Preview: Browns at Steelers

11.08.2007

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Think way back to the morning of Sept. 10, in the miserable aftermath of the Browns' 34-7 opening-day loss to the Steelers.

It didn't exactly seem like Round Two would be for first place in the AFC North Division.

But the Browns have won three in a row and played themselves back into the race. At 5-3, they can pull into a tie with the 6-2 Steelers with a win at Heinz Field Sunday. They're trying to snap all sorts of negative streaks in the process, as the Steelers have won eight straight in the series and 14 of the last 15 overall.

The Browns' lone win at Heinz Field -- and their last against the Steelers -- came in Oct. 2003.

For that to change Sunday, the Browns will need another outstanding performance by an offense that's scoring more than 30 points per game during the current win streak and the best performance yet by a defense that's struggled and given up too many big plays.

The Steelers have the AFC's leading rusher in Willie Parker, Ben Roethlisberger is coming off a five-touchdown half in a 38-7 rout of the Ravens and the league's top-ranked defense. The AFC North goes through Pittsburgh, and if the Steelers win Sunday they'll hold a two-game lead plus tiebreakers over the Browns.

The Browns are trying to win four in a row for the first time since 1994.

When the Browns have the ball...

Derek Anderson has taken every snap since the second quarter of the season opener and has caught fire. Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow are having Pro Bowl-type seasons, Jamal Lewis has sparked an effective running game and Joe Jurevicius has made several clutch catches to keep the chains moving.

Much of the Browns' offensive success can be attributed to outstanding play by the offensive line, as Anderson has been sacked just seven times in seven starts and Lewis and Lawrence Vickers have been effective in short-yardage situations. But the line faces its biggest test this week, not only against the Steelers' blitz schemes but because of injury.

Seth McKinney left last week's game with a shoulder injury and would be replaced by either Lennie Friedman or Ryan Tucker if he can't go. But Eric Steinbach experienced back problems in Wednesday's practice and didn't practice Thursday, so it may not be as simple as plugging one hole.

When the Browns are at full strength, Friedman is the primary backup at both guard spots and center. Tucker played some guard in the preseason but hasn't played guard in a regular season game in 10 years. Second-year man Isaac Sowells can play guard and tackle but has been inactive on game days for the first eight games.

Though Friedman has played some and Tucker has shared right tackle reps with Kevin Shaffer, the Browns have started the same five offensive linemen for each of their first eight games.

Continuity and confidence are key against a Steelers front that brings blitzers from all angles and should be at full strength this week if defensive end Aaron Smith returns from injury. James Harrison and Clark Haggans are the primary outside rushers, but Casey Hampton is a top-flight nose tackle and safety Troy Polamalu makes plays all over.

The Browns feel like they have matchup advantages with Edwards on the perimeter and with Winslow all over the field, but they must protect Anderson to give him a chance to exploit them. The Steelers have 25 sacks on the year, second-most in the NFL.

When the Steelers have the ball...

Parker torched the Browns for a club record 223 yards in Heinz Field last December. Even though Roethlisberger has been hot, Parker is still the guy that makes the Steelers go. And the Browns know he's capable of busting a long touchdown run at any time if they miss tackles or have assignment breakdowns.

Roethlisberger makes plays on the run and is also effective off of play-action fakes to Parker. He is most comfortable finding Hines Ward in one-on-one coverage and trying to get Santonio Holmes deep, something that opens the middle of the field for tight end Heath Miller.

The Browns have struggled to generate a consistent pass rush and have only 7 sacks on the season. They need to stop the run to have a chance -- Parker has run for more than 100 on them in four of the last five games -- but will also be on alert for the deep ball after Holmes beat them down the middle for a 40-yard touchdown in the first game.

The Browns might have to play their second straight game without their leading tackler, D'Qwell Jackson. Outside linebacker Antwan Peek is also battling a sore knee.

What it comes down to...

The Browns need to win the turnover battle, contain Parker and generate a consistent running game of their own. The Steelers have earned their top defensive ranking with a stout run defense; since 2000, the Steelers have only allowed a 100-yard rusher 13 times.

The first game was essentially over not long after it started. If the Steelers get an early lead they ramp up the blitz and become even more dangerous on offense with Roethlisberger executing play fakes and Parker waiting on his chance to bust a long run.

Look for the Browns' offense to spread out the Steelers, try to use the pass to set up the run and take some early shots down the field. Look for the Steelers to pound Parker, try some deep shots of their own and bring a variety of blitzers in an attempt to keep Anderson from getting into a rhythm.

SCOUTING REPORT

QUARTERBACK - Edge: Pit

Both are on fire; give Big Ben the edge in big-game experience

RUNNING BACK - Edge: Pit

Until the Browns contain Parker they probably won't win

WIDE RECEIVER - Edge: Cle

Holmes has been great, but the Browns have been outstanding

OFFENSIVE LINE - Edge: Even

But only if Steinbach is healthy...

DEFENSIVE LINE - Edge: Pit

Probable return of the underrated Aaron Smith is big for Pittsburgh

LINEBACKER - Edge: Pit

Harrison is coming off a career night

SECONDARY - Edge: Pit

Polamalu barely broke a sweat last time

SPECIAL TEAMS - Edge: Even

Harrison has been a beast in this aspect, too

KEY MATCHUPS

Browns LT Joe Thomas vs. Steelers ROLB James Harrison

Thomas keeps getting -- and earning -- kudos for his work at the all-important left tackle spot while he continues to learn on the job. But the rookie has passed just about every test he's faced and has been an integral part of the Browns' outstanding overall line play. Now comes Harrison, who's coming off a career performance.

And Harrison, a high-energy, high-effort player, will look to continue his roll. Last week he had 3.5 sacks, 9 tackles, 6 quarterback hurries, intercepted a pass, forced two fumbles on defense, forced another on special teams, recovered a fumble and forced Steve McNair into an intentional grounding penalty. Not bad for a first-year full-time starter.

Browns CB's Leigh Bodden and Eric Wright vs. Steelers WR's Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes

The Steelers started going after Wright on the very first play of the first game and only stopped once they had built an insurmountable lead. Holmes got behind the Browns' safeties, too, for a 40-yard touchdown that all but sealed it, and he's continued his hot play in recent weeks.

Wright has played better in recent weeks and should expect more challenges to come his way. Bodden has played through some back soreness and struggles; he made the game-saving interception two weeks ago and will need to deliver another strong performance this week. Holmes has provided the Steelers the deep threat they've lacked since Plaxico Burress left two years ago, and it's up to the Browns to make sure he and Ben Roethlisberger don't connect for big plays on Sunday.

NOTES AND NUMBERS

With eight wins in a row and 14 of the last 15, the Steelers now hold the all-time series lead, 56-55.

The Steelers are 4-0 at home this season and 22-6 in Heinz Field over the last four seasons. They've outscored their four Heinz Field opponents, 122-26, this year.

The Steelers outgained the Ravens, 291-104, last week, snapped a three-game losing streak against the Ravens and moved to 3-0 in the division.

The Steelers forced four turnovers last week and five in the season opener against the Browns. They have 16 takeaways on the season.

Steelers G Alan Faneca has been to six straight Pro Bowls; Polamalu and Hampton have each been to three straight, and Parker went to his first last season.

Tomlin was a coaching intern with the Browns in the summer of 2000, when he was a young assistant at the University of Cincinnati and Romeo Crennel was the Browns' defensive coordinator.

CONNECTIONS

Cleveland, Pittsburgh.

Browns, Steelers.

Two arch rival cities.

Two arch rival football teams.

In a lot of ways, it's been hard for someone going from one team to the other to forget his true loyalties.

Bud Carson was a great defensive coordinator of the Steelers before he became head coach of the Browns in 1989. One time, while talking about an on-field fight between the teams years earlier, he remarked, "They started it."

"They" were the Browns. Yes, always a Steeler at heart.

Former Steelers Pro Bowl cornerback Donnie Shell was asked by Carson to join his Browns coaching staff in 1990. Whilen Shell's other responsibilities prohibited him from doing it, he did accept Carson's invitation to serve as a volunteer assistant during training camp and the preseason.

Wearing a white t-shirt that had "CLEVELAND BROWNS" across the front, Shell just looked down at the lettering, shook his head and laughed.

In 1981, Steelers head coach Chuck Noll tried to sneak through waivers quarterback/defensive back Rick Trocano, who played at Brooklyn High School in suburban Cleveland and then the University of Pittsburgh. Noll became incensed -- really incensed -- when Browns head coach Sam Rutigliano claimed Trocano.

Offensive lineman John Rienstra came to the Browns from the Steelers in 1991. But he just never looked right in that plain orange helmet.

And who can forget Browns punter Chris Gardocki running up in front of the Steelers bench and making an obscene gesture after he felt they had ordered Joey Porter to take a shot at him during a 2000 game at Cleveland?

But with all that having been said, Cleveland and Pittsburgh are, in reality, a lot alike, and so are their teams. Two shot-and-beer towns with passionate fans who love hard-hitting, no-nonsense football.

Maybe that's why that in the bigger picture, it's never really been hard for someone to go from one of the teams or cities to the other.

After all, there's Carson.

And Noll, who went to Cleveland Benedictine High School.

And former Browns head coach Marty Schottenheimer, a Pittsburgh native. Yes, during Schottenheimer's tenure from midway through 1984 season until the end of '88, the coach of the Browns was from Pittsburgh and the coach of the Steelers -- Noll -- was from Cleveland.

And Bill Cowher, a Pittsburgh native who played for the Browns and then served as an assistant for them on Schottenheimer's staff before becoming head coach of the Steelers.

It's 2007, and as the teams prepare to square off against one another on Sunday at Heinz Field, those ties continue. The road from one city to the other -- via the Ohio and Pennsylvania turnpikes -- indeed runs both ways. The same can be said of the road between the two states overall.

First, the Steelers:

• New head coach Mike Tomlin served as a minority coaching intern with the Browns in 2000, working under the guidance of defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, now head coach of the Browns.
• Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was born in London, Ohio, was a defensive back at Ohio State and, even though he never played with the Browns, was the second of the team's two fifth-round picks in the 1959 NFL Draft.
• Assistant head coach/defensive line coach John Mitchell got his start in the NFL as the defensive line coach on Bill Belichick's Browns staff from 1991-93, when he served with another first-time coach in the league in Phil Savage, now Cleveland's general manager.
• After serving the previous three seasons as Steelers wide receivers coach, Bruce Arians takes over this year as offensive coordinator, the same position he held with the Browns from 2001-03.
• Prior to his becoming Steelers linebackers coach in 2003, Keith Butler had that same role with the Browns from 1999-2002. His final game with the Browns was a 36-33 playoff loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
• Wide receivers coach Randy Fichtner is a Cleveland native and the son of Ross Fichtner, a safety who played eight seasons with the Browns and was a part-time starter on the 1964 NFL championship club when Randy was just 1 year old.
• Larry Zierlein was offensive line coach of the Browns from 2001-04 and now is in his first season doing that same job for the Steelers.
• Ray Jackson, who works in player development, played three seasons (1999-2001) as a defensive back with the Browns and later worked in scouting and player development with them.
• Defensive tackle Nick Eason played with the Browns from 2004-06.
• Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hails from Findlay, Ohio and played at Miami of Ohio.
• One of Roethlisberger's targets, wide receiver Nate Washington, is from Toledo, Ohio and played at Tiffin (Ohio).
• Wide receiver Santonio Holmes starred at Ohio State.
• Running back Gary Russell is a Columbus, Ohio native.
• Linebacker James Harrison played at Coventry High School in suburban Akron, Ohio and at Kent State.
• Hubbard, Ohio is the home of safety Anthony Smith.

Now for the Browns:

• Defensive end Orpheus Roye was a sixth-round draft pick of the Steelers in 1996 and played with them through '99 before signing with the Browns in free agency.
• Center Hank Fraley originally signed with the Steelers as a rookie free agent linebacker with the Steelers in 2000 after having played at Robert Morris in Pittsburgh.
• Tight end Darnell Dinkins is from Pittsburgh and played at Pitt.
• Cornerback Daven Holly is a Clairton, Pa. native.
• Linebacker Kris Griffin hails from Beaver, Pa. and played at Indiana (Pa.) University.
• Defensive back Ricardo Colclough was a second-round draft pick of the Steelers in 2004 and was waived on Oct. 30 of this year, after which he was quickly signed by the Browns.
• Strength and conditioning coach Tom Myslinski, in his second stint with the Browns, played three seasons as an offensive lineman with the Steelers over two stints and finished up his eight-year NFL career with them in 2000. He also served two stints in strength and conditioning at the University of Pittsburgh, and worked in that area at Robert Morris.

And one final note: Remember the story about Gardocki? He later went to the Steelers, was a teammate of Porter's and played under Cowher, a Pittsburgh-to-Cleveland-and back-to-Pittsburgh guy who Grdocki thought had ordered the hit on him.

Small world -- even in this storied, heated rivalry --isn't it?