Roethlisberger played with broken ribs

Peter King is reporting in this week's "Monday Morning Quarterback" that Ben Roethlisberger played in Super Bowl XLIII "with at least two small rib fractures -- which didn't show up in an X-ray the week before the game but did when he got an MRI after returning to Pittsburgh."

Mr. King, after having re-watched the game this past weekend (including some praise for Mewelde Moore), breaks down the final drive in great detail, and has a few additional comments to make ~ ultimately we were glad to find out that we were not the only ones who watched the game again (and again) this past weekend.

Peter King's Super Bowl Preview

Peter King really is one of our favorites, but the pool report he filed from Friday's practice was a snoozer! So rather than finishing with that we decided to share his preview from the current issue of Sports Illustrated (and this is as good a time as any to thank the folks at SI ~ they have been incredibly helpful and generous during this NFL season, and we appreciate all they did for us!).

It is also worth mentioning that, in addition to the preview, this week's issue features a terrific article by Tim Layden on the ties that bind the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh. The title of the article: "We are Family."

Super Bowl XLIII Preview: Cardinals vs. Steelers

A sixth ring for Pittsburgh or a historic first for Arizona? It all hinges on whether the NFL’s best defense can do what no one else has done in the playoffs: knock Larry Fitzgerald off his game

By Peter King

This super bowl has one significant element in common with last year's: The underdog most assuredly can win if it plays to its strength. In Super Bowl XLII the Giants had a chance against the mighty Patriots as long as New York's quick, flexible and unpredictable defensive front won the battle at the line of scrimmage. This year the Cardinals have a shot against the imposing Steelers if Larry Fitzgerald can make big plays like he did in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Against the Falcons, Panthers and Eagles on successive weekends in January, the 6' 3", 220-pound fifth-year wideout torched secondaries for a total of 23 receptions, 419 yards and five touchdowns. When single-covered, Fitzgerald beat them long, as he did on the 62-yard flea-flicker touchdown against Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game; when doubled, he leaped between defensive backs for jump balls thrown by Kurt Warner, as he did against Atlanta and Carolina. Also, Fitzgerald is more physical than he looks—"He's got a little tight end in him," says Rams cornerback Ron Bartell—and has been more effective in the middle of the field than in the past, the beneficiary of offensive coordinator Todd Haley's plan to make him a complete receiver. The 25-year-old Fitzgerald now does so many things that are hard to defend against that Pittsburgh's mantra in preparation for Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday in Tampa is: Expect him to make plays, but stop him from making the big plays.

The Steelers' defense must force the Cardinals to use 13 plays to score, not three. And to do that Pittsburgh will have to change some of its tendencies. For one, instead of allowing heat-seeking safety Troy Polamalu to roam the field, blitzing and intimidating at will, the Steelers might have to play him and free safety Ryan Clark in a more disciplined two-deep scheme, to ensure that Fitzgerald gets nothing deep. Second, the Steelers must alter their blitz philosophy. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau mostly reserves the blitz for obvious passing downs, but on occasion in this game he'll have to disrupt Warner by sending outside linebackers LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison on first- and second-down plays. And though LeBeau doesn't use bump coverage as much as some coordinators, he'd be wise to hit Fitzgerald plenty within the legal five-yard zone.

As defensive backs and coaches who faced Fitzgerald this year learned, you have to show him different looks over the course of the game. "I've been around some great receivers in 25 years in this league," says Jim Mora, Seattle's secondary coach in 2008 who was promoted to head coach after the season. "Jerry Rice ran every route with a purpose. Terrell Owens runs angry. Larry runs with a viciousness. He attacks the defense. He's become a much more physical player this year, but I don't think you can just play him in a physical way exclusively. He's too smart for that."

Here's more advice for the Steelers from players and coaches accustomed to seeing Fitzgerald in the NFC.

Reroute him as he comes off the line: Fitzgerald had 11 catches in two games combined against San Francisco this year, but only one of those went for more than 10 yards because the 49ers wouldn't let him get comfortable. "We make him start his route again whenever possible," says Niners secondary coach Johnnie Lynn. "That takes time off Kurt's clock. If Kurt gets a second taken away, with Larry starting his route again, it might take Larry out of the play." Lynn says he'll line up a corner inside of Fitzgerald and try to send him up the side on one play, then in the same formation the next time put the corner outside and try to force him to the middle. The key, Lynn says, is to not let Fitzgerald dictate the coverage.

Hit hard when the ball reaches his hands: "The Cardinals threw him five fades against us this year," says Rams safety Corey Chavous, "and they were 0 for 5. That's because Ron Bartell, who's 6' 1", played him so well." Which is where 6' 2" Steelers corner Ike Taylor comes in; he's likely to be matched against Fitzgerald on deep balls. Says Bartell, "When the ball is close or Fitzgerald's just getting it, I try to play through his hands and into his helmet. He's got the best hands in the league by far, so you want to be physical on his hands."

Pittsburgh has to attack Fitzgerald's body as well as the ball: "He did a LeBron against us last year," says Lynn. "They threw a jump ball in the end zone at the end of the half, and none of our guys got up to his elbow. He's special in crowds, the best of the big guys at going up for the ball." If the Steelers can't leap with Fitzgerald, they'd better make sure he feels the body shots on his way down in hopes of dislodging the ball.

Beware the flea-flicker: Only once in two games this postseason has a receiver—San Diego's Vincent Jackson—caught a ball beyond Pittsburgh's last defender. "You don't get behind our secondary," Taylor says. But twice in three games Fitzgerald has gained more than 40 yards on gadget plays. Polamalu must be smart enough to recognize the trap when the Cardinals try to pull it. Two months ago it would have been easier for Pittsburgh. The Steelers could have kept their two safeties back 100% of the time, because in the regular season there was no Arizona running game to worry about—the Cards ran the ball just 36% of the time. But with their tight ends' return to health and playing mostly with a lead in the playoffs, Arizona has run on 52% of its snaps. "Now we've got play-action back," Haley says. That will keep Pittsburgh's defensive backs guessing.

Watch the pick play: The Cards like to send Fitzgerald across the middle, expecting to free him by losing defenders in traffic. At least 12 snaps a game Arizona uses four-wide sets, which Pittsburgh sees very little of in the AFC North. In one of Haley's preferred formations, he bunches three wideouts on one side and puts Fitzgerald alone on the other. "The chess match is going to be the Pittsburgh linebackers on the Arizona receivers," says Lynn, "because on early downs Pittsburgh usually lets the linebackers drop in coverage. You can't leave Larry alone on the backside of that three-by-one formation. He'll either beat you deep or get lost in coverage over the middle."

The Steelers will have to pick their poison: Do you force Fitzgerald to the outside and risk getting beat deep down the sideline, or lay off and take your chances on a succession of 12-yard crosses and eight-yard curls?

Fitzgerald isn't the only player Pittsburgh has to worry about: Arizona has two other 1,000-yard receivers in Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. Yet with LeBeau setting the tone the Steelers' defense will be confident. And why not? They're the No. 1 defense in the NFL. They mauled the Patriots and the Cowboys—two good downfield passing clubs—late in the season, harassing Matt Cassel and Tony Romo into five interceptions and eight sacks total while holding them to a 51% completion rate and two touchdown drives on 26 combined possessions.

Warner and Fitzgerald versus the new Steel Curtain is going to be a fair fight. Just remember that Arizona put up 32 points on Philadelphia's third-ranked defense in the NFC title game, with Fitzgerald contributing three first-half touchdown catches. If the Cardinals—and Fitzgerald—come close to duplicating that performance on Sunday night, they'll join the 1969 Jets, 2001 Patriots and 2007 Giants as history's unlikeliest Super Bowl winners.

Steelers' Thursday Pool Report

Peter King of Sports Illustrated served as the pool reporter at the Steelers' Thursday practice. We present the report in its entirety, as provided by the NFL (with small formatting changes). In today's edition questions are asked regarding Ben Roethlisberger's health, Mike Tomlin's ability to predict the weather, and Byron Leftwich's resemblance to Kurt Warner.

TAMPA--Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger practiced effectively but at times appeared to be trying to stretch his mid-torso region during the team's second full Super Bowl week practice session, held mostly in the rain at the University of South Florida Thursday afternoon.

Access to players is restricted to the Pro Football Writers of America's pool reporter at pre-Super Bowl practice sessions, but coach MIke Tomlin denied a Profootballtalk.com report that Roethlisberger has undergone X-rays on his back this week. "Not that I heard,'' said Tomlin, who then asked Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett if he knew of any X-rays on Roethlisberger. Lockett said no. Then Tomlin said: "Ben's health is often the subject of inaccurate reports. He's fine.''

Roethlisberger, 26, was speared in the rib/back area during the AFC Championship Game against Baltimore 11 days ago and did not come out of the game, but backup Byron Leftwich hurriedly warmed up in case he was needed. He said after the championship game he was fine, and nothing had surfaced about his mid-torso till Thursday's report. He threw the ball well on short and deep routes in Thursday's practice--including a 40-yard bullet up the20right seam to wide receiver Santonio Holmes, and several sharp throws to rehabbing receiver Hines Ward--even during steady rain.

Ward, who suffered a strained right knee ligament in the title game, practiced for the first time since the knee was wrenched on a first-quarter tackle against Baltimore. Although he ran at perhaps three-quarters speed, he worked with the regular offense and blocked and caught the ball in midseason form. Tomlin said Ward looked "awesome'' and reiterated what he has been saying for the past week: Ward will certainly play Sunday against the Cardinals. "He is where I thought he would be today,'' Tomlin said.

The Steelers practiced for one hour and 55 minutes on USF's two football practice field north of downtown Tampa. The practice began at 1:30 p.m., under threatening skies, and at 2:07, with skies nearly blackened, the rain began. It was a deluge for about 20 minutes and continued for 45 minutes, stopped for a short time, then resumed lightly for about the last 20 minutes of practice. Tomlin said at the start of practice it would not rain, and when it was coming down in buckets, Holmes and Ward chided Tomlin, who lived in Tampa for five years while as assistant coach with the Buccaneers, about being unable to predict the weather in his former neighborhood.

"Much like a lot of our games,'' Tomlin said, "we had adversity today. Things very rarely go smoothly for 60 minutes in a game, and they didn't go smoothly today with the rain. But we got our work done. This is a mentally tough group that smiles in the face of adversity.''

Despite the rain, the Steelers went through their normal Thursday routine, which is heavy on the starting offense and defense working against the scout teams and on red-zone work. Roethlisberger moved the offense well, finding Holmes and Ward consistently. And on defense, Pittsburgh got a heavy dose of backup quarterback Byron Leftwich imitating Kurt Warner, with practice-squad receiver Dallas Baker playing Larry Fitzgerald. Baker, a seventh-round pick of the Steelers from Florida in 2007, is 6-3, as is Fitzgerald, but at 206 pounds is 20 pounds lighter than the Cardinals' receiver he was imitating. Leftwich threw three interceptions--two to cornerback Ike Taylor--while the Steeler defense was on the field, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Tomlin thought his defense practiced well.

"We're getting a great look from our scout teams, and we have all year,'' said Tomlin. "I can't say enough about the quality of work we're getting from Byron Leftwich, who has been fantastic all season imitating the other quarterback. He's giving our defense a good look at how Kurt Warner plays.''

The Steelers will resume practice with a normal Friday session at USF at 11 a.m., and close out preparations for Sunday's game with a short walk-through practice Saturday, also at USF, at 10 a.m.

Steelers Wednesday's Pool Report

Peter King of Sports Illustrated served as the pool reporter at the Steelers' Wednesday practice. We present the report in its entirety, as provided by the NFL (with small formatting changes):

TAMPA—Hines Ward, the leading receiver in Steelers history, was the only one of the 53 active Pittsburgh players to be limited due to injury as the five-time Super Bowl champions began their practice week for Super Bowl 43 on the two football practice fields at the University of South Florida Wednesday afternoon.

The team worked without pads on a beautiful Florida afternoon—77 degrees, sunny skies, with 15-mph winds from the south—on the USF campus north of downtown Tampa. Second-year coach Mike Tomlin began the one-hour, 58-minute session with a shout of “Let’s go to work, men,’’ and pronounced himself satisfied with the work on what Steeler observers said was the nicest outdoor practice day the team has had since October.

“It was a good start to our week,’’ Tomlin said after practice. “We practiced fas t, and I thought we practiced aggressively. But it’s like I say to the team after every Wednesday practice: It’s a good start, but we’ve got to be better tomorrow.’’

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has intermittent shoulder problems during the season, looked sharp and threw several tight long spirals, including one bullet to Santonio Holmes through the wind. Running back Willie Parker, after battling shoulder and knee problems during the season, ran fast and confidently. Other than Ward, the 32-year old inspirational lead of the Pittsburgh offense, the Steelers have no health issues on either side of the ball, Tomlin said. But the coach was dismissive when asked if he was concerned about Ward’s status for Sunday’s game. Here’s the evidence that Tomlin is not fretting about Ward: He didn’t watch his star receiver running and cutting on the side field during the hour that Ward worked out away from the team.

Ward is expected to practice with the regular offense more on Thursday.

“Hines is playing,” Tomlin said. “I’m not worried about him.’’

Ward strained a knee ligament in the first quarter of the AFC Championship Game victory over Baltimore 10 days ago. Wearing a small black knee brace this afternoon, Ward walked onto the practice field shortly after 1 p.m. and walked through some plays with the first-team offense just before practice began at 1:30. Then, at the start of practice, he jogged through a few pass-routes with the regular offense before working out on his own for the next 55 minutes. Ward caught balls from the Juggs machine. Then four cones were laid out in a 10-yard square, and Ward ran 10-yard-incut pass-routes at about half-speed and caught passes. Then he ran sideline-to-sideline at slightly better than half-speed before encasing the knee in ice for about a half-hour. From the looks of how he ran Wednesday, Ward won’t be 100 percent Sunday against Arizona, but there’s little doubt he’ll be in the starting lineup.

Tomlin said he was pleased with the condition of the practice fields at USF, though the freshly installed Bermuda sod was damaged by two days of sub-freezing temperatures at night last week. NFL turf guru George Toma, in charge of the Steelers fields, said the turf turned brown due to the frigid weather but three coats of field paint had them looking fresh. “The freeze turned the fields brown,’’ said the 79-year-old Toma, who has worked every Super Bowl. “But it didn’t hurt the fields at all.’’ There were no complaints from the players or Steeler staff about the field, and the players seemed very happy to be working in warm weather on grass that held firm.

“George is awesome,’’ said Tomlin. “We’re not finicky. The fields are fine.’’

The NBC crew televising Sunday’s game was present at practice, as was former Steeler quarterback Mark Malone, part of the national radio crew for the game.

The Steelers will practice on their regular schedule this week, with Thursday and Friday workouts at USF, then a short walk-through practice Saturday.

Mike Tomlin saw things just like we did

The fact that a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers is on the (regional) cover of Sports Illustrated is no surprise, but what we did find somewhat surprising was a piece of information included in Peter King's article about head coach Mike Tomlin. Specifically, Mr. Tomlin did not care much for the reaction that Limas Sweed had to dropping a second quarter pass that almost certainly would have gone for a touchdown:

[W]ith 1:00 left in the first half and the Steelers leading the Baltimore Ravens 13–7. Pittsburgh rookie wideout Limas Sweed, uncovered deep down the left side, dropped a sure touchdown pass, then fell to the ground and lay there. Replays showed the only injury was to his pride. But when Sweed was slow to rise, the Steelers had to take their last timeout—one they'd wish they had when the clock ran out before they could attempt a short field goal. After Sweed finally walked off, to 65,350 boos, he was met at the sideline by a livid Tomlin. For 10 seconds the coach blew up, and the wideout took it.

"I wasn't mad because he dropped the ball," Tomlin said later. "That kind of mistake can happen to anyone. I was pissed that he'd lay on the ground, fake an injury and cost us our last timeout. My point was, Be a man! Grow up!"

Three plays later Sweed was back in the game and delivering a ferocious block on cornerback Corey Ivy, enabling tight end Heath Miller to gain an extra yard or two. "Coach Tomlin's got an interesting way of explaining stuff," Sweed said. "He's got a little magic in him."

That lay-on-the-ground-after-dropping-a-pass stuff may have worked at Texas but it simply does not work in the pro game; and definitely does not work in Pittsburgh.

On Newsstands Now

The folks at Sports Illustrated were nice enough to send along an image of the cover of this week's issue of the magazine ~ and it is just too lovely not to share.

They also included a press release outlining their coverage of last Sunday's matchup between Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and I'm including it here in its entirety:

"(NEW YORK – December 16, 2008) – Pittsburgh and Baltimore, the best defenses of the decade, met to decide the AFC North—and to settle the debate over which unit can claim to be the NFL's best. The answer is etched in steel, and linebacker LaMarr Woodley, a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense, appears on the cover of the December 22, 2008, issue of Sports Illustrated, with the billing, STEEL CURTAIN II -DEFENSE - That Same Old December Song in the NFL.

In this week’s cover story titled D As in Dominant, SI senior writer Jim Trotter says of the game and the defenses: “Sunday’s battle provided everything one would expect from the NFL's top-ranked defenses, with offensive advances seemingly measured in inches rather than yards…. As the Steelers walked to the locker room afterward, one member of the defense barked, ‘Fourteen games in a row! Fourteen games in row! There shouldn't be no debate now!’ What he meant was, the 11–3 Steelers, who entered the game with the league's No. 1 defense, have held their opponents to less than 300 yards of total offense in every game this season, tying the postmerger record set by the Los Angeles Rams in 1973; and any talk that the Ravens’ No. 2-ranked defense is the better unit should cease” (page 34).

Trotter adds: “Despite the hostile nature of the rivalry, there is a mutual respect between the two units, and they are more alike than players on either side care to admit.”

The masterminds behind the two defenses are coordinators Dick LeBeau (Steelers) and Rex Ryan (Ravens). Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin praises LeBeau: “Dick is the epitome of a team player. He has no ego. He just wants to win. If I had come in and tried to change the defense, it would have been about ego. But we all have to check our egos at the door. I’ve worked with guys like Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin, and I viewed working with Dick as another opportunity to work with a brilliant defensive mind. Every day he’s tinkering, trying to figure out how to do something better. He comes to work with an emphasis on getting better every day.”

Continuing on Rex Ryan [son of Buddy], Trotter says: “[Ryan] has tweaked the D to his liking, making it even more unpredictable and aggressive. He seemingly comes up with new pressure packages in his sleep, but one thing he refuses to change is what he looks for in a player.”

Ryan says: “It’s not necessarily the position, it’s the disposition. You’ve got to have the right guys, the right mentality, to have consistency. Every now and then you get a flash-in-the-pan team that shows up and has a decent year on defense. But for the most part it’s usually us and Pittsburgh right there with each other, and I think it has a lot to do with the type of players we have—and the mind-set of those players. There’s a passion that both teams play with on defense.”

As part of the cover story, SI senior writer Peter King takes a more in depth look at the philosophies of LeBeau and Ryan."

Peter King Talks Steelers Football,and Something Even More Important

Peter King's "Monday Morning Quarterback" column is a must read for all football fans, and this week there is a great deal of discussion regarding the Steelers-Ravens game ~ specifically how it ended. Mr. King also gives the Steelers their due for performing well in the face of a difficult schedule; but the most important part of this week's column has nothing to do with the Steelers.

Instead Mr. King uses his platform to focus attention on the efforts of Minnesota Vikings center Matt Birk to raise money for former players by donating $50,000 from this week's gamecheck to the organization Gridiron Greats, an organization whose mission is to assist former players in need, and is calling on all NFL players to do the same.

Mr. King uses the story of former NFL player Dwight Harrison to illustrate the plight of too many former players ~ Mr. Harrison "is a 60-year-old man, living alone, in a FEMA trailer in Beaumont, Texas, with no running water and an income of $637 a month from a Social Security disability fund. He gets no pension or medical benefits from the NFL or NFLPA, and the medication he needs eats up much of his monthly stipend."

It is an issue that receives far too little attention, and one in which too few fans take an interest. Moreover, while few of us can match the generosity of Mr. Birk it would be wonderful to see the league make an attempt to mobilize its considerable fan base to give something back to any and all former players who have fallen on hard times.

"Experts" Begin to Weigh In

Now that Anthony Smith has made his prediction a matter of public record, an NFL expert, whose opinions are respected, has made his feelings known.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated is picking the Steelers, and here's why:

"Five reasons:

1. A.J. Feeley and Kyle Boller have put up 52 points on the Patriots the last two weeks; Ben Roethlisberger won't make the kind of late-game mistakes those two backups did.

2. Brian Westbrook and Willis McGahee have rushed for 190 yards on the Pats the last two weeks. I'm not in love with Willie Parker's recent rushing numbers -- 52, 81 and 87 yards, against three straight sub-.500 teams -- but I think the Patriots will be vulnerable against a power running game.

3. Pats are tired after three straight night games, including the emotional Monday-nighter in frigid Baltimore. Bill Belichick didn't even practice them Wednesday, an incredible rarity with a Sunday game upcoming.

4. Hines Ward's will to win. The dude leads the league in it.

5. Just a gut feeling. The strain of going for perfection seems to be wearing on New England, while Pittsburgh is just bullyish enough not to fear the
enormity of Sunday's stage."

At 10:00PM (EST) on Thursday 65% of those voting online disagreed with Mr. King's choice -- the closest vote of all the games.

Meanwhile, during halftime of the Thursday night game on the NFL Network (Bears v. Redskins) Patriots' safety Rodney Harrison took the high road saying only that "we have tremendous amount of respect for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we know that they're an aggressive, physical team that's on a role right now."