Steelers inside linebacker James Farrior heard that Jets quarterback Chad Pennington has the flu, but he doesn't believe it will affect Pennington's status for the game.
"It's probably a joke or something," Farrior said. "We don't even buy into that. We know he is going to be playing on Saturday. Any player who is going to be sick for a couple days and has a game, they are going to play."
Steelers outside linebacker Joey Porter returned to practice yesterday after going home Wednesday with the flu. But inside linebacker Kendrell Bell's flu and fever became "significant," according to coach Bill Cowher , and Bell was sent home for the second day in a row. Bell, who also has a groin injury, was downgraded from probable to questionable. Everyone else practiced for the third day in a row.
Cowher said he has "an inclination" about whom he will name as his starting running back, but he refused to reveal his thoughts. He said Duce Staley , who is recovering from a hamstring injury and is listed as probable, "looked good" in practice. "I think that he is getting there. I don't ask people about injuries this time of year. I know that everyone is pretty much hurt. He feels good. He'll be ready to go Saturday."
The Steelers are usually a playful bunch in their locker room, shouting and joking and firing nerf balls at each other, with rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger occasionally in the middle of the action. But Roethlisberger said he knows when to get serious. "We are not too loose that we are sloppy (in practice)," he said. "We are having a lot of fun, but as soon as we step on the practice field, it will be time to go." The scene in the locker room hasn't changed at all from the giddiness of the regular season. "I don't think we have deviated much, and I don't think you should deviate," coach Bill Cowher said. "We recognize what exists. We've talked about it. It's a one-week season. We recognize what's at stake on Saturday and we certainly don't want to put any more into it than that. We know what's got us here."
Plaxico Burress went deer hunting during the bye weekend, but James Farrior went in search of other prizes. Farrior went to a casino in Atlantic City, N.J., and he played blackjack, his second-favorite game. "I dibbled and dabbled a little bit, just something to get away," he said. Farrior has scored big in the past, once winning $10,000 at the tables. To win that, Farrior said he invested $2,000 in the games. "Two to make 10," he said. "That ain't bad."
Some members of the national and New York media have visited Pittsburgh this week, but it didn't turn into the huge crowd that some people were expecting. "Yeah, I know," Antwaan Randle El said. "I was expecting more people. I guess people aren't as interested in us (Steelers and Jets) as they are Peyton ( Manning ) vs. the Patriots." Randle El said the lack of attention doesn't bother him. "People can not talk about us all the way to the Super Bowl."
The Steelers and Heinz Field management are asking fans to beware of counterfeit tickets and to not to purchase tickets from any source other than the team's ticket office.
Bill Cowher's friend and country western singing legend Hank Williams Jr. will sing the national anthem.
Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson was reluctant to give Ben Roethlisberger much credit for the Steelers' 17-6 victory in December. "I don't know if he made plays or we didn't make enough plays," Henderson told The New York Post. "I'm not sure if he made as many plays as we didn't make plays."
Jets coach Herman Edwards has a habit of turning his back to game-winning field goals, and he didn't break it last Saturday night. He didn't see Doug Brien's 28-yarder go through the goal posts and beat the Chargers in overtime. "I was walking away. I never look at the ones we kick for game winners. I listen to the crowd."
The Steelers' nine-game turnaround from 6-10 to 15-1 is the second-largest in NFL history. It is tied with the St. Louis Rams of 1999 (4-12 to 13-3) and the Oakland Raiders of 1963 (1-13 to 10-4). The record is a 10-game swing, attained by the Indianapolis Colts in 1999 (3-13 to 13-3). The San Diego Chargers had an eight-game improvement this year (4-12 to 12-4).
The game Saturday at Heinz Field is the fourth in a tough stretch of games for the Jets. It includes a 23-7 home loss to the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, a trip to St. Louis for a 32-29 overtime loss to the Rams and a cross-country flight to San Diego for a 20-17 wild-card playoff victory against the Chargers, also in overtime. The Jets will play three games in 14 days and their third consecutive road game for the first time since 1982. Before that, they had not been such nomads since sharing the Polo Grounds and Shea Stadium with the Mets. Jets tight end Anthony Becht said the road trips are not a problem this time of year. "I think during the regular season it might hit you mentally," he said, "but when you are in the playoffs and you know that if you lose you are going to go home, that's a different story. We already had some rest here and we will be able to kick it into gear. We are very excited to play. We will be intense, ready to play. We will not use that as an excuse."
Steelers right guard Keydrick Vincent doesn't want you think his native Polk County, Fla., is small, but he is excited that the game is on national TV, not cable. "You don't have to have cable to watch this one," he said. "They have big screens (in Polk County), but (a lot of people) don't have cable. I have to play my best."
Mayor Tom Murphy and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg placed a friendly wage oIf the Jets win, Murphy will send a package of Pittburgh products to Bloomberg, including an assortment of Heinz products, a case of Iron City beer and an assortment of Pittsburgh memorabilia. If the Steelers win, Bloomberg will send a case of Brooklyn Lager, two dozen Nathan's hot dogs abd a tray of World Famous Veniero's Italian Cookies.
Murphy has proclaimed that today is "Black and Gold Day in the City of Pittsburgh".
