November 7
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Ryan Clark practiced again Friday, but the Steelers' free safety is unlikely to suit up Monday night against the Broncos due to the life-threatening complications he suffered the last time he played in Denver. If Clark doesn't play in the nationally televised game, Tyrone Carter will start in his place. Clark's blood sickled two seasons ago due to his rare form of sickle-cell trait and the high altitude in Denver. He later had to have his spleen and gall bladder removed in separate operations. "Same exact answer," Clark said of his playing status following practice. "Ya'll will know when everybody else knows Monday night. Everybody will find out together." • Defensive end Travis Kirschke ..."
November 7
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist John Harris
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One by one, LaMarr Woodley took note of the players selected ahead of him in the 2007 NFL Draft. Gaines Adams, Jamaal Anderson, Adam Carriker, Jarvis Moss and Anthony Spencer -- Woodley still doesn't understand why he was the sixth defensive end taken. "Everybody that got drafted in front of me, I'm doing better than them. Not being cocky, that's just the way it is," said Woodley, the Steelers' second-round pick two years ago who was the 46th overall selection. Woodley, whose foot speed was questioned coming out of Michigan, made the seamless transition from college defensive end to NFL outside linebacker. Woodley has 17 1/2 career sacks in 35 career games, or 1/2 sack per game. He ..."
November 7
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Willie Parker carried the ball 50 times in the first two games of the 2007 season, prompting somebody to ask first-year Steelers coach Mike Tomlin if he planned to continue riding Parker so hard. Tomlin replied that he would "ride Willie until the wheels come off." Earlier this week, I reminded Parker of that quote. He managed a smile but quickly turned serious. "That year," Parker said, "he did run me a little too much." Too much? "I think I was leading the league in carries that year," Parker said. "I don't think that was smart of us as an offensive unit. You can look back at it, and I guess we would change some things. But it is what it is. It's about now." Actually, offensive ..."
November 6
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Ryan Clark practiced Thursday, but the Steelers' free safety is unlikely to suit up Monday night against the Broncos due to the life-threatening complications he suffered the last time he played in Denver. If Clark doesn't play in the nationally televised game, Tyrone Carter will start in his place. Clark's blood sickled two seasons ago due to his rare form of sickle-cell trait and the high altitude in Denver. He later had to have his spleen and gall bladder removed in separate operations. The eighth-year veteran has been medically cleared to play. The Steelers, however, will likely deactivate Clark for the game even if he wants to play in it. "I told him I want him out there because of ..."
November 6
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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It appears likely the Steelers will be without starting defensive end Travis Kirschke for Monday night's game in Denver. Kirschke, who has filled in for the injured Aaron Smith at left end the past two weeks, said Wednesday he has a tear in his calf and it doesn't look promising that he will be able to play against the Broncos. "It might be a little close for this type of injury," said Kirschke about having more than two weeks to heal. "I'd like to (play), but we've just got to take it one day at a time. We'll see as it goes through the week." Kirschke has been rehabbing the injury by doing laps in a swimming pool. "I've got to be patient," Kirschke said. "It takes some time for it to ..."
November 6
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Max Starks has stated numerous times over his career that he would hate to face teammate James Harrison in a game. Well, what about a James Harrison clone? Denver linebacker Elvis Dumervil, a converted defensive end, is as close as the NFL has to offer as a twin to the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in stature and production. The 5-foot-11, 248-pound Dumervil is an inch smaller than Harrison and six pounds heavier. This season, Dumervil has two more sacks than Harrison's eight. To most left tackles in the league, going up against a guy such as Dumervil on Monday Night Football would be overwhelming, but not to Starks. That's because Starks has one big advantage over Dumervil, and it ..."
November 6
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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One thing that stood out to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as he watched film of the Denver Broncos' 30-7 loss to the Ravens last Sunday could impact how the Steelers try to attack the No. 1 defense in the NFL. "It seemed like in the second half, (the Ravens) did a lot of no-huddle," Roethlisberger said Thursday. "They kind of just picked up tempo and had a couple of plays that got things going." So does that mean Roethlisberger, who excels in a no-huddle attack, has been lobbying Bruce Arians to employ the change-of-pace offense more against the Broncos? "He lobbies every week," Arians said. "It's something that Ben likes to do," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "We've got a great feel for ..."
November 6
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Joe Starkey
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You've probably seen the video. Florida linebacker Brandon Spikes didn't try to strip the football when he went after Georgia running back Washaun Ealey last Saturday; he tried to strip an eyeball. It sure looked that way, anyhow, as Spikes plunged his hand into Ealey's facemask. And it led to my somewhat surreal conversation with Steelers linebacker James Harrison Wednesday. My initial reaction to the Spikes incident was that Florida coach Urban Meyer should suspend him for the rest of the season (Spikes will sit out only this weekend's game against Vanderbilt). Before forming a final opinion, I decided to check with the pros, to see what's kosher and what's not at the bottom of a pile. ..."
November 6
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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A day later Hines Ward still couldn't stop smiling as he talked about getting voted the dirtiest player in the NFL in a poll of almost 300 of his peers. Maybe that is because Ward knows that getting under opponents' skin gives the 33-year-old wideout and the Steelers and edge - and I suspect that the smile he wears as if they're a game day accessory, such as a pair of wristbands, infuriates opponents as much as his physical style of play. "I'm going to tear it out and frame it," Ward said of the poll in this week's editions of Sports Illustrated. "I finally got a title. Last time I think I was second behind (former NFL safety) Rodney (Harrison)." Ward seemed to take pride in the fact that ..."
November 5
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Josh McDaniels said Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward is the kind of player around whom franchises are built. "He's one of those guys when you say tough, physical football player, his face is probably right there in the dictionary," the Denver Broncos coach said Wednesday. Ward's peers say he's synonymous with more than just a physical brand of play, though. A panel of 296 NFL players -- less than 18 percent of the players on active rosters -- voted Ward the dirtiest player in the league. The anonymous voting, which was conducted in September, will be printed in this week's edition of Sports Illustrated. Ward, widely considered the best blocking wide receiver in the game, got 11 percent of ..."
November 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Late October is generally not an ideal time to go to a beach north of the Mason-Dixon line. That didn't stop Ziggy Hood from using the break last week to trek to Atlantic City, N.J., and see the ocean for the first time. "It's like taking a Deep South kid and taking him somewhere where it snows," said Hood, the Steelers' rookie defensive end who grew up in the panhandle of Texas. "They're intrigued by it. So, I was out there messing with the seashells and just walking along the sand." Hood also went in the water while in Atlantic City, which is fitting since he may feel like he is swimming against the current at times during another unfamiliar experience. Hood has had to make the ..."
November 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Maybe the offensive line isn't that bad after all. For the past four years (including this season), the Steelers offensive line has come under heavy scrutiny for allowing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to be sacked time and time again. The line gave up 49 sacks in 2006; 47 in 2007; 49 in 2009; and is on the pace to allow the franchise quarterback to hit the ground another 46 times this year. Including the playoffs, Roethlisberger has been sacked 233 times since he came into the league in 2004. That's nearly three times a game over his 5 1/2-year career. In that perspective, it is astonishing that Roethlisberger has missed only seven games in his career, including sitting out only one of ..."
November 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Coach Mike Tomlin said starting free safety Ryan Clark's status is still in question for the Steelers' game Monday night in Denver. Doctors have cleared Clark, whose sickle-cell trait and the low altitude in Denver resulted in life-threatening complications two seasons ago, to play against the Broncos. Tomlin said Tuesday that the Steelers and Clark are still weighing the risks of the eight-year veteran playing in Denver. Tomlin said a final decision won't be made until later in the week. "We're going to make the decision once, and then we're going to play football," Tomlin said. · Santonio Holmes also has the sickle-cell trait, but the wide receiver is not susceptible to what Clark ..."
November 3
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said a decision still hasn't been made as to whether free safety Ryan Clark will play Monday night in Denver. He said Clark, who suffered life-threatening complications when he played in Denver two seasons ago, and the Steelers won't make a decision until later this week. "We're going to make the decision once and then we're going to go play football," Tomlin said today at his weekly news conference. The high altitude in Denver caused Clark's blood to sickle in October of 2007, and he eventually had his spleen and gall bladder removed in separate operations. Clark, who has sickle-cell trait, has been medically cleared to play against the Broncos."
November 3
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Strange but true: Hines Ward actually wanted to go to work on a Monday morning. "I missed football," the Steelers' wide receiver said. The Steelers practiced yesterday for the first time in more than a week. Coach Mike Tomlin gave most of the players last week off since the Steelers had a bye. The only ones who had to report were practice squad players and rookies. "It gave guys a chance to go home and just get away from football," Ward said. It also gave some of them extra time to recover. Troy Polamalu said his sprained left knee "feels much better." The strong safety added that he hopes to practice later this week."
November 3
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Ryan Mundy said he is preparing as if he is going to play a lot next Monday when the Steelers visit the Denver Broncos. The Woodland Hills graduate could see extensive action with Ryan Clark's status in question, even though the starting free safety has been medically cleared to play in the nationally televised game. If Clark doesn't play, then Mundy or veteran Tyrone Carter would get the nod. "I'm just going to prepare as if I'm going to play a lot and if I don't, then I don't," Mundy said. "If I do (play), I have to make sure I'm ready." The high altitude and a couple of medical conditions caused Clark's blood to sickle when the Steelers played in Denver in October 2007. The deprivation ..."
November 3
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist John Harris
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Of the 12 wide receivers selected before Hines Ward in the 1998 NFL Draft, only one still plays in the NFL. Randy Moss, a certain Hall of Famer, was drafted in the first round that year - 71 picks ahead of Ward, a third-rounder and the 92nd player taken overall. The draft that delivered wide receiver washouts Kevin Dyson, Marcus Nash, Jacquez Green, Patrick Johnson, Brian Alford, E.G. Green and Larry Shannon could ultimately become the only draft to produce two Hall of Fame receivers in Ward and Moss, now with New England. Another possibility could be Michael Irvin and Tim Brown, both drafted in 1988. Irvin is in the Hall of Fame; Brown isn't ... yet. That Irvin is in the Hall of Fame with ..."
November 3
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers running back Willie Parker did not practice Monday because of an illness. Parker reported to the Steelers' practice facility with the rest of his teammates. The Steelers sent him to the doctors because he was running a fever. "We didn't want him to deliver anything to anybody else," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "I anticipate him being fine." · The bye week and the fact that the Steelers are playing Monday night in Denver gives them two extra days of practice this week. The Steelers normally watch film and get treatment on Mondays, but they did not have a game last weekend. They will practice Saturday, which is usually a walk-through for a Sunday game. "We should be well ..."
November 2
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Ryan Clark practiced with the Steelers today but a decision as to whether or not the starting free safety will play Monday night in Denver has not been made, coach Mike Tomlin said. "We're not going to hurry the process, we're going to proceed through our week," Tomlin said today. "He's going to take in information and reps and prepare to play in the football game. His backups are going to do the same and then at an appropriate time we'll sit down and come to a decision." When the Steelers played in Denver in October of 2007, the high altitude caused Clark's blood to sickle. The ordeal led to the removal of his spleen and gall bladder in separate operations and almost cost Clark, who has ..."
November 1
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Football isn't a game of life or death to Ryan Clark, yet he knows first-hand the risk of playing in the high altitude could make it one. That's why the Steelers' starting free safety still hasn't decided whether he will play against the Denver Broncos next Monday night. "I think it would be big for me to play," Clark said Saturday afternoon at South Hills Village, where he signed autographs for the $10,000 Man Cave Makeover contest through Verizon FiOS. "Sickle cell would be acknowledged a little bit more, because it is an ethnic disease. Let's be honest, it's not a disease that affects all." While Clark lost his spleen and gall bladder in separate surgeries after the sickle-cell trait ..."
November 1
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers starting free safety Ryan Clark said he has been cleared by doctors to play next Monday night in Denver, but hasn't decided whether or not he will play against the Broncos because of his sickle-cell trait. While signing autographs this afternoon at South Hills Village as part of the Man Cave Makeover contest through Verizon FiOS, Clark told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review the decision was up to both him and the Steelers coaches. "I think it would be big for me to play," Clark said. "(Sickle cell) would be talked about a lot." Clark had health complications the past two times he played in Denver, with the Washington Redskins in 2005 and the Steelers in '07. The high altitude caused ..."
October 30
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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A sickle cell trait expert said Thursday that Ryan Clark should be OK if he plays in Denver on Nov. 9 -- provided that the Steelers free safety takes the necessary precautions. "I think that means aggressive hydration and oxygen," said Dr. Mark Gladwin, director of vascular medicine and chief of the pulmonary, allergy and critical care medicine division at UPMC. Clark met with doctors again yesterday as he weighs the risks of playing in the Steelers' game that follows their bye week. The mile-high altitude in Denver caused Clark's blood to sickle in a game two years ago. The resulting deprivation of oxygen to several major organs triggered a harrowing ordeal that eventually led to Clark ..."
October 29
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison today was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for October. Harrison, last year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year, recorded 25 tackles, seven sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in four victories."
October 29
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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He broke down the 82-yard run for reporters, one that resulted in his first touchdown since high school. He accepted a congratulatory handshake from Steelers' president Art Rooney II. Linebacker Keyaron Fox, the man of the moment last Sunday afternoon, showed why he is such a valuable Steelers reserve in their 27-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings. In a larger sense, Fox serves as an affirmation of the Steelers' team-building philosophy. In the spring of 2008, the Steelers stayed out of the annual shopping spree that commences at the start of the free-agent signing period. Instead of targeting big-ticket free agents, they quietly signed Fox, center Justin Hartwig and running back Mewelde ..."
October 28
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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In the NFL, it is becoming very fashionable to wear white after Labor Day. It used to be that dark uniform jerseys were worn at home, and white ones on the road -- except, of course, if you were the Dallas Cowboys or Washington Redskins. No more. Through the first seven weeks of the season, 15 teams have decided to wear their white jerseys at home. Nine have done it more than once. Through 103 games, 30 times teams have worn their whites at home rather than the traditional darks (29 percent). In those games, the white-wearing home teams are 16-14. "I think they are doing it because of the weather in some of these cities gets hot," said Steelers long-time equipment manager Rodgers ..."
October 28
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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You never know where you'll spot a member of the Steelers' practice squad on game day, typically the only day of the week he is not with the team. This past Sunday at Heinz Field, during halftime of the Minnesota game, running back Justin Vincent was standing in line for a hot dog in the press box. During the season opener against Tennessee, center A.Q. Shipley was sitting in the stands. That was not new for Shipley, a Coraopolis native who starred at Moon High School. But it was the first time he attended a game after practicing with the Steelers all week. Did he stand up and cheer for big plays? "A little bit," Shipley said, laughing. "I've been going to Steeler games my whole life. That ..."
October 28
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Steelers' bye week couldn't have come at a better time for at least one player. Lawrence Timmons is nursing a sprained right ankle, but the starting inside linebacker wrote on his blog Tuesday that he expects to play Nov. 9 against the Broncos in Denver. Timmons missed the season opener because of a sprained left ankle. He got hurt early in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' 27-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday when nose tackle Casey Hampton "rolled up" on his ankle. He did not return to the game. "It's a Grade One sprain, not a big deal," Timmons wrote on his blog. "I should come back faster than I did from that high ankle sprain." Timmons, in his first season as a starter, ..."