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Steelers QB not talking about his sore shoulder
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
NBC reporter Andrea Kremer kept hammering away.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger kept giving her a Heisman Trophy-like stiff arm.
No way was he going to address his shoulder injury after Pittsburgh's 10-6 victory at Cleveland on Sunday night, Sept. 14.
The Steelers reported the shoulder as "sore" before the game. NBC called it "separated."
Somehow, Roethlisberger completed 12-of-19 passes for 186 yards and improved to 10-0 in his home state of Ohio.
Kremer pressed Roethlisberger about the shoulder three times in a postgame interview. He rebuffed her each time, choosing to praise his offensive line and tailback Willie Parker (28 carries, 105 yards). It was Parker's 23rd career 100-yard rushing game.
"(For the) last time — how did your separated shoulder hold up?" Kremer asked.
"My O-line's waiting for me," Roethlisberger said. "They did a great job. Let me go congratulate them."
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's reaction?
"They (NBC Sports) know more than I did," he said. "That's good television, I guess. He's hurting pretty bad, but he's a tough character. Is he 100 percent? No. But no one plays as hard as he does without getting banged up."
Tomlin said during his weekly news conference Tuesday that Roethlisberger sprained his AC joint, an injury to the ligaments that attach the collarbone to the shoulder blade.
The issue may be one of semantics.
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons describes a mild shoulder separation as a sprain of the AC ligament. It differs from more severe shoulder separations in which the ligament is torn.
Browns: Hold on (to ball)
Cleveland quarterback Derek Anderson was plagued by more than a brutal wind against the Steelers.
Braylon Edwards (three catches, 32 yards) dropped three balls, and Kellen Winslow (game-high seven catches, 55 yards) dropped one.
"People want to look at dropped passes as a problem, but it's not just that," Anderson said. "I've also made some bad throws."
He's 29-of-56 passing for 280 yards, one touchdown and two picks for a 57.1 passer rating.
"We've put the Dallas game behind us, and now we're putting this game behind us," linebacker Willie McGinest said. "We're not panicking, not at all. We're not putting our heads down. We're going to keep fighting."
Ravens: Lovin' Big Willie
Baltimore's Week 2 bye — forced by Hurricane Ike — could be a blessing in disguise. Right offensive tackle Willie Anderson got more practice snaps. The ex-Bengal is fast becoming a locker-room leader.
"Willie is doing a nice job," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He looks better every day. You can see why he's got the reputation that he's had. What I've been impressed with is he's really gone out of his way to become a Raven and to mentor those young linemen. He's been good for our team from that standpoint — kind of in the Lorenzo Neal mold."
Neal's another ex-Bengal.
Harbaugh said Big Willie "plays as a real mauler. But his personality is kind of quiet and cerebral — a student of the game."
Bengals: Next man up
Left cornerback Johnathan Joseph's sprained ankle means second-year vet David Jones will get more practice reps and could start for the Bengals against the Giants.
Jones got beat in the front left corner of the end zone by Titans wideout Justin Gage for an 11-yard TD at 0:38 of the second quarter in the Bengals' 24-7 loss.
"It was a mistake on my part," Jones said. "You've got to have a short memory playing corner. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it. You make a good play, you've got to forget about it. Same with a bad play."
Sunday's games
Cincinnati (0-2) at N.Y. Giants (2-0), 1 p.m.
Cleveland (0-2) at Baltimore (1-0), 4:15 p.m.
Pittsburgh (2-0) at Philadelphia (1-1), 4:15 p.m.
« Week 2 Star
Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes had five catches for 94 yards and one rush for 10 yards in 10-6 win at Cleveland.
Week 2 Goat
Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer's two interceptions in 24-7 loss to Titans sent his passer rating (37.0) to the bottom of the NFL.
Quote of the Week
"Art Modell has become a mentor. I grew up with the history just like you did. What he's done for Baltimore, and the way that whole thing played out (the Browns' move to Baltimore in '96), I think it's played out in a real positive way. He did everything he could to keep the franchise in Cleveland, and providence didn't make that happen. And so, he made the best of it, came here and made a bunch of people really happy. He's a hero in my mind." — Ravens head coach John Harbaugh on former team owner Art Modell
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
