December 7, 2009 News Clippings

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1 December 7, 2009 News Clippings Pittsburgh Steelers

2 Cook: Steelers' real test is staying together Page 1 of 2 Ron Cook Cook: Steelers' real test is staying together Monday, December 07, 2009 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana/Post-Gazette Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gives wide receiver Santonio Holmes a hug after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter yesterday at Heinz Field. View all related images After conceding the Steelers could win their final four games, finish 10-6 and still not make the playoffs, defensive end Brett Keisel unwittingly played the role of a straight man yesterday. "The ball isn't in our hands anymore," he said. A wise guy couldn't help himself. "You guys probably would drop it anyway," he said to Keisel. I still can't believe the big man didn't see the humor there. I thought it was a really funny line. In fact, the only thing more laughable on this dismal day at Heinz Field was the Steelers' performance in a humbling, humiliating loss to the Oakland Raiders. Unleashing hell? Isn't that what coach Mike Tomlin promised his Steelers would do after their loss in Baltimore a week earlier? Well, this was merely hell to watch. It was the Steelers' fourth loss in a row and left them at 6-6. They are closer to the Cleveland Browns in the AFC standings than to the Indianapolis Colts. That's pathetic. Playoffs? Did somebody really ask Tomlin about the playoffs as he attempted to sort through what appeared to be his team's autopsy report? "Huh!" Tomlin fairly squealed. "I'm just trying to win a game." The 1-11 Browns are the next opponent Thursday night in Cleveland. The Steelers can't possibly lose that one, right? Of course, they couldn't lose to the Raiders or to the Kansas City Chiefs a few weeks ago, either. But they did. Sadly, they have proved they can lose to anyone. Sadly, they have proved they're not nearly as good as they think they are. I have to admit, I'm having a hard time wrapping my arms around that, but 'mediocre' is the only word to describe a team that is 6-6 and a million miles behind in the playoff race. The beauty of sports is you almost always get what you deserve. When you lose to the Raiders and Chiefs, you don't deserve to make the playoffs. You deserve only ridicule.

3 Cook: Steelers' real test is staying together Page 2 of 2 "We're a good team, we're just not playing good football right now," wide receiver Hines Ward said. Sorry, I'm not buying. I bought it after the loss in Baltimore when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn't play. I even bought it after that disgraceful loss to the Chiefs. Not now. Not after this defeat. A good team doesn't keep blowing fourth-quarter leads. The Steelers' defense blew three yesterday. All of the problems can't be blamed on not having safety Troy Polamalu. The secondary is weak. It made Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski look like Dan Marino with 308 passing yards and three touchdowns. Who knew the free-agent loss of cornerback Bryant McFadden would be so devastating? It's easy to blame rookie defensive back Joe Burnett for dropping an easy interception that would have saved the game in the final minute. But that was his first play in place of injured William Gay and, after all, he merely was following the lead of veteran teammates such as Ike Taylor and Ryan Clark. You want to blame someone, blame Taylor for allowing a 23-yard completion to wide receiver Louis Murphy on the next play despite being in perfect position to knock the ball down. That was ridiculous. "We had defensive players come up and apologize to me," Roethlisberger said. "I said there is no reason to apologize. We win and lose as a team." Don't give Roethlisberger too much credit for his magnanimity. He and his offense played lights out in the fourth-quarter when he led two touchdown drives and completed 10 consecutive passes for 166 yards before his desperation pass to the end zone was knocked away on the final play. But there was nothing even remotely resembling that production in the first three quarters. Drives that went to the Raiders' 15, 5, 16 and 25 ended with a field goal, Roethlisberger being stopped short on a fourth-down sneak, a Roethlisberger interception in the end zone and a missed field goal after a sack. This game never should have come down to another defensive meltdown. Now, it's on to Cleveland... The Steelers' toughest opponent this week won't be the Browns. It will be the fight to stay together as a team. I've always said linebacker James Farrior is a terrific leader. He and the other veterans will be greatly tested now that their "playoff picture is bleak," to quote offensive tackle Willie Colon. "It won't be hard staying together," Farrior insisted. "We're brothers in arms," Colon said. Added offensive tackle Max Starks: "We didn't play well at all as a team today, but if you're a competitor, you don't give up and you don't get discouraged. I've bled and sweated with all of these guys. I have the utmost confidence in every one of them. There's no quitting in this room at all. "As long as we still have an opportunity..." The Steelers need to finish 4-0 to have any shot at the playoffs. Even that might not be good enough without a lot of help. Stark knows that reality. "At least if we win out, we'll go down fighting," he said. Win out? Like Tomlin, I'm starting to wonder if the Steelers will win another game. Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author First published on December 7, 2009 at 12:01 am

4 Collier: Steelers defense not up to standard Page 1 of 2 Gene Collier Collier: Steelers defense not up to standard Monday, December 07, 2009 By Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Matt Freed/Post-Gazette Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor tries to push Raiders wide receiver Louis Murphy out of bounds as he runs for a touchdown in the fourth quarter yesterday at Heinz Field. View all related images Comically entangled in a distasteful little hair-pull with the wretched Oakland Raiders yesterday, the Steelers looked very much as if they would win in spite of themselves, but then something really terrible happened. Right. The fourth quarter started. Don't know if you've noticed this, but the referee no longer hops on the field microphone and says, "That is the end of the third quarter," during Steelers games. He says, "That is the end of the Pittsburgh defense as we know it." But if you thought Dick LeBeau's fellas have looked a little skittish this season in the final 15 minutes, yesterday's total panic was their deliverance to the next dimension; it not only turned Bruce Gradkowski into Brett Favre, it likely turned the formal defense of a Super Bowl title into something almost completely hypothetical. The Raiders, who'd effortlessly lost eight of their first 11, who were barely averaging 10 points a week, who'd managed five touchdowns on the road all season, scored three in a little more than eight minutes against a Steelers secondary that again demonstrated the ball skills of a backhoe, but without all of the mobility. With yesterday's four-alarmer, in which Gradkowski completed 10 fourth-quarter passes for 198 yards and three touchdowns, the Steelers have essentially perfected their utter collapsibility. "I don't think so," linebacker James Farrior responded when someone asked if it was all traceable to the absence of Troy Polamalu. "I wish I knew." But as Mike Tomlin always liked to say, the standard of expectation does not change -- "the standard is the standard," and there was no worse example than the emergency appearance of rookie corner Joe Burnett in the middle of the losing defensive stand yesterday. Burnett, forced into play when William Gay got a concussion courtesy of teammate Ryan Mundy, stepped in front of Raiders wideout Louis Murphy with 40 seconds remaining and the Steelers up 24-20, and dropped a Gradkowski pass that hit him right in the belly. "I wish I could have it back," Burnett said. "We've just gotta stay together and continue to play sound." This is sound? Don't let me see unstable. That makes four games in a row, all losses you might have noticed, that a defensive back has dropped an interception at a

5 Collier: Steelers defense not up to standard Page 2 of 2 critical time. But speaking of things these guys would like to have back, we're making a list, checking it thrice. They'd like to have back that fourth quarter in Chicago, when they led 14-7 but lost to Jay Cutler, They'd like to have back that fourth quarter in Cincinnati, when they led 20-9 but lost to Carson Palmer. They'd like to have back that fourth quarter in Kansas City, when they led but lost to Matt Cassel. They'd like to have back that fourth quarter in Baltimore, when they led behind a third-string quarterback but lost to Joe Flacco. And they might like to have this back -- this sourest entry yet on the wish list, a fourth quarter in which they blew three leads , 17-13, and the last evaporating on a 10-play 88-yard drive in 1:47 by The Great Gradkowski. The Steelers have thus been outscored after the third quarter, including 6-3 in overtime, and this four-game losing streak is essentially attributable to the seven completions of more than 40 yards the secondary has permitted in that nosedive. "You can't finish games when you don't execute the way you're supposed to," said veteran corner Deshea Townsend. "Everybody's got to look at themselves and not point the finger. There are guys in here who've won a lot of games. We still have to think we can do whatever it takes. We're still in the hunt." If they are, you should hope they're not hunting a football, because no one in the secondary wants any part of one. On the play after Burnett dropped the fourth interception in four weeks (Ryan Clark took care of the first three), Gradkowski unfurled a sideline pass for Murphy. If the pass Burnett dropped cried to be intercepted, this one blubbered. It had the approximate arc of a Zambelli pyrotechnic and it was going to land right in the hands of Ike Taylor, had he had any. Instead, Murphy snatched it for 23 yards to the 17 with 27 seconds left. After Mundy's unnecessary roughness penalty moved the ball to the 11, Murphy beat some blown coverage in the left rear of the end zone for the winner with nine seconds left. It was his fourth catch, but it was enough to make him the third opposing receiver to shred this secondary for 100 or more yards in three weeks. "Something about coming out here today felt different," said Murphy, the Florida rookie who beat Taylor for a 75-yard score earlier in the quarter. "We knew Pittsburgh was the defending champs and everything, but it's time to make our mark. Enough is enough." That might be phrase that gets some play this week. Unfortunately, the standard is the standard. Gene Collier can be reached at gcollier@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author Gene Collier's "Two-Minute Warning" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on December 7, 2009 at 12:00 am

6 Gerry Dulac's Two-Minute Drill Page 1 of 2 SPORTS / STEELERS Gerry Dulac's Two-Minute Drill Game 12 vs. Oakland Raiders Monday, December 07, 2009 By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Peter Diana Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 278 yards in yesterday's loss to the Raiders at Heinz Field. Game ball goes to: Ben Roethlisberger To be sure, Roethlisberger contributed to the three failed attempts in the red zone in the first half, getting stopped on a fourth-and-1 sneak at the Raiders' 5 and throwing an interception into triple coverage in the end zone. But, after that pick, he completed his next nine passes for 151 yards and produced two fourth-quarter touchdowns that kept bailing out the defense, the last with 1:56 remaining. His only incompletion in the second half came on his desperation pass in the end zone on the final play. The countdown - A quick look at the top performances from yesterday's game: 1. ANOTHER DROPPED INTERCEPTION. Mike Tomlin said his defense failed to make a single big play during any of the three touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, and nobody had a better opportunity than rookie CB Joe Burnett. On his first play after replacing injured William Gay, Burnett dropped an easy interception with 35 seconds remaining that would have ended the game. "I thought they might throw my way and I should have made it," Burnett said. 2. WHERE'S THE REBOUND? On the play after Burnett's drop, Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, under pressure from James Harrison, heaved a high pass to the sideline for which wide receiver Louis Murphy outleaped cornerback Ike Taylor for a 23-yard gain. 3. ANOTHER BIG BEN COMEBACK? Trailing 13-10, Roethlisberger needed only two plays to regain the lead, connecting on a 57-yard pass-and-run to Santonio Holmes to the Raiders' 3 that set up Rashard Mendenhall's 3-yard touchdown run. 4. NOT LIKE IKE? Three plays after the Steelers took a lead, Gradkowski fooled the defense on third-and-1 and beat Taylor with a 75-yard touchdown to Murphy. Tomlin said Taylor was supposed to have had inside coverage and deep help on the play. 5. NO HARD FEELINGS. Roethlisberger completed his ninth consecutive pass in the second half when Hines Ward beat cornerback Chris Johnson's press coverage and caught a smooth 11-yard touchdown that appeared to be the winner with 1:56 left. Inside the numbers: 4 That's the number of pass plays of 20 yards or longer by the Raiders, who had a league-low 14 in the first 11 games. WR Louis Murphy had three, including a 75-yard touchdown. What was he thinking? After Ben Roethlisberger's only sack made it fourth-and-15 from the Raiders' 34, coach Mike Tomlin elected to try a 53- yard field goal, leading 10-6, on the first play of the fourth quarter. Jeff Reed missed, and the Raiders went 57 yards on 11

7 Gerry Dulac's Two-Minute Drill Page 2 of 2 plays to score the go-ahead touchdown. "We felt good about Jeff being able to hit that, based on his pregame performance," Tomlin said. Perhaps, but Reed had not made a field goal longer than 46 yards this season. The decision to not punt started the Raiders' final 21-point flurry. Overheard "Words can't describe. That's incredible. The way we're used to winning games, playing good defense, doing whatever it takes at the end, we're not doing it. We've been losing games the same way all year." -- Cornerback Deshea Townsend X's and O's Several defensive backs said they did not get the proper call on the 61-yard pass play that beat them in overtime in Kansas City. And several said the same thing happened again on the Raiders' winning touchdown when wide reciever Louis Murphy got behind Ryan Mundy, who said he was in different coverage from the defense that was called. "That's happened twice now," said ILB James Farrior. "I have to do a better job of making sure the defensive backs get the call." Up CLEVELAND BROWNS, 8:20 P.M. THURSDAY: The Browns (1-11) are coming off a loss to the San Diego Chargers. The Steelers have won 12 in a row and 18 of the past 19 against the Browns. Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on December 7, 2009 at 12:00 am

8 Steelers Notebook: Raiders were fired up by Tomlin's remark Page 1 of 3 SPORTS / STEELERS Steelers Notebook: Raiders were fired up by Tomlin's remark Monday, December 07, 2009 By Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Matt Freed/Post-Gazette Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski dodges a tackle attempt by Steelers linebacker James Harrison in the third quarter yesterday at Heinz Field. The cry came from an unidentifiable voice among the Oakland Raiders' running backs, likely Justin Fargas: "Let's get out of this hell-hole." You can bet the Raiders paid attention to Mike Tomlin's highlight quote in the aftermath of the overtime loss to Baltimore about unleashing a version of Hades in the next game, against Oakland. The Raiders, with fans infamous for their studded collars, instead put a leash on the Steelers yesterday, "It helped motivate us," offered quiet center Samson Satele. "Oh, yeah. We had his comments up on the board," added receiver Todd Watkins. "That kind of drove us all week, when you make a statement like that. A similar situation when [Antonio] Pierce of the Giants made some comments about us, that just fired us up. I hope the next team says something about this team. "Our receivers coach [Sanjay Lal] gave us a message: The Miracle on Ice, Buster Douglas knocking out Tyson.... It wasn't unbelievable for us." Local boy makes good Seton-LaSalle High's Bruce Gradkowski wasn't merely 0 for 2 starting against his hometown team; he was statistically abysmal. He had a 20.2 passer rating combined in his Tampa Bay and Cleveland starts against the Steelers. He had five interceptions and nary a touchdown pass. He had a how-low-can-you-go 1.0 passer rating for the Browns last Dec. 28, enduring a woeful 5 for 16 for 18 yards and two Tyrone Carter interceptions, one returned for a score. So, for him, a touchdown, let alone a victory, was intensely gratifying. "This is... the top game," he said after completing 20 for 33 for 308 yards and three fourth-quarter scores. His passer rating and his yardage were career highs -- he had never passed for more than 225 yards in his 27 previous NFL games. "It's exciting to come home to Pittsburgh, where I was born and raised. And I can't describe the love and support that I've gotten all week from my family, my friends, even the Pittsburgh fans. "We had some huge plays on third-and-short. The safeties were up, and [Louis] Murphy did a great job. We put it all together today. It was something mom cooked Friday night, maybe." Playoffs? Playoffs? "I'm just trying to win a game," Tomlin said, asked whether he could foresee his team reaching the postseason. "What's the whole coach [Jim] Mora response to that question? That's where I'm at." Secondary pain

9 Steelers Notebook: Raiders were fired up by Tomlin's remark Page 2 of 3 Don't expect Troy Polamalu (PCL) back for Cleveland Thursday. "On a short week, I doubt [he'll return]," Tomlin said, "but we'll see." As for Gay, who likely isn't going to play Thursday, Tomlin added: "Looks like he sustained a concussion of some kind out there. I don't know to what extent at this point." More details may come today. Secondary problems Imagine yielding three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter alone to an Oakland offense that: Mustered five such passes all season, and 10 touchdowns total; Failed to conjure as many points in a single game this year, topping out at 20 twice. This fourth consecutive loss and fifth blown fourth-quarter lead by the Steelers all points to a troubled defensive backfield. On the 75-yard bomb to Murphy -- who tied his season output in five and a half minutes with two touchdown catches -- Tomlin said Ike Taylor played it incorrectly, as did an unnamed safety. "He's supposed to stay inside of him, inside of that man, and potentially pick up some help from the backside," Tomlin said of Taylor. "Of course, neither happened." Taylor's jump-ball attempt at an interception with 35 seconds left likewise resulted in failure, with Murphy -- an inch taller, though he looked longer -- out-leaping him for a 23-yard reception to the Steelers' 17. Two snaps later, Oakland scored the game-winning touchdown. "There are some things we can work on, [like] the two-minute defense," safety Ryan Clark said. "There are some things coverage-wise we need to step up.... We allow their guy to go up over us and catch it. We can't do that." Said Tom Cable, the Oakland coach for whom this was considered a game that, in the event of a loss, could have led to his ouster: "[Yesterday] morning, it felt like we had a real matchup issue for them and our receivers. So, if we could protect [Gradkowski], he'd have a shot at times, and that certainly came true." Holmes' big day Santonio Holmes had a career-high day with 149 yards on eight receptions. He also reached a career high in total receiving yards, with 987. But the most important number to him: The Steelers' 0-for-3 tally in red zone touchdowns. In fact, they have failed to score a touchdown in their past 10 forays inside the opposing 20-yard line in their past three home games. "It's our duty to go down and score seven points every time," Holmes said. "When we don't capitalize on our first opportunity with the big kickoff return [by Stefan Logan] and put up three points, it makes a big difference in the game." They did it twice in the fourth quarter. First, Holmes' 57-yard catch and run arranged Rashard Mendenhall's touchdown for a Steelers lead. Then, four seconds inside the two-minute warning, Hines Ward caught an 11-yard touchdown lob from Roethlisberger to present the Steelers with a lead. "The party was getting ready to get started," Holmes said. "And that's how we felt, knowing that the offense went down and did our job. We left everything to the defense. A couple of mishaps here and there, and [the Raiders] won the ballgame. It was very unacceptable by us as a team." Woodley's big day LaMarr Woodley topped the Steelers with six solo tackles, three tackles for losses, three quarterback hurries and two of their three sacks -- the third was credited as a team sack, though he was the first to touch Gradkowski down. Still and all, Woodley and the defense were doing jobs in the opening three quarters that they couldn't duplicate in the fourth. "Just getting off the field, not allowing them to hit the big plays, getting sacks, putting their back against the wall: We did all that, but, when it counted, we didn't do that," Woodley said. "We allowed the quarterback to have time to throw the ball down the field, and they hit the big plays." Big Ben Right

10 Steelers Notebook: Raiders were fired up by Tomlin's remark Page 3 of 3 That's what those Hail Mary passes used to be called, Big Ben Left and Right. Roethlisberger threw one of them on the final play yesterday, and it almost worked. "We had a shot," said Roethlisberger, who went 10 for 10 passing in the second half to that point. "It looked like Hines was limping a little, so I moved him to the other side and brought Limas [Sweed] over. Limas had the height. All you can do is throw it up and hope." Chuck Finder can be reached at cfinder@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on December 7, 2009 at 12:00 am

11 Steelers fall to Raiders, Page 1 of 2 SPORTS / STEELERS Steelers fall to Raiders, Monday, December 07, 2009 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Matt Freed/Post-Gazette Raiders wide receiver Louis Murphy catches the game-winning touchdown pass as defended by Steelers defensive back Ryan Mundy in the fourth quarter yesterday at Heinz Field. Coach Mike Tomlin promised that his Steelers would unleash hell, not look like it. Yesterday's tumble to the Oakland Raiders at Heinz Field might have been stunning if it had not happened so often this season. The Steelers have now lost to a 14-point underdog and an 11-point underdog in the past three games, and they lost their fourth in a row to tumble to 6-6 and maybe out of the playoff race. And they lost the way they've become accustomed as their once Mariano Rivera-like closing defense collapsed; they've allowed fourth-quarter leads to slip away in five of their six defeats. Their most egregious fourth quarter el foldo occurred yesterday. Oakland (4-8), which had produced only 10 touchdowns all season, scored three in the fourth quarter to come from behind three times. The Raiders final score come with 9 seconds left when Pittsburgh native Bruce Gradkowski did his best Ken Stabler imitation and threw his third touchdown pass, good for 11 yards to rookie Louis Murphy. "We couldn't lose this game, but we lost," said cornerback Ike Taylor, who botched one of the defense's many chances to end the Raiders' comeback when Murphy caught a 23-yard jump ball along the sideline even though Taylor had position on him. Taylor called the Steelers' chances to get the playoffs, "Slimmer than a dog on a diet." The Raiders also said they fed off Tomlin's "unleash hell" comment. "Oh, yeah," wide receiver Todd Watkins said. "We had his comments up on the board. That kind of drove us all week, when you make a statement like that??? that just fired us up." Hines Ward had said last week his team could not lose to Oakland or "we're pretty much out of it" and no one in the Steelers' locker room argued that point afterward. "Obviously our playoff picture looks really bleak," tackle Willie Colon said. "Huh?" Tomlin responded when asked about the playoffs. "I'm just trying to win a game, man. What's coach [Jim] Mora's response to that? That's where we're at." Yesterday, Tomlin's offense and defense waited to get going until the fourth quarter. His offense scored two touchdowns in that period and his defense??? got going. Ben Roethlisberger (18 of 24, 278 yards) threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward with 1:56 left to lift the

12 Steelers fall to Raiders, Page 2 of 2 Steelers to a lead as the fans in Heinz Field, in a surly mood as time and again the Raiders ripped through the Steelers' defense in the fourth quarter, celebrated. "When I scored that touchdown I just knew that was the game-winning touchdown," said Ward, who hugged Roethlisberger as they left the field. "We were going to go on our way, get back on the winning track." Gradkowski, making his third consecutive start -- he is after coach Tom Cable replaced JaMarcus Russell, had other ideas. The Raiders drove 88 yards on 11 plays that included a drop by rookie cornerback Joe Burnett of a ball right into his chest, and Taylor's missed chance along the sideline. The touchdown came on yet another late miscommunication by the Steelers' defense in which a blitz was called for one side and instead it came from both sides, leaving their secondary thin. "I think when you get in the moment, guys hear and just go but we have to do a good job of relaying the call across the board," linebacker James Farrior said. Missed calls, missed interceptions, missed tackles, they all added up to one big collapse for last year's acclaimed defense and the Super Bowl champions. The Steelers' offense gave its defense scant help through three quarters, coming away with only Jeff Reed's 33-yard field goal in the first quarter and Santonio Holmes' 34-yard touchdown catch from Roethlisberger in the second. They blew two other chances when Roethlisberger slipped on a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 at the Oakland 5 and when safety Hiram Eugene intercepted a Roethlisberger pass in the end zone on first down from the Oakland 16. Afterward, some defensive players apologized to the offense for their play, but as Ward noted: "There's not need to apologize. If we score when we get down in the red zone, maybe this game isn't even close." It was close, at 10-6 entering the final quarter after a scoreless third and a lackluster first half. Then the fireworks came. Gradkowski, who completed 20 of 33 passes for 308 yards and no interceptions, threw his first touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to Chaz Schilens from 17 yards out to give the Raiders their first lead, The Steelers responded with their second two-play touchdown drive to reclaim the lead at Roethlisberger completed a 57-yard pass to Santonio Holmes, who caught the ball at the 38 and ran 35 yards to the Oakland 3. Rashard Mendenhall, who rushed for 103 yards on 20 tries, then broke a couple of tackles as he raced around left end for the score with 7:13 to go. And then it was the Raiders turn to strike back. It took them three plays to do so, starting from their 16. They had a thirdand-1 at the 25. Gradkowski faked a handoff and threw deep to Louis Murphy. He caught it at the 35 and beat Ike Taylor to the pylon for a touchdown that put Oakland back on top, 20-17, as the fans booed. "He's supposed to stay inside of him, inside of that man and potentially could pick up some help from the backside," Tomlin said. "Of course, neither happened." They were on their feet cheering moments later as Roethlisberger completed a 27-yard pass to Heath Miller on the first play and, later a 20-yard pass to Holmes. Then, he found Ward and the whole stadium celebrated as if they had won a Super Bowl. Not this year, it would appear. Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Ed Bouchette's blog on the Steelers and Gerry Dulac's Steelers chats are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details. First published on December 7, 2009 at 12:00 am

13 Russell not upset with release from Steelers - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 1 Russell not upset with release from Steelers By Mark Kaboly Daily News Sports Editor Monday, December 7, 2009 Gary Russell scored the first touchdown of Super Bowl XLIII a year ago for the Steelers. Less than three months later, the Steelers released the backup running back and goal-line specialist with no explanation. Sunday, Russell made his return to Heinz Field for the first time with no hard feelings toward the organization. "I know it was a business (decision)," Russell said. "It was a great opportunity for me to go somewhere else. It didn't shock me. You are somewhere one day and another the next." Russell went from the Steelers to Cincinnati and finally out to Oakland, where he was cut and then re-signed two months ago. Russell is the Raiders' primary kick returner. He had four returns for an average of 18 yards. The Raiders finished the game with two backup offensive linemen in the game. C Samson Satele and LG Robert Gallery both were injured and did not return. First-round draft pick WR Darrius Heyward-Bey was inactive because of a foot injury, and it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Louis Murphy got the start in place of Heyward-Bey and caught four passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner. Oakland coach Tom Cable said he felt really good when comparing his receivers to the Steelers' defensive backs. "It felt like we had a real matchup issue for them with our receivers," Cable said. "If we protected (quarterback Bruce Gradkowski), he's (going to) have a shot at times. Gradkowski was sacked three times in 39 times he dropped back to throw. He has 33 attempts to go along with three sacks and three scrambles that netted 20 yards. Inactives for the Raiders were Heyward-Bey, LB David Nixon, OT Khalif Barnes, OL Erik Pears, WR Javon Walker, WR Nick Miller and DE Greg Ellis. Charlie Frye was the third quarterback. Mark Kaboly can be reached at mkaboly@dailynews .com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

14 Steelers secondary takes another hit - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 Steelers secondary takes another hit By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, December 7, 2009 The Steelers don't have much time to dwell on their loss to the Oakland Raiders Sunday. Nor do they have much time to heal from it, which means they could be without another starter in their secondary Thursday when they visit the Browns. Cornerback William Gay left yesterday's game in the fourth quarter with what appears to be a concussion after the third-year man got hit in the helmet by Steelers safety Ryan Mundy as the two were making a tackle. Given the short week as well as the caution the Steelers exercise when it comes to players with concussions, Gay is almost certain to be deactivated for the 8:20 p.m. game Thursday. The secondary, which is as beleaguered as it is beat up, is unlikely to get strong safety Troy Polamalu back for the game against the Browns. Polamalu has missed the Steelers' last three games with a strained posterior collateral ligament in his left knee. Of the prospect of the five-time Pro Bowler returning against the Browns, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, "On a short week, I doubt it, but we'll see." Digits Yards per play the Steelers averaged in their loss to the Oakland Raiders Receiving yards Santonio Holmes needs to post the first 1,000-yard season of his career at any level. Quotable "I can't put a finger on it. Is it any different than following the '05 season? I don't know. We've got a lot of veteran guys. It's just, the ball's not bouncing our way. Look at (cornerback) Joe Burnett. He catches the ball all the time in practice, then to come down and throw it up and have three defenders around it and their guyscomes up with it, it's the flukiest things I've ever seen. We're just not finding ways to win." Hines Ward

15 Steelers secondary takes another hit - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 Steelers wide receiver, on the Steelers' struggles at the end of games. Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

16 Roethlisberger: 'I'm totally fine' - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 1 Roethlisberger: 'I'm totally fine' By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, December 7, 2009 An 8-yard run by Ben Roethlisberger late in the fourth quarter came after he changed the play at the line of scrimmage, which led to confusion between the Steelers quarterback and running back Rashard Mendenhall. That Roethlisberger didn't just go down after he turned to hand the ball off to Mendenhall - he encountered an empty backfield - shows just how well he felt while playing in his first game since sustaining a concussion on Nov. 22. "I'm totally fine," Roethlisberger said. Roethlisberger gave the Steelers a chance to win at the end of the game as his "Hail Mary" pass from midfield made it into the end zone. Limas Sweed appeared to get his hands on the ball, but safety Hiram Eugene knocked it away. "They had what seemed like 10 guys back there," Roethlisberger said. "With those plays, it's like a one-in-a-million shot." Said Eugene, who had an interception at the end of the first half: "(Sweed) kind of went up with us, and it hit his hands and one of my player's hands, and I just tried to swat it." Strong safety Troy Polamalu (knee), defensive end Travis Kirschke (calf) and quarterback Charle Batch (wrist) didn't play yesterday because of injuries. Joining them on the Steelers' inactives list were cornerback Keenan Lewis, guard Kraig Urbik, offensive tackle Tony Hills, defensive end Sunny Harris and quarterback Tyler Palko. Roethlisberger has thrown for over 3,000 yards in four consecutive seasons. Terry Bradshaw and Kordell Stewart are the only other quarterbacks in franchise history to accomplish that feat, and each did it twice.... Santonio Holmes' 149 receiving yards were a career high.... Hines Ward has caught at least one pass in 174 consecutive games, which is a team record. Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

17 Mistakes magnify secondary's shortcomings - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 Mistakes magnify secondary's shortcomings By Kevin Gorman TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, December 7, 2009 More befuddled than the miscommunication that left Louis Murphy alone in the end zone for the winning touchdown was Steelers safety Ryan Mundy's reaction to the personal-foul penalty that preceded it. Mundy was stunned to learn that the flag thrown for unnecessary roughness was directed at his hit on Johnnie Lee Higgins at the 2 in the final minute Sunday of the Oakland Raiders' victory over the Steelers. "That was me? They called that on me?" Mundy said. "I mean, I don't understand. It's football. I made a play on the guy, I thought, in the proper manner of time. It was a bad call, I think. That's not my place to say whether it was a bad call or a good call. They made the call. "We've got to adjust and play." Mundy was one of two seldom-used young defensive backs on the field in the dime formation with the game on the line. Each made a costly mistake for the Steelers on the game-winning drive. The Raiders marched 88 yards in 10 plays to score the winning points on Murphy's 11-yard reception with nine seconds remaining. The other was Joe Burnett. The rookie cornerback replaced William Gay, who sustained a concussion after taking the brunt of a helmet-to-helmet collision with Mundy on a 19-yard pass to Murphy to the Steelers 40. On the next play, Burnett dropped a Bruce Gradkowski pass that hit Burnett in the numbers at the 15 with 41 seconds left. An interception could have sealed a victory. "It's kind of been like that all season for us," Burnett said. "The ball is not dropping our way. If I could have that opportunity back, I'm sure five times out of five I'd catch that. I shot myself in the foot." Not that Burnett and Mundy were entirely to blame. Veteran corner Ike Taylor gave up a 75-yard touchdown pass to Murphy earlier in the fourth quarter. Gradkowski also threw a pass under pressure off his back foot, and Murphy jumped over Taylor and Deshea Townsend for a 23-yard gain. And Taylor appeared to blitz on the final play when he was supposed to be in coverage, leaving Mundy trailing Murphy in the far left corner of the end zone.

18 Mistakes magnify secondary's shortcomings - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 Those mistakes magnified the growing list of gaffes that have cost the Steelers in blowing fourth-quarter leads in five of the past six games. "It's a different issue every week," Mundy said. "We're going to stick together as a unit. We know that we're more than capable. We've just got to finish the game. It's not always about how you start. It's about how you finish. We haven't been finishing good but we've got to keep our heads up and keep playing." Kevin Gorman can be reached at kgorman@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

19 Roethlisberger: That hurts - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 Roethlisberger: That hurts By Kevin Gorman TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, December 7, 2009 Once again, Ben Roethlisberger was talking about how much it hurts. Only this time, it had nothing to do with Hines Ward making controversial comments. It was strictly about the loss Sunday to the Oakland Raiders at Heinz Field, the Steelers' fourth consecutive defeat and one that could potentially cost the defending Super Bowl champions a spot in the AFC playoffs. "It hurts, especially when you know you have to fight to win these last few games," Roethlisberger said of the Steelers falling to 6-6. "To lose it close is never fun, especially to me. I hate to lose games." If there were lingering effects from the concussion Roethlisberger incurred Nov. 22 at Kansas City or his top target publicly questioning the Steelers' quarterback for sitting out the Baltimore Ravens game with post-concussion symptoms, neither transferred to the playing field. "That's for the media to worry about," wide receiver Santonio Holmes said. "We, as football players, we fight for one another. We know what's right and what's wrong, and we play football." Roethlisberger completed 18 of 24 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns, including an 11-yarder to Ward that gave the Steelers a lead with 1:56 remaining in the fourth quarter. After the play, they were all smiles and embraced near the sideline in celebration. "We knew that was the game-winning touchdown," said Ward, who had six receptions for 77 yards, including three catches in the second half. "We were going to go on our way and get back on the winning track. Oakland came out and did what they had to do, and we fell short." Roethlisberger didn't come up short when he audibled for a keeper on a second-and-8 at the Oakland 19 late in the fourth quarter, picking up a first down on the run that set up the scoring pass to Ward. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Roethlisberger "did some good things," especially with his ability to avoid pressure in the pocket. Roethlisberger was sacked once for a 9-yard loss, and threw an interception. "He moved when he had to move, gave us an opportunity to win the game and that's how we're all measured," Tomlin said. "I thought he gave us a shot, but

20 Roethlisberger: That hurts - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 ultimately we were unsuccessful." Kevin Gorman can be reached at kgorman@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

21 Starkey: The Steelers stink - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 Starkey: The Steelers stink By Joe Starkey TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, December 7, 2009 Ten quick takes on the Steelers' stunning, loss to the Oakland Raiders... This just in: The Steelers have accepted an invitation to the PapaJohns.com Bowl, where they will play Northern Illinois and probably lose on account of their defense folding in the fourth quarter. Has there ever been a more depressing football weekend involving the local pro and college teams? Inexcusable. That's one word to describe the repeated miscommunications on Dick LeBeau's defense. For the second time in three weeks, the inability to relay a simple call from the sidelines among all 11 defenders cost the Steelers dearly. Two weeks ago, it happened when Kansas City's Chris Chambers made a 61-yard catch in overtime. Yesterday, it was Louis Murphy's 11-yard touchdown catch over Ryan Mundy with 9 seconds left. "We were supposed to blitz from one side, but we ended up blitzing from both sides," Mundy said. "It was just a little miscommunication, that's all." Yeah, that's all. Only cost the Steelers the game and maybe their season. That was the Oakland Raiders, mind you, who scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, on drives of 57, 84 and 88 yards. The Raiders had 10 touchdowns ALL SEASON to that point. They also had two starting linemen out of the game when they drove 88 yards on 10 plays in 107 seconds to win it. How does it happen that not every defensive player gets the call? "I don't know," said linebacker and defensive co-captain James Farrior. "We all have to be on the same page and relay the call across the board. That starts with me. I have to take responsibility for that." You don't think Al Davis is enjoying this one, do you? The fans were almost as bad as the Steelers' defense. Boos rained down when the Steelers fell behind, 13-10, early in the fourth quarter. Those turned to wild cheers when they took the lead, massive boos when they fell behind again and cheers when they regained the lead on a pass from Ben Roethlisberger to his best friend, Hines Ward, with 1:56 left. Guess what happened then? Thousands fled the premises, depriving the Steelers of much-needed crowd noise on that final drive. The Steelers' kick-coverage team finally met a man it could tackle: Ex- Steelers plodder Gary Russell, who makes Najeh Davenport look like Devin Hester (although Russell did break off a 34-yarder).

22 Starkey: The Steelers stink - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 OK, so where does this debacle rank among the most-galling losses of the decade? I put it first, just ahead of the 24-6 loss to the expansion Houston Texans in 2002 (the Steelers outgained the Texans, ), the loss at Oakland in 2006 and the ridiculous loss to the Chiefs two weeks ago. Special mention goes to the 6-0 loss to the New York Jets in 2003 at the Meadowlands, the day offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey ordered 38 passes in a blizzard. This beats Houston, because that game was a one-man meltdown featuring Tommy Maddox. This wasn't about turnovers. The Steelers just got beat, by a really bad team, on their home field, with their season on the line. What a gutsy performance by Green Tree native Bruce Gradkowski, who took some massive hits but kept coming back for more. He made several mindblowing throws off his back foot, under pressure, and badly fooled the Steelers all game with play fakes. In the fourth quarter, Gradkowski completed 10 of 17 passes for 190 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 137. His rating in his previous visit to Heinz Field, last season as a member of the Cleveland Browns: 1.0. Rookie cornerback Joe Burnett ought to fit right in with this group: He dropped a sure interception on the game-losing drive. Joe Starkey can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

23 Fiery Gradkowski sparks Raiders' comeback - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 Fiery Gradkowski sparks Raiders' comeback By Mark Kaboly Daily News Sports Editor Monday, December 7, 2009 With less than a minute left in the game and the Oakland Raiders driving for the go-ahead score, an injury to Steelers cornerback William Gay forced an extended stoppage. That's when Oakland left tackle Mario Henderson gazed up at the Jumbotron in the south end zone of Heinz Field to see if he blocked the correct person on the previous play. Not a very wise choice when you are down four points, have the ball at the opponent's 40-yard-line and only 41 seconds remain in the game. And it wasn't especially a wise choice when you are standing in Seton-La Salle graduate Bruce Gradkowski's huddle. Henderson learned that the hard way. "He said, 'Come on, man, stop (expletive) looking at that (expletive)," Henderson said. Henderson, who is 6-foot-7, 300 pounds, paused for a second before processing the words directed at him from a guy who has been the Raiders' starting quarterback for just three games. "I looked at him like 'Who the hell you talking to?'" Henderson said. "I was like 'You talking to me?' Then, I was like, 'OK, you're right. You the man, you the man, Bruce.'" Gradkowski was the man for the Raiders yesterday. Two plays later, Gradkowski completed a 23-yard pass to Louis Murphy. Three plays after that, Gradkowski threw his third touchdown pass in a span of eight minutes to lead Oakland to a stunning upset of the two-touchdown favored Steelers, "That showed me how much of a leader he is," Henderson said. "He demands the attention of the huddle and that's good." Winning for the second time in three chances since replacing former first-round pick JaMarcus Russell as starting quarterback, Gradkowski is starting to make a believer out of his teammates.

24 Fiery Gradkowski sparks Raiders' comeback - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 "You have to," Henderson said. "He is proving it. You have no other choice because you see what happens." Gradkowski, who had never enjoyed any success at Heinz Field in his career, threw for a career-high 308 yards and a three touchdowns -- all in the fourth quarter -- in the win. That's a far cry from the last time he played here. Last year, while playing for Cleveland, Gradkowski completed 5 of 16 passes for 18 yards. "I can't even put into words what I feel," Gradkowski said. "It's exciting to come home to Pittsburgh. It has been awesome to be able to come back here and be able to share this with my family." Gradkowski has been a culture shock to the Raiders with his play and attitude. Russell was criticized for his lack of passion for the game during his time running the offense. Gradkowski will never be labeled the same. "He is a fired up guy," Raiders running back Justin Fargas said. "The competitive nature comes out verbally, physically and that is the type of inspiration we need." Being a vocal leader is just how Gradkowski says he plays the game. "Guys need a leader and offensively, I am going to be the leader until coach says otherwise," he said. At this point, that might be a long time down the road. Mark Kaboly can be reached at mkaboly@dailynews .com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

25 'Hellish' losing streak continues - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 1 of 2 'Hellish' losing streak continues By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW Monday, December 7, 2009 Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger addressed a group of shell-shocked teammates in the Steelers' locker room late Sunday afternoon. His message: Everybody could share in the blame following a devastating loss to the Oakland Raiders. "I don't truly agree," free safety Ryan Clark said. "They (the Steelers' offense) did what they were supposed to do, and we (the defense) didn't." Clark wouldn't get many, if any, arguments outside the Steelers' locker room. A defense that has failed to protect late leads five times this season collapsed in the fourth quarter against the lowly Raiders (4-8). As a result of their secondary getting torched by a journeyman quarterback (Bruce Gradkowski) and a rookie wide receiver (Louis Murphy), the Steelers had their losing streak extended to four games, their longest skid since It may be premature to say they hit bottom after losing to a double-digit underdog at home since the Steelers have a game Thursday against the Browns. The Browns have just one victory, and if the Steelers lose in Cleveland for the first time since 2000, they will all but eliminate themselves from playoff contention. Even if the Steelers (6-6) manage to turn it around and reel off four victories, the reigning Super Bowl champions can't be sure that will be enough to get them into postseason play. "That's probably the worst part out of everything is you just don't know," Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel said. "We needed a win (yesterday), and we didn't get it." After a overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week, coach Mike Tomlin vowed that the Steelers would "unleash hell in December." Little did he know that the Steelers would unleash it on themselves. The Steelers allowed the Raiders to stay close through the first three quarters. When it turned into a shootout late, the Steelers couldn't keep pace with

26 'Hellish' losing streak continues - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Page 2 of 2 Gradkowski, who entered the game with 12 career touchdown passes, or Murphy, a fourth-round selection - 45 picks after Steelers guard Kraig Urbik, who has yet to dress for a game this season. Gradkowski threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter alone. Two went to Murphy, including an 11-yarder with nine seconds left in the game. As the defensive players sifted through the wreckage of another loss, they acknowledged they are running out of time to answer a question that has been both vexing and perplexing: Why does a unit that is statistically among the best in the NFL keep coughing up leads in the fourth quarter? In five of the six losses this season, the Steelers led at one point in the fourth. "It's unbelievable, man, I don't know what it is," Steelers linebacker James Farrior said. "I can't put my finger on it, but it's very disappointing. I'm used to our defense making plays when we need to make plays." What the Steelers have collectively done is akin to forgetting how to ride a bike. What made yesterday a new low for a proud defense: It allowed Gradkowski, a Seton-La Salle High graduate, to march the Raiders 88 yards in less than two minutes after an 11-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Hines Ward staked the Steelers to a lead. "Trust me, I lose sleep at night thinking about it," Keisel said of the games the Steelers have let slip away. "We feel like we can beat anybody, so it's tough when you lose those games." Scott Brown can be reached at sbrown@tribweb.com or Images and text copyright 2009 by The Tribune-Review Publishing Co. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent from Trib Total Media

27 TimesOnline.com: Madden Monday: Take Ward at his word? Page 1 of 2 Monday December 7, 2009 Madden Monday: Take Ward at his word? By: Mark Madden Beaver County Times In a Facebook post, Hines Ward said he had apologized to Ben Roethlisberger and things were cool between them. Ward also added, The media will not get comments about this situation from me. Until, of course, the media did. Ward couldn t help himself. Ward is egocentric, which Webster defines as concerned with the individual rather than society. Nothing need be added. Ward wasn t content with questioning Roethlisberger s courage on national television via Bob Costas. He followed up that diatribe by telling the local media, Me personally, I m playing. That further emphasized that Roethlisberger didn t play and that Ward believes himself to be tougher. It also ignores that Roethlisberger was told by doctors and the coaching staff that he couldn t play. Roethlisberger, meanwhile, made one comment he was hurt by Ward s interview then declined further discussion. Roethlisberger did what Ward promised to do, but didn t: Made one statement, then shut up. The Pittsburgh football media mostly let this story die. Tiger Woods pitched in. The Steelers should send Woods a thank-you note. The defense of what Ward said to Costas was laughable. Ward questioning Roethlisberger s heart was the entire context of the interview and thus impossible to take out of context. Trying to make former Patriot-cum-NBC analyst Rodney Harrison the villain was lame. The media did not overhype Ward s comments, especially considering Ward chose to rekindle the fire mid-week. Even nuttier is the notion that Mike Tomlin didn t properly inform his players about Roethlisberger s health. Why do they need to know? Do Ward and the anti-ben 50 percent need a reason to be good teammates? Tomlin s excuse-making made him look weak. He appeared to have inadequate control of the situation, and of Ward. Is Ward really sorry? Even if he is, does a private apology make up for a skewering on national TV? A better question: Can Roethlisberger and Ward indefinitely co-exist on the same team? Despite public statements of respect between the two, it s no secret they don t like each other. Ben might not care who s perceived as King Steeler, but Hines does, and it s not him.

28 TimesOnline.com: Madden Monday: Take Ward at his word? Page 2 of 2 Of still more intrigue was Ward s declaration that half the Steelers thought Roethlisberger should have played. How true is that? How deep does that opinion run? The Steelers are surely fortunate to have so many media cheerleaders locally. But this story will have more repercussions, whether we hear about them or not, especially now that four straight losses and a fade from playoff contention figure to turn the Steelers sour and fragile. The Steelers could solve the problem after the season by getting rid of Roethlisberger or Ward. But both are indispensible to the Steelers success. Ward is closer to the end than to his prime, but dumping him would rally the locker room and fans against Roethlisberger. And you simply don t ditch the best money quarterback in football. So you move on. Maybe everyone involved will shut up, but I doubt it. Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9).

29 TimesOnline.com: Bires: Steelers face fourth and long Page 1 of 3 Monday December 7, 2009 Bires: Steelers face fourth and long By: Mike Bires Beaver County Times Times photo by LUCY SCHALY Jeff Reed looks a little dejected after he misses a field goal. PITTSBURGH The Steelers are not officially dead yet. But this much is sure: We can stop calling their defense great. On the contrary, this is a sad sack group of defenders. It s a once-proud defense that is ruining a season that only four games ago was full of Super Bowl hope. The low point of the demise came Sunday when the defense allowed the woeful Oakland offense to rally the Raiders to a stunning upset win. To have been part of that is sad, defensive end Brett Keisel said. Yes, it was a sad state of affairs for the Steelers to have the Raiders light them up for three fourthquarter touchdowns. These were the same Raiders who came to Pittsburgh ranked last in the NFL in scoring at 10.5 points per game. Not once this year have the Raiders scored three touchdowns in a game. In their first 11 games, Oakland quarterbacks threw a grand total of five TD passes. Bruce Gradkowski threw three against the Steelers in a span of 8:12. No question, it s embarrassing, lamented cornerback Ike Taylor, who played one of his worst games. As a defense, you want to be dominant, cornerback Deshea Townsend said. And the way to be dominant is that when your team needs you to finish, you finish. We are not doing that right now.

30 TimesOnline.com: Bires: Steelers face fourth and long Page 2 of 3 With the exception of an loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 15, the defense has failed to finish in five other Steeler losses. Up until now, the late collapse in the overtime loss in Kansas City on Nov. 22 seemed as low as it could get for the Steelers. Then came Sunday s debacle against the Raiders. With 8:21 left to play, strong safety Tyrone Carter got beat by wide receiver Chaz Schilens for a 17-yard TD. It was Schilens first TD of the season. With 5:28 to play, wide receiver Louis Murphy scorched Taylor for a 75-yard TD. Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh offense seemingly came to the rescue with an 80-yard, go-ahead drive that ended with Hines Ward s TD catch with 1:56 left. But that was plenty of time for the Steelers defense to collapse again. It s almost unimaginable that the defense would allow the Raiders to drive 88 yards at Heinz Field no less for the win. On that last drive, the Raiders moved the first-down chains five times. With 35 seconds left, rookie cornerback Joe Burnett dropped a would-be interception that would have effectively ended the Steelers three-game losing streak. But Burnett, subbing for injured William Gay (concussion), dropped the pass. I read the route. I jumped the route. I did everything right except catch the ball, Burnett said. If I make the play, game s over. On the next play, Murphy out-jumped Taylor for a 23-yard gain to the Steelers 17-yard line. I just didn t make the play, Taylor said. On the next play, Gradkowski threw incomplete. But Ryan Mundy, now playing strong safety instead of Carter, was called for unnecessary roughness for drilling wide receiver Johnnie Lee Higgins after the whistle blew. I m just trying to make a play for my team, Mundy said. I felt I was there in an appropriate amount of time. I ll look at the tape, but you have to accept the referee s call and just keep playing. Two plays later, Gradkowski hung tough against the pass rush and threw toward Murphy, who got behind Mundy for the game-winning 11-yard TD. Miscommunication we just weren t on the same page as a secondary, Mundy explained. It was kind of like a scramble situation. We had a little miscommunication, a little frenzy in the secondary. It was a little hectic back there. That pretty much sums up yet another meltdown by the Steeler defense. No sacks in the fourth quarter. Not enough pressure on Gradkowski.

31 TimesOnline.com: Bires: Steelers face fourth and long Page 3 of 3 Poor coverage in the secondary. A dropped interception. Confusion in the secondary. No one on defense is taking charge and making a play that mattered. As a defense, we re used to being able to finish games. That s what s so sad, Keisel said. Trust me, I lose sleep at night thinking about it. The games we ve let slip away, I ve tried to forget about it. But it s hard. It may be a long time before Keisel and the Steelers defense forget about their collapse against the Raiders. It s a collapse that likely ended their playoff hopes. Mike Bires can be reached at mbires@timesonline.com

32 TimesOnline.com: Notebook: Mendenhall breaks loose Page 1 of 1 Monday December 7, 2009 Notebook: Mendenhall breaks loose By: Andrew Chiapazzi Beaver County Times After breaking a career long 60-yard run in the first quarter, Rashard Mendenhall found himself carrying the ball more in the second half. We thought we could find some running lanes. We wanted to put the ball in Rashard s hands, head coach Mike Tomlin said. He was able to find some rhythm and get some things going. Mendenhall finished with 103 yards on 20 carries and scored on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter. The 60-yard run was the longest by a Steelers running back since Willie Parker had a 76-yard run against New Orleans on November 12, GAY HURTS HEAD William Gay was the only Pittsburgh player hurt, and that came on a hit delivered by his own teammate. With under a minute left in the game and the Raiders driving, Gay and Ryan Mundy teamed up on a tackle of Oakland WR Todd Watkins. Mundy and Gay ended up hitting each other helmet to helmet. Gay stayed down on the field for a few minutes before being helped off. He sustained a concussion of some kind out there, Tomlin said. I don t know to what extent at this point. BURNETT ABSOLVED Joe Burnett, who came on to replace Gay, had an opportunity to seal the game for the Steelers with an interception on the final drive. Burnett jumped in front of a Bruce Gradkowski pass that hit the rookie DB in the chest. But Burnett could not hang on and Gradkowski recovered to lead the Raiders to a touchdown. Burnett s teammates refused to pin the blame on him. Whether he gets that ball or not, we allowed them to move the ball down the field, LB LaMarr Woodley said. WARD MOVING UP WR Hines Hard had six catches for 77 yards, including an 11-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter that moved him into fifth place on the Steelers all-time scoring list. Ward passed former teammate Jerome Bettis and now has 484 career points. INACTIVES As expected, DE Nick Eason took Travis Kirschke s place in the starting lineup. Joining Kirschke on the inactive list were injured SS Troy Polamalu, injured QB Charlie Batch, CB Keenan Lewis, G Kraig Urbik, T Tony Hills, and DE Sunny Harris. Tyler Palko (West Allegheny) served as the third QB.

33 TimesOnline.com: Gradkowski's gratifying homecoming Page 1 of 1 Monday December 7, 2009 Gradkowski's gratifying homecoming By: Mike Bires Beaver County Times PITTSBURGH At long last, Bruce Gradkowski enjoyed his homecoming. After losing his previous two starts at Heinz Field, the former Seton-La Salle High School star played the best game of his pro career Sunday in leading the Oakland Raiders to a stunning win over the Steelers. I can t even put into words what I feel, Gradkowski said. You always visualize the game going into it, and you always picture yourself winning and doing well. That was good. That was exciting, and you wouldn t want it to end any better. And how exciting that was, to come down at the end for us to win it like that. Gradkowski, who grew up in Green Tree, out-dueled Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger by throwing for 308 yards and three touchdowns, all in the fourth quarter. You kidding me? Oakland coach Tom Cable said when asked about Gradkowski. He s home, his folks are in the stands, and to play the way he did, to lead his team, to hang in there at the end and to make huge plays, big throws? Just a great job by him. In his previous two starts at Heinz Field, Gradkowski wasn t able to celebrate. As a rookie in 2006 when he played with Tampa Bay and last year when he played for Cleveland, Gradkowski was sacked eight times and threw five interceptions. His teams lost those games by a combined score of He was certainly a winner Sunday. It s exciting to come home to Pittsburgh, where I m born and raised, said Gradkowski, who played college football at Toledo. I can t describe the love and support that I ve gotten all week from my family, my friends, even the Pittsburgh fans. It s been exciting and to come back and be able to share this with my family and how happy I saw my mom and dad after the game, that s awesome. But it s awesome for our guys, too. I can t be happier for our team. We ve been working so hard, and it s good to see what we can really do when we put a full game together. Three weeks ago, Gradkowski replaced JaMarcus Russell, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2007 draft, as the Raiders starting quarterback. Gradkowski is now 1-2 as a starter. It shows we can play with the best of them, Gradkowski said.

34 TimesOnline.com: Big game means little to Holmes Page 1 of 1 Monday December 7, 2009 Big game means little to Holmes By: Andrew Chiapazzi Beaver County Times PITTSBURGH Santonio Holmes had his best performance of the season Sunday. But in his mind, breaking a couple personal records meant absolutely nothing compared to the painful loss to the Raiders. I don t even care about it right now, a subdued Holmes said afterward. It was fine during the time it happened. But when the clock struck zero, knowing we didn t have enough points to win the ballgame, it didn t matter. Holmes had eight catches for a career high 149 yards and a touchdown. That gives him 987 yards for the year, a career best. It was the first time since week five against Cleveland that Holmes had over 100 yards receiving. He s done a great job and he continues to impress, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger said. He s a great player, a great leader, and he s come a long way. It s one of those things, sometimes things break down and he s open. He s elite. Holmes had two big catches down the stretch as the Steelers attempted to stage a comeback. The first came just after Oakland took a lead midway through the fourth quarter. After the ensuing kickoff, Holmes caught a Ben Roethlisberger pass over the middle and looked for daylight. He found it in the form of a crushing Mike Wallace block. Wallace sent cornerback Stanford Routt tumbling into safety Mike Mitchell and Holmes made it all the way to the Oakland 3 yard line. Rashard Mendenhall scored on the next play. Seeing him break free, I was like, I ve got to get one for him and try and get him to the end zone, Wallace said. I just tried to do my part and come in with a big block. The second catch came again after Oakland scored to take back the lead, this time holding a advantage. With time running out and Roethlisberger running the no huddle, Holmes hauled in a 20-yard pass to the Oakland 21 yard line. Just inside the two minute warning a couple plays later, Roethlisberger hit Hines Ward for what they hoped would be the winning touchdown. Me and Hines, we ask for it. Put it on our shoulders, Holmes said.

35 TimesOnline.com: Rewind: Game 12 Page 1 of 1 Monday December 7, 2009 Rewind: Game 12 By: Mike Bires Beaver County Times THE HERO In a 5:17 span in the fourth quarter, QB Bruce Gradkowski and WR Louis Murphy looked like the second coming of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. There was Gradkowski, a former WPIAL star like the legendary Montana, throwing to Murphy for the Raiders last two TDs. On the day, Gradkowski threw for 308 yards, including 128 on throws to Murphy, a rookie fourth-round draft pick. THE GOAT Obviously, the Steelers secondary misses Troy Polamalu but that said, Pittsburgh s healthy DBs are playing worse by the game. Ike Taylor, the usually reliable cover corner, got burnt to a crisp twice in the fourth quarter. He was victimized on Murphy s 75-yard TD. Then, Taylor was out-jumped by Murphy on a 23-yard pass play that moved the ball to the Steelers 17-yard line with 27 seconds left to play. Three plays later, Murphy got behind S Ryan Mundy for the game-winning score. PLAY OF THE GAME Actually, it was a play the Steelers didn t make that ultimately proved to be the difference. One snap after replacing injured CB William Gay (concussion), rookie corner Joe Burnett dropped an interception (between the numbers) that would have clinched the win for the Steelers. After 12 games, no Steelers corner has a pick. THE BIG NUMBER 3,230: That s the number of no-shows Sunday at Heinz Field. The crowd of 61,820 who watched the Steelers bumble their way to defeat against the Raiders was smaller than the audience of 63,387 that watched Pitt lose to Cincinnati on Saturday in the battle for the Big East championship. UP NEXT It s a short work week for the Steelers, who play the hapless 1-11 Browns on Thursday. The Steelers will be favored heavily to win in Cleveland. But they were also 14.5-point favorites to beat the Raiders. So, the Steelers beating the Browns certainly won t be a cinch. THE BOTTOM LINE At 6-6, the Steelers are in serious trouble. Even if they win their last four games, that might not be enough to get them into the playoffs. Last year, New England didn t get in with an 11-5 record.

36 Another late collapse; playoff hopes slipping Page 1 of 2 Another late collapse; playoff hopes slipping 3:31 AM PITTSBURGH - For three quarters Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers made the Oakland Raiders look, well, like the Oakland Raiders of the past few years. But once the final 15 minutes rolled around, the Raiders made Pittsburgh look like, well, the 2009 Steelers. Oakland scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, including a game-winning 11-yard touchdown pass from Bruce Gradkowski to rookie Louis Murphy with nine seconds remaining, handing the Steelers a crushing, 27-24, defeat before a crowd of 61,820 at Heinz Field. The loss - Pittsburgh's fourth straight - drops the Steelers to 6-6 and puts the defending Super Bowl champions in jeopardy of missing the AFC playoffs. It marked the fifth game in which Pittsburgh's defense allowed an opponent to score and take the lead in the fourth quarter or in overtime. "I'm not going to make any excuses for it," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "We didn't make a play defensively to win that football game." Not that the Steelers didn't have opportunities against a porous Oakland team that entered the game with only 10 touchdowns. Leading 10-6, Tomlin had placekicker Jeff Reed attempt a 53-yard field goal on the opening play of the fourth quarter. Reed's attempt sailed wide left and gave Oakland (4-8) the ball at its own 43-yard line. The Raiders drove from there to take the lead on a 17-yard TD pass from Gradkowski to Chad Schilens, who beat strong safety Tyrone Carter. But the Steelers took only two plays to reclaim the lead, as Ben Roethlisberger connected on a 57-yard catch-and-run to Santonio Holmes, setting up a three-yard Rashard Mendenhall touchdown run that put the Steelers ahead Gradkowski, a Seton-LaSalle High graduate, answered with a 75-yard touchdown to Murphy on thirdand-one to put Oakland back on top, Cornerback Ike Taylor was beaten on the play - though the rest of the defense went for Gradkowski's play-action fake - taking an outside position on Murphy, who ran a post to the middle of the field. "He's supposed to stay inside of him, inside of that man and potentially picking up some inside help," said Tomlin. "Of course, neither happened." The Steelers regained the advantage at on the first play after the two-minute warning. Roethlisberger, who threw for 278 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, threw an 11-yard TD pass to Hines Ward. However, Gradkowski, who threw for 308 yards, led the game-winning drive. It started from the Oakland 12 and the Raiders had only one timeout remaining.

37 Another late collapse; playoff hopes slipping Page 2 of 2 Gradkowski just missed having several passes intercepted, but Oakland's receivers came down with every catch. While being hit by linebacker LaMarr Woodley, Gradkowski got off a floating pass that Murphy came down with at the Pittsburgh 40 with 41 seconds left. Cornerback William Gay was injured on the play, taking a helmet-to-helmet blow from teammate Ryan Mundy, and forcing the Steelers to use a timeout. On the next play, rookie defensive back Joe Burnett, who was in the game in place of Gay, dropped an interception on a pass intended for Murphy. "It just surprised me," said Burnett, who has played sparingly. "Coach told me they were going to come after me. That's a play I'd love to have back." On the next play, Gradkowski lofted a pass toward the sideline and the 6-2 Murphy, who did not have a reception in the first three quarters, outjumped Taylor to come down with the football at the Pittsburgh 17. On second down, Gradkowski avoided a blitz from linebacker Lawrence Timmons and stepped up in the pocket. Gradkowski found Murphy all alone in the back corner of the end zone for an 11-yard gamewinning TD. "That was so exciting, I can't even put into words how I feel," said Gradkowski. "As a defense, you want to be dominant," said Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend. "And the way to be dominating is that, when your team needs you to finish, you finish. We're not doing that." The Steelers had one last chance at pulling out a victory. Roethlisberger threw a pass to Ward to midfield but a Hail Mary pass to Limas Sweed in the end zone as time expired fell incomplete. "We're going to turn over stones," said Tomlin, saying that lineup changes could be in store. "We've had opportunities to make plays. We've got to make them." Odds and end zones Holmes had eight catches for a career-high 149 yards.... Mendenhall had 103 yards on 20 carries.... Ward has 484 career points, moving past Jerome Bettis into fifth place on the team's all-time list.... Pittsburgh is 2-5 when safety Troy Polamalu doesn't start. Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

38 Different opponent, same old story Page 1 of 2 Different opponent, same old story 3:31 AM PITTSBURGH - We've seen this act so often this season that it seems like we're stuck watching re-runs of a bad TV sitcom. The Steelers dominate a game through three quarters only to give up a late lead to a supposedly inferior team. Pittsburgh did it again Sunday against Oakland, though the Steelers were not content to do it just once. They gave up the lead three times to the Raiders in the fourth quarter. They allowed a team that entered the game with 10 touchdowns all season to drive the length of the field three times for go-ahead scores. The result is a 6-6 record for Pittsburgh that has been completely earned by this group after a 6-2 first half of the season. "We thought we would be doing a lot better at this point," said linebacker James Farrior. "But the record is what it is. We are what the record says we are." And that is mediocre and fading fast. This is not the point of the season when you want to be playing your worst football, but that's exactly where the Steelers find themselves. It's a far different feeling than they are having in, say, Miami, where the Dolphins are happy to be sitting at 6-6 today after upsetting the New England Patriots. When asked what the loss to the Raiders will do to the Steelers' playoff hopes, head coach Mike Tomlin referenced former Indianapolis head coach Jim Mora's famous "Playoffs!" rant. "I'm just trying to win a game," said Tomlin. "What's the whole Coach Mora response to that question? That's where I'm at." To get into the AFC playoffs, the Steelers not only need to win their four remaining games, they also need a lot of help from other teams. But with the way Pittsburgh is playing, particularly on defense, even winning Thursday at Cleveland is no longer a given. The Steelers have given up a lead in overtime or the fourth quarter five times this season - something that used to happen as often as a Republican is elected mayor of Pittsburgh. But without strong safety Troy Polamalu, this is a defense that lacks playmakers and ability to get the job done late in games. That was never more apparent than Sunday, when Oakland quarterback Bruce Gradkowski - who had a Blutarsky-like passer rating of 1.0 in a start here for Cleveland in tossed floater after floater into the air against the Steelers, only to have Oakland's receivers come down with the football every time. Tomlin hinted that lineup changes might be coming, but let's be realistic. As Farrior said, at this point,

39 Different opponent, same old story Page 2 of 2 the Steelers are what they are. Other than getting Polamalu back, which Tomlin said won't likely happen against Cleveland, there are no elixirs. If any of the reserves could fix this free-fall, they would have already been playing. After last week's loss at Baltimore, Tomlin said the Steelers were going to "unleash hell," for the remainder of this season. Little did we know that it would be like watching a living rewrite of Dante's Inferno, where in this particular circle of the netherworld, we get to watch the Steelers repeat their mistakes over and over. F. Dale Lolley can be reached at dlolley@observer-reporter.com Copyright Observer Publishing Co.

40 Page 1 of 1 Defense apologizes to Roethlisberger for loss By: JIM WEXELL Herald Standard PITTSBURGH - People have been apologizing to Ben Roethlisberger quite a bit these days. Hines Ward apologized to the Steelers' quarterback early in the week, and the defense did so after Sunday's shocking loss to the hapless Oakland Raiders. Roethlisberger completed every pass in the second half - except for a last-gasp Hail Mary - in twice helping the Steelers overcome fourthquarter deficits. But once again, Roethlisberger's final touchdown came with too much time on the clock for what's become a porous defense. The Steelers allowed three Bruce Gradkowski touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, the last with nine seconds left in the game. And even then, Roethlisberger was able to hit Limas Sweed in the hands in the end zone with his final desperation heave, but it was broken up by the Raiders as the clock hit triple zeroes. The Steelers allowed 396 yards to what had been the league's 31st-ranked offense. And 229 of those yards came in the fourth quarter, which begat the apologies. Not that Roethlisberger needed to hear them. "I've never commented about the defense when they've played great because it's not my side of the ball," he said after the game. "And I'm not going to comment on anything on the other side of the ball because you have to ask them. I'm proud of the way this team played. We lost the game. I'm disappointed about that. I'll comment on offensive linemen, receivers, tight ends; I thought they played great." Santonio Holmes had the best statistical performance of his four-year career. The Steelers' split end caught eight passes for 149 yards and a 34-yard touchdown that put the Steelers ahead by 10-3 in the second quarter. Holmes also caught a 57-yard pass in the fourth quarter that set up Rashard Mendenhall's 3-yard touchdown run only 1:08 after Oakland had taken a lead. The Raiders, though, came back with a 3-play scoring drive to re-take the lead at Roethlisberger followed by completing four of four passes on the Steelers' next possession, ending with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ward for a lead with 1:56 remaining. Ward and Roethlisberger hugged and all appeared well for the Steelers and their team unity, which had been questioned early in the week because of a potential rift between the two players. But the Raiders came back to devastate the Steelers' porous secondary and turn the defending champs into playoff longshots. Yet, Roethlisberger still believes the locker room will remain unified. "We've always been a team. We've always stuck together through thick and thin, good and bad," he said. "We just have to get ready for Cleveland." Roethlisberger appears back on track after missing a game and opening Sunday's contest with a sluggish first half. He's now thrown for over 3,000 yards for the fourth consecutive season, and Holmes with 987 yards and Ward with 922 are closing in on 1,000-yard receiving seasons. But the statistic that matters is all knotted at 6-6 after losing to another NFL bottom-feeder. "To me it's tough to lose to anyone," Roethlisberger said. "I hate it. It burns. It hurts. You dwell on it for the night and you move on." December 07, 2009

41 Page 1 of 1 Forget the playoffs, Pittsburgh needs a win By: MIKE CIAROCHI Herald Standard PITTSBURGH - The Steelers four-game losing streak has taken them from certain playoff participants to a team on the outside looking in. Even if the Steelers can win their last four games to finish 10-6, they likely would need help from around the league to make it to the postseason. Sunday's loss to the Oakland Raiders left many players wondering whether they deserve to be in the playoffs. "This was our playoffs," linebacker James Farrior said. "I don't know if we're out mathematically or not, but it doesn't look good." Farrior was asked what incentive the players have left, if the post-season isn't on the horizon. "We're professionals," he said. "If there's a game left, we want to play our best and win it." "We've still got games," cornerback Ike Taylor said. "Regardless, we've got to go out there and play our best, but the way it looks now, our chances are slim. Slimmer than a dog on a diet." Coach Mike Tomlin scoffed at a playoff-related question and likened his team's situation to that of the Indianapolis Colts when Jim Mora was their coach. "Playoffs? You're talking about playoffs?" Mora squeaked in one of the most recognizable coaches film clips in league history. "I'm just trying to win a game," Tomlin said Sunday. "What's the whole coach Mora response to that question? That's where I'm at." RIVALRY LIVES: The Raiders-Steelers rivalry was said to be dead by many heading into this game, but somebody forgot to inform the Raiders. By beating the Steelers, Oakland improved to 10-8 against the Steelers in regular season games, including a 5-4 mark in Pittsburgh. The Raiders are 2-2 at Heinz Field. MENDENHALL TOPS 100: Rashard Mendenhall ran 20 times for 103 yards and scored a touchdown. He leads the team with five rushing touchdowns and posted his third career 100-yard outing of the season and of his career. SETTING THE TONE: WR Santonio Holmes caught eight passes for 149 yards and one touchdown. He surpassed his career high in receiving yards and has 987 through 12 games. Holmes also posted his third 100-yard effort of the season and seventh of his career. WARD MOVES UP: WR Hines Ward scored a touchdown to total 484 points in his career. That moved him past RB Jerome Bettis into fifth place on the team's all-time scoring list. Bettis finished his career with 482 points scored for the Steelers. Ward also has now caught a pass in a team-record 174 consecutive games. RANDOM NOTES: QB Ben Roethlisberger surpassed 3,000 passing yards for the fourth consecutive season, most in team history. He has passed for 3,145 so far this season. + KR Stefan Logan's game-opening 83-yard kickoff return is the longest of his career. + LB LaMarr Woodley had two sacks for 18 yards in losses. It was his sixth career game and third this season with multiple sacks. December 07, 2009

42 Page 1 of 2 Raiders hand Steelers fourth straight defeat By: HERALD STANDARD STAFF Herald Standard PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Super Bowl champion Steelers are losing their confidence as fast as they're losing leads and losing games. The Oakland Raiders? Suddenly, they're winning like they did in the old days, with remarkable comebacks and surprise finishes. Louis Murphy caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Bruce Gradkowski with nine seconds remaining, his second score in the final 5 1/2 minutes, and the Raiders scored three late touchdowns to stun Pittsburgh on Sunday and deal the Steelers their fourth consecutive loss. The Steelers (6-6), in danger of missing the playoffs after winning the Super Bowl for a second time in four seasons, went ahead on Ben Roethlisberger's 11-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward with 1:56 remaining, only to have the Raiders (4-8) rally and win it. For the two-touchdown underdog Raiders, it was a comeback win even better than their upset over Cincinnati two weeks before. Then, Murphy caught a 29-yard touchdown pass and Sebastian Janikowski kicked a 33-yard field goal in the final 33 seconds. Overmatched against his hometown Steelers last season, Gradkowski became the first Raiders quarterback to throw three touchdowns in a fourth quarter since Ken Stabler during a win over New Orleans on Dec. 3, 1979, when Oakland trailed Who does Gradkowski think he is, one-time Raiders comeback king George Blanda? Until Sunday, the Raiders had thrown only five touchdown passes all season. Gradkowski, who completed only two passes and had a 1.0 passer rating during a 31-0 loss in Pittsburgh with Cleveland last December, finished 20 of 33 for 308 yards with a passer rating of "Our receivers coach (Sanjay Lal) gave us a message, and he brought up the Miracle on Ice, Buster Douglas knocking out (Mike) Tyson, and things that were just unbelievable but the people that did it believed they could," wide receiver Todd Watkins said. Pittsburgh, 6-2 at midseason, has lost to two of the NFL's worst teams in the last three weeks, the Chiefs (3-9) and the Raiders, to fall three games behind Cincinnati (9-3) in the AFC North. "I can't even describe how frustrating it is right now to be 6-6," linebacker James Farrior said. "We thought we'd be doing a lot better at this point. But we are what our record says we are." It was the fifth time in six losses the Steelers couldn't hold a lead in the fourth quarter. They led 10-6, and "As a defense, you want to be dominant," cornerback Deshea Townsend said. "The way to be dominating is when your team needs you to finish." After three quarters with little scoring, long stretches of inactivity and an unusually quiet crowd, the fourth quarter became a back-and-forth duel between revived offenses, with the lead changing five times in the final 8 1/2 minutes. "We'd score, they'd score, we'd score," Oakland's Jon Condo said. It all started when Gradkowski connected with Chaz Schilens on a 17-yard scoring pass with 8:21 remaining to give Oakland its first lead at The Raiders, held to 49 points in their first five road games and next to last in the NFL in offense, fell behind on Rashard Mendenhall's 3-yard TD run one play after Roethlisberger's 57-yard hookup with Santonio Holmes. Holmes earlier put Pittsburgh up 10-3 with a 34-yard scoring catch. Oakland answered again when Murphy got behind Ike Taylor on a 75-yard touchdown pass that made it with 5:28 to go, but it wasn't nearly over. Pittsburgh drove 80 yards in seven plays for Ward's touchdown, but left enough time on the clock - almost three minutes - for Oakland to win it with the kind of drive it's rarely mounted all season, much less three times in a quarter.

43 Page 2 of 2 Gradkowski found Murphy for 19 yards to the Steelers 40 and 17 yards to the 23, and a late-hit penalty on backup safety Ryan Mundy gave Oakland a first down at the 11. Murphy then got free behind Mundy - playing only because Troy Polamalu (left knee) missed a third consecutive game - for the game-winner. "That was so exciting, I can't even put into words how I feel," said Gradkowski, whose first two starts in Pittsburgh in 2006 and 2008 yielded three points, five interceptions and zero wins. Playing 17 days shy of the 37th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, the Steelers had one more chance. Roethlisberger threw into the end zone from the 50 on the final play, but Hiram Eugene knocked down a pass intended for Limas Sweed. No miracle finish against Oakland this time. "We played poorly at a critical time, so you lose when you do that," coach Mike Tomlin said. NOTES: Roethlisberger, returning after sitting out a game with a concussion, was 18 of 24 for 278 yards, two TDs and an interception thrown into the end zone late in the first half.... The Steelers have allowed seven plays of 40 yards or longer in their last four games. They gave up only two such plays last season.... Pittsburgh is 2-5 when Polamalu doesn't start.... Murphy made four catches for 128 yards, all in the fourth quarter. December 07, 2009

44 Browns are better, but not nearly good enough to stop Chargers' electric offense, Page 1 of 3 Browns are better, but not nearly good enough to stop Chargers' electric offense, By Tony Grossi December 06, 2009, 10:24PM Tracy Boulian/The Plain Dealer Brady Quinn is left disappointed and a little shocked as the San Diego defense celebrates a fumble recovery that ended a promising second-quarter drive Sunday. The Browns offense was far more productive against the Chargers, but couldn't overcome big days by Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates in a loss. Live: Chat with Tony Grossi at noon Evan Moore's surprising day: Browns Insider Game photo gallery Tomlinson honored to surpass Jim Brown Gates dazzles Browns defense Pluto: Just don't be boring Pluto's post-game scribbles Box score Tony/Mary Kay's video NFL scoreboard CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Had the Browns been losing in September and October to superior foes like they did on Sunday -- that is to say, by making a game of it -- maybe they wouldn't be in the position they find themselves today. But they are 1-11 after losing to the San Diego Chargers, With four games to go, the extent of another off-season of change is all that's left to be determined. By the time the Browns mounted a fourth-quarter rally, which included two touchdowns and a successful onside kick, there had to be fewer than 10,000 fans shivering in their seats. At least they got to see history. No, not two touchdown catches by Jerome Harrison and a 16-point

45 Browns are better, but not nearly good enough to stop Chargers' electric offense, Page 2 of 3 fourth quarter by the Browns. We're talking serious NFL history -- San Diego's classy LaDainian Tomlinson surpassing Jim Brown for eighth place on the all-time rushing list. Tomlinson pushed over Brown's career total of 12,312 yards with an 11-yard run with 9:02 left in the game. It was Tomlinson's final carry of the day and he marked the occasion by saluting Brown, whom he knew was sitting in a stadium suite above the 50-yard line. Tomlinson finished with 64 yards and 12,321 in his career, which now spans 137 games. Brown retired after 118 games. Prior to that, Tomlinson scored on a four-yard run, making him the fastest NFL player to 150 career touchdowns. He's had 135 on the ground. Brown was the first NFL player to rush for 100 touchdowns. Brown hobbled down to the Chargers' locker room with the help of a cane after the game and embraced Tomlinson, who told him how much he wanted to be like Brown while he was growing up. "But I didn't have the size you had," Tomlinson said. "We'll, here you are," Brown said. "Keep up the good work. This might be the year." He was referring to Tomlinson's hopes of earning a Super Bowl ring. The Chargers improved to 9-3 after their seventh straight victory. As for the Browns, they had two decent offensive stretches -- the beginning of the game and the end. And they had many bad defensive stretches. Brady Quinn engineered the Browns' first touchdown drive on their first possession in two years. It spanned 72 yards and culminated in an 11-yard pass to Mohamed Massaquoi in the back of the end zone. The two TDs thrown to Harrison in the fourth quarter capped a 271-yard passing game for Quinn, with no interceptions. But a lost fumble at the Chargers' 3 in the second quarter, on which Quinn was stripped of the ball on a blind-side sack by linebacker Shaun Phillips, proved costly in the final mathematics of the game. The Chargers seized control by dominating the third quarter, to the tune of outgaining their hosts, They scored two touchdowns to pull away, "I don't agree [that the game was lost there]," Quinn said. "I think we just ran out of time in the fourth quarter." The game had some uncanny nuances, such as Quinn hooking up six times for 80 yards with tight end Evan Moore, who was promoted from the practice squad on Saturday, and Brian Robiskie not only dressing for the game but contributing four catches for 69 yards. Tracy Boulian/The Plain Dealer Robaire Smith kept LaDainian Tomlinson contained to a relatively short gain on this play, but the Chargers' veteran running back earned enough yards to surpass Jim Brown for eighth on the NFL's all-time career rushing yards list. TONY S TAKE Offense: Except for a dormant third period six plays, 10 yards this was a surprising outburst. The Browns had 362 yards in the other three periods. Brady Quinn had an excellent game (271 yards and three touchdowns) except for one lost fumble while scanning the field on the run. Tight end Evan Moore (six catches, 80 yards) and receiver Brian Robiskie (four, 69) came out of nowhere to contribute. Bottom line: Lowered standards made this a game to shout about. Defense: Nobody could cover tight end Antonio Gates (eight catches, 167 yards). Giving up a 66-yard touchdown after a catch by backup fullback Mike Tolbert is inexcusable. All told, Chargers had pass plays of 56, 31, 41 and 66 yards. Philip Rivers passer rating of was almost perfect. Bottom line: It s always something. Special teams: Phil Dawson missed a field goal from 43 yards, but atoned with one good from 49 yards and also executed a perfect onside kick recovered by Blake Costanzo. Two in a row is too much to ask. Josh Cribbs ripped off two good kickoff returns for 42 and 32 yards. Bottom line: They ve got to dominate to have any chance of winning. Coaching: Offense got a little conservative at end of first half and it cost three points as Chargers sprinted down for a field goal in 34 seconds. Halftime adjustments were non-existent. Chargers dominated the third period to take game in hand. Bottom line: 1-11 is no typo. Tony Grossi But the one thing that evolved pretty much as predicted was San