his brothers met with Mr. Goodell in New York in late August and, according to a source, was asked by the NFL to reveal them. As for any other investors, maybe government intervention in the lending industry and Mr. Druckenmiller's announced departure will "shake loose somebody who was on the fence," said John Milne, CEO of JKMilne Asset Management in Station Square. "They're a great family, they're a great franchise, it's an important franchise for the NFL," said Mr. Caporale of Game Plan. "It will get worked out, in my opinion." First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am

3 Roethlisberger is blitzed, bothered and battered by Philadelphia's hungry defense Page 1 of 2 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Roethlisberger is blitzed, bothered and battered by Philadelphia's hungry defense Monday, September 22, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is sacked by Eagles linebacker Trent Cole yesterday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. PHILADELPHIA -- Ben Roethlisberger turned slowly around from his locker, his right hand wrapped with a white bandage but otherwise surprisingly unbloodied, and asked for a little room to operate. The gaggle of reporters complied. Too bad the Philadelphia Eagles did not. Roethlisberger came under as heavy a pass rush as he has experienced in five NFL seasons as the rampaging Eagles defense sacked him eight times, injured his right hand and sent the Steelers home with their first loss of the season, "We came out here and got the dog kicked out of us," offensive tackle Willie Colon said. That Roethlisberger was able to walk under his own power out of this city was a small victory in itself. X-rays showed no broken bones although his hand, which was stepped on, will be examined further today. Those eight sacks easily could have been a dozen if it weren't for penalties and a yard gain on several plays that negated more. Relief quarterback Byron Leftwich was sacked once to make it nine officially. Philadelphia's pressure defense was the overwhelming difference in a close game. It was more than sacks. That pressure helped create two lost fumbles by Roethlisberger, an interception, a safety and a meager 33 yards rushing, including just 20 by the NFL's thirdleading rusher entering the weekend, Willie Parker. "They took it to us tonight, no doubt," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "They got after us. That's the story of this football game. They applied pressure on our quarterback, particularly on third downs, made splash plays." Sad Sacks The Steelers are 1-4 when Ben Roethlisberger is sacked six or more times: Date/Opponent Sacks Result BAL 9 L, 27-0 PHI 8 L, 15-6 NYJ* 7 L, CIN 7 W, /5/08 vs. JAC** 6 L, *- overtime **- playoffs Tomlin said as the game wore on and the Steelers (2-1) could not solve the problem, the Eagles (2-1) picked up steam. "There was blood in the water at that point," he said as the Steelers' second-half adjustments dissolved like papier-mâche in a rainstorm. "They pinned their ears back." "I want to thank our defense," Roethlisberger said. "They gave us many chances to win that game. They were the reason we were able to stay close and have an opportunity to win the game." Roethlisberger completed just 13 of 25 passes for 131 yards and threw his first interception of the season. Parker ran 13 times for 20 yards. The Eagles threw a lot with Donovan McNabb completing 24 of 35 passes but just for 196 yards. The game's only touchdown came on a 20-yard toss to Correll Buckhalter.

4 Roethlisberger is blitzed, bothered and battered by Philadelphia's hungry defense Page 2 of 2 Steelers Troy Polamalu and Bryant McFadden each had interceptions and McFadden recovered a Tony Hunt fumble. Tomlin was in no mood for moral victories on one side of the ball. "I'm not worried about wasting efforts," he said of his defense. At one point in the first half, the Eagles sacked Roethlisberger five times on seven plays and he lost a fumble on one of them. On the eighth play, Asante Samuel intercepted Roethlisberger's deep pass. That's eight offensive plays, five sacks, two turnovers. "We got our butt kicked, plain and simple," Colon said. "No other way to put it. Obviously, we didn't do the job we wanted to come out here and do. We got lit up." The Eagles moved readily on their opening drive to a first down at the Steelers' 25 when linebacker James Farrior stripped the ball from Hill after a short reception. McFadden recovered at the Steelers' 20. That led to the first scoring drive of the game, a 12-play effort in which Roethlisberger completed 5 of 7 passes and Reed kicked a 37-yard field goal. It was the only score of the first quarter and it was their only competent drive of the game until the end. The Eagles claimed a 7-3 lead on a 13-play drive that ended when Buckhalter caught a short pass from McNabb, beat linebacker James Harrison around the left corner and leaped over cornerback Ike Taylor from the 3 and into the end zone to complete a 20-yard touchdown reception. The Eagles blitzed Roethlisberger hard and often and it paid off in the second quarter when they sacked him three times in five plays, two of them by end Juqua Parker. Roethlisberger fumbled on the last one and Eagles tackle Brodrick Bunkley recovered at the Steelers' 45. That fumble led to a David Akers' 31-yard field goal and a 10-3 Eagles lead with 2:36 left in the second quarter. Reed made the longest field goal of his career from 53 yards after McFadden's interception near midfield. That left the Eagles with a 10-6 halftime lead. Nothing happened to change that until the Eagles recorded a safety in the fourth quarter when, under pressure and going down in his end zone, Roethlisberger tried to flip a pass to Mewelde Moore and was penalized for intentional grounding. Because the penalty occurred in the end zone, it was ruled a safety and upped Philadelphia's lead to 12-6 with eight minutes left. A leaping sack of Roethlisberger on the next series by safety Brian Dawkins knocked the ball out of his hands. Dawkins recovered and Akers eventually kicked another 31-yard field goal for a 15-6 lead. Leftwich came on and, against no blitz, guided the Steelers to the Eagles' 22 where the drive ended on fourth down. The problem for the Steelers now is not so much what the Eagles did, but what every other defense will try to do, starting with Baltimore Monday night. "It has to be correctable," Colon said. "Any team that watches this tape right now is going to understand we're suffering with the blitz coming at us and if we don't get it done, they're going to blitz the hell out of us." Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am

5 Coaches need to take some heat Page 1 of 2 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Coaches need to take some heat Monday, September 22, 2008 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PHILADELPHIA -- The worst part wasn't the 15-6 loss or the nine sacks by the Philadelphia Eagles or the fact the Steelers' offense could have played the game all night and still not threatened to score a touchdown. The worst part yesterday was that the Steelers didn't have a clue what hit them at Lincoln Financial Field. I'm talking about the players, sure. All of the offensive guys -- everybody from the quarterback to the running backs to the wide receivers and tight ends to the poor, beleaguered offensive linemen -- were truly awful. But make sure you don't overlook the contributions to this sporting nightmare from Mike Tomlin and his Steelers coaches. They couldn't have had a more rotten game. Where were the adjustments to Philadelphia's all-out blitzing defense? Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is good, but he shouldn't be that much smarter than Tomlin and his guys. Where were the draw plays and screen passes and quick, three-step-drop passes that slow down a pass rush and beat a blitzing defense? Did Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians call more than one or two all day? "We didn't have any answers for what they were doing," wide receiver Hines Ward said. The man wasn't being critical. He merely was telling the hard truth. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens -- make that the AFC North Division's first-place Baltimore Ravens -- are home licking their chops. They can't wait to take their shots at Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger Monday night at Heinz Field. "Baltimore has their own stuff," Steelers guard Kendall Simmons said. "But I can promise you, they'll add some of this stuff, too." Why not after the way Johnson exposed the Steelers' offense? The Eagles didn't blitz nearly as much in their first two games -- they didn't get a sack in their loss to the Dallas Cowboys last Monday night -- and clearly caught the Steelers off guard. Again, shame on Tomlin and his coaches. "Our guys were getting rattled out there," Ward said. "You end up doing a lot of thinking. You don't know if you're blocking the right guy or doing the right thing. That's when you end up losing your technique. It can turn into a long day in a hurry." The longest, actually. You think it hurt to watch Roethlisberger drop back to pass? Imagine how it pained him. He was sacked eight times, a number that easily could have been 12 or even 15 if not for an offside penalty on the Eagles, a couple of Roethlisberger scrambles for minimal yards and the fact he threw away a few passes just as the Eagles were knocking him into next week. As bad as the day was for Roethlisberger -- he lost two fumbles, threw an interception and took a safety -- it could have been much worse. He left immediately for the locker room after taking that eighth sack late in the game when his right hand was stepped on. X-rays showed no broken bones. The truth? Big Ben was lucky to be able to walk to the team bus. What's surprising is that backup quarterback Byron Leftwich willingly went into the game. If he had told Tomlin, "No thanks, coach, not today," and begged off for safety reasons, no one would have blamed him.

6 Coaches need to take some heat Page 2 of 2 Of course, Leftwich was sacked, too. Tell the truth. You want the Steelers to trade for new offensive linemen, don't you? Those guys always are easy to blame and they certainly aren't exempt from criticism. Tomlin said there were times they were "beaten" on their blocks. There also was a false-start penalty on tackle Willie Colon and two on guard Chris Kemoeatu as well as holding penalties on Colon and Kemoeatu that were declined. But it's flat wrong to just finger the big fellas. Roethlisberger and his receivers didn't do a very good job reading the blitzes and making the Eagles pay for bringing so many so often. "There were plays to be made out there and we didn't make them. The skilled people, I'm talking about," running back Willie Parker said. And I keep wanting to go back to Tomlin and the coaches. They did nothing to help the linemen and Roethlisberger. The running game wasn't very good -- Parker had just 20 yards on 13 carries after gaining more than 100 yards in each of the first two games -- but Arians didn't give it much chance. "I was surprised," Eagles defensive end Trent Cole said. "They came out passing and I was just like, 'Wow! This is going to be fun.'" For him and his Eagles buddies, maybe. Not so much for Simmons and his bunch. "It was 10-6 in the fourth quarter and the feeling on our sideline was like we were down 28-3," Simmons said. "That isn't right, man... "I'm going to bite my tongue. All I'm going to say is they were bringing more people than we could handle. We can block five or six. But when they bring six or seven or eight people, there's nothing we can do." You beat that by having Roethlisberger and his receivers make the hot reads. You beat it by getting more out of Parker and the running game. You beat it with those draws and screens. And you beat it by winning the one-on-one blocks. One lousy game doesn't have to ruin a season. "Oh, we can get it fixed," Simmons said. "We definitely can get it fixed." By Monday night, hopefully. Any later than that might be too late for Roethlisberger. Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am

7 Steelers Report Card: Game Three vs. Eagles Page 1 of 2 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Steelers Report Card: Game Three vs. Eagles Gerry Dulac grades the Steelers' effort in a 15-6 loss to the host Philadelphia Eagles yesterday Monday, September 22, 2008 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Quarterback Running backs Receivers Offensive line Defensive line Linebackers Defensive backs Special teams It's hard to entirely fault Ben Roethlisberger when he was sacked eight times and would have been sacked four more if he didn't manage to scramble across the line for a 1- or 2-yard gain. Still, he threw his first interception of the season, lost two fumbles and got caught for a safety on an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone. What's more, his longest pass play was 16 yards. Among the curious decisions was not giving rookie Rashard Mendenhall some playing time until late in the fourth quarter in a game in which Willie Parker tied his career low with 20 yards on 13 carries. Parker's longest run was 8 yards and there just wasn't a lot of room for him to maneuver. Of course, the first thing Mendenhall did when he got in the game was drop a pass in the flat. The protection was so bad that the offense had to keep extra players in to block and couldn't afford to send more than three receivers on pass routes. After not catching a pass in the first two games, Nate Washington had a team-high five, though two came on the final drive when Byron Leftwich was the quarterback. Hines Ward had four catches, but, like Santonio Holmes, had a big drop. Other than managing 33 yards rushing on 19 attempts and watching their quarterbacks get sacked nine times, the offensive line was terrific. The linemen never did pick up the Eagles blitzes and, even when they did, they got beat in individual matchups. Willie Colon had a nightmare game, allowing DE Juqua Parker to get 2 1/2 sacks and hurry Roethlisberger four other times. The Eagles finished with modest rushing numbers yards on 23 attempts -- and their longest run was 11 yards. But they also lost RB Brian Westbrook for the game on the second offensive series. His replacement, Correll Buckhalter, finished with 43 yards. DE Travis Kirschke did a solid job filling in for injured Brett Keisel, tying for the team high with seven tackles. The Steelers never really adjusted their scheme after Westbrook left the game, using a lot of nickel defense to defend against short passes to Buckhalter. But Buckhalter beat LB James Harrison around the corner on the only TD in the game. Larry Foote had 1 1/2 sacks, even though he didn't play a lot in the second half because of the nickel defense, and OLB LaMarr Woodley also had a sack. It wasn't a shutdown performance by the secondary, not when Donovan McNabb completed his first 15 passes and converted third-and-17 and third-and-14 situations. But they didn't allow any big plays and came up with three turnovers. Bryant McFadden was outstanding, intercepting a pass, recovering a fumble and breaking up another pass that was intercepted by Troy Polamalu.

8 Steelers Report Card: Game Three vs. Eagles Page 2 of 2 The coverage units weren't as spectacular as they were in the first two games, not after allowing a 37-yard return on the opening kickoff. But they were solid after that. Mitch Berger came back after a poor performance in Cleveland with two 53-yard punts and three inside the 20. And Jeff Reed had a career-best 53-yarder among his two field goals. Coaching Good decisions and preparation rarely are factors in a game in which the offense doesn't score a touchdown against a defense that gave up 41 points six days earlier. And their inability to adjust to the Eagles pressure and pick up their blitzes was the biggest reason for those deficiencies. Give Mike Tomlin credit for challenging a play that was overturned and ruled an Eagles fumble. Game Three vs. the Eagles Position A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- F GPA Quarterbacks Running backs Receivers Offensive line Special teams Defensive line Linebackers Defensive backs Coaching Note: Steelers' cumulative grade point average through Week 2 is graded on a 4.0 scale First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am

9 Gerry Dulac's Two-Minute Drill: Game Three vs. Eagles Page 1 of 2 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Gerry Dulac's Two-Minute Drill: Game Three vs. Eagles Monday, September 22, 2008 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Game ball goes to: Bryant McFadden He started his second game in a row at left cornerback for injured Deshea Townsend (bruised heel), and for the second game in a row, made a number of big plays. He recovered a fumble at the Steelers' 19 in the first quarter, intercepted a Donovan McNabb pass at the Steelers' 36 in the second quarter and broke up a pass in which he deflected the ball in the air and safety Troy Polamalu made a diving one-handed interception. Both takeaways led to the only points the Steelers managed -- two Jeff Reed field goals. The countdown A quick look at the top performances from the loss yesterday: 1. EIGHT SACKS AGAINST BEN ROETHLISBERGER: Go ahead, pick an offensive lineman and point a finger. Chances are they gave up a sack or two to the Eagles. It wasn't just Willie Colon, who have up 2 1/2 sacks to DE Juqua Parker, who also had four quarterback hurries. It was Kendall Simmons, Justin Hartwig, Chris Kemoeatu and Marvel Smith. It was even tight end Heath Miller, who was used in the second half to pass protect. The number of sacks would have been a dozen if Roethlisberger didn't drag players across the line of scrimmage on four other occasions. 2. MCFADDEN'S INTERCEPTION ON THIRD DOWN: It came on a play in which Donovan McNabb was under heavy pressure from LB Lawrence Timmons and tried to jam a pass into rookie DeSean Jackson, McFadden intercepted at the Eagles' 36 with 1:37 remaining, leading to Jeff Reed's 53-yard field goal. 3. DARREN HOWARD'S SACK ON ROETHLISBERGER: Of all the sacks registered by the Eagles, maybe the biggest came on the first play of the fourth quarter when Howard ran around Willie Colon and sacked Ben Roethlisberger on third down at the Eagles' 39, knocking them out of field-goal range. 4. DONOVAN McNABB STARTS THE GAME WITH 15 CONSECUTIVE COMPLETIONS: The Eagles scored 10 points on two of their three first possessions to take a 10-3 lead because McNabb didn't miss a pass until he threw low into the end zone to tight end L.J. Smith in the second quarter. 5. JEFF REED KICKS CAREER-BEST 53-YARD FIELD GOAL: No matter how bad it looked, and it looked atrocious, the Steelers trailed only 10-6 at halftime thanks to Reed's field goal with 13 seconds remaining. Six sacks, one first down, only 66 yards offense and they only trailed by four. Inside the numbers That's the number of times quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked against the Eagles, the third time in his career he has been sacked seven or more times in a game. It was one short of his all-time worst (nine), set two years ago in a loss in Baltimore. What was he thinking? When a quarterback struggles, he gets yanked. When a running back fails to gain yards, he gets replaced. But what happens when an offensive line gives up nine sacks? In this instance, nothing. Coach Mike Tomlin didn't make any personnel changes on the offensive line, not even after Roethlisberger got mauled in the end zone or had his hand stepped on after a lost fumble. Coaches always talk about continuity on the offensive line, but even Hines Ward admitted there was none of that, saying the line looked confused. Anybody remember Max Starks? Overheard "When you put on a display like that out there, you're going to see that again and again and again. It's a problem we have. That's obvious." -- Coach Mike Tomlin, on the Steelers' sacks

10 Gerry Dulac's Two-Minute Drill: Game Three vs. Eagles Page 2 of 2 Up next VS. BALTIMORE RAVENS, 8:30 P.M. NEXT MONDAY The Ravens, believe it or not, are in first place in the AFC North Division after a victory vs. the Browns. They have lost six of the past seven meetings at Heinz Field, but are 4-1 in the past five. X's and O's How bad was the offense and, in particular, the offensive line? Look no further than an eight-play stretch in the second quarter that might be among the most futile in recent memory. In those eight plays, QB Ben Roethlisberger was sacked five times, lost a fumble and threw an interception. On top of that, RT Willie Colon was called for a false-start penalty. Curiously, the longest gain in that stretch was an 8-yard run by RB Willie Parker, which also happened to be Parker's longest play of the game. Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com. First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am

11 Effort by defense wasted Page 1 of 2 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Effort by defense wasted The Steelers lost as an offense of about two dozen, not as a team of 53 Monday, September 22, 2008 By Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana / Post-Gazette Steelers offensive linemen Marvell Smith (77) and Chris Kemoeatu hang their heads on the sideline yesterday. PHILADELPHIA -- Mike Tomlin likes to talk about the Steelers winning with 53 men and losing with 53 men. Such talk is nothing but the purest of coachspeak -- words that might sound good but often make little sense and are used mainly to foster a sense of team unity. Tomlin stuck with them yesterday although it was clear that in this particular game that old bromide didn't come close to applying. "We didn't win,'' Tomlin said following a 15-6 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles. "We lost as 53.'' Not so. The Steelers lost as an offense of about two dozen, not as a team of 53. The members of the offensive unit were manhandled by the Eagles. They were outmuscled, outhustled, outhit and outsmarted -- to say nothing of being outcoached. After the game, members of the offensive unit spoke of "not being on the same page.'' They were so far from being cohesive it was more like they weren't in the same book or the same library. Not only did the Eagles stop quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who completed 13 of 25 passes for 131 yards, they thoroughly silenced the Steelers' running game. The Steelers ran 19 times for 33 yards. After two 100-yard games, Willie Parker got 20 yards on 13 carries. Consequently, it would be grossly unfair to blame any portion of this defeat on the defensive unit, which more than held up its end of the deal. The defense limited the Eagles to 15 points, 16 first downs and 260 yards. That should win most games, particularly considering the might of the Steelers offense. But at Lincoln Financial Field yesterday, it got them nothing. This was one game in which Roethlisberger, as is his custom, did not give credit to his offensive linemen. If he had, the assembled media surrounding him might have doubled over in laughter. The offensive linemen left Roethlisberger as fair game to an Eagles onslaught that never stopped. Steelers quarterbacks were sacked nine times, with Roethlisberger going down on eight of them. It easily could have been 12 or more if Roethlisberger hadn't eluded tacklers or managed to make it across the line of scrimmage before being tackled after fleeing the pocket. Seldom, if ever, has a Steelers offensive line been so badly outplayed. The Steelers coaches and players could not adjust to the defensive schemes of the Eagles and when they did the players were physically overmatched. With no linemen to praise, Roethlisberger said the only nice thing he could: "The defense was the reason were able to stay close. They gave us a chance to win the game.'' What was particularly heartening for the defense is it stopped what had been a prolific offense led by one of the best

12 Effort by defense wasted Page 2 of 2 quarterbacks in the NFL. The Eagles had averaged 37.5 points in their first two games. To hold them to less than half of that was remarkable. Quarterback Donovan McNabb led the Eagles on a 13-play, 85-yard drive on their second possession and did little else the remainder of the game. The Eagles played most of the final three quarters without running back Brian Westbrook, who is vital to their offense. But when he was in the game he managed only 12 yards on five carries and did not catch a pass. "Overall, I thought we really played well,'' said inside linebacker Larry Foote, who was credited with 1 1 / 2 sacks. It was a wasted effort, though. It should have been good enough for a win, instead it was part of a game that put a whole different slant on the season. When the Steelers play Baltimore at Heinz Field in a week, it will be the Ravens who will be undefeated (2-0) and in first place in the AFC North Division. The gaping lead the Steelers opened over Cleveland, which was expected to be their toughest rival in the North, means nothing. With the Ravens beating Cleveland yesterday -- more soundly than the Steelers did -- they suddenly have the look of the team to beat in the division. In circumstances like those of yesterday, it's always good to dredge up another old bromide: A team is never as good as it looks in a great victory and never as bad as it looks in bad defeat. That definitely applies to the Steelers. They are not as bad as they played against the Eagles. The first two games, albeit against lesser opponents, were not mirages. The 10 wins from a year ago count for something. Adjustments will have to be made and the players will have to handle those adjustments and should. On a day when the former AFC elite, New England and Indianapolis, lost to previously winless teams, the Steelers loss doesn't look all that outrageous. It's the NFL: Anything can happen and usually does. Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com. First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am

13 Steelers Notebook: Steelers, Eagles feel pain Page 1 of 3 SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Steelers Notebook: Steelers, Eagles feel pain Monday, September 22, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana / Post-Gazette Troy Polamalu and Bryant McFadden stop Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson yesterday in Philadelphia. PHILADELPHIA -- No Country For Young Men is what Lincoln Financial Field turned into yesterday for the Steelers and Eagles. Both team's starting quarterbacks left with injuries, the Steelers lost their Pro Bowl nose tackle and the Eagles lost their All- Pro halfback. The carnage was everywhere on an otherwise perfect day in South Philly. The good news for both sides came at the quarterback position. Ben Roethlisberger left the contest with 3:31 to go after the football was slapped out of his hand by diving safety Brian Dawkins at the Steelers' 18. Roethlisberger said his right hand, bandaged afterward, was stepped on but "good" after an X-ray showed no breaks. Coach Mike Tomlin said he will have more tests today but "I think he's going to be fine. He's battered a little bit, he got hit quite a bit. I'll have more info in the morning. "At this point it doesn't appear to be anything long term." That may not be the case for nose tackle Casey Hampton. He missed practice Wednesday with a groin injury, then left the game yesterday in the third quarter with another groin injury and did not return. "We'll see where he is but usually when a guy has an injury like that and something happens in the course of a football game, it's going to be a while," Tomlin said. Eagles quarterback Donavon McNabb did not open the second half as he stayed in the locker room with a bruised chest. Backup quarterback Kevin Kolb was intercepted by Troy Polamalu on a tipped pass on his first throw. McNabb, though, returned after three plays of the next series and finished the game. Running back Brian Westbrook, a key to Philadelphia's offense, left in the first quarter with a strained ankle. He was on crutches and wearing a boot in the locker room. Sack attacks Yes, Roethlisberger has been sacked more than the eight times the Eagles got to him yesterday. He once was sacked nine times in a 2006 game.

14 Steelers Notebook: Steelers, Eagles feel pain Page 2 of 3 That came at Baltimore. The Steelers play the Ravens in Heinz Field Monday night. Still streaking The Steelers left Philadelphia with their eighth consecutive loss. They have not won there since 1965, a streak that will extend at least four more years and close in on 50. If the Steelers go on to make the playoffs, it also will end a long streak of frustration for the Eagles who had not beaten an AFC playoff team in the previous 14 tries. Steelers skip field-goal try The Steelers trailed the Eagles by nine points and had a fourth-and-10 at Philadelphia's 22 with 37 seconds left. They could have kicked a field goal at that point to cut the lead to six, then tried to cover an onside kick and go for a touchdown to win it. Not on your life, Tomlin said. Not the way his offense was playing yesterday. "Absolutely not," Tomlin replied. "We did not move the ball consistently enough to say that had we kicked the field goal and got the onside kick that we could get down there again. We were down there, we were going to take our shots. "Under the circumstances, based on what happened to that point, no way we're kicking a field goal down there." Reed still perfect Jeff Reed remained perfect with two field goals on two attempts, one of them the longest of his career at 53 yards just before halftime. Tomlin won't panic Don't look for Tomlin to get out his broom and make any sweeping changes after his offense played so poorly yesterday. "I'm not going to have a knee-jerk reaction. We have a good football team. We were the same team, we are the same team right now that we were at 4:15 when we kicked that ball off. What we are going to do, we're going to look at it, accept responsibility for what happened, make corrections, prepare to see it again on Monday night because we will until we stop it and move on." Inactives The Steelers started Travis Kirschke at right defensive end for injured Brett Keisel and Bryant McFadden at left cornerback for injured Deshea Townsend. The Eagles started Max Jean-Gilles at right guard for injured Shawn Andrews. Also, linebacker Pat Bailey, signed by the Steelers from their practice squad, was active as a special teams player. Steelers: QB Dennis Dixon, WR Limas Sweed, CB Deshea Townsend, LB Bruce Davis, OT Tony Hills, OT Trai Essex, LB Donovan Woods, DE Brett Keisel. Eagles: QB A.J. Feeley, LB Joe Mays, DE Bryan Smith, G Shawn Andrews, G Mike McGlynn, WR Kevin Curtis, TE Matt Schobel, DE Victor Abiamiri. Quick Hits McNabb's second-quarter touchdown pass to Correll Buckhalter gave him the Eagles' career lead with 176, one more than Ron Jaworski. McNabb also broke his own team record when he opened the game with 15 consecutive pass completions. The combined score at halftime of Philadelphia's previous game, against Dallas Monday night, was 54 points. Yesterday, it was 16. Santonio Holmes replaced Mewelde Moore as the punt returner in the second half. Philadelphia's DeSean Jackson caught five passes for 40 yards, thus failing to become the first rookie receiver in NFL history to open with three consecutive 100-yard games. Roethlisberger's streak of five regular-season games without an interception ended. Nate Washington, who had no catches in the first two games, led the Steelers with five.

15 Steelers Notebook: Steelers, Eagles feel pain Page 3 of 3 Polamalu, who had no interceptions last season, came up with his third this year. First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am

16 Jackson played past grief Page 1 of 2 Jackson played past grief SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL Monday, September 22, 2008 By Phil Sheridan, Philadelphia Daily News The last time they spoke, Kamar Jackson told his younger brother Jamaal he might fly to Philadelphia for the Eagles' game against the Steelers. So there was no way Jamaal Jackson, the Eagles' sweet-natured center, was going to miss yesterday's game, even though he saw his brother for the last time on Saturday. Kamar was laid out in a coffin, six days after being killed in a horrific hit-andrun car accident in Florida. "At the services," Jamaal said, "I had the chance to see my brother resting. That was a weight off my shoulders." The 28-year-old Jackson had been feeling that weight since his phone rang at 2 a.m. last Sunday. Kamar had been killed instantly in the wreck. The driver, who police say was intoxicated, was arrested later Sunday. By then, Jackson faced a brutal decision. Fly home to be with his devastated family? Or fly to Dallas with his team and play on Monday Night Football? "I thought about it," Jackson said after honoring his brother with a solid performance in the Eagles' 15-6 victory against Pittsburgh. "My sister-in-law was great. She said, 'Do your best.' My family is all football fans. They understood." "I don't know how he did it," left tackle Tra Thomas said. "He could have left right then. I don't know what I would have done. That was tough, man. He played a great game, too." Jackson went to Florida after the tough loss in Texas Stadium. While his teammates were getting treatment and healing up from the physical game, Jackson was serving as a rock for his mother, his sister-in-law and the four children his brother left behind. "I lost my brother," Jackson said. "I didn't lose a game. This is something I can't get back." Jackson emerged from the shower long after his fellow offensive linemen had dressed and left the locker room yesterday. He wore a black T-shirt with colorful portraits of Kamar on it. On the left was a somber profile, but the shirt was dominated by a young man with an enormous, life-loving smile. Below the photo were the words, "In Loving Memory, K.J. Sunrise 03/31/1979, Sunset 09/14/2008." Sunset came too soon, for Kamar and for the family. "He was the oldest," Jamaal Jackson said. "I'm next in line. I have to be strong for my family. I've been trying to keep my family up." After playing in Dallas in something like shock, Jackson had a different challenge this week. He had to miss all of the Eagles' practices and preparation for the tough Steelers defense. He had to endure the emotional meat-grinder of nurturing his family when he surely felt like a lost little kid at times himself. He flew to Philadelphia after the funeral, landing nearly at midnight on Saturday, then came over to the NovaCare Complex early on game day to look at film with offensive line coach Juan Castillo. "Monday night was probably tougher," left guard Todd Herremans said. "He was dealing with the shock of it. But it's not easy to play a game without practicing all week, either." Herremans and Thomas flew to Miami for the services, a gesture that touched Jackson and his family. "It's hard to know what to say," Thomas said. Jackson played well again yesterday, although he said he made a few mistakes that weren't obvious to the casual observer. They would have been noticed by Kamar, though, and Jamaal said he'll miss the postgame critiques.

17 Jackson played past grief Page 2 of 2 "He was my biggest critic," Jackson said. "If I had a bad game, he wasn't one of the guys who said, hey, don't worry about it. He said, 'You played bad.' I'm going to miss those times." He's the oldest now. It's a job he didn't want, but if Jamaal Jackson can handle the week he just went through, he can handle anything. First published on September 22, 2008 at 12:00 am

18 Lethal Eagles drop listless Steelers - Tribune-Review Page 1 of 3 Lethal Eagles drop listless Steelers By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, September 22, 2008 PHILADELPHIA -- The Steelers were so offensively challenged in a 15-6 loss Sunday to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field that the most positive development was a negative. That was the result of X-rays taken on Ben Roethlisberger's right hand after the Steelers' quarterback said someone stepped on it during the fourth quarter. The injury that kept a battered Roethlisberger on the sidelines during the Steelers' final possession is not believed to be serious. "We'll see where he is (today)," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "I think he's going to be fine." Tomlin and his players echoed that sentiment about the Steelers after they were badly exposed in losing their first game of the season. The team that for two weeks looked like it might be one of the AFC's best has a lot of work to do. Questions about an offensive line that had played reasonably well resurfaced, and for good reason. The Eagles sacked Roethlisberger eight times -- they added another of Byron Leftwich in the fourth quarter -- and he was drilled so often that his trip across the state was as enjoyable as a visit to the dentist. Roethlisberger managed just 131 yards passing on 13 of 25 completions. He threw his first interception of the season, lost a pair of fumbles and was called for a safety in the fourth quarter when officials called him for intentional grounding in the end zone. "That was a terrible game on our part," guard Chris Kemoeatu said. "They were bringing more people than we could handle," guard Kendall Simmons said. Whatever the Eagles did less than a week after they surrendered 41 points to the Dallas Cowboys, the Steelers (2-1) will see it again. Tomlin acknowledged as much, saying opponents such as the Ravens, who visit Heinz Field next Monday night, will blitz Roethlisberger often and from anywhere until the Steelers prove they can protect their franchise quarterback.

19 Lethal Eagles drop listless Steelers - Tribune-Review Page 2 of 3 "It's a problem we have," Tomlin said. "It's obvious. I've said it all along, the protection of our quarterback is an 11-man job. I'm disappointed we didn't handle their pressure packages." The Steelers have lost eight consecutive games to the Eagles in Philadelphia, a streak that dates to What has to be more distressing to Tomlin: the Steelers have not scored a touchdown for six consecutive quarters. The Steelers managed just two Jeff Reed field goals against the Eagles, one of them a 53-yarder that was the longest of his career. While Roethlisberger never got comfortable in the face of Philadelphia's relentless pass rush, running back Willie Parker never got going. Parker, who entered the game as the AFC's leading rusher, had 20 yards on 13 carries. The offense's inability to find a rhythm overshadowed a defense that forced three turnovers and kept the Steelers in the game. Perhaps most telling of the Steelers' struggles offensively: the Eagles did not take good care of the ball and played most of the game without star running back Brian Westbrook (ankle strain). Yet, they never seemed like they were in danger of losing the game to a Steelers team that hadn't trailed this season prior to Sunday. "They threw some different things at us that we hadn't seen," Roethlisberger said, "but nothing that's not correctable." Tomlin said the Eagles confused the Steelers at times and manhandled them at other junctures of the game in shutting down their offense. "They took it to us," Tomlin said. "They got after us. That was the story of this football game." The story of the Steelers' season is still in the early stages of the authoring period. That is why there didn't appear to be any panic in a quiet vistors' locker room. There does, however, figure to be a sense of urgency this week at practice, as the Steelers prepare for the archrival Ravens, who are nothing if not aggressive and hard-hitting on defense. "We have to get better as a unit," starting right tackle Willie Colon said of the offensive line, "because we really got our teeth kicked in." Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2008 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.

20 Lethal Eagles drop listless Steelers - Tribune-Review Page 3 of 3 Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com

21 Prisuta: Steelers regress after setback - Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 Steelers regress after humbling setback By Mike Prisuta TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, September 22, 2008 PHILADELPHIA -- Mike Tomlin's postgame analysis was as accurate as it was graphic. "Blood in the water," Tomlin said. That's not the first time such a presence has been detected in South Philly. Nor will it be the last time a Steelers' game degenerates into Big Ben Under Siege, at least not until the Steelers can establish a recognizable level of competence in running a play against a jail-break assault on Ben Roethlisberger. That never happened against Philadelphia, which unleashed a feeding frenzy of blitzes that resulted in Roethlisberger being sacked eight times and backup Byron Leftwich once in a 15-6 mugging at Lincoln Financial Field. The eight sacks against Roethlisberger don't begin to accurately portray the beating he took or the pressure under which the Steelers' offense repeatedly succumbed. But they were no doubt enough to convince the Baltimore Ravens -- that would be the first-place Ravens -- to begin blitzing the moment they get off the bus a week from tonight at Heinz Field. Roethlisberger was asked if it was the most hits he'd endured as a professional. "I don't know," he said. "You'd have to look at the stats." Suffice it to say, it may well have been. To be accurate, it wasn't all the offensive line's fault. When you're keeping tight end Heath Miller and running back Mewelde Moore in to block and they're still overwhelming you with numbers, you have a problem as an offense. Nor did the line inspire any confidence. In failing to do so, they re-introduced the NFL to the Steelers' Achilles' heel.

22 Prisuta: Steelers regress after setback - Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 As good as they looked in dispatching Houston and Cleveland, the Steelers were that vulnerable in Philly. And now that they've been exposed in such a fashion, they have perceptibly rejoined the pack in the AFC. They had risen in several of the public opinion polls from a conference afterthought to a prohibitive favorite. That came in the wake of AFC-wide developments that included the New England Patriots losing Tom Brady, the Jacksonville Jaguars losing both starting guards to the injured reserve list, the Indianapolis Colts proving unable to win at home, the San Diego Chargers being victimized by a walk-off TD pass one week and Ed Hochuli's incompetence the next, and the Browns proving that they're still the Browns. But on Sunday afternoon, we were reminded that the Steelers are still the Steelers, a team with protection issues so profound they can become absolutely paralyzing. It would be easy to hang the line out to dry while bemoaning the obvious. The line had a worse day than any other unit, particularly when you factor in penalties against Willie Colon (false start), Chris Kemoeatu (false start), Colon (holding, declined because the Eagles sacked Roethlisberger anyway) and Kemoeatu (another false start). But it wasn't just the line. "They had our whole offense confused at times," wide receiver Hines Ward said. As a result, it's back to the drawing board for an offense that wanted desperately to believe it had solved its protection crisis, mostly because of a line that was said to be playing with attitude and physicality. It played with neither against Philadelphia. At this point, the Steelers would settle for finding a way to keep the blood out of the water Monday night at The Confluence. Mike Prisuta can be reached at mprisuta@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2008 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com

23 Harris: Steelers exposed by Eagles - Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 Steelers exposed by Eagles' defense By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, September 22, 2008 PHILADELPHIA -- Clueless confusion. Sunday wasn't the best of times for the Steelers' moribund offense. It started early and ineffectively when Willie Parker rushed for minus-1 yards each time on three of his first four carries. It ended painfully late with a harried Ben Roethlisberger departing after hurting his throwing hand and leaving backup Byron Leftwich to clean up what was left of a 15-6 thrashing at the capable hands of the Philadelphia Eagles at raucous Lincoln Financial Field. It was the Steelers first loss of the season, and it was as ugly as the final score was deceptively close. Steelers' players, particularly Roethlisberger and members of his offensive line, wore the same deer-in-the-headlights expression that was last seen two years ago when Baltimore Ravens linebacker Bart Scott planted Roethlisberger in the turf following a vicious sack. Not since the 2006 season have the Steelers appeared so thoroughly incapable of preventing the other team from pounding their quarterback or producing anything remotely resembling a legitimate NFL offense. Indeed, it was the worst of times for the Steelers offense. Nine sacks, only 180 total yards, no touchdowns and a lot of tough talk in the locker room about this maybe being the best thing in the long run for the Steelers. "We're going to build on this game. Just watch," said Parker, who was held to 20 yards rushing after producing back-to-back 100-yard games to open the season. No loss is ever a good loss. Not even when the Steelers defense played another strong game and gave the offense a chance - albeit a slim one -- at victory in the fourth quarter. That's all that a team can ask. But it was too much to ask from the Steelers offense. "We knew coming in what kind of game it was going to be," Parker said. "We just didn't stand up. We didn't do nothing well at all."

24 Harris: Steelers exposed by Eagles - Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 If you're Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, the scary thing about yesterday's performance was that the Steelers appeared to lose their poise for the first time under his watch. Tomlin wasn't around for the debacle in Baltimore two years ago. This was his first true glimpse at how his team performs under serious duress on the road. And it was his first look this season at how the Steelers responded to an opponent with a winning record. For all of the hype surrounding the Steelers' first two victories, these facts are irrefutable: The Houston Texans, the Steelers' Week One victims, are 0-2. The Cleveland Browns, 10-6 losers to the Steelers last week, are 0-3. Following yesterday's win over the 2-1 Steelers, Philadelphia is 2-1 with a close loss to Dallas blemishing its record. On the road, against a winning team, all of the Steelers' warts were exposed for the entire NFL to probe and examine under a Petri dish. Yesterday's performance may indeed only be a blip on the radar. A turnaround win next week against Baltimore and this loss to the Eagles will be buried and forgotten, as it should be. Time will tell if yesterday's setback was an aberration or a true barometer for how the Steelers will perform against the better teams in the league. With many of the league's elite teams on their schedule in the coming weeks, the Steelers will find out soon enough exactly where they stand. John Harris can be reached at jharris@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2008 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com

25 Hampton out with groin injury - Tribune-Review Page 1 of 1 Hampton out with groin injury By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, September 22, 2008 Casey Hampton left Sunday's game with a groin injury, and coach Mike Tomlin said after the Steelers' 15-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that the veteran nose tackle could miss some time because of it. Tomlin said the Steelers will know more about Hampton after evaluating him today. Bryant McFadden started in place of Deshea Townsend (heel contusion) for the second consecutive week at cornerback, and Travis Kirschke started for Brett Keisel (calf strain) at right defensive end. McFadden picked off his second pass of the season in the second quarter and it led to a 53-yard Jeff Reed field goal. He also recovered a fumble in the first half. Kirschke had a team-high seven tackles, along with James Farrior. He also was credited with half a sack. The Steelers weren't happy about the call that led to an Eagles' safety in the fourth quarter. Officials awarded the Eagles two points after they ruled that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, under a heavy rush in the end zone, threw a pass where he didn't have an eligible receiver. The Steelers argued that a safety shouldn't have been called because running back Mewelde Moore was in the area. A day after the Steelers signed rookie linebacker Patrick Bailey from the practice squad to their 53-man roster, the undrafted free agent dressed for his first NFL game. Also on the inactive list were wide receiver Limas Sweed, offensive tackles Trai Essex and Tony Hills, outside linebacker Bruce Davis and Dennis Dixon (third quarterback). Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2008 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com

26 Insider: Eagles 15, Steelers 6 - Tribune-Review Page 1 of 3 Insider: Eagles 15, Steelers 6 By Mike Prisuta TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, September 22, Sacks surrendered by the Steelers in the first two quarters, two more than QB Ben Roethlisberger had absorbed in the Steelers' first two games combined Passes attempted by backup QB Byron Leftwich after Roethlisberger was driven from the game late in the fourth quarter after sustaining a possible injury to his right hand. The sacks count had reached eight by then. Roethlisberger had avoided four more by scrambling for at least 1 yard, and had also been flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone, resulting in a safety Consecutive passes completed by Eagles QB Donovan McNabb in the first half, breaking the franchise record of 14 he had established in 2004 against Green Bay Franchise-record for touchdown passes thrown by McNabb, a figure achieved via McNabb's 20-yard scoring strike to RB Correll Buckhalter in the second quarter. WHAT WENT RIGHT: The defense came up with three turnovers, among them a fumble recovery and an interception by CB Bryant McFadden.... PK Jeff Reed connected on a career-long 53-yard field goal.... SS Troy Polamalu intercepted a pass for the third consecutive game. WHAT WENT WRONG: The Steelers were 2 for 13 on third-down conversions (15 percent).... The Steelers averaged 1.7 yards per rush and 3.0 yards per offensive play.... The Steelers had 5 return yards on five Philadelphia punts. MOVIN' THE CHAINS The Eagles were almost unstoppable when they weren't turning the ball over in the first half. Philadelphia converted 5 of 7 third-down opportunities in the opening two quarters, including its first five in a row, while building a 10-6 lead. The breakdown:

27 Insider: Eagles 15, Steelers 6 - Tribune-Review Page 2 of 3 Third-and-Not Long Enough Quarter -- Down-and-Distance, Yard Line -- Result First -- Third-and-1, Steelers' RB Brian Westbrook, 2-yard run First -- Third-and-17, Steelers' QB Donovan McNabb to WR Jason Avant, 19 yards First -- Third-and-2, Eagles McNabb to WR DeSean Jackson, 5 yards Second -- Third-and-15, Eagles McNabb to WR Hank Baskett, 20 yards Second -- Third-and-3, Steelers' McNabb to RB Lorenzo Booker, 4 yards Philadelphia was 1 for 7 on third downs in the second half, but by then the damage had been done. RUNNIN' ON EMPTY The Steelers were unable to generate a ground game in the first half, which helped explain the problems they had protecting Roethlisberger. The Steelers trailed, 10-6, at the half and averaged 2.8 yards per carry on six rushing attempts. RB Willie Parker was more likely to lose yardage than not in his opening 30 minutes. Going Nowhere Fast In The First Half Quarter -- Down-and-Distance, Yard Line -- Parker's Carry First -- Second-and-1, Steelers' Loss of 1 First -- First-and-10, Eagles' Loss of 1 First -- First-and-10, Eagles' Gain of 6 First -- Second-and-4, Eagles' Loss of 1 Second -- Second-and-12, Steelers' Gain of 8 Parker's First Half: 5 attempts, 11 yards, 2.2 per carry Parker finished with 13 carries for 20 yards (1.5 a pop)

28 Insider: Eagles 15, Steelers 6 - Tribune-Review Page 3 of 3 FIELD POSITION BATTLE With scores tough to come by on both sides, the game degenerated into a battle for field position in the third and fourth quarters. The Steelers had the advantage at the outset of the second half, thanks to an interception by Polamalu and a 53-yard punt by Mitch Berger. Those plays helped set up a series of three consecutive Philadelphia possessions that began inside the Eagles' 20-yard line (at the Philadelphia 15, 17 and 10). But the Eagles had an answer. His name was P Sav Rocca. Rocca boomed a couple and a deftly placed a lob shot that changed field position again and helped the Eagles keep the Steelers at bay. Not bad for a 34-year-old, second-year pro who didn't play in college. Rocca's Reliability Down-and-Distance, Yard Line -- Punt-Return -- Steelers Take Over Fourth-and-9, Eagles' yards -- 5 yards, by WR Santonio Holmes Steelers' 30 Fourth-and-7, Eagles' yards, out of bonds -- No return Steelers' 6 Fourth-and-9, Steelers' yards, downed -- No return Steelers' 7 Mike Prisuta can be reached at mprisuta@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2008 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from PghTrib.com

29 .: Print Version :. Page 1 of 2 Print Page MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 :: Last modified: Sunday, September 21, :59 PM EDT Bires column: Steelers won't panic By Mike Bires, Times Sports Staff PHILADELPHIA Today, the Steelers find themselves in second place, looking up in the AFC North at the Baltimore Ravens. That scenario speaks volumes of the wacky start in the NFL this season. Based on what s happened the first three weeks, we just might be looking at one of the craziest seasons we ve seen in years. And despite what transpired Sunday in Philadelphia, expect the Steelers be right in the thick of all the zaniness. Obviously, the 15-6 loss to the Eagles was ugly. But really, it wasn t unexpected. The Eagles were favored. No surprise there. The fact that the Steelers surrendered nine sacks was frightening, especially for anyone who cares for Ben Roethlisberger s safety. But again, all those sacks aren t that surprising, are they? We knew from the moment the Steelers reported to training camp that this offensive line was the team s biggest question mark. And it will remain so the rest of the season. That being said, despite how badly their offense was Sunday, the Steelers still had a chance to win in the final minute of play. That speaks volumes for how well the Steelers defense played against the Eagles. For the past two games, the Steelers have played ugly football. They won one of those games in Cleveland, But they couldn t overcome all the sacks against the Eagles. Before the season started, yours truly predicted the Steelers will have a roller coaster experience and win the division at 9-7. I still believe that s what we re going to see. Will the Steelers allow nine sacks in a game again this season? I don t think so. Even though they were out-coached by Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, I have enough faith in offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and line coach Larry Zierlein to fix some of the issues that

30 .: Print Version :. Page 2 of 2 plagued the Steelers in Philly. After the loss to the Eagles, coach Mike Tomlin was asked if he plans on making any personnel changes on the offensive line. I m not going to have a knee-jerk reaction, he said. We ve got a good football team. Tomlin is right. The Steelers aren t as bad as they looked Sunday. You watch. They re going to be a playoff contender despite their warts. So this is not a time to push the panic button. If the Steelers beat the Ravens a week from tonight at Heinz Field, they ll 3-1 and in first place again in the division. Order will be restored in the AFC North. Mike Bires can be reached online at mbires@timesonline.com.

31 .: Print Version :. Page 1 of 2 Print Page MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 :: Last modified: Sunday, September 21, :53 PM EDT Steelers notes: Thin DL after Hampon hurt By Mike Bires, Times Sports Staff PHILADELPHIA The Steelers are already down one starting defensive lineman. They hope they won t be missing another when they play the Baltimore Ravens next Monday. In the third quarter of Sunday s 15-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, nose tackle Casey Hampton left the game with a groin injury. He did not return. Last week in a win in Cleveland, right defensive end Brett Keisel suffered a strained calf muscle. He ll be out indefinitely. Travis Kirschke started in Keisel s spot against the Eagles. Chris Hoke played nose tackle when Hampton went down. Casey had been dealing with that (groin pull) earlier in the week, coach Mike Tomlin said. We ll see where he is. But usually, when a guy has an injury like that and then something happens in a course of a football game, it s going to be awhile. But I am not going to speculate. We ll see where is after we get him examined (Monday) morning. REED BOOMS 53-YARDER Jeff Reed is one of the NFL s most accurate kickers. But before Sunday, he never connected on a kick longer than 51 yards. But with time running out in the second quarter, Reed boomed a 53-yarder to make it Earlier in the game, Reed kicked a 37-yarder. Reed is a perfect four-for-four this year in the field goal department. WAITING FOR A NEW BABY Steelers guard Kendall Simmons is eagerly awaiting the birth of his third child. Simmons s wife Celesta is due on Sept. 29. But because she delivered her first two children early, there was a chance the new baby might have born this weekend while her husband was in Philadelphia. If that would have been the case, Simmons was prepared to fly home from Philadelphia and miss Sunday s game. He wants to be by his wife s bedside when the latest addition to their family is born.

32 .: Print Version :. Page 2 of 2 My wife s doing well, as least she was when I talked to her this morning, Simmons said after the game. I haven t checked my cell phone yet, so I m hoping there are not any messages that I have to worry about. I m going get on that plane, get home and get ready (for the birth of) our new baby. FINALLY, A CONTRIBUTION For the first time this year, Nate Washington s name appears in the box score. After failing to catch a pass in the first two games, the Steelers No. 3 wide receiver caught five for 51 yards against the Eagles. Meanwhile, running back Mewelde Moore got his first carry of the season. Moore, acquired via free agency in March to fill the role of third-down back, ran for 6 yards late in the second quarter. GAME-DAY INACTIVES For the third straight game, rookie wide receiver Limas Sweed was not in uniform. The second-round draft pick is stuck behind Dallas Baker, the No. 4 wide receiver. The Steelers only dress four wideouts. Other inactives were cornerback Deshea Townsend, Keisel, linebackers Donovan Woods and Bruce Davis, and tackle Tony Hills. Townsend (heel) and Keisel (calf) are injured starters. Woods (hamstring) is also hurt. Like Sweed, Davis and Hills are rookies who just aren t ready to play yet. The most significant of the Eagles game-day inactives was starting guard Shawn Andrews, their No. 1 pick in the 2004 draft. Andrews sat out with a back injury. His place was taken by Max Jean-Gilles.

33 Steelers can't sidestep problems against blitz Page 1 of 2 Steelers can't sidestep problems against blitz PHILADELPHIA - There were a lot of players with heads hanging in the Steelers' locker room following their 15-6 loss Sunday to the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Steelers are used to getting beat. It comes with the territory in the NFL, where 10-6 is considered a good record and even good teams can expect to lose half the games they play on the road. What they aren't used to having happen, however, is being physically beaten as they were by the Eagles. Throughout the week, the Steelers talked about how Philadelphia defensive coordinator Jimmy Johnson likes to send six or seven players after the opposing quarterback, overwhelming the offensive line and forcing the quarterback to throw the ball quicker than usual. The Steelers thought they were ready for it. They weren't. Philadelphia sacked Ben Roethlisberger eight times before knocking him out of the game late in the fourth quarter, and added another against Byron Leftwich in the waning minutes. The Eagles just missed one a couple of other potential sacks that Roethlisberger was able to turn into one- or two-yard gains. And the Pittsburgh quarterbacks were hit on nearly every play. "They just kicked the hell out of us," said right tackle Willie Colon in none-too-gentle terms. "They smelled blood in the water and rolled the dice every chance they got. They just kept bringing seven." Philadelphia seemed to get its measure of the Pittsburgh offense in the first quarter. Once the second quarter came, Johnson unleashed the hounds. Roethlisberger was sacked six times in the second quarter. It's a number even more incredible when you consider Pittsburgh ran only 15 offensive plays in the quarter. "They kept doing the same stuff over and over again," said right guard Kendall Simmons. "We've got five guys and sometimes six. You can only block one guy. I tried a couple of times to block two, getting a hand on both guys. It didn't work." For all of that, the Steelers were still in the game late into the fourth quarter, thanks to a strong defensive effort that weathered a fast start by Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who completed his first 15 passes. The Steelers adjusted to the Eagles' blitzing up the middle in the second half by having tight end Heath Miller go in motion and set up in front of Roethlisberger to pick up blitzers. But even that didn't work consistently. "We did that, but all it did was bring another guy up to the line of scrimmage that they could throw at us," said Simmons. "They just kept bringing more than we could block."

34 Steelers can't sidestep problems against blitz Page 2 of 2 It's something the Steelers better get used to seeing until they figure out a way to block it. Not all teams are capable of running that kind of defensive package, though. Philadelphia has three outstanding cornerbacks in Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard. When the Eages blitz seven players, the cornerbacks are left in man-to-man coverage on the outside. The Steelers' wide receivers and quarterback have to read the blitz and go to their hot routes - quick throws designed to beat the blitz. But Philadelphia's cornerbacks got up in the face of the Pittsburgh receivers and kept them from getting open quickly. "All 11 men involved - and it starts with the coaches - were involved in that," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "In the National Football League, when you put a display on like that, you're going to see it again and again and again until you make that problem disappear." If they don't figure out a way to stop it, it may be their Pro Bowl quarterback who disappears. Roethlisberger can't continue to take that kind of beating and make it through the season. And without Roethlisberger, the Steelers have not shot at winning on a weekly basis. F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

35 Ouch! Eagles' defense pounds Roethlisberger Page 1 of 2 Ouch! Eagles' defense pounds Roethlisberger By F. Dale Lolley, Staff writer dlolley@observer-reporter.com PHILADELPHIA - The nine sacks the Steelers allowed in Sunday's 15-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles weren't a single-game team record. That's not exactly any consolation to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger was sacked a career-high eight times by the Eagles Sunday, including six in the second quarter. "I tried to stay in there as much as I can and just tried to keep getting back up," said Roethlisberger, who completed 13 of 25 passes for 131 yards before being knocked out of the game on the final sack. Safety Brian Dawkins came free behind Roethlisberger on the last sack late in the fourth quarter, but was picked up by a blocker. Dawkins dove and chopped down on the quarterback's hand, forcing the ball free. Dawkins recovered the fumble as well to set up the Eagles' final field goal. Roethlisberger, meanwhile, went to the locker room for X-rays on his right hand. They came back negative, but the quarterback had the hand wrapped following the game. "I think he's going to be fine," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "He's battered. He got hit quite a bit. I'll know more in the morning. At this point, it doesn't appear to be anything long term." Roethlisberger was replaced by backup Byron Leftwich, who was also sacked once on the final series, giving the Eagles nine. The record for sacks against the Steelers is 12 by Dallas in Holmes returns Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said previously he only wanted to use starting wide receiver Santonio Holmes as a punt returner when the team needed a spark. Holmes was deep as the return man in place of Mewelde Moore throughout the second half of Sunday's game, but the spark wasn't there. Philadelphia punter Sav Rocca kicked well, never allowing Holmes an opportunity to make anything happen. Holmes was forced to call for a fair catch on his first attempt. On his second time deep, Rocca hit a booming 64-yard punt that chased Holmes backward 15 yards. By the time Holmes turned his momentum back up the field, all he could get was a five-yard gain. Rocca's best punt with Holmes in the game came on his third opportunity.

36 Ouch! Eagles' defense pounds Roethlisberger Page 2 of 2 The Eagles' punter angled the ball toward the sideline perfectly, placing a 54-yard kick just outside Holmes' reach at the Pittsburgh 6. Three plays later, Philadelphia picked up a safety when Roethlisberger was called for intentional grounding in the end zone to make the score Hampton injured Steelers Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton suffered a groin injury in the third quarter and did not return. "He had been dealing with that early in the week," said Tomlin. "Usually, when a guy is dealing with an injury like that and then something happens in the course of a football game, it's going to be a while. But I'm not going to speculate. We'll see where he is after we get him examined (Monday)." Hampton was replaced by Chris. No field goal After a Philadelphia field goal made it 15-6, Leftwich got the Steelers to the Eagles' 22. But on fourth down with 37 seconds remaining, Tomlin opted to run a play rather than kick a field goal that would have made it "We did not move the ball consistently enough to say that if we had kicked the field goal and gotten the onside kick, we could get down there again," said Tomlin. "We were down there, we were going to take our shots." Odds and end zones Steelers safety Troy Polamalu intercepted a pass in the third quarter, the third game in a row he's picked off a pass.... Bryant McFadden started at cornerback in place of injured Deshea Townsend and recorded his second interception in the past two weeks.... Pittsburgh was two for 13 on third-down conversions. Philadelphia converted its first five third downs, but finished six for 14. Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

37 Eagles put win in sack Page 1 of 2 Eagles put win in sack By F. Dale Lolley, Staff writer dlolley@observer-reporter.com PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia is known as the City of Brotherly Love. Sunday, however, the Philadelphia Eagles showed no particular love to the Steelers or quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in particular. The Eagles recorded nine sacks - eight on Roethlisberger - sending the Steelers to a 15-6 defeat at Lincoln Financial Field. "You've got to give the Eagles credit, they took it to us," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "They applied pressure to our quarterback, particularly on third downs. They made splash plays. One of the keys to this game leading up to it was dealing with the pressure packages they had. We didn't do a good enough job of it to win. We didn't do a good enough job of it at all." As a result, the Steelers fell to 2-1 and face a critical early season AFC North matchup next Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens, who improved to 2-0 with a win over Cleveland. The victory was costly for the Eagles (2-1). Running back Brian Westbrook suffered a sprained ankle in the first half and did not return. Quarterback Donovan McNabb also was banged up, suffering a rib injury in the first half that kept him in the locker room until Philadelphia's second possession of the third quarter. But while Philadelphia's offense struggled after a strong start - McNabb completed his first 15 passes for 141 yards - it was the Eagles' defense that stole the show. McNabb was 24 of 35 for 196 yards, one touchdown and one interception. After the Steelers drove 56 yards on their first possession to take a 3-0 lead, they gained only 124 yards the rest of the game, 51 coming on their final series with the Eagles playing a prevent defense. "I do not think we were picking up the blitz very well," said Steelers receiver Hines Ward. "They kept bringing a lot of guys up front. We had too many guys coming free.... It seemed to confuse us a little. I think today was a good old-fashioned butt kicking." Roethlisberger, who entered the game as the NFL's top-rated passer, completed 13 of 25 for 131 yards and one interception, but was hit more than a dozen times in addition to the eight sacks. Roethlisberger left with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter with an injury to his right hand, the result of being sacked and stripped of the ball by safety Brian Dawkins. "They're a very good team and a very good defense, and they got after us," Roethlisberger said. Without Westbrook, however, the Eagles couldn't get a lot of offense going, either.

38 Eagles put win in sack Page 2 of 2 Westbrook was injured on the first play of the second quarter. The Eagles finished that possession with their only touchdown, a 20-yard pass from McNabb to Correll Buckhalter, but struggled moving the ball after that. The Eagles' defenders seemed to respond to the loss of their top offensive weapon by turning up the pressure on Roethlisberger. After failing to get a sack in the first quarter, Philadelphia had six in the second, with the third setting up a 31-yard David Akers field goal. On third-and-three from the Philadelphia 49-yard line, Roethlisberger was taken down by Juqua Parker and lost the ball. Broderick Bunkley recovered and the Eagles drove to the Pittsburgh 13 before settling for Akers' kick and a 10-3 lead. Bryant McFadden's interception at the Philadelphia 49 set up a 53-yard Jeff Reed field goal - his career long - late in the first half as the Steelers trailed only 10-6 despite Philadelphia's second quarter onslaught. That's the way the game stayed until the Steelers were pinned deep in their own territory by a 54-yard punt by Sav Rocca. After back-to-back carries by Willie Parker - who gained only 20 yards on 13 carries - and Carey Davis netted a loss of one yard, Roethlisberger dropped back to pass on third down from his own 5. Defensive end Trent Cole chased Roethlisberger to his left and dove on the quarterback's legs. Roethlisberger attempted to throw the ball out of his end zone while going down, but was penalized for intentional grounding, giving the Eagles a safety. Tomlin argued that there was a receiver in the area Roethlisberger threw to, but replays showed the quarterback's knee touched the ground before he released the ball. The safety would have counted either way. A sack and forced fumble by Dawkins gave Philadelphia the ball back at the Pittsburgh 18 and Akers booted a 31-yard field goal to put the game out of reach. Byron Leftwich replaced Roethlisberger on Pittsburgh's final possession and moved the Steelers to the Philadelphia 13 before the drive stalled. Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

39 Ben battered, bruised in a painful loss to Eagles Page 1 of 2 Ben battered, bruised in a painful loss to Eagles By ROB MAADDI Associated Press PHILADELPHIA September 21, :37 pm Ben Roethlisberger had a bandage on his throwing hand and winced while dressing. Considering he was persistently chased, battered and stomped by the Philadelphia Eagles, the damage could ve been worse. With Brian Westbrook sidelined and Donovan McNabb hurting, the Eagles did it with defense. A swarming D had nine sacks, forced a safety and got three turnovers, and Philadelphia beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 15-6 Sunday. We can t thank them enough for how they played, running back Correll Buckhalter said. They bailed us out. Just six days earlier, Philly s defense couldn t stop anybody. The Dallas Cowboys moved the ball at will in a victory last Monday. But this unit was rejuvenated against the Steelers (2-1). Roethlisberger had no time to throw and Willie Parker could not find any room to run. Juqua Parker had 21 2 sacks as the Eagles kept blitzing Roethlisberger, banged him around and eventually knocked him out of the game. Defensively, it was a phenomenal job, coach Andy Reid said. They were coming off a game they were disappointed in their performance. To rebound like that, I m proud of them. Clinging to a 10-6 lead, the Eagles pinned Pittsburgh at the 6 following a 54-yard punt by Sav Rocca. Three plays later, Roethlisberger was under heavy pressure when he threw the ball away in the end zone, but was called for intentional grounding for a safety. On Pittsburgh s next possession, Brian Dawkins made a flying sack, swatting the ball out of Roethlisberger s hand and recovering at the Steelers 18. David Akers kicked a 31-yard field goal to ice it. Roethlisberger hurt his throwing hand on the last sack and was replaced by Byron Leftwich when the Steelers got the ball with a little more than two minutes left. Coach Mike Tomlin said X-rays on Roethlisberger s hand were negative and he s expected to play next week. You ve got to give it to them, Roethlisberger said. They are a very good team. They got after us. Westbrook injured his right ankle on the first play of the second quarter. The All-Pro running back appeared to get hurt while hurdling a teammate on a 2-yard run. He walked to the locker room without help, but didn t return. Reid said X-rays showed the ankle wasn t broken, but Westbrook will have an MRI today. The Eagles (2-1) can t afford to be without Westbrook for an extended period. One play before Westbrook left, McNabb was visibly shaken up after getting sacked. He played the rest of the half and took a hard hit to the chest late in the second quarter. McNabb stayed in the locker room after the half, but returned during Philadelphia s second series in the third quarter. Backup Kevin Kolb was intercepted by Troy Polamalu on his first pass, which was deflected. The Steelers took over at the Eagles 49, but went nowhere. McNabb got a nice ovation when he returned to the sideline and he replaced Kolb after the second-year pro completed two straight passes. McNabb completed his first 15 passes and finished 24-for-35 for 196 yards and a touchdown. Roethlisberger was 13-of-25 for 131 yards. Both QBs threw their first interceptions of the season. Parker, who had 243 yards rushing in the first two games, was held to 20 yards on 13 carries. They had a great scheme, Steelers receiver Hines Ward said. We didn t have all 11 guys on the same page. They had our whole offense confused at times.

40 Ben battered, bruised in a painful loss to Eagles Page 2 of 2 Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson is known for his complex schemes and penchant for blitzing. After a disappointing effort against Dallas, he made some adjustments. It helped that Tony Romo, Terrell Owens and Marion Barber weren t on the other side. Our guys were aggressive and the coverage was good, Johnson said. You have confidence in the blitz when the coverage is good. The game was tight and we kept coming after them. On the same drive Westbrook left the game, the Eagles went ahead 7-3 on McNabb s 20-yard pass to Buckhalter. McNabb completed a 20-yard pass to Hank Baskett on third-and-15 to the Steelers 46. Buckhalter then caught a short pass, eluded a tackler and hurdled another from the 4 to reach the end zone. McNabb moved ahead of Ron Jaworksi for first on the team s all-time list with 176 touchdown passes. On Pittsburgh s ensuing possession, the Eagles sacked Roethlisberger three times and forced a fumble. A 31- yard field goal by Akers made it Bryant McFadden s pick set up Jeff Reed s career-best 53-yard field goal that cut it to Reed had kicked a 37-yarder for a 3-0 lead. It was the first time Pittsburgh was inside the 20 and didn t score a touchdown this season after starting 6-for-6. Notes: The Steelers have lost eight in a row in Philadelphia, dating to Steelers DT Casey Hampton left with a groin injury.... Eagles RB Tony Hunt (concussion) and TE L.J. Smith (back) joined McNabb and Westbrook on the injury list. Copyright cnhi, inc.

41 The Herald Standard - Sports Eagles' defense stymies Roethlisberger, Steel... Page 1 of 2 0 Eagles' defense stymies Roethlisberger, Steelers' offense By Mike Bires, For the Herald-Standard PHILADELPHIA - In the corner of the locker room where the Steelers' offensive linemen dressed, there was nothing but guilt and embarrassment. The Steelers had just lost for the first time this season, and it didn't take a genius to explain that happened Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. "We're not going to point fingers," tackle Willie Colon. "We got the dog kicked out of us." Advertisement After the 15-6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Colon was talking about the offensive line in particular. Through two games, the O-line had held its own against two teams with losing records. But in this cross-state showdown against a team that's long prided itself for its relentless defense, the Steelers' front wall was beaten soundly. They were beaten physically. They were beaten schematically. They were beaten emotionally. It all added up to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger getting sacked eight times, including once for a safety, and running back Willie Parker being stuffed to 20 rushing yards. After the Eagles' eighth sack of Roethlisberger, who's already suffered a sprained shoulder this year, the Steelers' $102 million man left the game with a hand injury courtesy of a hit from blitzing safety Brian Dawkins. "Give the Eagles credit," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "They took it to us tonight. No doubt. They took it to us. That's the story of this football game." So dominant were the Eagles (2-1) defensively that the Steelers only moved inside the Philadelphia 20-yard line just once. That was on the game's opening drive that ended with Jeff Reed's 37-yard field goal. On their last possession, with Byron Leftwich filling in for Roethlisberger, the Steelers (2-1) drove to the Philly 13 with 1:08 to play. But on third-and-1, the Eagles recorded their ninth sack of the game by dumping Leftwich for a 9-yard loss. Then on fourth down, the outcome was sealed when Leftwich underthrew wide receiver Santonio Holmes. "This game was a real butt-kicking, it really was," Colon said. After Reed's field goal gave the Steelers an early 3-0 lead, the Eagles took the lead for good early in the second quarter when quarterback Donovan McNabb threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to running back Correll Buckhalter. Midway in the fourth quarter with the Eagles leading 10-6, Roethlisberger was called for an intentional grounding penalty while he was about to get tackled in the end zone by defensive end Trent Cole. A few minutes later, Roethlisberger was sacked by Dawkins, who forced a fumble that the Eagles recovered. And with Roethlisberger knocked to the ground, someone stepped on his hand. As the Eagles kicked a field goal to make it 15-6, Roethlisberger retreated to the locker room for X-rays. The X-rays were negative, but neither Tomlin nor Roethlisberger would speculate on the star QB's status for next Monday night's home game against the Baltimore Ravens.

42 The Herald Standard - Sports Eagles' defense stymies Roethlisberger, Steel... Page 2 of 2 "He's battered a little bit," Tomlin said of Roethlisberger. "He got hit quite a bit tonight." That's what happens when the offensive line struggles. On this night, the Steelers couldn't run and they couldn't pass. That's because they couldn't block. The Herald Standard 2008

43 Eagles win, but Westbrook's hurting Page 1 of 3 Posted on Mon, Sep. 22, 2008 Eagles win, but Westbrook's hurting By Bob Brookover Inquirer Staff Writer The Eagles have to hope that Brian Westbrook can heal as quickly as their defense did. Six days after being roughed up by Tony Romo and the high-powered offense of the Dallas Cowboys, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson dialed up his BLITZ line and watched the annihilation of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and running back Willie Parker. By taking away the Steelers' one-two combination on offense, the Eagles pulled off a 15-6 victory yesterday at Lincoln Financial Field despite playing the final three quarters without Westbrook and part of the second half without quarterback Donovan McNabb. Even though the Eagles bounced back from an emotional loss against Dallas, they may have suffered an equally huge loss with the departure of Westbrook. "Westbrook has an ankle strain and he'll have an MRI in the morning," coach Andy Reid said. "Off the X-rays, it's not fractured, but we'll do the MRI tomorrow and see what the deal is." The deal did not look good inside the home team's locker room after the game. Westbrook, who was injured on the first play of the second quarter, needed the aid of crutches to leave the locker room and he also was wearing a walking boot as he changed into street clothes. He declined to talk with the media after the game. "Any time you have your star guy go down, it's tough," McNabb said. "But I thought Buck [Correll Buckhalter] and Book [Lorenzo Booker] did a good job of filling in. Everybody across the league knows we deal with Westbrook as our first or second option." It was clear, however, that if the Eagles were going to win this physical game against the Steelers, it would be accomplished on the broad shoulders of the defense. "Jim called the blitz," Eagles safety Brian Dawkins said. "Give Jim credit. He said what he was going to do. He said he was going to let us loose and he did." The results: Nine quarterback sacks, an interception, two fumble recoveries, a safety, and

44 Eagles win, but Westbrook's hurting Page 2 of 3 genuine misery for Roethlisberger, Parker, and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "They pinned their ears back," Tomlin said. "Some of the situations you make adjustments, you pick the pressure up, but people still got physically beat." Seven Eagles got credit for at least a half-sack, including defensive end Juqua Parker, who had 21/2. Willie Parker, who led the AFC in rushing when he arrived at the Linc, carried 13 times for 20 yards and a 1.5-yard average that was the worst of his career. "It was really frustrating," he said. "They really just blitzed and blitzed and we just never made a play." Roethlisberger completed just 13 of 25 passes for 131 yards, lost two fumbles, and absorbed eight of the nine sacks. "They're a good defense," he said. "They brought guys from all over the place and did a good job. We've got to give them credit." After barely blitzing against the Cowboys, Johnson said he saw things in the Steelers that made blitzing early and often possible. "It just happened to be one of those days where we just kept coming," Johnson said. "It was one of those tight games." Reid had so much confidence in his defense that he felt relatively comfortable going with a conservative game plan in the second half. Of course, that was also dictated by the loss of Westbrook and the limitations of McNabb, who took a first-half hit to the chest and missed the Eagles' first five offensive plays of the third quarter. "I was a bit conservative in the second half," Reid said. "Our defense was playing very well and [the Steelers] were playing deep on us with a cover-two look. I tried to run the ball a little bit more and bank on our offensive line a little bit." In truth, the offense did not score in the second half. The defense scored twice with the help of some terrific punts by Sav Rocca. After a Rocca punt pinned the Steelers at their own 6-yard line midway through the final quarter, the defense force a third-and-11 situation from the 5. Blitz was the call from Johnson, but it was the simple pass rush from defensive end Trent Cole that got to Roethlisberger, who tried to throw the ball away. Instead, the quarterback was flagged for intentional grounding and a safety. The Eagles had a 12-6 lead. After the Eagles failed to score on their offensive possession, Rocca again pinned the Steelers inside the 10 and on a third-and-15 play, Dawkins proved he can still fly at 34 years old. The veteran safety leaped over an attempted cut block by Kendall Simmons and sacked Roethlisberger, forcing a fumble in the process.

45 Eagles win, but Westbrook's hurting Page 3 of 3 Dawkins also recovered the fumble and after a few more conservative play calls by Reid, the Eagles settled for a field goal that gave them a 15-6 lead. Defensive end Darren Howard, a veteran of 116 NFL games, said he had never been involved in a more dominant defensive performance. "This was fun," Howard said. "The run game, they really didn't do much with it and once you make a team one dimensional like that... it's good. Once you force a team to do something that's not their strength, you never know if their pass protection is going to break down." The Steelers' entire offense broke down and the Eagles celebrated a win on a day when they also suffered the loss of one of their biggest offensive weapons. Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at or bbrookover@phillynews.com. Find this article at: but_westbrook_s_hurting.html? adstring=inq.news/home_top_left_story;!category=home_top_left_story;&randomord= Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article. Copyright Philly Online, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of Philly Online, LLC is expressly prohibited.

46 Bob Ford: Eagles' win hid a few nasty details Page 1 of 3 Posted on Mon, Sep. 22, 2008 Bob Ford: Eagles' win hid a few nasty details By Bob Ford Inquirer Sports Columnist "When you win," Lorenzo Booker said, "a lot of things get swept under the rug." The Eagles running back was smiling as he said this in the locker room after yesterday's 15-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Eagles did not play particularly well on offense, and they suffered some injuries that could turn out to be bigger problems than expected down the road. The two things - the not playing well and the injuries - were related, of course. The Eagles can't lose Brian Westbrook from a football game, or have Donovan McNabb wincing with each pass, and not feel the pain on the scoreboard. "It was a great day for the defense to come up big," guard Todd Herremans said. "We'll give 'em our game ball." The defense was the story yesterday, and if you look elsewhere, there will be plenty to read about it. The defensive line was all over Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson blitzed the Steelers at every opportunity. And Brian Dawkins made a statement play near the end of the game, doing a flying squirrel leap over a Pittsburgh blocker to chop the ball out of Roethlisberger's hand for a fumble. All very impressive, and all of it contributing to the nasty details that ended up under the rug. For a few players, and Booker is one of them, the win saved them from some heavy explaining. When Tony Hunt suffered a concussion on the first series of the game, and when Westbrook hurt his right ankle on the opening play of the second quarter, the Eagles were suddenly without their starting backfield.

47 Bob Ford: Eagles' win hid a few nasty details Page 2 of 3 Correll Buckhalter filled in well enough, although his rushing numbers were nothing spectacular. He did score the only touchdown of the game on a swing pass around the left side that ended with Buckhalter leaping a defender to make the end zone. Booker's day didn't go as well. He ran five times for 11 yards and caught two balls for 5 yards. The play he would most like to see under the rug, however, came late in the second quarter, when he whiffed on a block and linebacker James Farrior smacked into McNabb. The collision caused McNabb to throw an interception that led to a Pittsburgh field goal just before the half. "It was my man, all right," Booker said. "I did the thing you're never supposed to do. I bit on the outside move. When you miss a block, it's the same as dropping a ball. Donovan was already feeling bad, and that hurt him, too." McNabb had already taken a shot to the chest earlier in the half. He was worked on by the training staff on the sideline, made some test tosses - with Kevin Kolb also warming up in the process - and stayed in the game despite being obviously in pain. He was still 16 for 19, but it was Kolb who started the second half before McNabb returned during the Eagles' second series of that half. Without Westbrook, the Eagles didn't present as many problems for the Steelers' defense to solve. Buckhalter is a good player, but he isn't Westbrook. Nobody is. The passing lanes were suddenly tougher for McNabb to navigate. He was just 8 for 16 in the second half, and the running game took its bites in ever smaller portions. For the game, the Eagles gained just 65 yards on 23 carries. "I was a bit conservative in the second half. They were playing deep cover two [pass coverage], and I tried to run the ball more and bank on the offensive line," coach Andy Reid said. "We could have run the ball better." They could have run the ball more, too. It felt to Reid as if he and Marty Mornhinweg were calling more runs, but that wasn't really the case. The Eagles had 10 running plays and 20 passes in the first half, 11 running plays and 16 passes in the second half, not counting a McNabb knee to end the game. That doesn't represent a significant adjustment, but it does represent just how much a healthy Westbrook and McNabb mean to this offense. "You don't replace Brian by just plugging somebody in," Booker said. "No, you just don't." Westbrook has what Reid called a "strained" right ankle. He will have an MRI test today to determine if there is ligament or tendon damage in the area. He left the locker room on crutches last night, moving slowly, although not quite as slowly as the Eagles' offense without him. "We didn't get done what we wanted to today," Herremans said, "but we got through it." The Eagles are hoping for good news about Westbrook today. They are also hoping that the first ding of the season suffered by McNabb isn't a harbinger of things to come.

48 Bob Ford: Eagles' win hid a few nasty details Page 3 of 3 This could be a very interesting season, particularly if the defense shows up again every week, but yesterday's game also was a reminder of how tenuous the business can be. Some people can't be replaced, some wins can slip away and become losses, and some things will eventually refuse to be hidden beneath the rug. Contact columnist Bob Ford at or bford@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at Find this article at: Eagles win_hid_a_few_nasty_details.html?adstring=inq.sports/sports;! category=sports;&randomord= Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article. Copyright Philly Online, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of Philly Online, LLC is expressly prohibited.

49 Eagles 15, Steelers 6 - Eagles Use Steelers to Practice Blitz - NYTimes.com Page 1 of 2 September 22, 2008 EAGLES 15, STEELERS 6 Eagles Use Steelers to Practice Blitz By JUDY BATTISTA PHILADELPHIA After the Eagles lost to the Cowboys on Monday night, yielding 41 points and 3 touchdown passes, they lamented their inability to control Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, whom they blitzed just a handful of times and did not sack. Philadelphia s defensive coordinator, Jim Johnson, did not want that to happen again. On Sunday, he unleashed a relentless pass rush, including a few all-out blitzes on third down, against the Pittsburgh Steelers and their sturdy quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. As Roethlisberger trudged to the locker room late in the fourth quarter, his right hand injured and headed for an X-ray, he might have been mistaken for a man desperately seeking cover. He had spent much of his day smashed to the ground. He was sacked eight times (his backup Byron Leftwich was sacked once, too), knocked down a dozen more and hurried even more. The Steelers offense ground to a halt in a bruising 15-6 defeat, Pittsburgh s first loss of the season. The Steelers (2-1) ran for only 33 yards, and Roethlisberger s rhythm was so disrupted in the second half that he missed even routine throws. The bad news is that next Monday night, they will play the Baltimore Ravens, and the Steelers know they can expect a lot more blitzes. They took it to us, Pittsburgh Coach Mike Tomlin said of the Eagles (2-1). We didn t do a good enough job to win. We didn t do a good enough job at all. When you put on a display like that, you ll see it again and again and again. Roethlisberger, who was struggling with a sore right shoulder, fumbled twice, was pressured into a safety when he was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, and completed only 13 of 25 passes for 131 yards. He threw one interception. Although his hand injury was not believed to be serious, he cannot remain intact much longer if his protection does not improve. Tomlin declined to blame the offensive line, and receiver Hines Ward said the entire offense was confused. But the linemen were clearly jittery. They were called repeatedly for false starts, a sign that they were worried about the Eagles s fast first steps. The crowd noise helps, Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid said. It was very hard for them to communicate. Coming off the short week, losing to an N.F.C. East rival, there were a couple of things that could have been negatives. They didn t flinch from the Dallas game.

50 Eagles 15, Steelers 6 - Eagles Use Steelers to Practice Blitz - NYTimes.com Page 2 of 2 It might have been as dominating a defensive performance as the Eagles have put together in Reid s decade in Philadelphia, with the Steelers managing only 180 yards. And it served notice that despite the loss to the Cowboys, the National Football Conference East is at least a three-team race. Reid was clearly thrilled It was something to watch, he said but the victory may have come at a price. Quarterback Donovan McNabb missed several plays because of a bruised chest. And running back Brian Westbrook left the game with a right ankle injury after the first play of the second quarter. He did not return. Reid said the ankle was not fractured, but a magnetic resonance imaging test was scheduled for Monday. Westbrook s absence was a reason the score was so close. His versatility confounds defenses. An excellent running back and the Eagles most versatile receiver, he can line up nearly anywhere. Without him, the Eagles offense lost its sizzle and the Steelers defense was able to stay in the game. Despite their defensive dominance, the Eagles did not lead by more than 4 points for much of the game. Reid said that in the second half, he used a conservative offense because of how well the defense was playing and how well punter Save Rocca was kicking. Rocca pinned the Steelers inside the 20 three times. McNabb, who has finally returned to the form he displayed before his knee injury, was 24 of 35 for 196 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. Roethlisberger was injured when he was sacked on a blitz by Brian Dawkins and fumbled, giving the Eagles the ball at the Steelers 18. That enabled the Philadelphia offense to move into field-goal range. If that is how the Eagles will have to play if Westbrook misses time, it may make their path to the playoffs in a difficult division much more treacherous. Their path to the quarterback, though, seems pretty easy. They ve got big hearts, Reid said. We re not the biggest team, but we ve got big hearts. Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company Privacy Policy Search Corrections RSS First Look Help Contact Us Work for Us Site Map

51 With Westbrook dinged, Eagles beat Steelers with defense - USATODAY.com Page 1 of 2 Powered by With Westbrook dinged, Eagles beat Steelers with defense By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY Advertisement PHILADELPHIA Coming off a scoring fest loss to the Dallas Cowboys six nights earlier, the Philadelphia Eagles used smash-mouth defense that included nine quarterback sacks, three takeaways and a safety to pound the Pittsburgh Steelers 15-6 on Sunday. Pittsburgh starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was the victim of eight of those sacks on a day when the Steelers (2-1) totaled just 180 yards in offense. PHOTOS: Week 3 highlights BESTS AND WORSTS: NFL Week 3 BESTS AND WORSTS: NFL Week 3 Pittsburgh's Willie Parker was held to 20 rushing yards on 19 carries after surpassing 100 yards in two previous games. In the first half, six total rushing attempts by Pittsburgh netted just 17 yards, which was not even enough to offset six sacks of Roethlisberger for minus-25 yards. BOX SCORE: Eagles 15, Steelers 6 For Philadelphia, it was the polar opposite of a performance the previous Monday night, a loss to the Cowboys in Dallas. The two teams combined for 717 yards in that game, 380 of them by the Cowboys. Dallas did not allow a sack in that game. But the smothering defense was vital on Sunday, a day when the Eagles lost running back Brian Westbrook to an ankle injury of undisclosed severity and played briefly without quarterback Donovan McNabb (chest contusion) to open the second half. "They really got after the quarterback. It was something to watch," Philadelphia coach Andy Reid said after the Eagles climbed to 2-1. It was Pittsburgh's eighth consecutive loss in Philadelphia going back to Defensive end Juqua Parker led the pass rush for the Eagles with 2½ sacks. Linebacker Omar Gaither and defensive end

52 With Westbrook dinged, Eagles beat Steelers with defense - USATODAY.com Page 2 of 2 Darren Howard added 1½ sacks each in the defensive scheme of Eagles veteran coordinator Jim Johnson. "Defensively, I just thought it was a phenomenal job," Reid said. "Jim had a great plan and the players executed it. They played their hearts out. "They were coming off a game that they were disappointed in their performance last week, and to be able to rebound like that coming off a physical game I can't say enough for them. I'm very proud of them." Westbrook sustained the ankle injury on the opening play of the second quarter. He limped into the locker room and did not return. "Off the x-rays, it was not fractured," said Reid. "But we'll do the MRI (Monday) and see what the deal is." Subbing for Westbrook, Correll Buckhalter combined with McNabb on a 20-yard touchdown pass play in the second quarter that was the only touchdown of the game. It was the 175th touchdown pass of McNabb's Philadelphia career, a new team record. He had been tied with Ron Jaworski with 174. "Every record he gets, he completely deserves," said Reid. "And I'm proud of this one here." For all of Philadelphia's domination, the Steelers trailed just 10-6 midway of the final quarter when the Eagles recorded a safety after Roethlisberger was called for intentional grounding in his own end zone. That pushed the Philadelphia lead to The Philadelphia defense closed the deal with just over three minutes left. Safety Brian Dawkins sacked Roethlisberger and stripped the ball out of his hands. Dawkins recovered the fumble to set up a David Akers' field goal that put the game out of reach. McNabb completed 24 of 35 passes for 196 yards with one interception despite the chest injury he sustained in the second quarter. Pittsburgh totaled just 33 rushing yards, and Roethlisberger completed 13 of 25 passes for 131 yards with an interception. Find this article at: Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article. Copyright 2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

53 ESPN.com - Revived Eagles' blitz sounds gong for Big Ben Page 1 of 3 ESPN.com: NFL [Print without images] Sunday, September 21, 2008 Revived Eagles' blitz sounds gong for Big Ben By Jeffri Chadiha ESPN.com PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia Eagles safety Brian Dawkins had one bit of advice for his teammate, quarterback Donovan McNabb, midway through Sunday's 15-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers: Don't get passive. Seven different Eagles were credited with contributing to the team's nine sacks of Steelers quarterbacks Sunday. The Eagles sacked Ben Roethlisberger (above) eight times. Including the playoffs, Pittsburgh has allowed 49 sacks in its past 13 games. Dawkins knew McNabb might try to play it safe since the Eagles were caught in a close defensive struggle, that an offensive turnover might ruin Philadelphia's hopes for victory. But Dawkins also knew how well the Eagles' defense was playing. "I told Donovan, 'We got your back,'" Dawkins said after the game. "So put the ball in there and make it happen." Dawkins wasn't just trying to encourage a quarterback who was playing with a painful chest injury. Dawkins' confidence had plenty do with the dominance the Eagles displayed in toppling a Pittsburgh team that looked nothing like the physical Steelers we're used to seeing. For those who didn't catch this contest, it would be an understatement to say Philadelphia pushed Pittsburgh around Sunday. The Eagles delivered the kind of jaw-dropping beatdown that had to make other people around the NFL take notice. The numbers alone -- nine sacks, three turnovers and a safety -- don't do it justice. This was one of those contests that defensive players don't get to enjoy that often. "It's a feeling you really can't explain," Dawkins said. "It's one of those situations where you know whatever happens, they're not getting into the end zone. That's how we felt tonight." The Eagles couldn't have asked for a more timely performance from their defense. First off, they were plagued by two significant injuries in the first half of this game. McNabb hurt his chest after being

54 ESPN.com - Revived Eagles' blitz sounds gong for Big Ben Page 2 of 3 leveled by three Steelers tacklers on a failed flea-flicker and Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook left the game with a sprained right ankle. When the Eagles returned to the locker room for halftime, they had no idea if either player would be available in the second half (although McNabb eventually returned midway through the third quarter). Just as critical for the Eagles was their ability to rebound from a loss to Dallas on Monday night. The Cowboys dominated the Eagles with so many big plays in the passing game that Dawkins caught plenty of media criticism for both his age (34) and his declining skills. But on Sunday, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson didn't worry about game-changing pass plays interfering with his game plan. He threw blitz package after blitz package at the Steelers all game long and delighted in the way that strategy rattled Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The difference between this week and last week is that [Dallas] used a lot of max protection and we eventually got away from blitzing. This week we looked at the film and [Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson] decided that he was still going to blitz regardless of whether [Pittsburgh] max protected or not. We just had to go out and win those battles. -- Eagles DB Sheldon Brown on the difference in his unit's performance at Dallas in Week 2 and against the Steelers on Sunday The Eagles actually sacked Roethlisberger six times in the second quarter alone and hurried -- or hit -- him on countless other plays. Roethlisberger hurt his throwing hand on the last sack and was replaced by Byron Leftwich when the Steelers got the ball with 2:20 remaining. "I do not think we were picking up the blitz very well as a unit," Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said. "They kept bringing a lot of guys up front. We had too many guys coming in free and even if we had a one-on-one matchup, we were not winning them. It really seemed to confuse us a little. I think today was a good, old-fashioned butt kicking." "The difference between this week and last week is that [Dallas] used a lot of max protection and we eventually got away from blitzing," Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown said. "This week we looked at the film and Jim decided that he was still going to blitz regardless of whether they max protected or not. We just had to go out and win those battles." The Eagles won so many battles that it's hard to imagine them playing better than they did Sunday. Granted, they were going against a rebuilt Steelers offensive line that hadn't really been tested in its first two games. But the Eagles got contributions from all levels of their defense. If it wasn't the secondary taking the ball away -- cornerback Asante Samuel had an interception and Dawkins had a fumble recovery -- it was the front seven swarming to the football as if they were fighting through practice dummies. The Eagles attacked with such alarming efficiency you wonder why the Steelers didn't change their strategy. They didn't try to keep the Eagles off-balance with screens or draw plays. Pittsburgh's reluctance to stick with the run was just as stunning.

55 ESPN.com - Revived Eagles' blitz sounds gong for Big Ben Page 3 of 3 The Steelers ran the ball just 19 times, after calling 70 rushing plays in their first two contests. "I was surprised they didn't run it more," Eagles defensive end Trent Cole said. "I thought they'd try to smash it down our throats." The only sensible explanation for Pittsburgh's offensive game plan is that the Steelers were concerned with the Eagles' success this season in stopping the run. Thanks to Sunday's effort, Philadelphia now leads the NFL in rushing defense with an average of 45.7 yards allowed per game. Those are the kinds of numbers that make it easy to think the Eagles will be tougher to deal with as this season progresses. If they can continue to stuff the run and harass opposing quarterbacks, the likelihood is the Eagles will be major players in the postseason. Of course, they still need Westbrook to get healthy, because the entire offense depends on his versatility. They also need McNabb to stay as hot as he was when he completed his first 15 passes Sunday. But there's something different about the 2008 Eagles defense, something that suggests it might be regaining the same dominant form that marked this team's rise to NFC prominence in the first place. And that is something that shouldn't be lost on their upcoming foes. Jeffri Chadiha covers the NFL for ESPN.com. ESPN.com: Help PR Media Kit Sales Media Kit Report a Bug Contact Us News Archive Site Map ESPN Shop Jobs at ESPN Supplier Information 2008 ESPN Internet Ventures. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information/Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. All rights reserved.

56 0-3 Browns look for answers after blowout loss to Ravens - USATODAY.com Page 1 of 2 Powered by 0-3 Browns look for answers after blowout loss to Ravens BALTIMORE (AP) The Baltimore Ravens were struggling to score, and then Derek Anderson came to the rescue. Advertisement Unfortunately for the Cleveland Browns, Anderson is their quarterback. PHOTOS: Week 3 highlights BESTS AND WORSTS: NFL Week 3 Baltimore turned two of Anderson's interceptions into a pair of touchdowns during a 50-second span of the third quarter, and the Ravens further damaged an already agonizing season for the Browns with a victory Sunday. Ed Reed returned one of the interceptions 32 yards for a score, and Le'Ron McClain scored his first two NFL touchdowns on a pair of 1-yard runs both during a 21-point third quarter that enabled Baltimore (2-0) to turn a 10-7 halftime deficit into an 18-point lead. BOX SCORE: Ravens 28, Browns 10 "I knew it was just a question of when," said Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs, referring to the big plays by the defense. Anderson had another trying day in an effort to generate some offense for Cleveland, which was picked by many to be a contender in the AFC North. Anderson went 14-for-37 for 125 yards, was sacked five times and threw three interceptions. "We didn't execute and pretty much gave them 14 points off turnovers," he said. "I'm just frustrated. I expect more out of myself." The Browns (0-3) have scored only two touchdowns in their three defeats. The last team to reach the playoffs after losing its first three games was the 1998 Buffalo Bills. "I don't know whether we're trying to live on the success we had last year, but it's not working," coach Romeo Crennel said. "So we're going to have to do a lot better, or this thing is really going to get away from us." Back from a knee injury, Willis McGahee rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown for the Ravens, who were forced to take last week off when Hurricane Ike postponed their game at Houston.