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LOCAL

Steelers deal OK'd NFL owners vote 31-0 to allow the ownership restructuring that keeps Dan Rooney and his son in control of the football team Thursday, December 18, 2008 By Robert Dvorchak, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Associated Press

Steelers owner Dan Rooney walks in the hallway during a break of the NFL owners meeting in Irving, Texas, yesterday.

IRVING, Texas -- The NFL yesterday unanimously approved sweeping changes in the ownership structure of the Steelers, but the team still plans to operate the Rooney way.

"We wouldn't have done it if we thought we wouldn't be able to handle it," said team president Art Rooney II.

"We plan to operate along the same guidelines we have historically. We're not planning to change anything dramatically. We'll pretty much operate as much as possible the way we have. Obviously, we are headed into difficult economic times. We'll do our best."

By a vote of 31-0, the owners approved a proposal that consolidates ownership of the Steelers in the hands of Dan Rooney and Art II, his oldest son, while separating ownership of the family's gambling interests from the football team.

Under the plan, the Steelers will be borrowing about $250 million as Dan and Art II buy out all or part of the shares held by the four younger sons of franchise patriarch Art Rooney. The Rooney family agreement calls for a closing to take place before March 31, 2009.

The debt exceeds NFL limits and required a waiver, and commissioner Roger Goodell gave his blessing to the proposal after an owners meeting at the posh Four Seasons Resort and Club in Irving, a suburb of Dallas.

PNC Bank will handle the loans for the buyout, using the team as collateral, but it was unclear how much will be borrowed and how much will come from three new partners who were also approved yesterday. They are the Paul family of Pittsburgh; James Haslam III of Knoxville, Tenn., and Thomas Tull of Los Angeles.

The Paul family owns Ampco-Pittsburgh, a specialty steel manufacturer headquartered Downtown, and has interests in TV and radio stations, banking, fitness centers and real estate.

Mr. Haslam, 54, is president of Pilot Travel Centers, the nation's largest retail operator of travel centers and truck stops.

Mr. Tull, 38, has a film production company called Legendary Pictures that co-produced and co-financed such films as The Dark Knight, 300, Batman Begins, We Are Marshall and Superman Returns.

The Wall Street firm of Morgan Stanley had been retained by the Rooneys to line up investors, and more may be made

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public at a later date.

Each of the five Rooney brothers inherited a 16 percent stake in the Steelers when their father, who founded the franchise in1933 for $2,500, died in 1988. The remaining 20 percent is owned by the McGinley family.

But NFL rules require a controlling interest of at least 30 percent by one entity, in this case, Dan and his son. The plan approved yesterday will bring them to that threshold.

Twin brothers Timothy and Patrick Rooney will each sell their 16 percent ownership in the Steelers while staying in control of Empire City Gaming at Yonkers Raceway and the Palm Beach Kennel Club, one of the most successful greyhound tracks in the country. Art Jr. and John Rooney will sell parts of their stakes in the Steelers. After the sale price was set at $800 million a month ago, a 16 percent share works out to $128 million.

Dan Rooney, who took over daily operations of the Steelers about the time his father was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964, said he has no concerns about the Steelers staying competitive in today's economic climate and with NFL labor issues looming after the 2010 season.

"I don't at all," he said. "This year, they said we had the toughest schedule in the league, too. Here we are [playoff-bound at 11-3] with a great coach and excellent players. The team has been a big part of Pittsburgh, and that's the way it should stay under our direction. That was my goal, and Art's goal, from the beginning."

The restructuring, which has caused stresses and strains within the family while a fair settlement was being sought, has been simmering in the two years since the Steelers won Super Bowl XL.

But Dan Rooney said the family remains tight knit.

"My brothers, they came along. They saw the benefits of doing it this way. We still talk to each other and only fight as we always did," he said with a chuckle. "Everything's fine."

The NFL raised concerns about the franchise being out of accord with NFL rules on majority control and its prohibitions against gambling even as the commissioner let it be known he wanted the Rooneys to retain control of the Steelers.

The NFL bans owners from being involved in gambling, even those forms sanctioned by government, and the family-owned tracks had expanded to include video game slots and/or poker rooms. The Chief, a storied horse player who kept the franchise going in the Great Depression with his racetrack winnings, bought the Palm Beach Kennel Club in 1970 and purchased the Yonkers harness track in 1971.

The Rooney family could have made more money by accepting the offer of hedge-fund billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller, who attempted to buy a majority stake in the team. But the family preferred this way to keep the franchise under its control.

Dan Rooney thanked Mr. Druckenmiller for his efforts and hoped he would remain a Steelers fan.

The owners meeting yesterday, at which the principals left the marble-floored corridors to be whisked away by their waiting limo drivers, was a far cry from the first one Dan Rooney attended in the 1950s. At that one, he lobbied for the players to receive more than one pair of football shoes per season.

It was Dan who made some of the most important personnel decisions in franchise history, from accepting the resignation of volatile coach Buddy Parker in the mid-1960s to the 1969 hiring of coach Chuck Noll, who won four Super Bowls.

The NFL guideline for interviewing minority candidates for coaching vacancies is known as the Rooney Rule in his honor, and he has guided the league in everything from expansion to labor disputes to the election of new commissioners.

He and the Steelers were both born in 1933, and he stuck firmly to the goal of keeping the team in Pittsburgh for the next 75 years.

"This was a big step," said Art Rooney II. "We still have to get to a closing and finalize everything. We're looking to getting everything wrapped up early next year."

Robert Dvorchak can be reached at [email protected]

First published on December 18, 2008 at 12:00 am

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LOCAL

3 investors injecting new blood into teamThursday, December 18, 2008

Jimmy Haslam

For the first time, ownership of the Steelers will expand beyond the Rooney and McGinley families. Three new primary investors include a movie producer who is a lifelong Steelers fan, a family with Pittsburgh and Los Angeles ties, and the president of a Knoxville, Tenn., business that owns travel centers and truckstops throughout the country.

James A. Haslam III

Diesel fuel, banking, restaurant chains, athletics, philanthropy and Republican Party politics may seem like an eclectic mix. But for one of the Steelers newest investors, it's his life's story.

James A. "Jimmy" Haslam III has one of the better known names in Tennessee.

His father was a tackle for Tennessee on its 1951 national championship team and captain of the team the following year. After serving with the U.S. Army in Korea, he opened the first Pilot fuel stop in Gate City, Va.

Pilot, headquartered in Knoxville, is the largest supplier of off-the-road diesel fuel in the United States, and the nation's 25th largest restaurant franchise.

Jimmy Haslam, 54, is president of Pilot Travel Centers, the nation's largest retail operator of travel centers and truckstops.

With 13,000 employees, it has franchises from Connecticut to California and from Wisconsin to Texas. Its 300 retail facilities house such chains as Subway, Wendy's, Arby's, Taco Bell, Denny's and McDonald's. Pilot also owns and operates 40 convenience stores in the Knoxville area.

Mr. Haslam sits on the board of directors of the First Tennessee Bank National Corp. and the restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday Inc.

He was the financial manager for Republican Bob Corker in his successful bid for the U.S. Senate from Tennessee in 2006. Mr. Haslam has also made campaign contributions to President George W. Bush and the National Republican Senatorial Committee, according to campaignmoney.com, and he gave $10,000 to the Tennessee Republican Party in 2006. He is also a member of the Americans for Truth in Politics.

Mr. Haslam's brother, William, is mayor of Knoxville.

Mr. Haslam's father was recently recognized as making the largest donation ever to his alma mater, the University of Tennessee.

The family has made investments in sports teams before. In 2001, the Haslams purchased the Tennessee Smokies, a Class AA baseball team, from Don Beaver, who is a limited partner in the Pittsburgh Pirates.

A phone call to the Haslam residence last night was not returned.

Page 1 of 33 investors injecting new blood into team


Robert A. Paul

Robert A. Paul, 70, is the chairman and CEO of Ampco-Pittsburgh, a specialty steel manufacturer headquartered Downtown. He began his career there in 1964, when the company was known as Screw and Bolt Corporation of America, according to the University of Pittsburgh's Web site.

He lives in Squirrel Hill with his wife, Donna. The Pauls' children, Larry, 44, Stephen, 41, and Karen Zimmer, 39, are based in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. They could not be reached for comment last night.

The family is involved in several businesses, including radio and television stations, cable and cellular phone operations, snow and ice removal equipment, and restaurants, among others, according to a news release.

Mr. Paul sits on the board of trustees at the University of Pittsburgh. He also sits on a number of other nonprofit boards, including the board of directors at UPMC, Cornell University and the Harvard Medical School.

"He's a very knowledgeable, sophisticated man of the world of finance," said Pitt spokesman Robert Hill. "He's a good, contributing board member who makes constructive contributions."

At Cornell University, where he is an emeritus member of the board of trustees and a presidential councillor, Mr. and Mrs. Paul established The Paul Awards, a scholarship for undergraduate advisers at the university.

Mr. Paul earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Cornell and an M.B.A. and J.D. from Harvard University, according to the University of Pittsburgh's Web site.

Thomas Tull

Hollywood movie producer Thomas Tull has been a die-hard Steelers fan from the time he watched his first football game -- the Steelers' 16-6 victory against the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IX.

Since then, he has visited training camp in Latrobe and the Steelers offices on the South Side on several occasions, premiered one of his movies, "We Are Marshall," to Dan Rooney, former coach Bill Cowher and the Steelers players and delighted in getting to sit in the chair once used by the late Steelers owner and founder, Art Rooney Sr.

What's more, he never schedules a shoot or production meeting when the Steelers are playing, claiming he has never missed a snap since DirecTV debuted in 1994.

Now, after raising more than $500 million in private equity to establish Legendary Pictures, a film production company based in Burbank, Calif., Mr. Tull is one of the investors who will help finance the purchase of stock to become a minority owner in the Steelers franchise.

"The two things I love the most are movies and Steelers football," Mr. Tull said in a September interview with Steelers.com. "The fact that I can be around both is amazing. For me, especially the guys from the 70s, that is like Mount Olympus."

Mr. Tull, 38, who grew up in Binghamton, N.Y., not far from the Pennsylvania border, declined an interview request last night from the Post-Gazette, saying he preferred to let Dan Rooney and his son, Art II, have their day after the NFL owners approved their purchase of franchise stock from Dan Rooney's other four brothers.

Still, this is like a dream come true for Mr. Tull, who grew up in Binghamton and studied law and was a wide receiver on the football team at Hamilton College, an NCAA Division III school in Clinton, N.Y. After college, he bought and sold a small Laundromat chain, discovered how to raise money and eventually moved to Hollywood to purchase Legendary Pictures, which signed a 25-movie contract with Warner Brothers in 2005.

Among his movies: "Superman Returns" and "The Dark Knight."

"The Steelers versus the Vikings in the Super Bowl was the very first football I remember watching," Mr. Tull said in the book, "Steeler Nation," authored by Irwin resident Jim Wexell, a Pittsburgh-area sports journalist. "They were unbelievable and tough, and ever since I was a little kid I loved the Steelers and would wear the jersey, my little yellow wristbands, all that stuff."

Mr. Tull hasn't stopped there. Even though he never saw a game at Heinz Field until the season opener this year against the Houston Texans, he was a guest of Dan Rooney at St. Vincent College this summer, equating the experience of walking around training camp with the Steelers chairman to "like visiting the Vatican with the Pope," according to his interview in



Steelers.com.

"It's something I am passionate about and love -- what the team stands for in terms of the way they play the game and havealways played the game," Mr. Tull said in that interview. "I think the Rooney family is the classiest family in professional sports. I watch the way this team carries itself and it's fantastic."

-- Gerry Dulac


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Rooneys earn NFL owners' blessing, 31-0 By By Scott Brown and Carl Prine TRIBUNE-REVIEW Thursday, December 18, 2008

IRVING, Texas -- Dan Rooney said his goal always has been to keep the Steelers in the Rooney family. Wednesday afternoon, the NFL gave him a fighting chance to do just that.

The league's owners approved Rooney's plan for restructuring Steelers ownership by a vote of 31-0 at the Four Seasons Resort and Club. There was one abstention at the owners' meeting.

If final details can be worked out, the owners' blessing will consolidate control of the Steelers in the hands of Dan Rooney and his son, team President Art Rooney II. It brings the franchise in compliance with NFL policies mandating that a principal owner control at least 30 percent of a club's shares and bylaws banning partners from holding casinos, an increasingly lucrative part of the Rooney family's earnings.

"It was a lot of work, and everybody put forth the effort," Dan Rooney said. "It wasn't a slam dunk strictly for the Rooneys. This was something the league felt was good for them."

The deadline for the deal to become final is March 31, a date set by Dan Rooney's four brothers. The five brothers each hold a 16 percent cut of the fabled franchise; the related McGinley clan controls the remaining 20 percent.

Two brothers -- John and Art Rooney Jr. -- will remain minority partners of the team. Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney will hold 20 percent, and Art II will receive 10 percent. The NFL will allow Dan and Art II to be treated as one person owning 30 percent of the team.

"I don't feel any different tonight than before," said Florida racing tycoon Patrick Rooney, one of the brothers who relinquished his share in the team. "The deal has to be completed for me to feel any differently. The only thing that happened today was that the league wanted to give it to Dan, but we always knew the league would approve that. We expected that.

"What's next is for all the investors to come out."

The NFL owners yesterday approved three minority investors that Dan and Art II lined up with the help of Wall Street investment house Goldman & Sachs: James Haslam III, 54, of Knoxville, Tenn.; Thomas Tull, 38, of Los Angeles; and five members of the Paul family, which is based in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.

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None of the new investors could be reached for comment.

Haslam runs the Pilot Travel Centers, convenience stores and truck stops that dot the American landscape.

Tull's Legendary Pictures is a Hollywood titan. With Warner Brothers, Tull -- a native of upstate New York -- has helped to produce or finance a string of hit flicks, including the recent Batman films, "Superman Returns" and the teary "We are Marshall."

Led by Robert Paul, 71, the Paul family's enterprises include metal fabricating giant Ampco-Pittsburgh, TV and radio holdings, banks, restaurants and fitness clubs. According to a Steelers' news release, the deal will bring in Paul's wife, Donna, and their children, Larry, 44, Stephen, 41, and Karen Zimmer, 39.

Art Rooney II said he and his father are still putting together their corral of investors, but most of the financing is completed. Oakland's Rita McGinley, 86, told the Trib she plans on keeping her 10 percent stake.

"They told us that they were trying to get 17 partners. By my count, they need six more," said Art Rooney Jr., Dan's brother.

Dan Rooney and his son will incur $250 million in debt -- that is $100 million more than the NFL normally allows -- and their shares in the Steelers will be used as collateral for their loan orchestrated by PNC Bank.

A previous $840 million cash tender for the team by Steelers fan and hedge fund billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller collapsed in September. It would have made the Steelers the only franchise in the NFL without a penny of debt.

Despite taking on a large amount of debt in queasy economic times, Dan and Art II said it won't compromise the Steelers' ability to compete financially or affect the product they put on the playing field. The Steelers could explore tapping other forms of revenues, and Art II refused to rule out raising ticket prices to fund the loan.

But, he added, "We don't plan to make any dramatic changes to the way we operate. We wouldn't have (put together a buyout plan) if we didn't think we would be able to handle it."

Art Rooney II said the other NFL owners did not attach any contingencies to the reorganization plan.

Although the potential sale of the Steelers became known publicly in July, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said talks of restructuring started three years ago.

"The initiative frankly was that they had changed their business operations and the gambling operations had gone more into gambling," Goodell said. "It was a greater concern to us than the original horse racing and dog racing. I think



estate planning was an issue for them also."

The four Rooney brothers did not want their children to get saddled with the prohibitive estate tax if their shares in the Steelers were passed down.

For the league, however, Dan Rooney's buyout bid comes with the possibility of labor strife after the 2010 season, when the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the National Football League Players Union expires.

In Washington, union spokesman Carl Francis said the players wouldn't take a stand on the Steelers' debt package or any other waivers issued to franchises to exceed the league's $150 million debt ceiling -- so long as the Steelers' owners adhere to rules on salary cap spending.

"We've been in favor of a policy that allows teams to take on more debt, particularly if that allows them to sign or re-sign players to remain competitive," he said.

NFL owners conceded the Steelers deal came during tough economic times, but said they trusted Dan Rooney and his track record of winning on the field and in the boardroom.

"We've looked at it very positively and hope they can get everything worked out," said Houston Texans owner Bob McNair. "It's a tough environment to be doing it, but it looks like they're going to get it worked out."

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THURSDAY DECEMBER 18, 2008 :: Last modified: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 6:39 PM EST

Rooneys maintain control of Steelers By Mike Bires, Times Sports Staff

PITTSBURGH _ The Steelers’ long-running ownership saga is over. The team will have some new partners, but the Rooneys will still maintain control over the franchise their family has owned for 76 years. At the NFL Finance Commitee meeting Wednesday in Dallas, NFL teams approved the proposal that brings the Steelers into compliance with league ownership policies.

The new plan provides the transfer of team shares owned by Dan Rooney’s four brothers. “We are obviously very pleased to be keeping the Steelers’ ownership within the Rooney family and are appreciative of our fellow NFL owners’ support,” said Dan Rooney, the Steelers’ 76-year-old chairman. “(Wednesday’s) vote ensures that the Rooney family will be associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL for a very long time.” Under the proposed transaction, Dan Rooney and his son Art Rooney II, the team’s president, will own 30 percent of the team’s shares. The three new partners are James Haslam III of Knoxville, Tenn., Thomas Tull of Los Angeles, and the Paul family, which is based in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles. The agreement calls for a closing to take place before March 31. The Steelers' franchise is worth an estimated $1 billion.

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NFL OKs Rooney ownership Associated Press

IRVING, Texas - NFL owners approved a restructured ownership plan for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday that will keep the team under the control of Dan Rooney and his son.

Under the plan approved by a 31-0 vote during a meeting of the owners, Rooney and his son, team president Art II, will own 30 percent of the team, meeting a league requirement on the equity on controlling ownership.

"I felt that our father started this team in 1933 and it's done well, it's been a big part of Pittsburgh," Dan Rooney said. "And that's the way it should stay, under our direction."

Rooney and his four brothers each acquired equal 16 percent shares in the team when Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr., their father, died in 1988. The Jack McGinley family owns the other 20 percent of the franchise.

The restructuring was mandated by the NFL to bring the Steelers into compliance of the 30 percent benchmark. Another league rule bars team owners from being involved in gambling, so two of the Rooney brothers who operate race tracks that feature slot-machine and casino gambling, Pat and Tim, are selling their 16 percent shares as part of the plan.

"It's a very complex issue dealing with significant financial issues and complexities in estate planning," commissioner Roger Goodell said. "I'm pleased for all of the Rooney family that it's resolved in a positive way for them."

Two other brothers, Art Jr. and John, are selling a portion of their shares, and the McKinley family is also expected to sell some of its stake in the team.

Goodell said discussions about the restructuring of the Steelers' ownership to get into league compliance had been ongoing for about three years.

"The initiative frankly was that they had changed their business operations, and the gambling operations had gone more into gambling," Goodell said. "It was of greater concern to us than the original horse racing and dog racing. That initiated some discussions, and it really just had to get resolved for the club."

Dan Rooney and his son will not be buying all those shares being sold, and do not need them all to own 30 percent interest in the team. What wasn't immediately clear was how the sale would break down between Dan Rooney, his son and other investors.

The NFL approved three new partners for the Steelers during the meeting: James Haslman III of Knoxville, Tenn., Thomas Tull of Los Angeles, and the Paul family based in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.

The agreement among the Rooney family calls for the deal to be closed by March 31.

"We have a few more investors in the pipeline but we're happy that the transaction was approved by the

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owners. Now we have to go into finalizing some of the details," Art Rooney II said. "This was a big step and I'm glad we got this far to get to a closing and finalizing everything."

The NFL finance committee reviewed the Steelers' restructuring plan Monday before putting it on the agenda for the owners to consider.

While Dan Rooney and his son are expected to take on about $250 million in debt, Art Rooney II said there are no plans to make dramatic changes in the way the team is operated despite the difficult economic climate.

"We wouldn't have done it if we didn't think that we were going to be able to handle it," Art Rooney II said. "We plan to operate along the same operating guidelines that we have historically."

Stanley Druckenmiller, chairman of a Pittsburgh-based investment firm, earlier this year made an offer to buy a majority stake of the team. But the billionaire withdrew his offer in September.

"I have no ill will for Stanley Druckenmiller. He's a great Steelers fan and I hope he remains one," Dan Rooney said. "It was a lot of work and everybody put forth the effort. ... It wasn't a slam dunk strictly for the Rooneys. This was something the league felt was good for them."

Dan Rooney said his brothers saw the benefits of the restructuring plan that is now in place, and that the relationships between them are good.

"We all still talk to each other, and only fight as we always did," Dan Rooney said. "Everything is fine."

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NFL Owners Approve Pittsburgh Steelers Reorganization (Update1) Email | Print | A A A

By Mason Levinson and Curtis Eichelberger

Dec. 17 (Bloomberg) -- National Football League team owners approved a reorganization of the Pittsburgh Steelers that makes Dan Rooney and his son Art II the principal partners with a 30 percent stake.

Previously, Dan Rooney and his four brothers each owned 16 percent of the franchise. Descendents of Jack McGinley, who died in October 2006, held the remainder.

“Today’s vote ensures that the Rooney family will be associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL for a very long time,” Dan Rooney said in a statement.

The agreement, which calls for a closing date before March 31, brings the Steelers into conformity with an NFL rule that requires a controlling stake of at least 30 percent by one owner. All remaining owners will divest their gambling interests to overcome league concerns that some of the brothers had shares in harness racetracks that added video gambling.

The agreement provides for the transfer of most of the shares of Dan Rooney’s brothers. Three new investors were also approved during today’s meeting in Dallas.

The three new partners are James Haslam III, the 54-year- old president of Pilot Travel Centers, the nation’s largest owner of retail travel centers and truck stops; 38-year-old Thomas Tull, the chairman and chief executive officer of film production company Legendary Pictures; and the Paul family, whose businesses include Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp., a metal fabricator.

The team didn’t say how much of the team they will own.

Financing

Dan Rooney and Art II, the team’s president, obtained financing from Pittsburgh-based PNC Financial Services Group Inc. and organized the group of investors to buy the shares from the four brothers.

The agreement “provides for transfer of the shares of Dan Rooney’s brothers,” the team statement said, without specifying whether any of the siblings will remain minority owners.

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that PNC financed $250 million of the agreement and holds the team as collateral. It also holds between $212 million and $262 million in Steelers stock that will be assigned to potential partners, the newspaper said.

The agreement, reached about three months after Duquesne Capital Management LLC Chairman Stanley Druckenmiller dropped his bid for the team, had to be approved by 24 of the NFL’s 32 owners. It passed with a vote of 31-0 with one abstention, the Associated Press said.

Five Super Bowls

The franchise, founded in 1933 by Art Rooney Sr. who died in 1988, is one of the oldest and most storied in the league.

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Pittsburgh has won five Super Bowls, with players including Pro Football Hall of Fame members Franco Harris, Terry Bradshaw and Lynn Swann. Its most recent title came after the 2005 season, when it beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in the championship game.

This season, Pittsburgh leads the American Football Conference’s North Division with an 11-3 record, two games ahead of the Baltimore Ravens at 9-5.

Dan Rooney, 76, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000. He joined the Steelers in 1955 and was named president 20 years later, holding that role until passing it to Art II in 2002.

Druckenmiller, 55, had negotiated to buy the team for five months, then opted out in September after the Rooney brothers rejected his offer. The family had approached Druckenmiller seven months earlier after years of trying to resolve issues with estate planning and league ownership rules.

The Rooneys own racetracks in New York and Florida that have added gambling methods that are inconsistent with NFL policies, the team said in July. Some of Dan Rooney’s brothers plan to focus on the tracks and other businesses.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at [email protected]; Curtis Eichelberger in Washington at [email protected]

Last Updated: December 17, 2008 20:10 EST

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December 18, 2008

N.F.L. ROUNDUP

Owners Agree to Steelers’ Restructured Ownership

By JUDY BATTISTA

N.F.L. owners approved the sale of a majority of the Pittsburgh Steelers to the team’s chairman, Dan Rooney,

and his son Art II, keeping control of the team in the hands of its founding family while ending more than

two years of negotiations to get the franchise in compliance with league rules.

The sale assures that Dan and Art Rooney will together hold 30 percent of the team, as mandated by league

rules, and that the two Rooney brothers who have casino gambling operations at dog and horse tracks will no

longer be involved with the team.

Dan and Art Rooney added three partners as part of the deal: James Haslam III, the president of Pilot Travel

Centers, the nation’s largest retail operator of travel centers and truck stops; Thomas Tull, the chairman of

Legendary Pictures, a film production company that co-produced “The Dark Knight” and “We are Marshall,”

among other films; and the Paul family of Pittsburgh and Los Angeles, which has had interests in metal

fabricating, banking, cable television and restaurants.

The five Rooney brothers, the sons of the team founder, Art Rooney, are believed to have agreed on a sale

price of about $800 million. Each of the brothers previously owned 16 percent of the Steelers, making each

stake worth about $128 million.

The hedge fund billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller, a lifelong Steelers fan, was believed to have made a more

lucrative, all-cash offer to the brothers, but they rejected the proposal when Commissioner Roger Goodell

made it clear that he and fellow owners wanted the team to remain in the Rooneys’ hands.

“We are obviously very pleased to be keeping the Steelers’ ownership within the Rooney family and are

appreciative of our fellow N.F.L. owners’ support,” Dan Rooney said. “Today’s vote ensures that the Rooney

family will be associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the N.F.L. for a very long time.”

BUSH’S SEASON IS OVER Running back Reggie Bush will miss the final two games of the New Orleans

Saints’ season.

Bush sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee during the Saints’ loss at Chicago last Thursday

night. Coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that the team decided to put Bush on injured reserve.

Payton said the Saints, who were eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend, would not have

placed Bush on injured reserve if they were still trying to reach the postseason. He said Bush’s injury did not

require surgery, just rest and rehabilitation. (AP)

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SAINTS OWNER HAS SURGERY The New Orleans Saints owner, Tom Benson, is recovering from cancer

surgery. The team spokesman Greg Bensel confirmed Wednesday that Benson, 81, had surgery Dec. 10 for a

cancerous mass on his left kidney. Benson was released Sunday and is at home, Bensel said. A full recovery is

expected. (AP)

SURPRISE RETURN IN DALLAS Thought to be out for the season because of a neck injury, Cowboys

cornerback Adam Jones returned to practice and is expected to play Saturday night against Baltimore after

missing only one game.

Jones, known as Pacman, was injured two weeks ago against Pittsburgh in his first game after a six-week

suspension for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. Tests showed a herniated disk and there was

talk of shutting him down for the season.

The Cowboys did not put Jones on injured reserve just in case he healed. Doctors checked him out again this

week and discovered he was healthy enough to play.

Quarterback Tony Romo practiced Wednesday despite his back being stiff and sore, but running back Marion

Barber sat out because of his dislocated right pinkie toe. (AP)

EDWARDS TO START FOR BILLS Quarterback Trent Edwards returned to practice Wednesday and is

expected to start at Denver after missing two games with a groin injury. The former starter J. P. Losman has

been relegated to third string behind Gibran Hamdan and has probably taken his last snap for the Bills. (AP)

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IRVING, Texas (AP) — NFL owners approved a restructured ownership plan for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday that will keep the team under the control of chairman Dan Rooney and his son.

Under the plan approved by a 31-0 vote during a meeting of the owners, Rooney and his son, team president Art II, will own 30% of the team, meeting a league requirement on the equity on controlling ownership.

"I felt that our father started this team in 1933 and it's done well, it's been a big part of Pittsburgh," Dan Rooney said. "And that's the way it should stay, under our direction."

Rooney and his four brothers each acquired equal 16% shares in the team when Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr., their father, died in 1988. The Jack McGinley family owns the other 20% of the franchise.

The restructuring was mandated by the NFL to bring the Steelers into compliance of the 30% benchmark. Another league rule bars team owners from being involved in gambling, so two of the Rooney brothers who operate race tracks that feature slot-machine and casino gambling, Pat and Tim, are selling their 16% shares as part of the plan.

"It's a very complex issue dealing with significant financial issues and complexities in estate planning," commissioner Roger Goodell said. "I'm pleased for all of the Rooney family that it's resolved in a positive way for them."

Two other brothers, Art Jr. and John, are selling a portion of their shares, and the McKinley family is also expected to sell some of its stake in the team.

Goodell said discussions about the restructuring of the Steelers' ownership to get into league compliance had been ongoing for about three years.

"The initiative frankly was that they had changed their business operations, and the gambling operations had gone more into gambling," Goodell said. "It was of greater concern to us than the original horse racing and dog racing. That initiated some discussions, and it really just had to get resolved for the club."

Dan Rooney and his son will not be buying all those shares being sold, and do not need them all to own 30% interest in the team. What wasn't immediately clear was how the sale would break down between Dan Rooney, his son and other investors.

The NFL approved three new partners for the Steelers during the meeting: James Haslman III of Knoxville, Tenn., Thomas Tull of Los Angeles, and the Paul family based in Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.

The agreement among the Rooney family calls for the deal to be closed by March 31.

"We have a few more investors in the pipeline but we're happy that the transaction was approved by the owners. Now we have to go into finalizing some of the details," Art Rooney II said. "This was a big step and I'm glad we got this far to get to a closing and finalizing everything."

The NFL finance committee reviewed the Steelers' restructuring plan Monday before putting it on the agenda for the owners to consider.

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While Dan Rooney and his son are expected to take on about $250 million in debt, Art Rooney II said there are no plans to make dramatic changes in the way the team is operated despite the difficult economic climate.

"We wouldn't have done it if we didn't think that we were going to be able to handle it," Art Rooney II said. "We plan to operate along the same operating guidelines that we have historically."

Stanley Druckenmiller, chairman of a Pittsburgh-based investment firm, earlier this year made an offer to buy a majority stake of the team. But the billionaire withdrew his offer in September.

"I have no ill will for Stanley Druckenmiller. He's a great Steelers fan and I hope he remains one," Dan Rooney said. "It was a lot of work and everybody put forth the effort. ... It wasn't a slam dunk strictly for the Rooneys. This was something the league felt was good for them."

Dan Rooney said his brothers saw the benefits of the restructuring plan that is now in place, and that the relationships between them are good.

"We all still talk to each other, and only fight as we always did," Dan Rooney said. "Everything is fine."

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Find this article at: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/steelers/2008-12-17-ownership_N.htm

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SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL

Pro Bowl isn't the best trip Thursday, December 18, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Hines Ward issued some advice yesterday for those teammates who felt snubbed by the Pro Bowl voting, and there were many of them.

There's a better trip than the one to Hawaii. It occurs a week earlier.

"For all these guys who got slighted, let's win a Super Bowl," Ward suggested. "A Super Bowl feels a lot better. You get recognition more by winning a Super Bowl than you will by having a Pro Bowl."

Ward knows from experience. He became the first Steelers receiver to make four Pro Bowls, all in a row, then failed to get in for the 2005 season. Instead, he not only won a Super Bowl ring that season but became the game's MVP.

Only three Steelers were selected to the Pro Bowl: Linebackers James Harrison and James Farrior and safety Troy Polamalu. Among the worthy members of their No. 1 defense snubbed were end Aaron Smith, named yesterday as the AFC's defensive player of the week; linebacker LaMarr Woodley, whose 11.5 sacks are third in the conference among linebackers; nose tackle Casey Hampton, the pivot man for the NFL's second-ranked run defense; and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whose 50 victories are the most by any quarterback in NFL history in his first five seasons and who has five game-winning drives this year.

Two others who were snubbed are on special teams: Kicker Jeff Reed, who has missed only three field-goal attempts while performing in some of the toughest weather and field conditions in the NFL, and specialist Anthony Madison, whose 22 tackles leads the Steelers' revamped kick and punt coverage teams.

Ward also did not make it again, but he expects that, even though he needs only 136 more yards to have his first 1,000-yard receiving season since 2004, when he had 1,003 and made his fourth Pro Bowl.

Farrior believes all those snubbed Steelers might turn into a snarling good thing for the team, starting Sunday in Nashville, where they will try to wrest the No. 1 playoff seed from the Tennessee Titans.

"I think everybody on our team was a bit surprised we only had three picks," Farrior said.

"I definitely feel the guys are upset who thought they could have made it. I think it'll make them play a little bit differently this weekend, and from here on out they'll play with a chip on their shoulders because they felt like they deserved to be. They want to go out and try to prove to everybody they should have been in."

For the most part, the Steelers did not sound angry that either they or teammates did not make it, except for a consensus that Aaron Smith again was wrongly left off the team by the voters -- a combination of fans, coaches and players.

"I know they know who he is because they haven't blocked him in nine or 10 years," cornerback Deshea Townsend said.

Smith has been regarded in Pittsburgh as among the best defensive linemen ever to play for the Steelers, yet, because as a 3-4 end he does not get a lot of sacks, he has been left off the team all but one of his 10 seasons.

"We kind of figure it's a long-shot for us anyway with the type of defense we play and everything like that," fellow end Brett Keisel said. "But in our consideration around here we understand he's had a Pro Bowl year and he's one of the great players in this league today. Everyone knows that in here and that's all that matters."

They also noted that the New York Giants had just one Pro Bowl player selected last season and then won the Super Bowl.

"I think we have a lot of Pro Bowl-type players in here, but we're not going to get a Lombardi Trophy in Hawaii and that's what we're shooting for," Keisel said. "We have a greater task at hand right now and that's what we're focused on."

Ed Bouchette can be reached at [email protected].


Next

Game: Steelers (11-3) at Titans (12-2), 1 p.m. Sunday. At stake: No. 1 seed in the AFC. TV: KDKA.

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Page 1 of 1Pro Bowl isn't the best trip


SPORTS / STEELERS & NFL

Steelers Notebook: Bailey selected as team's top rookieThursday, December 18, 2008 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Brett Keisel hasn't played since Nov. 20 against Cincinnati. Here, he sacks San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers.

Voters faced a difficult task this year when trying to pick the Steelers' rookie of the year.

There was little production from their draft class. Top pick Rashard Mendenhall was knocked out for the season in the fourth game. No. 2 pick Limas Sweed has only six catches. No. 3 Bruce Davis has barely played, No. 4 Tony Hills and No. 5 Dennis Dixon have not played, No. 6 Mike Humpal is on injured reserve and No. 6B Ryan Mundy is on the practice squad.

What are Pro Football Writers, the ones who make the pick, supposed to do?

Fortunately, linebacker Patrick Bailey, an undrafted player from Duke who was released twice by the Steelers this year, not only stuck with the team but became one of their best special teams players and made the choice unanimous.

Bailey, who has an electrical engineering degree, became the 25th winner of the Joe Greene Great Performance Award.

The local chapter of the PFWA also chose veteran safety Ryan Clark as winner of The Chief Award, presented annual to the Steelers organization member who best exemplifies the spirit of cooperation with the media that was established by franchise founder Art Rooney.

Bailey made his mark on special teams, but not before some bumps in the road. He was released before the start of the season, Aug. 30, and signed to the practice squad the next day. He signed to the 53-man roster Sept. 20 but was released Oct. 4. He rejoined the 53-man roster Oct. 25 and has been active since.

Despite missing four games while not on the roster, Bailey is tied for third on the team with 12 special teams tackles, eight of them solo.

"I have always been kind of a wild kid; I love running down the field," said Bailey. "Just to go out and to sprint, that is just me being me. My coaches saw that in high school and they said that they were going to move me over to defense; and we are going to try you in pole vault. They saw it in me, and it is me."

The Steelers have the best kickoff coverage in the league, allowing only 19.4 yards per return, and the fourth-best punt coverage, allowing 6.1 yards per return.

Keisel practices again

Defensive end Brett Keisel, who missed the past three games with a sprained left MCL, went through a full practice for the first time yesterday since his injury.

"I'm excited to get back out with my boys and stop watching," Keisel said.

Page 1 of 2Steelers Notebook: Bailey selected as team's top rookie


Travis Kirschke has started in his absence.

Collins happy for Paterno

Tennessee starter Kerry Collins, who led Penn State to victories in his final 17 games as the Nittany Lions quarterback, was happy to hear that Joe Paterno will return as their coach next season.

"I think everyone is excited that Joe is coming back. He has the ability to put a winning team on the field and has the desire to do it. I think he deserves to coach as long as he wants. I think the whole Penn State community is excited ...

"Everything I've heard and everything I've seen from up there, he still has the energy, still has the desire and he still has the ability to do a good job. I think he deserves the opportunity to coach more."

Quick hits

An NFL spokesman said the league could come up with "no visual evidence" that Ravens cornerback Frank Walker spit into the mouth of Steelers punter and holder Mitch Berger. ... The Steelers need eight more sacks to tie their record of 55, set in 1994 and repeated in 2001. ... This Sunday the Steelers can become the only defense in NFL history to hold opponents to under 300 yards in 15 consecutive games to start a season.



Avg Steelers Fan IQ=98Can you beat this score? Take the challenge now!

Page 2 of 2Steelers Notebook: Bailey selected as team's top rookie


Spat over spit shows poor sportsmanship NFL will not fine Ravens' Walker because of a lack of visual evidence Thursday, December 18, 2008 By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Ron Cook

The first thing Steelers punter Mitch Berger did after the big win in Baltimore Sunday was brush his teeth.

The second, third and fourth things, too.

"I think I kept spitting for 24 hours," Berger said yesterday. "To have another man spit in your mouth like that ..."

And you thought the Heinz Field boos were the toughest part of Berger's season?

They are nothing compared to taking a giant loogie right in the kisser.

It came deliberately from the Baltimore Ravens' Frank Walker after Berger tried to serve as a peacemaker during a brief scuffle between Walker and Steelers kicker Jeff Reed. At least that's Berger's story -- and Reed's. "It was gross," Berger said,contorting his face into a grimace. "Disgusting," Reed added. "Just classless."

Reed took exception to Walker rolling toward his left leg -- his plant leg -- after trying to block his extra point following the Steelers' winning touchdown with 43 seconds left. "I've had that happen to me before with effort plays," Reed said. "But I honestly think he tried to take me out."

Reed and Walker exchanged words and shoves. Berger, Reed's holder, tried to intervene.

That's when the spit hit the fan.

Walker admitted to the Baltimore Sun yesterday that he might have been a little loose with his spittle but said it was purely accidental.

Think Bill Cowher.

"It was just a slobber moment," Walker called it.

That's his story and he's sticking to it.

Berger isn't buying it.

"It wasn't something that happens by accident when you're talking sometimes," he said. "I had my mouth open and was about to say something when he spit right on me. There was the full noise. He made the full spitting noise. ...

"I have no reason to make something like that up."

Spitting in a player's face isn't something the image-conscious NFL takes lightly. There is nothing more detestable between men. It is the ultimate insult. When the late Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins spit in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman in a playoff game after the 2005 season, the league fined Taylor $17,000.

But -- deliberate or not -- Walker is getting away with it. "There was no visual evidence," the league office said via e-mail yesterday.

So ends Spitgate.

"He knows it happened," Berger said.

Page 1 of 2Spat over spit shows poor sportsmanship


I'm thinking Walker isn't feeling a lot of remorse.

"I don't care. I hate Pittsburgh," he told the Sun.

Walker might be feeling smug, especially now that he knows he's in the clear with the league office. But, as Berger was quick to point out, he and the Steelers had the last, best laugh.

"We got the win, that's all that matters."

There was that.

Really, the win trumped all on another bad day for Berger, this one caused by the Walker hawker.

These aren't the best of times for Berger even though the Steelers are 11-3 and he, at 36, in his 13th NFL season and with his seventh club, is thrilled to have a job. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has been the most maligned Steelers figure this season, but Berger is a close second. The only reason he's on the team is Daniel Sepulveda's knee injury. He won the punting job in training camp over Paul Ernster, lost it to Ernster after eight games because of bad hamstrings and worse punting, then won it again after Ernster was a mess for three games. After the Steelers brought Berger back before the New England game in late November, coach Mike Tomlin said, memorably: "When we made the decision to go to Paul, I characterized [the punting] as not up to snuff. Obviously, not up to snuff is relative."

Ouch.

You still hold your breath each time Berger punts, although he was better in Baltimore. His first punt went only 28 yards, but his next five were 46, 38, 49, 51 and 40 yards. The problem was that the Steelers' coverage team -- so strong all season -- allowed the Ravens' Jim Leonhard to have returns of 18, 46, 10, 10 and 6 yards. Berger's net average ended up a sickly 27.0.

If the Steelers ever get this punting thing straightened out, they really could be dangerous -- not just in Tennessee Sunday, but in the playoffs in January.

"I feel like I'm starting to get my swing back," Berger said. "I'm starting to get in a groove."

The man is aware of the boos from the home crowd. Walker will tell you Berger has a wild and crazy imagination, but there's nothing wrong with his hearing.

"You don't pay attention to it," Berger said. "Sometimes, people don't understand everything that's going on in a game. It's not going to be a big, beautiful kick every time. Sometimes, just getting it off is the key thing. ...

"But I'm not going to try to convince them. I just worry about doing my job. I feel healthy now. I've been doing this for a long time in this league. I'm confident I'll get the job done."

With that, Berger excused himself.

I'm only guessing, but I think he went to brush his teeth.



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Page 2 of 2Spat over spit shows poor sportsmanship


Steelers not worried about Pro Bowl By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Thursday, December 18, 2008

Steelers players downplayed their lack of representation at the Pro Bowl. Despite leading the NFL in total defense nearly the entire season, only three Steelers were selected: outside linebacker James Harrison, strong safety Troy Polamalu and inside linebacker James Farrior.

Harrison and Polamalu were voted to the team as starters; Farrior made it as a reserve. However, defensive standouts such as Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, LaMarr Woodley and Ike Taylor were left off the team. No offensive players were named.

"I was surprised," Smith said. "Obviously, I care. You'd like to go. But I like to win more than I care about stats. It's not the perfect system, but it's the best system we have right now."

Hampton said he didn't feel slighted.

"There are a lot of good players in this league," he said. "Just because we have a great defense doesn't mean players on other teams don't have great seasons."

• In a surprising admission, Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said he would vote for Harrison for league MVP over his quarterback, Peyton Manning.

"If I had to vote right now, I'd vote for James Harrison," Dungy said on Sirius radio. "He's just been phenomenal in anchoring a defense that's playing as well as anyone in the league and he does so many things for them. ... He's like a Randy Moss or Dwight Freeney. You have to set everything to block him first before you set up any other plays."

• Punter Mitch Berger accused Baltimore's Frank Walker of spitting on him following Jeff Reed's extra point that gave the Steelers a 13-9 lead late in the fourth quarter. Berger said Walker dived at Reed's leg on his follow through, and things escalated when Walker and Reed exchanged shoves and Berger attempted to intervene. Reed was assessed a pesonal foul, but Walker, a reserve defensive back, wasn't penalized.

"I was trying to tell the ref the guy spit on me. Look at my facemask," said Berger, who holds on kicks. "It was shocking."

Walker said he spoke with Steelers safety Ryan Clark about the incident.

Page 1 of 2Steelers not worried about Pro Bowl - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review


"I told him what happened and he said he would tell Berger," Walker said. "After the kick, I guess he felt like I tried to take his kicker's knee out and I was just trying to block his kick. We were talking, exchanging words and it was just a slobber moment. Yeah, say it, don't spray it. I don't care; not one bit. I hate Pittsburgh."

• Defensive end Brett Keisel returned to practice Wednesday. Keisel missed three games with a knee injury. Coach Mike Tomlin said he expects Keisel to start Sunday at Tennessee. Clark (foot), Harrison (foot), Polamalu (foot), tackle Marvel Smith (back) and Woodley (knee) did not practice. Running back Willie Parker, Smith and wide receiver Hines Ward missed practice for reasons that weren't injury related.

• Smith was named AFC defensive player of the week after registering eight tackles, one sack and two quarterback pressures against Baltimore. This is Smith's first defensive player of the week award.

Digits

6 — 100-yard rushing games Tennessee's LenDale White and Chris Johnson have produced this season.

0 — 100-yard rushing games allowed by Steelers this season.

John Harris can be reached at [email protected] or 412-481-5432.



Page 2 of 2Steelers not worried about Pro Bowl - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review


Titans' QB enjoys career renaissance By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Thursday, December 18, 2008

For Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins, Vince Young's misfortune was the lifeline he had been waiting for.

When Collins replaced an injured Young early this season, he did so with every intention of winning the starting job and not giving it back. In the process of sparking Tennessee to a 10-0 start, he re-established himself as one of the league's better quarterbacks.

For Collins, Sunday's game between the Titans (12-2) and Steelers (11-3) at LP Field is more than a showdown for supremacy in the AFC. It's another opportunity for Collins to showcase the skills that have carried him through 14 pro seasons following a record-setting career at Penn State.

"I certainly did wonder. Being relegated to backup was difficult for me," said Collins, who recently become one of only 14 players in NFL history to surpass 37,000 career passing yards. "I certainly wasn't sure if I was ever going to get another opportunity to be a starter in this league. That's why this year I've tried to embrace it, tried to make the most out of the opportunity."

Collins originally was selected by Carolina as the fifth overall pick in the 1995 draft. He played four seasons with the Panthers, including an appearance in the NFL championship game following the 1996 season.

Following a brief experiment with New Orleans, he joined the New York Giants, where he experienced his greatest success as a pro. In 2000, he reached 3,000 passing yards for the first time and led the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV under coach Jim Fassel. But when Fassel was let go three years later, Collins was as good as gone. He landed in Oakland, where he started 28 games over the next two seasons before signing with Tennessee in 2006.

Acquired to be Young's backup, Collins' role changed dramatically this season. When Young departed the opener against Jacksonville in the fourth quarter with a knee injury, Collins replaced him and completed each of his two pass attempts for 65 yards on the game-winning drive in a 17-10 win.

Settling into his role as a starter, Collins' confidence has grown, allowing his instincts to take over. Third among active quarterbacks in career passing yards, Collins is 221 of 384 for 2,461 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions this season.

Page 1 of 2Titans' QB enjoys career renaissance - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review


"As the season's gone on and (with) all the wins we've been able to accumulate, I've felt like this has become my team. I've tried to take ownership of it," said Collins, who turns 38 on Dec. 30. "I've worked hard week-in and week-out. I think through that ultimately this has become my team."

Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher, who made the tough decision to bench Young, has stood behind Collins. Fisher hasn't said whether Young, the third overall pick in the 2006 draft, will have a chance to win back the starting job next season.

"Vince and I have had a good relationship from day one. It's never been strained at any point," Collins said. "I was supportive when he was the starter, he's been supportive when I've been a starter."




Page 2 of 2Titans' QB enjoys career renaissance - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review


Clark, Bailey receive team honors By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW Thursday, December 18, 2008

During the offseason, Steelers safety Ryan Clark said he was oblivious to the number of free-agent safeties that paraded through the team's South Side facility.

Clark, who had surgery to remove his spleen after complications relating to the sickle cell trait, played in only six games in 2007.

"I just wanted an opportunity to play here. No matter who was here," said Clark, who Wednesday received The Chief Award, presented annually by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America to a Steelers player who is cooperative with the media.

Clark, whose said his weight dropped to 175 pounds, was able to joke about his weight loss yesterday.

"It was a costly surgery," said Clark, who is listed at 205 pounds. "I had to buy new jeans, shorts."

Clark said his illness changed his perspective on football. Not only did he reclaim his job as the starting free safety, he has a career-high 101 tackles, which ranks second on the team.

"It allowed me to enjoy the game more," Clark said. "It hasn't been as much work as it's been in the past."

Also, linebacker Patrick Bailey, an undrafted rookie free agent from Duke, received the Joe Greene Great Performance Award given to the Steelers' top rookie.

Bailey is tied for third on the team with 12 special teams tackles after starting the year on the practice squad.

"Everything is kind of like tunnel-vision," Bailey said of his aggressive tackling style. "You see the ball."




Page 1 of 1Clark, Bailey receive team honors - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review


THURSDAY DECEMBER 18, 2008 :: Last modified: Thursday, December 18, 2008 12:53 AM EST

Steelers note: Reed, Berger still spitting mad By Mike Bires, Times Sports Staff

PITTSBURGH — According to Jeff Reed and Mitch Berger, a spitting incident will only fuel the nasty rivalry that exists between the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. On Wednesday, Reed and Berger were still furious about the alleged behavior of Ravens cornerback Frank Walker late in Sunday’s 13-9 win in Baltimore.

Berger, the Steelers’ punter, insists that Walker spit in his face after Reed kicked an extra point after the Santonio Holmes’ go-ahead touchdown with 43 seconds left to play. Walker allegedly spit on Berger after Berger confronted Walker. Berger, who holds for Reed’s kicks, claims Walker dove at Reed’s knees. Reed was then called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for shoving Walker. “I was shocked and surprised,” Berger said. “I tried to get in between (Walker) and Jeff and we came face-to-face. The first thing that came out of his mouth was spit. He made the full spit noise and sprayed me in my whole face.” “It was a classless move on his part,” Reed said. “I wish the league could see him spitting in somebody’s face because that is fineable. “You can’t prove it from the film. I have watched it. But I know it happened.” SUPPORT SMITH There was much discussion in the Steelers’ locker room about Pro Bowl snubs. How could the Steelers, who are 11-3, have only three players bound for the Pro Bowl? Among those who merited Pro Bowl consideration but failed to make the NFL’s all-star game were QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR Hines Ward, DE Aaron Smith, NT Casey Hampton, LB LaMarr Woodley and CB Ike Taylor. Apparently, the Steelers were told by coach Mike Tomlin not to complain about the Pro Bowl selections. And for the most part, they didn’t. However, several of them were especially upset Smith didn’t make it. “He’s having a Pro Bowl year,” defensive end Brett Keisel said. “He is one of the great players in this league and everyone in here knows that and that’s all that matters.”

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Smith, a 10-year veteran who did make the Pro Bowl after the 2004 season, took his snub in stride. “As far as me not going, that’s just the way it goes,” he said. “But I appreciate what my teammates are saying about me. The guys in this locker room, these are the guys who mean the most to me. “Their opinions and their thoughts on me, that’s almost better than being voted to the Pro Bowl, having the respect of your teammates.” CLARK: GREAT TALKER FS Ryan Clark is the 2008 recipient of the The Chief Award, which is presented to the member of the Steelers’ organization who best exemplifies the spirit of cooperation with the media. Clark, who’s in his third season with the Steelers, is one of the most quotable players on the team. Whether it’s during the week at practice or after a game, the media routinely flocks to Clark for his insight.


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12/18/2008

Three is not enough Steelers in Pro Bowl By Alan Robinson , AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH - Coach Mike Tomlin told his players not to speak out after only three Steelers were chosen for the Pro Bowl. The gag order didn't last long. A number of players believe the perceived slight gives them extra incentive going into the playoffs, much like it did the New York Giants a season ago. The Giants had only one player chosen, then went on to win the Super Bowl. Only once in the previous seven seasons did the Steelers have so few Pro Bowl players chosen, also landing three in Honolulu after going 6-10 in 2003. "For the guys who got slighted, let's win a Super Bowl," wide receiver Hines Ward said Wednesday. "A Super Bowl will feel a lot better. You'll get recognized a lot more for winning a Super Bowl than you will for going to the Pro Bowl." Outside linebacker James Harrison and safety Troy Polamalu will be AFC starters in the Pro Bowl on Feb. 8 and inside linebacker James Farrior is a backup, but no other players were selected off a defense that has allowed the fewest points, passing yards and total yards in the league. The Steelers could become the first defense since the 1970 NFL merger to lead the league in rushing, passing and total yardage and fewest points allowed. No defense since the 1991 Eagles has led in all three yardage categories. "You have a defense that's close to doing something that's unheard of by trying to be No. 1 in all three categories, and to have only three guys make it, it's pretty ..." cornerback Deshea Townsend said, deciding to hold back a stronger opinion. "You see defenses with more guys than us and it makes it pretty tough to look at." The Steelers are one of the NFL's marquee teams and attract some of its highest TV ratings, yet Townsend suggested that if a more glamorous franchise - he wouldn't name names - was playing defense the way Pittsburgh is "it would be all 11 going." The Jets (9-5) may not win their division, yet had more than twice as many players (7) chosen as the Steelers (11-3), who are guaranteed of being seeded at least second in the AFC playoffs Nose tackle Casey Hampton wasn't selected despite going four of the previous five years, and second-year linebacker LaMarr Woodley (111/2 sacks) also was passed over. But it was defensive end Aaron Smith, a key to the strong run defense, who was most named by his teammates as being slighted. "He's a Pro Bowl player and everyone in here knows that," defensive end Brett Keisel said. "But we're not going to whine about it. ... We're not going to get a Lombardi Trophy in Hawaii, and that's what we're shooting for." It is difficult for a defensive end to pile up sacks and other statistics in a 3-4 defense in which the linebackers and Polamalu make most of the big plays, so Smith didn't seem upset with being left off. "The guys in this locker room are what count the most to me, as far as their opinions and thoughts," Smith said. "That's almost better than being voted to the Pro Bowl, to have your teammates respect you and think you deserve to be there. It's not the perfect system, but is the best system we have right now and it's what we live with." With a chance to win home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs by winning Sunday at Tennessee (12-2) and against Cleveland (4-10) on Dec. 27, the Steelers have plenty to play for in their remaining two games. They are assured of at least a first-round bye and a home playoff game Jan. 10 or 11. "If we see the Tennessees and Indianapolises and Baltimores again, it would be better at Heinz Field," safety Ryan Clark said. Clark was chosen as the winner of the Chief award, which is named for founder Art Rooney Sr. and is given to the Steelers player who is most cooperative with the media. With the draft choices either hurt or not contributing, free agent linebacker Patrick Bailey - who plays on special teams - was chosen as the rookie of the year despite being cut twice this season. Copyright Associated Press 2008

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12/18/2008

Nothing will 'hold' Hampton back Sunday By Jim Wexell , For the Herald-Standard

PITTSBURGH - Casey Hampton goes up against Kevin Mawae this week in Tennessee, and Hampton knows a little bit about the Pro Bowl center for the Titans. "He's crafty," Hampton said. "He holds, knows the little tricks." But Hampton doesn't expect Mawae to be called for holding. And why should he? The Steelers haven't drawn an offensive holding call in 24 quarters. The last was called on Washington Redskins left tackle Chris Samuels in the fourth quarter of the Nov. 3 game. In that span, the Steelers have been called for offensive holding eight times. Every member of the offensive line except Chris Kemoeatu has been flagged during that stretch, as have two tight ends and wide receiver Hines Ward - twice. "We don't get held," Hampton said with a straight face. "That's the bottom line. They don't hold us." Even Hampton himself has been called for holding more in the past six games - once - than the Steelers' opposition. "I'm telling you, we don't get held, man," he said. "I mean, they play their best game against us every week. They just block us so well. They never hold us." As the group of reporters surrounding Hampton began to laugh, the big man held his deadpan. "They're great athletes. They get their hands inside and do their job," he said. Chris Hoke laughed about his teammate's comments. So did Aaron Smith. "I don't even know what holding is anymore," Smith said. "Look at what they're doing to James Harrison. They've got one guy holding him by the neck and another guy holding his legs. I guess I don't have a true understanding of what's holding." Neither, apparently, do the officials. TV replays last Sunday once again picked up an opposing left tackle holding Harrison around the neck as the Steelers' star pass rusher came low and hard around the corner. "I'll let the ref know after the play that I'm being held," said Harrison. "But he'll say 'Well, it's so-and-so's job,' or 'It's this guy's job.' I even had a guy look me dead in the face, that saw me getting yanked down, and I asked him for the hold call and he just dropped his head and looked away like I wasn't even talking to him. "I don't like it, but if they don't call it, there's nothing I can do about it. I can complain or whatever, but it's not going to help. It hasn't helped me the last two, three weeks." Harrison didn't get a sack against the Ravens on Sunday and fell behind DeMarcus Ware in the NFL race by five. Harrison, who has 15 sacks, also trails Joey Porter (17) and John Abraham (15.5), but his 94 tackles, seven forced fumbles and an interception that makes him the top contender for the Defensive Player of the Year Award, according to Colts Coach Tony Dungy. "If I had to vote right now, I'd vote for James Harrison," Dungy told Sirius Radio yesterday. "He's like a Randy Moss or Dwight Freeney. You have to game plan for him in terms of how you're going to block him in the passing game. So he puts that on the table even before the game starts, and then he does other things: He drops in pass coverage, covers tight ends. They move him around and he's not just a one-dimensional pass rusher. He's a linebacker that also rushes and he's been the most dominant player on the best defense in football, and, shoot, by next Sunday they may have the best record in football." Even though no one's holding them. NOTES: Undrafted free agent Patrick Bailey was voted by writers the winner of the team's Joe Greene Great Performance Award, or Rookie of the Year, for his 12 special teams tackles. ... Ryan Clark was voted winner of The Chief Award for his cooperation with the media. ... Clark missed Wednesday's practice with a foot injury. Also sitting out were Harrison (foot), Troy Polamalu (foot), LT Marvel Smith (back) and LaMarr Woodley (knee). Held out of practice for a rest were Willie Parker, Aaron Smith and Hines Ward. ... Aaron Smith was voted AFC Defensive Player of the Week by the NFL.

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Blogger debate: Steelers vs. Titans

December 17, 2008 1:05 PM

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky and James Walker

The Steelers' visit to Nashville Sunday for a game against the Titans is just the kind of late-season game the league, and the networks, love. On the line, the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

Our AFC South blogger, Paul Kuharsky and AFC North blogger, James Walker, will both be at the game. As part of the build-up, they went back and forth on a variety of game-related topics for a joint venture shared by their two pages.

Paul Kuharsky: Sunday's giant AFC showdown features two starting quarterbacks I'd call tough, but Ben Roethlisberger and Kerry Collins are different kinds of tough. Every time I've seen pieces of Steelers games this year, I've seen Big Ben throwing passes with defenders hanging off his limbs or dusting himself off as he gathered himself after a hit. Kerry Collins isn't so sturdy tough; he's more life-experience and game-smart tough. Where Roethlisberger will stand in as long as it takes, sometimes too long, Collins' internal clock tells him to get rid of the ball or give up on a play and live for the next. Watching them and how they react to what two very good defenses throw at them will be one of the best story lines of this game.

James Walker: The physical ailments that Roethlisberger (shoulder, thumb) have dealt with this season are well-documented. But his mental toughness should be noted as well. Roethlisberger never gets down. I've seen several games this year where he cannot make a significant play for three-and-a-half quarters but keeps his head in the game for the key moments in the fourth quarter. That was the case in the two wins against the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. Roethlisberger has a certain mental toughness and clutch factor that permeates Pittsburgh's entire team. The Steelers play very well from behind and they never feel they are out of it.

PK: I've been thinking in the weeks leading up to this matchup that while the Titans would have problems moving the ball against the

Tennessee vs. Pittsburgh

-- Intel Report: Titans vs. Steelers -- Power Rankings: Steelers 1st, Titans 2nd -- Video: Can Titans win without Haynesworth?

-- Podcast: Mort analysis -- Podcast: Football Today

Steelers, Tennessee's biggest strength -- its ability to rush the passer with only its front four -- would line up well with the one thing Pittsburgh isn't very good at -- protecting Roethlisberger. I really expected Albert Haynesworth, while he'd also see one of the guards -- Chris Kemoeatu or Darnell Stapleton -- to make life extremely difficult on center Justin Hartwig. At a much different stage of his career when the two were both Titans, Haynesworth kicked Hartwig in a training-camp fight. Alas, we don't get to see the matchup as Haynesworth is out for the remainder of the regular season. And with end Kyle Vanden Bosch also out, the Titans' pass rush can't be as good as it would have been at full strength. It's a big break for the Steelers.

JW: I agree, Paul. A week ago this would have been a much tougher matchup, but this is no longer a big mismatch. As you mentioned, Tennessee's defense hinges on getting pressure with its front four, and without Haynesworth and Vanden Bosch, it could force the Titans to alter their scheme and compensate by bringing extra defenders more often than they would like. That could compromise the back end and leave more room for Roethlisberger to make plays in the passing game against man-to-man coverage. The absence of Haynesworth and Vanden Bosch also helps Pittsburgh's running game, which hasn't been consistent all season. JW: The Steelers like to take away what offenses do best. So expect defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to have his unit focused on stuffing the running back tandem of LenDale White and Chris Johnson.

Pittsburgh will take its chances to see if Collins can beat the Steelers through the air. Sometimes the strategy hasn't worked. Sometimes it does, such as last week when Collins struggled against the Houston Texans. I think this game will be very similar to Tennessee's game against the Baltimore Ravens earlier this year. The Ravens stuffed the run the entire game and Tennessee's offense struggled. If you're going to beat the Titans, that is the blueprint.

PK: The Titans got a break on a penalty call to convert a third-and-long when they were in Baltimore, but like the Steelers, they managed to drive to a game-winning score at the end of the game. I think the Titans

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The Titans will be without Albert Haynesworth on Sunday.

will struggle to move the ball with any consistency, but they could set themselves up with a big play on defense or special teams and if it's the sort of defensive battle I'm expecting, that could prove to be enough to swing things in the home team's favor.

PK: Not to circle back to a guy who's not playing, but ... Another sidebar to this game that we're going to miss out on is the campaign for Defensive Player of the Year. From what I've seen, James Harrison has been spectacular. I thought in a game featuring both him and Haynesworth, they would both have a chance to really make a statement regarding their candidacies. With Haynesworth missing, we don't get that. But those of us who haven't seen the Steelers regularly will get a closer look at Harrison and Troy Polamalu.

JW: This is a nice sidebar to the big game. The school of thought was that Harrison and Polamalu were going to split the Steelers' votes so much that Haynesworth would take the award. But his injury opens the door for Harrison or Polamalu to make an impression. My vote goes to Polamalu. He is a unique talent that is always around the football. Pittsburgh's defense would not be as dynamic without him, while I think the unit would be able to compensate pretty well without Harrison.

JW: Without question, there is a huge amount of pressure on Tennessee to win this game. The Steelers have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Pittsburgh already has clinched its division, a first-round bye and the No. 2 seed. That will not change if the Steelers lose Sunday. But a win would give Pittsburgh the top seed with one game to go and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. The Steelers will be very loose.

PK: Yeah, considering how much of a buffer the Titans had in their bid for the No. 1 seed not long ago, it'll be a major shock to the system if they can't win this game and wind up having to travel for the AFC Championship Game if they and the Steelers both make it that far. The Steelers have some wins over some better teams and the Titans know a loss here will have a lot of people saying they were overrated for much of the season. They've got more pressure, but that doesn't mean they'll be tight. This has been a loose bunch all season

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Troy Polamalu will need to step up for the Steelers on Sunday.

and I don't expect that to change.

JW: I see Pittsburgh winning another low-scoring game, 17-13. The Steelers are 6-1 on the road and know how to win in hostile environments. Injuries to Haynesworth and Vanden Bosch will be huge, and as long as the Titans can't run, they will struggle offensively.

PK: You're braver than me -- I love that the blog network crew isn't asked to pick games. It makes it so I don't find myself rooting for the "right" result or having to justify picks to players or teams. But I will promise you this: After what happened at the end of the 2002 playoff game in Nashville with premature pyrotechnics, if the Titans win at end, the fireworks guy will count to 10 and wait for the go-ahead from multiple high-ranking officials before pushing the button on any explosives.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

If Steelers' D passes Titanic test, it approaches greatness

By John Clayton ESPN.com

Watching the Pittsburgh Steelers' defense battle the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15 brings back some faint memories of 1976.

The Steelers' Steel Curtain defense was in its prime in 1976. A 1-4 start coupled with the injury loss of Terry Bradshaw triggered perhaps the greatest stretch of defense ever witnessed in the NFL. Not only did that defense prevent opponents from scoring but it defied quarterbacks to even think about accruing first downs. With eight Pro Bowl defensive starters performing at max level, the Steel Curtain allowed only 28 points in the final nine games.

The 2008 version of the Steelers' defense comes with no nickname, just an incredible résumé. It ranks first across the board for total defense (239.1 yards a game), scoring defense (13.7 points) and stopping the pass (163.3). It ranks second in stopping the run (75.8). The most recent team to lead the league in run, pass and total defense was Buddy Ryan's Philadelphia Eagles in 1991. If the Steelers' defense could capture all four honors, it would be the first to do that since the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs, who did it while in the American Football League.

The Steelers have tied the 1973 Rams for not allowing an offense to gain 300 yards in 14 consecutive games. Although it sneaked up on everyone, the 2008 Pittsburgh defense has a chance to be one for the ages.

So where can it rank historically? I'm not about to concede a spot in the top three of all time: the 1976 Steel Curtain, the 1985 Chicago Bears and the 2000 Ravens. Nevertheless, it could crack the top five.

Although it's hard to compare stats from different eras, you have to say that, at the very least, this D could hang with the 1991 Eagles, the 1990 New York Giants with Lawrence Taylor and Bill Parcells,

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Steelers linebacker James Harrison (92), running with teammate Andre Frazier (54) here, leads one of the NFL's stingiest defenses. Is it one for the ages?

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the 1971 Doomsday defense of the Dallas Cowboys, the 1973 No-Name Defense of the Miami Dolphinsand the 1971 Purple People Eaters of the Minnesota Vikings. Just mentioning those teams makes it clear that somebody in Pittsburgh had better start coming up with a nickname for this season.

As with all the great defenses, success doesn't happen overnight. The Steelers led the league in total defense last season by allowing 266.4 yards a game. Although age was a concern in the front seven, Pittsburgh put aside injuries and mixed in the youthful enthusiasm of linebackers LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons. Because Larry Foote is playing so well, Timmons gets to play only part time. Woodley was a first alternate on the Pro Bowl team at outside linebacker.

Led by James Harrison's 15, the Steelers lead the league with 47 sacks.

Surprisingly, only three Pittsburgh defenders made the Pro Bowl: Harrison, linebacker James Farrior and safety Troy Polamalu, who leads the league with seven interceptions.

The idea in trying to appreciate a great defense is to recognize it during a season and see whether it can maintain those standards in the final week. That's why the Week 16 game at the Tennessee Titans is so huge. At stake is the AFC's top seed and the opportunity to be historically great.

I like the comparison of this defense to the 1991 Eagles. Buddy Ryan's "46" defense destroyed quarterbacks in a 10-6 season, but it accomplished everything against opponents with a combined winning percentage of .528. The Steelers entered the season with the league's toughest schedule, but their foes so far have a .516 winning percentage.

A lot of great defensive eyes of the past will be watching Sunday's Steelers-Titans game to make some judgments.

Let's dive into the mailbag.

From the inbox

Q: Hey John, why aren't more people considering Chad Pennington for league MVP? If the Miami Dolphins emerge with the AFC East title, how could anyone argue a player has had more of an impact on a winning team than Pennington? His stats are comparable to most other QBs in the discussion, he only has six interceptions, and he's been working with a lot less talent around him. Thanks.

Adam in Cairo

A: In calling around Tuesday, there seemed to be a sentiment that Pennington was slighted [in the Pro Bowl voting] to a major degree, but my guess is that he was a second or third alternate. The team won't confirm. Ben Roethlisberger didn't finish among the top three alternates, which I think was a disservice. I know his numbers haven't been great, but Roethlisberger is on a team that already has secured a bye in the playoffs, and he has made a lot of big plays in big games. I know Jay Cutler's numbers are better, but I might put Pennington's season up against Cutler's and go for Pennington. I'm not ready to put Cutler in the top three in the league. Pennington's Pro Bowl comes in about a week. If he can take a 10-5 Dolphins team to the Meadowlands and beat a 10-5 New York Jets team led by Brett Favre, Pennington would cherish that moment more than a trip to Hawaii.

Q: Hey John, the vacancy Plaxico Burress has left at WR doesn't worry me as far as this season.



But you would think the Giants will address the move in the offseason via draft and free agency. Now, with their depth, do you think it's realistic that they could maybe overwhelm a team with picks/players and maybe land a big-time receiver the way the Cowboys did this year with Roy Williams?

Michael in N.Y.

A: The loss of Burress for the season should worry you for this year. Forget about next year at the moment. The Giants have a chance to repeat as Super Bowl champs. Clearly, the offense doesn't look as confident without him in the lineup. No. 1 receivers are hard to find or develop. From the drafts of 2002 to 2007, only six Pro Bowl receivers -- including Williams -- developed. Each has the ability to be the No. 1 receiver on a team. That list includes Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals. Roddy White of the Falcons and Brandon Marshall emerged this season as Pro Bowlers, increasing the number to eight in seven years. Wes Welker made it for the Patriots, but he's not a No. 1 receiver. Randy Moss is the No. 1. Clearly, the Giants will have to look to the draft. They could sign T.J. Houshmandzadeh if the price is right. To be honest, I would seriously consider that if I were the Giants.

Q: So about the Washington Redskins: Do you think they should get rid of Jason Campbell and pick up a QB in free agency? And do you see [Washington owner Daniel] Snyder firing Jim Zorn after one year? If I was Snyder I would have at least hired Jim Fassel last year.

Art in Lancaster, Pa.

A: No, no, no and no. The key to any franchise is developing a quarterback, and Campbell was good enough to get the Redskins off to a 6-2 start. I put a lot of the problem this year on the age of the offensive line. Now, if you are telling me that the Eagles would give Donovan McNabb to Snyder for a second-round draft pick, I might consider a change, but you know that isn't going to happen within the NFC East. Zorn was brought in to develop Campbell. There was progress this year. Zorn needs to reflect on why scoring went down as the season progressed. The Skins need to rebuild the offensive line. Although it's possible, I don't see a coaching change coming in Washington unless the Redskins lose their last two.

Q: About [Clayton's Dec. 10 mailbag column on] the Giants' sacks being down, another reason is because they blitz a great deal less than they did last year. The development of their secondary has enabled them to play straight up with only four pass rushers. Corey Webster should be in the Pro Bowl. Aaron Ross had two bad weeks and otherwise has been good. (The pass interference calls against Ross in the Arizona Cardinals game were beyond belief.) Terrell Thomas and Kenny Phillips are real finds.

Barry in Denville, N.J.

A: I thought Webster and Ross were slighted in the Pro Bowl voting. In what was a relatively weak year for NFC cornerbacks, how did they not even crack the top three alternates? I also thought Fred Robbins could have been a little higher than the second alternate. He has had a great season, and his absence in the Cowboys game might have been one of the reasons the Giants didn't win. You're right. The Giants have a great blitzing package even though they don't have a linebacker who is considered a great blitzer. It's a well-coached team with some quality athletes.

Q: You mentioned this week that Archie Manning was one of the best QBs of his time, and maybe he was, but he didn't win as a Houston Oiler, either. How would he be treated if he came into the



league now? David Carr came in as a great college QB to an expansion team [Houston Texans] with no talent, and lost a lot of games, and is considered a bust. Joey Harrington is considered a bust, but he has never played with a team with much talent around him. On the flip side, both Steve Young and Vinny Testaverde started out as flops for the hapless Bucs, but then went on to other teams and won, shedding the "bust" label. Do you think Archie Manning would be considered a bust if he had the same win-loss ratio in today's NFL?

From an e-mailer in Abingdon, Va.

A: I look at Archie Manning the way I did Jim Plunkett. Both played for teams that were so bad and blocked so poorly that their bodies got slammed. By the time Archie got to Houston, he had nothing left. He was 33 and had been sacked 340 times. If you go back and look at him on film, you'll see how talented he was. He had a great arm and the ability to move around the pocket long enough to keep plays alive. If you talk to his opponents through the years, they'll tell you how good he was. Many quarterbacks are busts. He's a great one who got busted up because he didn't have enough around him.

Q: Just put it out there. What do the Cleveland Browns have to do this offseason as a franchise to improve and become competitive? It always seems to be something with this team, whether it be leadership, coaching or just poor play.

Corey in Cleveland

A: First, I'd take a run at Bill Cowher and keep throwing money and power at him until he says no. Figuring he'll say no, I'd next go after Scott Pioli in New England. If that doesn't work, I'd start making adjustments and concessions. Phil Savage is a good evaluator, so I'd try to find a way to salvage something out of that relationship. Savage has made the team more talented. You get the feeling, though, that he probably won't have direct say in the coaching search. I'd consider Brian Billick because he has worked with Savage. I'd trade Braylon Edwards for first- and third-round draft picks. I'd keep Kellen Winslow until his contract runs out unless there is the right trade offer. I'd consider switching to a 4-3 defense. That's just to start things off.

Q: Sir, I would like to commend you on your column and thank you for giving us the chance to make some comments. In light of the Plaxico Burress incident and the sad details surrounding [Richard] Collier and Sean Taylor: It's no surprise there have been some NFL players who have taken it upon themselves to engage their constitutional right to bear arms [i.e., Joey Porter]. I have seen how the media has vilified Mr. Burress on a daily basis for not engaging with a security firm or registering his handgun. However, how come these same reporters don't cover the story of Steve Smith (also of the Giants) being robbed at gunpoint by his own driver? Shouldn't there be some sort of in-depth story as well? Who are the NFL players or any professional athlete to turn to when the people they hire turn around and run their pockets? Should Mr. Smith have been armed himself?

From an e-mailer at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar

A: No one can take away the right to bear arms, but there is a huge responsibility that comes with it. Players are targets because they are recognized. Because of that, they have to watch the places they go and the times they are out. Little good happens when you are on the street at 3 a.m. Teams and the league constantly remind players of places that would be problems if they go to them. The problem of carrying a firearm into a public place is that it can discharge and hurt somebody else. To not have a legal license is also inexcusable. The Burress story has opened more dialogue and investigations into athletes



carrying weapons. This isn't the Wild West where people need to be packing every time they go to a convenience store. Players need to be smart about things. One mistake could cost someone his life, or it could cost that player his career.

Q: What's up, John? I was wondering what you think would happen in the offseason regarding McNabb if the Eagles finished 10-5-1 and didn't make the playoffs. Do you think the Eagles would still trade McNabb? Also, if the Eagles finished 10-5-1 and made the playoffs, how good of a chance would they have of winning the Super Bowl?

From Donald in Fredericksburg, Va.

A: If the Eagles trade him after a 10-5-1 season, we all should stand up and boo the organization. I know Kevin Kolb is talented. I don't doubt that he could be a decent starter. But Kolb doesn't have McNabb's talent, even if McNabb has lost a little something now that he's in his 30s. If Kolb were as talented as McNabb, he'd have been taken in the top five of the draft. To me, it's a different situation than Aaron Rodgers. Even though Rodgers slipped to the 24th spot in the 2005 draft, he was the top quarterback prospect. Teams should learn from others. Rodgers had a good season, but the Packers went from 13-3 to 5-9 without Favre. Do the Eagles want to make the same mistake by getting rid of McNabb? They shouldn't do it.

Q: John, with the possible absence of Fred Taylor for a while, do you think Maurice Jones-Drew will finally start as the Jaguars' primary running back? If so, will he be successful or will he have to wait until the Jags solve their O-line problems?

Travis in Fort Worth, Texas

A: Jones-Drew's time is now. Taylor is done for the season, and the Jags probably will cut him after the season. That's a shame because it would be nice if they could offer him a pay cut to about $2 million a year and see whether he would accept it. The Taylor/Jones-Drew combo works, and I still think Taylor has another season or two left in him. Jones-Drew is like the Marion Barber of a year ago. He never had the chance to be the full-time starter. Jones-Drew is entering the final year of his contract. If Taylor is gone, the Jaguars have to decide whether he can be the full-time back, and I'm sure that decision is made. You figure they sign Jones-Drew and draft a back in the third or fourth round. One thing Jacksonville had better do is draft some offensive linemen.

John Clayton, a recipient of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's McCann Award for distinguished reporting, is a senior writer for ESPN.com.

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BEREA, Ohio (AP) — Launched over cocktails by two fed-up Browns fans, a website calling for Bill Cowher's return to Cleveland has bloomed into a full-blown movement by thousands.

"We knew we had to do something," said Ryan Martz, co-founder of Cowher09.com, designed to "unleash the power of Cowher" and make the iconic chin the Browns next coach. "After years and years of losing and seeing the same bad product, we deserve a winner in Cleveland. Fans have had enough."

Since it's debut in September, Cowher09.com has grown into a home base of support for Cowher, who is believed to be at the top of Cleveland's wish list to replace Romeo Crennel.

Browns owner Randy Lerner is waiting until after the season before deciding on Crennel's future, but it's likely he'll replace the former defensive coordinator who is just 24-38 in four seasons, three of which have ended with double-digit losses and none that have included a playoff appearance.

The Browns have lost at least 10 games seven times since 1999.

Cowher has not indicated whether he's interested in a return to coaching in the NFL. He's content in his job as a pregame studio analyst for CBS, a career he began after leaving the Steelers two years ago.

Attempts to reach Cowher through the network for an interview have been unsuccessful.

He's no doubt keeping a low profile out of his respect for Crennel and other coaches in possible trouble. But Cowher may be keeping his options open since there will be several teams looking for new coaches once the season ends. Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, San Francisco, Oakland, St. Louis, Washington, San Diego and maybe even Dallas or the New York Jets could all be in the coaching market depending on how the next few weeks shake out.

Cleveland's situation is complicated by general manager Phil Savage's uncertain status. Savage, who joined the Browns in 2005, one month before Crennel was hired, has come under scrutiny for several mishandled issues this season ranging from his feud with Kellen Winslow over the tight end's hospitalization for a staph infection to Savage sending a profane e-mail to a fan.

Savage's future could hinge on Cleveland's coaching hire or his willingness to accept a lesser role in the organization if Lerner decides to bring in another experienced front-office executive.

Martz has marked his man: Cowher.

"He a tough guy," said Martz, a banking loan officer from Columbus who co-created Cowher09.com with partner Sam Lambert. "He's a coach who knows how to handle players and he could tell Braylon Edwards what to do and keep him in line. And, he knows the AFC North."

While with Pittsburgh, Cowher went 161-99-1, won a Super Bowl and dominated Cleveland's division. The Steelers went 21-5 against the Browns during Cowher's tenure.

Adding to Cowher's allure is his Cleveland connections. He played for the Browns (1980-82) and served as an assistant coach under Marty Schottenheimer (1985-88), another retreaded coach who could be on Lerner's radar to come back in some capacity.

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Such is the sad state of the Browns that Martz and other Cleveland fans are ignoring Cowher's Pittsburgh past.

"Hey, at this point, you just swallow your pride," Martz said. "We just want a coach who knows how to win. I'm only 25 and the Browns have been terrible for most of my life. There are people who have been watching this team for 40 or 50 years. I can only imagine how they feel. After all this time, what kind of product are we buying?"

Martz's goal was to get 73,000 signatures — the number of seats at Cleveland Browns Stadium — on a petition to present to Lerner as further proof of fans' desire to get Cowher. He now has more than 11,000 names, and he'll be in the infamous Municipal Lot this Sunday before the Browns play Cincinnati looking for more people to sign while hawking Cowher T-shirts.

Martz understands there is a chance Cowher could end up somewhere other than Cleveland. But as a Browns fan, he has learned how to accept failure. That doesn't mean he can't dream big.

"We're going to do everything possible," he said.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Find this article at: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/browns/2008-12-17-cowher-recruitment_N.htm


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By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens cornerback Frank Walker, accused of spitting in the mouth of Pittsburgh Steelers punter Mitch Berger, said Wednesday it was "just a slobber moment" during some trash-talking and not intentional.

The incident occurred Sunday in Baltimore after the Steelers kicked an extra point following a controversial touchdown in the final minute of a 13-9 victory, which clinched the AFC North title for the Steelers.

Berger, also the holder on PATs, accused Walker of trying to dive into the knee of Pittsburgh kicker Jeff Reed.

Berger said the spitting occurred during the jawing that followed the play, which drew a 15-yard penalty against Reed for shoving Walker.

"He (Walker) spit right in my mouth," Berger told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after the game. "I'm still trying to spit that … out. I was talking to him, trying to separate everybody and he spit right in my mouth."

Walker said in the Ravens locker room Wednesday that the players involved were "talking a lot of trash" during the exchange.

"After the kick, I guess he (Berger) felt like I tried to take his kicker's knee out, which I really was just trying to block the kick," said Walker. "We were talking, exchanging words, and it was just a slobber moment, you know."

Walker said he had spoken about the matter to Steelers safety Ryan Clark.

"I talked to my buddy over there, Ryan Clark. He asked me, and I told him what happened. He said, 'Oh, I'll tell him (Berger) what you told me.' "

Walker wears braces on his teeth and uses a football mouth guard.

Was Walker upset by the spitting accusation?

"I don't care, not one bit," he said.

"I hate Pittsburgh."

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Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Banged up Favre questions own ability

Associated Press FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Brett Favre is banged up, his quarterback rating has plummeted and the New York Jets quarterback openly questioned his arm strength after his most recent game.

Cause for alarm? Not quite.

"I don't know what normal feels like," Favre said Wednesday. "As I tell people all the time, friends and family who say, 'Hey how do you feel?' I say, 'I can't complain,' considering this is 200-and-whatever [consecutive] games. I feel about like I'm closing in on 40, and I've been sacked or hit however many times.

"That's not to say at the start of training camp I felt like a million dollars. I'm still going. I think we did win the game the other day. I think that's the one stat that gets lost in all of this."

That's true, but Favre has looked far from spectacular the last three games, with one touchdown pass and four interceptions. His quarterback rating in that span hasn't been higher than 61.4, which it was for the Jets' 31-27 win over Buffalo on Sunday. All that has many wondering if the 39-year-old Favre's shoulder is wearing down.

"It feels OK," he said. "I haven't kept up with the passer rating, nor can you figure it out, but it has nothing to do with my shoulder." After the victory, Favre talked about an exchange he had with quarterbacks coach Brian Daboll after he underthrew Jerricho Cotchery and was intercepted in the third quarter. "Maybe I don't have the arm I once had," he said after the game. "I don't know."

Favre felt better after looking at film of the play, saying he and left guard Alan Faneca got tangled up.

"I assumed on that play, without watching the film, that I underthrew him badly," Favre said. "In hindsight, it was underthrown and I actually either stepped on Alan or he stepped on me, he was [blocking] from the left side, his guy was blocked and I was looking to the right. I wasn't able to finish the throw."

Favre said he realized the scrutiny he'd face after he questioned his arm strength.

"I knew when I left that podium there, 'Oh, here we go, Old Favre,'" he said, grinning. "I was just being honest with you. There are a lot of throws that I can make that other guys can't make. That's one of them that I can make. There's no doubt about it."

Favre has been typically tightlipped about his future beyond this season, insisting he's only focused on the next two games: at Seattle and home against Miami.

"I'm expecting us to make the playoffs, as I hope the rest of our team is," he said. "It very well could be my last. It could be my last three games or last four games, I don't know. I think that every player, you're always an injury away. I have no idea, as most players don't, what direction a team would want to go in.

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This is 18 years. Sixteen have been nonstop.

"It's been a pretty good run, but it's not over yet."

Favre was asked if his decision to play again next year would be determined by how this season ends.

"I guess yes and no," he said. "Who would've thought that I'd be sitting here answering that question in front of you. If you would have asked me that last year before the (NFC) championship game, I would've said you need to quit drinking. Here I am. Who knows? We don't know what's going to happen. To predict or to assume is wrong.

"My sole focus is to try to beat the Seattle Seahawks. I know that's going to be difficult. I know what's possibly ahead for us, but I have no idea what's possibly ahead for me."

Despite the struggles, Favre was selected for the Pro Bowl for the 10th time Tuesday. While the selection has been criticized by some, given his NFL-leading 17 interceptions against 21 touchdowns, Favre is only concerned that the Jets are still tied for first place and control their playoff destiny.

"The bottom line is that we're in a position that we had hoped we'd be in," he said. "Miami can say the same thing and New England as well. It's a good position. I know a lot of these guys have not been in this position in quite a while here. It sure beats the alternative, I can tell you that."

If New York misses the playoffs after a such a highly publicized $140 million roster overhaul, many among the fans and media will consider bringing in Favre a mistake.

"I knew I still could play," he said. "Can I play at a level I did 12 years ago? I have no idea. Most people are going to say no and they may be right. I knew what I could bring to this team, more so than statistics alone. ...

"I'd love to lead the league in passer rating every year, but I'd much rather lead this team to the Super Bowl. I think I have that capability to be that type of a leader. Whether or not that gets done, I will do everything in my power to help this team win."

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