PITTSBURGH — Hines Ward doesn’t see dominating the Cleveland Browns as simply a part of his job, but a civic duty.”Our fans tend to work better on Monday any time we get a chance to beat up on (them),” the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver said with a laugh.Or Friday, in this case.The ever-diplomatic Ward is kidding, of course. True, the streaking Steelers (9-3) have turned the series with their longtime rivals into a decidedly one-sided affair heading into Thursday night’s game at Heinz Field. Yet ask Ward which of the two dozen games he’s played against the Browns (4-8) stands out, and the 14-year veteran quickly points to Cleveland’s only win in the last 15 meetings, a 13-6 victory two years ago that effectively ended Pittsburgh’s bid for a playoff berth and consecutive Super Bowl titles. “They have beat us in some cases where we felt like we could just beat them just because we’ve had success over the years,” Ward said. The Steelers have won seven of their last eight following a 2-2 start and need to keep the pressure on Baltimore in the race for the AFC North title. Pittsburgh put together perhaps its best performance of the season in a 35-7 beatdown of Cincinnati last week. The defense shut down the upstart Bengals behind James Harrison’s three sacks while quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hit Mike Wallace for a pair of scores. It’s proof, the Steelers insist, that they haven’t played their best football yet. Maybe, but their best football might not be required against the Browns, who have looked overwhelmed and overmatched against quality opponents.Pulling off an upset on national television would do more than give first-year head coach Pat Shurmur the signature victory he so desperately craves, but also provide quarterback Colt McCoy with a much-needed boost. McCoy is 0-7 against AFC North opponents in his brief career. While the team’s issues go far beyond McCoy’s inexperience, he hasn’t exactly taken a step forward in his second season.Cleveland is 30th in the league in total offense and McCoy is 30th in the league in yards per attempt as the Browns have struggled to create big plays of any variety. Holding onto the ball has been an issue. According to Shurmur, Cleveland leads the NFL in dropped passes, not exactly the way to instill confidence in a quarterback going through some very public — and very painful — growing pains. The Baltimore Ravens pummeled McCoy in a 24-10 win last week, knocking him down repeatedly and spraining his right knee. McCoy didn’t miss so much as a snap in practice during the shortened week, but he’ll be facing a defense that’s starting to show signs of its usual December nastiness. “They’re tough physical guys, they fly around, they’re a veteran group and they play together well,” McCoy said. “They know the twists, they know the blitzes, they know which gaps you’re going to in.” And they know it no matter who is in on the field. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley may sit out after aggravating his strained left hamstring in the first half against the Bengals, though the Steelers have hardly missed a beat with Jason Worilds filling in.”We talk about the standard being the standard, and this is the time of year we have to live up to it,” Worilds said.The Steelers lived up to it against the Bengals, putting away a team with a ferocity they’ve lacked at times. Pittsburgh rolled up 28 points in the second quarter and scored touchdowns in each of its four trips inside the Cincinnati 20. It was the kind of cruelly efficient play the Steelers talked about with regularity in the preseason, when wide receiver Mike Wallace half-joked about setting an NFL record for yards receiving and Roethlisberger kept saying this was the most talented group he’s played with since coming to the league in 2004. “I hope we’re not peaking yet,” Roethlisberger said. “Hopefully, we’re still going upward. It’d be nice to peak somewhere in like, uh, early February.” To get there Pittsburgh needs to take another step forward. The Steelers have made a habit of letting bad teams stick around late into games. They needed a late field goal to beat still-winless Indianapolis in September, and a last-second defensive stand to stop injury-ravaged Kansas City two weeks ago. They’d prefer to not keep putting themselves at risk. It happened all too often in 2009, when their hopes of winning back-to-back Super Bowls for a third time ended with a late-season swoon. The Steelers lost five straight to knock them out of playoff contention, the last defeat coming on that miserable, windy day in Cleveland. “I think we let up a little bit,” Roethlisberger said. “We got overwhelmed with the weather and thinking that it was going to be an easy game.” It wasn’t. Lately, however, it’s also been the exception when these two teams meet. Pittsburgh swept last year’s games by a combined 50 points. If the first 12 weeks of this season are any indication, the chasm between the clubs hasn’t narrowed. Shurmur knows to make the rivalry great again, it has to. “We have to find a way to rekindle it by coming down, and playing a game we have a chance to win,” he said. “That is what it takes.”

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Or Friday, in this case.

The ever-diplomatic Ward is kidding, of course. True, the streaking Steelers (9-3) have turned the series with their longtime rivals into a decidedly one-sided affair heading into Thursday night’s game at Heinz Field.

Yet ask Ward which of the two dozen games he’s played against the Browns (4-8) stands out, and the 14-year veteran quickly points to Cleveland’s only win in the last 15 meetings, a 13-6 victory two years ago that effectively ended Pittsburgh’s bid for a playoff berth and consecutive Super Bowl titles.

“They have beat us in some cases where we felt like we could just beat them just because we’ve had success over the years,” Ward said.

The Steelers have won seven of their last eight following a 2-2 start and need to keep the pressure on Baltimore in the race for the AFC North title.

Pittsburgh put together perhaps its best performance of the season in a 35-7 beatdown of Cincinnati last week. The defense shut down the upstart Bengals behind James Harrison’s three sacks while quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hit Mike Wallace for a pair of scores.

It’s proof, the Steelers insist, that they haven’t played their best football yet. Maybe, but their best football might not be required against the Browns, who have looked overwhelmed and overmatched against quality opponents.

Pulling off an upset on national television would do more than give first-year head coach Pat Shurmur the signature victory he so desperately craves, but also provide quarterback Colt McCoy with a much-needed boost.

McCoy is 0-7 against AFC North opponents in his brief career. While the team’s issues go far beyond McCoy’s inexperience, he hasn’t exactly taken a step forward in his second season.

Cleveland is 30th in the league in total offense and McCoy is 30th in the league in yards per attempt as the Browns have struggled to create big plays of any variety. Holding onto the ball has been an issue. According to Shurmur, Cleveland leads the NFL in dropped passes, not exactly the way to instill confidence in a quarterback going through some very public — and very painful — growing pains.

The Baltimore Ravens pummeled McCoy in a 24-10 win last week, knocking him down repeatedly and spraining his right knee. McCoy didn’t miss so much as a snap in practice during the shortened week, but he’ll be facing a defense that’s starting to show signs of its usual December nastiness.

“They’re tough physical guys, they fly around, they’re a veteran group and they play together well,” McCoy said. “They know the twists, they know the blitzes, they know which gaps you’re going to in.”

And they know it no matter who is in on the field.

Linebacker LaMarr Woodley may sit out after aggravating his strained left hamstring in the first half against the Bengals, though the Steelers have hardly missed a beat with Jason Worilds filling in.

The erratic running game produced 136 yards and two touchdowns. James Harrison collected three sacks as the defense held the Bengals to a season-low point total. And the special teams hit for the trifecta: blocking a field goal attempt, recovering a fumbled kickoff return and scoring a touchdown on Antonio Brown’s 60-yard punt return.

“I was pleased with the effort and energy in all three phases,” Tomlin said. “We had significant, splash plays, in all three phases.”

The kind the Steelers lacked for long stretches during the first three months of the season. They’ve managed to stay in the thick of the AFC North race anyway despite an inability to run the ball, produce turnovers or create big plays consistently.

Now that they’re starting to come, the Steelers (9-3) believe they’re right on schedule heading into Thursday night’s game against struggling Cleveland (4-8).

“These are the games that count,” linebacker James Farrior said. “These are the games that are going to put you in place to make your run. We’re just trying to keep up in the division.”

The Steelers remain tied with Baltimore for the AFC North lead, but need to finish the season ahead of the Ravens to win the division and earn at least one home playoff game after Baltimore captured both head-to-head meetings.

Pittsburgh can ill-afford a misstep, particularly against the Browns. The Steelers have dominated the series in recent years, winning 14 of the last 15 meetings. A slip-up could cost them more than regional pride.

“We can’t afford to lose any game,” Farrior said.

The Steelers enter the final quarter of the season as healthy as they’ve been since opening day. Guard Ramon Foster is questionable after spraining his left ankle on Sunday while linebacker LaMarr Woodley tweaked his tender left hamstring and sat out the final three quarters.

“Obviously, (Woodley) felt something, and he was mature enough to not do any further damage to it,” Tomlin said. “We appreciate that. We will see if that provides an opportunity for us to put him in play this week.”

Woodley, who has promised to play each week since injuring the hamstring in an Oct. 30 win over New England, thinks he’ll be good to go.

“I wasn’t going to play the whole game (against the Bengals) and once we started putting points on the board, (we decided) to let the guys go and take care of it,” Woodley said.

Tomlin asked his players to be smart during the short four-day turnaround, something doubly important for a defense littered with 30-somethings that is starting to play with its usual tenacity.

Harrison led the way against the Bengals, notching his second three-sack day of the season. Pittsburgh limited Cincinnati rookie quarterback Andy Dalton to 135 yards passing, his lowest total since early September. Dalton spent final minutes on the sideline as the Bengals opted to keep him out of danger with the game decided.

The Steelers would love to get through Thursday night in a similar situation. Becoming efficient in the red zone certainly helps. The Steelers have been so-so this year turning long drives into touchdowns. Scoring touchdowns on half of their trips inside the opponents’ 20. They found the end zone on all four trips on Sunday as Rashard Mendenhall pounded it in on a pair of short runs while quarterback Ben Roethlisberger connected with Mike Wallace for two scores.

“When we got down in the red zone, we ended up putting up touchdowns rather than field goals,” wide receiver Hines Ward said. “That’s what you have to start doing in the month of December.”

Something Pittsburgh will have to keep doing if it wants to reach the Super Bowl for the second straight year. Though the team has pointed to its three road playoff wins en route to beating Seattle six seasons ago, the Steelers haven’t been quite so proficient on the road this season, losing decisively to Baltimore and Houston while having problems against seemingly overmatched Indianapolis and Kansas City.

The best way to avoid having to play away from Heinz Field in late January is to win out and hope for a little help. Pittsburgh took one step on Sunday. They’ll try to take another against their oldest rival on Thursday.

“It’s a big game,” Wallace said. “So we have to get ourselves ready as fast as we can and be ready to go.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The merger of the NFL and AFL reached its completion in 1970. That season, the AFL became the American Football Conference (AFC), while the NFL teams became a part of the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL transferred the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Colts, and Cleveland Browns to the AFC. As the dynasty of the Green Bay Packers faded in the late 1960′s, the NFL saw the birth of a new dynasty. Below is the list of the top franchises throughout the 1970′s.

Pittsburgh Steelers

After decades of futility, the Steelers emerged into what the Packers were a decade before; an NFL juggernaut. The Steelers won four Super Bowl championships from 1974 to 1979. They clinched a playoff berth in eight consecutive seasons throughout the 1970′s. They won 10 or more games in seven separate seasons. Many identified the Steelers by their relentless defensive unit known as the “Steel Curtain”, allowing less the 200 points scored in five seasons. The Steelers were led by legendary coach Chuck Knoll, as well as the charismatic quarterback Terry Bradshaw, running back Franco Harris, and wide receiver Lynn Swann. The intimidating defense was led by “Mean” Joe Greene and L.C. Greenwood.

Dallas Cowboys

While the Steelers were winning Super Bowls, the Cowboys proclaimed themselves as “America’s Team”. They appeared in five Super Bowl games in the 1970′s, more than any other franchise. However, they only brought home two Lombardi trophies with wins over the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos. The Cowboys enjoyed a winning record in every season during the 1970′s. They won more than 10 games in nine seasons. They were led by a cast of stars such as head coach Tom Landry, quarterback Roger Staubach, running back Tony Dorsett, wide receiver Tony Hill, and defensive ends Randy White and Ed “Too Tall” Jones.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins appeared in three consecutive Super Bowls from 1971 to 1973. After losing to the Cowboys in Super Bowl VI, they responded with two consecutive Super Bowl championships, defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7 and the Minnesota Vikings 24-7. In 1972, Dolphins became the first team in the NFL’s modern era to complete the season with an undefeated record, as they won all 14 regular season games, as well as three postseason matchups. They reached the postseason in seven seasons throughout the 1970′s, and won more than 10 games in nine seasons. The Dolphins of the 1970′s were led by head coach Don Shula, quarterback Bob Griese, running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris, and wide receiver Paul Warfield.

Honorable mentions include Oakland Raiders; Minnesota Vikings; Baltimore Colts

Resource: Pro Football Reference

PITTSBURGH (AP)—To hear offensive coordinator Bruce Arians tell it, the
Pittsburgh Steelers’ decision to insert Doug Legursky(notes) into the starting lineup
wasn’t so much about upgrading at left guard.

It was about adding another center.

Legursky will replace four-year incumbent Chris Kemoeatu(notes) at left guard
Sunday night when Pittsburgh (7-3) visits the Kansas City Chiefs (4-6).

“Chris did not play poorly; we just have some good depth along the line for
the first time in a long time,” Arians said after a Thanksgiving Day practice.
“It’s not a benching as much as it is putting Doug back in.”

Legursky has started at three different positions over the past 10 months. A
natural center, he subbed there for an injured Maurkice Pouncey(notes) at the Super
Bowl in February. Legursky began this season as the starting right guard then
filled in for two games at left guard when Kemoeatu’s knee prevented him from
playing. Then, Legursky sustained a toe injury himself that kept him out for
three weeks.

This time, despite Arians’ polite words for Kemoeatu, Legursky earned his
spot in the starting lineup on merit.

“It’s like having two centers out there as far as the calls and everything,
especially with the noise (in Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium),” Arians said.
“He’s a very athletic guy, and he’s had a heck of a year going as far as giving
up pressure.”

An undrafted free agent out of Marshall in 2008, Legursky is undersized in
the jumbo world of NFL offensive linemen at 6-feet-1 and 315 pounds. Legursky
views himself as a “cerebral-type player,” and he’s made himself invaluable to
a Steelers team that seems to have gotten over what was developing into an
early-season crisis along the offensive line.

“He might be a little small, man, but he plays big, as big as everyone
else,” Pouncey said. “Don’t let the height fool you.

“He communicates well on the football field and does a lot of good things
for the offensive line. He’s the guy right now. He’s an excellent football
player.”

Despite solid if unspectacular play in making four starts at right guard and
the Super Bowl appearance at center last season, Legursky in training camp was
tossed into a jumbled mix of no fewer than five players who were looked at as
possible starters at right guard this season.

The team gave long looks to the since-released Tony Hills(notes) and Chris Scott(notes)
(Scott has since rejoined the team on the practice squad) and to a player it had
cut and then re-signed in Trai Essex(notes).

Yet come opening day, there was Legursky having emerged as the best option.

“Going into a season, I’m not thinking, `I’ve got to get ready for left
guard,’ or `I’ve got to get ready for right guard,’ or `I’ve got to get ready
for center,”’ Legursky said. “I’m ready for all three, and if I move one
position over or two positions over, it’s not a situation where I even
hesitate.”

Good thing, because Legursky was asked to move to the left side when
Kemoeatu’s balky knee kept him from playing, and to fill in for Pouncey, who’s
been knocked out of games twice this season due to minor injury.

“He’s been extremely solid,” Arians said. “He’s a good football player—
that’s the only way I can describe him: He’s just a football player.”

Through it all, Legursky still considers himself a center. It’s extremely
unlikely, though, he’ll ever unseat Pouncey—a first-round pick who made the
Pro Bowl as a rookie last season. But that doesn’t mean he can’t serve as a
“second center” on an offensive line that has taken its share of criticism
this season but has improved in recent weeks.

“Playing side-by-side with Pouncey, we can bounce some ideas off each other
and talk about a lot of things,” Legursky said. “It’s nice having two brains
out there, but as long as I let him control the calls he needs to control and I
can just help him out, I feel like it really helps out our game.”

Also Thursday, receiver Emmanuel Sanders(notes) practiced fully for the second
consecutive day after missing the past three weeks due to arthroscopic knee
surgery and the death of his mother. Arians said he will play Sunday.

That potentially could mean an even further-diminished role for Steelers
all-time leading receiver Hines Ward(notes), who has only one reception since Oct. 23
due to injury and an apparent plunge down the depth chart.

Arians said, “Hines can still get open,” and, “He still has a prominent
role.”

“This is probably the healthiest he’s ever been at Thanksgiving,” Arians
added. “He’s still a great player in the red zone, third down. We’ve got
something for everybody, we think, and not enough footballs for all of them.”

Notes: QB Ben Roethlisberger(notes) (fractured right thumb) again practiced and
will play Sunday, the same for S Troy Polamalu(notes) (ribs). OLB LaMarr Woodley(notes)
(hamstring) was limited in practice and is expected to miss his third
consecutive game.

PITTSBURGH — There was a time, two years ago to be exact, when Mike Wallace couldn’t wait for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bye week.

Four days off is an eternity in the hectic life of an NFL rookie, particularly if your hometown is New Orleans.

“All that pressure man, as a rookie, you can’t wait to bust loose a little bit,” Wallace said.

So Wallace enjoyed himself. A lot.

Don’t get Wallace wrong. He plans to spend the weekend relaxing in the Big Easy, but only after one of the league’s top young receivers gets a little work in first.

“I’ll get my film in,” Wallace said. “You can’t let that drop. Just because you’ve got a week off doesn’t mean you can just forget what you’re working for.”

Besides, as Wallace points out, there’s always time to party in February, particularly if the defending AFC champions can win their seventh Super Bowl title.

The Steelers (7-3) are in their usual spot atop the AFC North as Thanksgiving approaches and in prime position to make the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons under coach Mike Tomlin.

They’ve won five of six despite a rash of injuries at linebacker, where starters James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley and James Farrior have all missed significant time.

They’ve won despite a defense that is on a pace to set an NFL record for fewest takeaways in a season.

They’ve won despite an offensive line that spent the first two months of the season in constant flux.

They’ve won ugly — a 23-20 escape against winless Indianapolis — and not-so ugly, handily beating New England three weeks ago in the kind of vintage performance that seemed to quell all the questions raised during a 35-7 beatdown at the hands of rival Baltimore in the opener.

“I think we’re getting by,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “We are doing enough things offensively and defensively to win, but I still don’t thing we’re playing to our full potential.”

Not that Roethlisberger is complaining. There are bigger issues, like healing. He sustained a fractured right thumb sometime during last week’s 24-17 win over Cincinnati and will wear a brace over the busted thumb for the next few weeks.

Roethlisberger dealt with a similar injury in 2005. It didn’t stop him from leading the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl title. The Steelers aren’t quite ready to stamp themselves contenders just yet, even in the seemingly wide-open AFC. They lost both games against the Ravens and got the Patriots at home.

“All we’ve done is put us in position to make the last six weeks count,” wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said.

The schedule would seem to favor the Steelers. The only true test appears to be a road trip to San Francisco in mid-December. They have the offensively challenged Browns twice, the Bengals and the Rams at home and travel to battered Kansas City on Nov. 27.

Yet the Steelers haven’t been consistent closers under Tomlin, who famously prophesized his team would “unleash hell” in December in 2009, only to watch the Steelers lose to Oakland and Cleveland to drop out of the playoff picture.

Pittsburgh went 5-1 over its last six games in 2008 and 2010 and made it to the Super Bowl each time. The Steelers were 3-3 over their last six in 2007 and 2009, failing to win a playoff game in 2007 and missing the postseason completely in ’09.

The memories of those collapses — not to mention the loss to Green Bay in last year’s Super Bowl — linger. It’s one of the reasons why Wallace won’t be living it up during the bye.

“You look at the injuries we have on this team, it’s a perfect time for a bye,” safety Troy Polamalu said. “You get a chance to get focused and recharge. I know we’re playing pretty well, but we need some time.”

PITTSBURGH — There was at time, two years ago to be exact, when Mike Wallace couldn’t wait for the Pittsburgh Steelers bye week.Four days off is an eternity in the hectic life of an NFL rookie, particularly if your hometown is New Orleans.”All that pressure man, as a rookie, you can’t wait to bust loose a little bit,” Wallace said.So Wallace enjoyed himself. A lot.Don’t get Wallace wrong. He plans to spend the weekend relaxing in the Big Easy, but only after one of the league’s top young receivers gets a little work in first.”I’ll get my film in,” Wallace said. “You can’t let that drop. Just because you’ve got a week off doesn’t mean you can just forget what you’re working for.”Besides, as Wallace points out, there’s always time to party in February, particularly if the defending AFC champions can win their seventh Super Bowl title.The Steelers (7-3) are in their usual spot atop the AFC North as Thanksgiving approaches and in prime position to make the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons under coach Mike Tomlin.They’ve won five of six despite a rash of injuries at linebacker, where starters James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley and James Farrior have all missed significant time.They’ve won despite a defense that is on a pace to set an NFL record for fewest takeaways in a season.They’ve won despite an offensive line that spent the first two months of the season in constant flux.They’ve won ugly — a 23-20 escape against winless Indianapolis — and not-so ugly, handily beating New England three weeks ago in the kind of vintage performance that seemed to quell all the questions raised during a 35-7 beatdown at the hands of rival Baltimore in the opener.”I think we’re getting by,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “We are doing enough things offensively and defensively to win, but I still don’t thing we’re playing to our full potential.”Not that Roethlisberger is complaining. There are bigger issues, like healing. He sustained a fractured right thumb sometime during last week’s 24-17 win over Cincinnati and will wear a brace over the busted thumb for the next few weeks.Roethlisberger dealt with a similar injury in 2005. It didn’t stop him from leading the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl title. The Steelers aren’t quite ready to stamp themselves contenders just yet, even in the seemingly wide-open AFC. They lost both games against the Ravens and got the Patriots at home.”All we’ve done is put us in position to make the last six weeks count,” wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said.The schedule would seem to favor the Steelers. The only true test appears to be a road trip to San Francisco in mid-December. They have the offensively-challenged Browns twice, the Bengals and the Rams at home, and travel to battered Kansas City on Nov. 27.Yet the Steelers haven’t been consistent closers under Tomlin, who famously prophesized his team would “unleash hell” in December in 2009 only to watch the Steelers lose to Oakland and Cleveland to drop out of the playoff picture.Pittsburgh went 5-1 over its last six games in 2008 and 2010 and made it to the Super Bowl each time. The Steelers were 3-3 over their last six in 2007 and 2009, failing to win a playoff game in ’07 and missing the postseason completely in ’09.The memories of those collapses — not to mention the loss to Green Bay in last year’s Super Bowl — linger.It’s one of the reasons why Wallace won’t be living it up during the bye. Neither will most of his teammates, who will spend the weekend openly rooting for Cincinnati to knock off Baltimore and enjoying the rare late-November holiday.”You look at the injuries we have on this team, it’s a perfect time for a bye,” safety Troy Polamalu said. “You get a chance to get focused and recharge. I know we’re playing pretty well, but we need some time.”The Steelers hope to have Woodley back from a hamstring injury suffered against the Patriots. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders may need another week or two to get back from minor knee surgery.The defense — loaded with seven starters at least 30 years old — has put up solid numbers even if the edge that has defined the unit for years is missing at times. The Steelers are 10th in the league in sacks and last in takeaways, though they came up with two big ones in the fourth quarter against the Bengals to snuff out a pair of late drives.”We’ve said we’ve been due for them and you know, I hope that’s the start of something,” cornerback William Gay said. So do his teammates, who understand they haven’t exactly been dominant this season. The franchise lives by the motto, “The standard is the standard.” The Steelers know the standard is winning. There’s nothing in there about style points.”As long as we’re winning games, that’s all that matters,” Roethlisberger said. “Hopefully when we do hit it full stride and we’re actually playing really well — who knows where we’ll go.”

There was at time, two years ago to be exact, when Mike Wallace couldn’t wait for the Pittsburgh Steelers bye week.

Four days off is an eternity in the hectic life of an NFL rookie, particularly if your hometown is New Orleans.

“All that pressure man, as a rookie, you can’t wait to bust loose a little bit,” Wallace said.

So Wallace enjoyed himself. A lot.

Don’t get Wallace wrong. He plans to spend the weekend relaxing in the Big Easy, but only after one of the league’s top young receivers gets a little work in first.

“I’ll get my film in,” Wallace said. “You can’t let that drop. Just because you’ve got a week off doesn’t mean you can just forget what you’re working for.”

Besides, as Wallace points out, there’s always time to party in February, particularly if the defending AFC champions can win their seventh Super Bowl title.

The Steelers (7-3) are in their usual spot atop the AFC North as Thanksgiving approaches and in prime position to make the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons under coach Mike Tomlin.

They’ve won five of six despite a rash of injuries at linebacker, where starters James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley and James Farrior have all missed significant time.

They’ve won despite a defense that is on a pace to set an NFL record for fewest takeaways in a season.

They’ve won despite an offensive line that spent the first two months of the season in constant flux.

They’ve won ugly — a 23-20 escape against winless Indianapolis — and not-so ugly, handily beating New England three weeks ago in the kind of vintage performance that seemed to quell all the questions raised during a 35-7 beatdown at the hands of rival Baltimore in the opener.

“I think we’re getting by,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “We are doing enough things offensively and defensively to win, but I still don’t thing we’re playing to our full potential.”

Not that Roethlisberger is complaining. There are bigger issues, like healing. He sustained a fractured right thumb sometime during last week’s 24-17 win over Cincinnati and will wear a brace over the busted thumb for the next few weeks.

Roethlisberger dealt with a similar injury in 2005. It didn’t stop him from leading the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl title. The Steelers aren’t quite ready to stamp themselves contenders just yet, even in the seemingly wide-open AFC. They lost both games against the Ravens and got the Patriots at home.

“All we’ve done is put us in position to make the last six weeks count,” wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said.

The schedule would seem to favor the Steelers. The only true test appears to be a road trip to San Francisco in mid-December. They have the offensively challenged Browns twice, the Bengals and the Rams at home and travel to battered Kansas City on Nov. 27.

Yet the Steelers haven’t been consistent closers under Tomlin, who famously prophesized his team would “unleash hell” in December in 2009 only to watch the Steelers lose to Oakland and Cleveland to drop out of the playoff picture.

Pittsburgh went 5-1 over its last six games in 2008 and 2010 and made it to the Super Bowl each time. The Steelers were 3-3 over their last six in 2007 and 2009, failing to win a playoff game in ’07 and missing the postseason completely in ’09.

The memories of those collapses — not to mention the loss to Green Bay in last year’s Super Bowl — linger.

It’s one of the reasons why Wallace won’t be living it up during the bye. Neither will most of his teammates, who will spend the weekend openly rooting for Cincinnati to knock off Baltimore and enjoying the rare late-November holiday.

“You look at the injuries we have on this team, it’s a perfect time for a bye,” safety Troy Polamalu said. “You get a chance to get focused and recharge. I know we’re playing pretty well, but we need some time.”

The Steelers hope to have Woodley back from a hamstring injury suffered against the Patriots. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders may need another week or two to get back from minor knee surgery.

The defense — loaded with seven starters at least 30 years old — has put up solid numbers even if the edge that has defined the unit for years is missing at times. The Steelers are 10th in the league in sacks and last in takeaways, though they came up with two big ones in the fourth quarter against the Bengals to snuff out a pair of late drives.

“We’ve said we’ve been due for them and you know, I hope that’s the start of something,” cornerback William Gay said. So do his teammates, who understand they haven’t exactly been dominant this season. The franchise lives by the motto “the standard is the standard.” The Steelers know the standard is winning. There’s nothing in there about style points.

“As long as we’re winning games, that’s all that matters,” Roethlisberger said. “Hopefully when we do hit it full stride and we’re actually playing really well — who knows where we’ll go.”

Roethlisberger nursing fractured right thumb

By WILL GRAVES

AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) Ben Roethlisberger has an unexpected homework assignment during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bye week: protecting a fractured right thumb.

Roethlisberger injured the thumb on his throwing hand sometime during Pittsburgh’s 24-17 win over Cincinnati on Sunday. He’s not sure when it happened, only that he noticed it while coming out for the second half.

“It was hard to determine it on the sideline, but we did all the tests (Monday), and it’s fractured in there,” Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger didn’t miss a snap as the Steelers improved to 7-3. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 70 yards in the second half, including a perfect 4-for-4 during the game-winning drive in the third quarter.

“It hurt, but (Steelers head trainer) John Norwig did a great job taping it up, making a quick splint out of tape and going with it,” Roethlisberger said. “Squeezing the ball is the hardest part, but it’s a good thing that I had a glove on it because that helps gripping it a little bit.”

This isn’t the first time Roethlisberger has played with a busted thumb. He suffered a similar injury in 2005, though it didn’t prevent him from leading the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl title.

There should be no issues this time either, though Roethlisberger will continue to play with a splint. Pittsburgh travels to Kansas City on Nov. 27.

“I won’t have to throw for a week or so, (until) next Wednesday or whenever we practice next week,” Roethlisberger said. “So, that’ll be a good time for it to rest. For me, it’ll just be getting used to throwing with a splint on again and a glove on, which I’ve done before.”

Wide receiver Mike Wallace said he wasn’t aware Roethlisberger was even hurt, though the quarterback work a black brace during a shortened practice on Tuesday.

“I didn’t even notice to tell you the truth,” Wallace said.

It’s not unusual for Roethlisberger to play through minor injuries. He suffered a sprained foot in a loss to Houston on Oct. 2 then tied a franchise record with five touchdown passes in a victory over Tennessee.

“That’s just Ben,” Wallace said. “You know that something small isn’t going to slow him down like that.”

Roethlisberger has been playing some of the best football of his career during Pittsburgh’s surge following a 2-2 start. The Steelers have won five of six going into their bye week despite an inconsistent running game and a defense that’s put up its usual stellar numbers but has struggled to take the ball away.

No matter. Roethlisberger is completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,726 yards and 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions over the last six games and became the first quarterback in team history to top 300 yards in three straight games when he went over the mark against Arizona (361), New England (365) and Baltimore (330).

He didn’t quite get there against the Bengals, though he showcased his playcalling ability during a pair of no-huddle drives in the second half, including the 11-play, 81-yard march that ended with Rashard Mendenhall’s 9-yard touchdown run that gave Pittsburgh the lead for good.

Roethlisberger said it was important for the Steelers to come back with an emphatic answer after the Bengals rallied from a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 17.

“That was kind of the mentality – `Let’s go no-huddle and try and get down there. Let’s answer,’” Roethlisberger said. “We take pride as an offense in wanting to be the best. It’s our time to do it, so let’s step up and score. We always want to answer. If I remember right, it was a pretty long drive, converting third downs. That’s huge.”

Particularly after Roethlisberger’s last shot at operating out of the no-huddle ended in disaster as Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs perfectly read Roethlisberger’s call for a bubble screen and came up with an interception deep in Ravens territory to end a Pittsburgh scoring threat in a game Baltimore eventually won, 23-20.

Don’t expect Roethlisberger to turn into Peyton Manning, running his own show and spending 20 seconds standing in the shotgun barking out signals. Yet it is a significant step in the process of making the Steelers one of the most versatile offenses in the league.

“We want to be dangerous,” Wallace said. “We want to be able to beat teams in lots of different ways.”

Even if it means the glove on Roethlisberger’s hand has a little extra padding for the next few weeks.

Updated November 15, 2011

PITTSBURGH — Ben Roethlisberger has an unexpected homework assignment during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bye week: protecting a fractured right thumb.

Roethlisberger injured the thumb on his throwing hand sometime during Pittsburgh’s 24-17 win over Cincinnati on Sunday. He’s not sure when it happened, only that he noticed it while coming out for the second half.

“It was hard to determine it on the sideline, but we did all the tests (Monday), and it’s fractured in there,” Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger didn’t miss a snap as the Steelers improved to 7-3. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 70 yards in the second half, including a perfect 4-for-4 during the game-winning drive in the third quarter.

“It hurt, but (Steelers head trainer) John Norwig did a great job taping it up, making a quick splint out of tape and going with it,” Roethlisberger said. “Squeezing the ball is the hardest part, but it’s a good thing that I had a glove on it because that helps gripping it a little bit.”

This isn’t the first time Roethlisberger has played with a busted thumb. He suffered a similar injury in 2005, though it didn’t prevent him from leading the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl title.

There should be no issues this time either, though Roethlisberger will continue to play with a splint. Pittsburgh travels to Kansas City on Nov. 27.

“I won’t have to throw for a week or so, (until) next Wednesday or whenever we practice next week,” Roethlisberger said. “So, that’ll be a good time for it to rest. For me, it’ll just be getting used to throwing with a splint on again and a glove on, which I’ve done before.”

Wide receiver Mike Wallace said he wasn’t aware Roethlisberger was even hurt, though the quarterback wore a black brace during a shortened practice on Tuesday.

“I didn’t even notice to tell you the truth,” Wallace said.

It’s not unusual for Roethlisberger to play through minor injuries. He suffered a sprained foot in a loss to Houston on Oct. 2 then tied a franchise record with five touchdown passes in a victory over Tennessee.

“That’s just Ben,” Wallace said. “You know that something small isn’t going to slow him down like that.”

Roethlisberger has been playing some of the best football of his career during Pittsburgh’s surge following a 2-2 start. The Steelers have won five of six going into their bye week despite an inconsistent running game and a defense that’s put up its usual stellar numbers but has struggled to take the ball away.

No matter. Roethlisberger is completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,726 yards and 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions over the last six games and became the first quarterback in team history to top 300 yards in three straight games when he went over the mark against Arizona (361), New England (365) and Baltimore (330).

He didn’t quite get there against the Bengals, though he showcased his playcalling ability during a pair of no-huddle drives in the second half, including the 11-play, 81-yard march that ended with Rashard Mendenhall’s 9-yard touchdown run that gave Pittsburgh the lead for good.

Roethlisberger said it was important for the Steelers to come back with an emphatic answer after the Bengals rallied from a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 17.

“That was kind of the mentality — ‘Let’s go no-huddle and try and get down there. Let’s answer,’ ” Roethlisberger said. “We take pride as an offense in wanting to be the best. It’s our time to do it, so let’s step up and score. We always want to answer. If I remember right, it was a pretty long drive, converting third downs. That’s huge.”

Particularly after Roethlisberger’s last shot at operating out of the no-huddle ended in disaster as Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs perfectly read Roethlisberger’s call for a bubble screen and came up with an interception deep in Ravens territory to end a Pittsburgh scoring threat in a game Baltimore eventually won, 23-20.

Don’t expect Roethlisberger to turn into Peyton Manning, running his own show and spending 20 seconds standing in the shotgun barking out signals. Yet it is a significant step in the process of making the Steelers one of the most versatile offenses in the league.

“We want to be dangerous,” Wallace said. “We want to be able to beat teams in lots of different ways.”

Even if it means the glove on Roethlisberger’s hand has a little extra padding for the next few weeks.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Ben Roethlisberger has an unexpected homework assignment during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bye week: protecting a fractured right thumb.

Roethlisberger injured the thumb on his throwing hand some time during Pittsburgh’s 24-17 win over Cincinnati on Sunday. He’s not sure when it happened, only that he noticed it while coming out for the second half.

“It was hard to determine it on the sideline, but we did all the tests (Monday), and it’s fractured in there,” Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger didn’t miss a snap as the Steelers improved to 7-3. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 70 yards in the second half, including a perfect 4-for-4 during the game-winning drive in the third quarter.

“It hurt, but (Steelers head trainer) John Norwig did a great job taping it up, making a quick splint out of tape and going with it,” Roethlisberger said. “Squeezing the ball is the hardest part, but it’s a good thing that I had a glove on it because that helps gripping it a little bit.”

This isn’t the first time Roethlisberger has played with a busted thumb. He suffered a similar injury in 2005, though it didn’t prevent him from leading the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl title.

There should be no issues this time either, though Roethlisberger will continue to play with a splint. Pittsburgh travels to Kansas City on Nov. 27.

“I won’t have to throw for a week or so, (until) next Wednesday or whenever we practice next week,” Roethlisberger said. “So, that’ll be a good time for it to rest. For me, it’ll just be getting used to throwing with a splint on again and a glove on, which I’ve done before.”

Wide receiver Mike Wallace said he wasn’t aware Roethlisberger was even hurt, though the quarterback work a black brace during a shortened practice on Tuesday.

“I didn’t even notice to tell you the truth,” Wallace said.

It’s not unusual for Roethlisberger to play through minor injuries. He suffered a sprained foot in a loss to Houston on Oct. 2 then tied a franchise record with five touchdown passes in a victory over Tennessee.

“That’s just Ben,” Wallace said. “You know that something small isn’t going to slow him down like that.”

Roethlisberger has been playing some of the best football of his career during Pittsburgh’s surge following a 2-2 start. The Steelers have won five of six going into their bye week despite an inconsistent running game and a defence that’s put up its usual stellar numbers but has struggled to take the ball away.

No matter. Roethlisberger is completing 64 per cent of his passes for 1,726 yards and 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions over the last six games and became the first quarterback in team history to top 300 yards in three straight games when he went over the mark against Arizona (361), New England (365) and Baltimore (330).

He didn’t quite get there against the Bengals, though he showcased his play-calling ability during a pair of no-huddle drives in the second half, including the 11-play, 81-yard march that ended with Rashard Mendenhall’s nine-yard touchdown run that gave Pittsburgh the lead for good.

Roethlisberger said it was important for the Steelers to come back with an emphatic answer after the Bengals rallied from a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 17.

“That was kind of the mentality — ‘Let’s go no-huddle and try and get down there. Let’s answer,’” Roethlisberger said. “We take pride as an offence in wanting to be the best. It’s our time to do it, so let’s step up and score. We always want to answer. If I remember right, it was a pretty long drive, converting third downs. That’s huge.”

Particularly after Roethlisberger’s last shot at operating out of the no-huddle ended in disaster as Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs perfectly read Roethlisberger’s call for a bubble screen and came up with an interception deep in Ravens territory to end a Pittsburgh scoring threat in a game Baltimore eventually won, 23-20.

Don’t expect Roethlisberger to turn into Peyton Manning, running his own show and spending 20 seconds standing in the shotgun barking out signals. Yet it is a significant step in the process of making the Steelers one of the most versatile offences in the league.

“We want to be dangerous,” Wallace said. “We want to be able to beat teams in lots of different ways.”

Even if it means the glove on Roethlisberger’s hand has a little extra padding for the next few weeks.

 

PITTSBURGH (AP)

Ben Roethlisberger has an unexpected homework assignment during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bye week: protecting a fractured right thumb.

Roethlisberger injured the thumb on his throwing hand sometime during Pittsburgh’s 24-17 win over Cincinnati on Sunday. He’s not sure when it happened, only that he noticed it while coming out for the second half.

”It was hard to determine it on the sideline, but we did all the tests (Monday), and it’s fractured in there,” Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger didn’t miss a snap as the Steelers improved to 7-3. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 70 yards in the second half, including a perfect 4-for-4 during the game-winning drive in the third quarter.

”It hurt, but (Steelers head trainer) John Norwig did a great job taping it up, making a quick splint out of tape and going with it,” Roethlisberger said. ”Squeezing the ball is the hardest part, but it’s a good thing that I had a glove on it because that helps gripping it a little bit.”

This isn’t the first time Roethlisberger has played with a busted thumb. He suffered a similar injury in 2005, though it didn’t prevent him from leading the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl title.

There should be no issues this time either, though Roethlisberger will continue to play with a splint. Pittsburgh travels to Kansas City on Nov. 27.

”I won’t have to throw for a week or so, (until) next Wednesday or whenever we practice next week,” Roethlisberger said. ”So, that’ll be a good time for it to rest. For me, it’ll just be getting used to throwing with a splint on again and a glove on, which I’ve done before.”

Wide receiver Mike Wallace said he wasn’t aware Roethlisberger was even hurt, though the quarterback work a black brace during a shortened practice on Tuesday.

”I didn’t even notice to tell you the truth,” Wallace said.

It’s not unusual for Roethlisberger to play through minor injuries. He suffered a sprained foot in a loss to Houston on Oct. 2 then tied a franchise record with five touchdown passes in a victory over Tennessee.

”That’s just Ben,” Wallace said. ”You know that something small isn’t going to slow him down like that.”

Roethlisberger has been playing some of the best football of his career during Pittsburgh’s surge following a 2-2 start. The Steelers have won five of six going into their bye week despite an inconsistent running game and a defense that’s put up its usual stellar numbers but has struggled to take the ball away.

No matter. Roethlisberger is completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,726 yards and 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions over the last six games and became the first quarterback in team history to top 300 yards in three straight games when he went over the mark against Arizona (361), New England (365) and Baltimore (330).

He didn’t quite get there against the Bengals, though he showcased his playcalling ability during a pair of no-huddle drives in the second half, including the 11-play, 81-yard march that ended with Rashard Mendenhall’s 9-yard touchdown run that gave Pittsburgh the lead for good.

Roethlisberger said it was important for the Steelers to come back with an emphatic answer after the Bengals rallied from a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 17.

”That was kind of the mentality — ‘Let’s go no-huddle and try and get down there. Let’s answer,”’ Roethlisberger said. ”We take pride as an offense in wanting to be the best. It’s our time to do it, so let’s step up and score. We always want to answer. If I remember right, it was a pretty long drive, converting third downs. That’s huge.”

Particularly after Roethlisberger’s last shot at operating out of the no-huddle ended in disaster as Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs perfectly read Roethlisberger’s call for a bubble screen and came up with an interception deep in Ravens territory to end a Pittsburgh scoring threat in a game Baltimore eventually won, 23-20.

Don’t expect Roethlisberger to turn into Peyton Manning, running his own show and spending 20 seconds standing in the shotgun barking out signals. Yet it is a significant step in the process of making the Steelers one of the most versatile offenses in the league.

”We want to be dangerous,” Wallace said. ”We want to be able to beat teams in lots of different ways.”

Even if it means the glove on Roethlisberger’s hand has a little extra padding for the next few weeks.

Ben Roethlisberger has an unexpected homework assignment during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bye week: protecting a fractured right thumb.

Roethlisberger injured the thumb on his throwing hand sometime during Pittsburgh’s 24-17 win over Cincinnati on Sunday. He’s not sure when it happened, only that he noticed it while coming out for the second half.

“It was hard to determine it on the sideline, but we did all the tests (Monday), and it’s fractured in there,” Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger didn’t miss a snap as the Steelers improved to 7-3. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 70 yards in the second half, including a perfect 4-for-4 during the game-winning drive in the third quarter.

“It hurt, but (Steelers head trainer) John Norwig did a great job taping it up, making a quick splint out of tape and going with it,” Roethlisberger said. “Squeezing the ball is the hardest part, but it’s a good thing that I had a glove on it because that helps gripping it a little bit.”

This isn’t the first time Roethlisberger has played with a busted thumb. He suffered a similar injury in 2005, though it didn’t prevent him from leading the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl title.

There should be no issues this time either, though Roethlisberger will continue to play with a splint. Pittsburgh travels to Kansas City on Nov. 27.

“I won’t have to throw for a week or so, (until) next Wednesday or whenever we practice next week,” Roethlisberger said. “So, that’ll be a good time for it to rest. For me, it’ll just be getting used to throwing with a splint on again and a glove on, which I’ve done before.”

Wide receiver Mike Wallace said he wasn’t aware Roethlisberger was even hurt, though the quarterback work a black brace during a shortened practice on Tuesday.

“I didn’t even notice to tell you the truth,” Wallace said.

It’s not unusual for Roethlisberger to play through minor injuries. He suffered a sprained foot in a loss to Houston on Oct. 2 then tied a franchise record with five touchdown passes in a victory over Tennessee.

“That’s just Ben,” Wallace said. “You know that something small isn’t going to slow him down like that.”

Roethlisberger has been playing some of the best football of his career during Pittsburgh’s surge following a 2-2 start. The Steelers have won five of six going into their bye week despite an inconsistent running game and a defense that’s put up its usual stellar numbers but has struggled to take the ball away.

No matter. Roethlisberger is completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,726 yards and 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions over the last six games and became the first quarterback in team history to top 300 yards in three straight games when he went over the mark against Arizona (361), New England (365) and Baltimore (330).

He didn’t quite get there against the Bengals, though he showcased his playcalling ability during a pair of no-huddle drives in the second half, including the 11-play, 81-yard march that ended with Rashard Mendenhall’s 9-yard touchdown run that gave Pittsburgh the lead for good.

Roethlisberger said it was important for the Steelers to come back with an emphatic answer after the Bengals rallied from a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 17.

“That was kind of the mentality — ‘Let’s go no-huddle and try and get down there. Let’s answer,’” Roethlisberger said. “We take pride as an offense in wanting to be the best. It’s our time to do it, so let’s step up and score. We always want to answer. If I remember right, it was a pretty long drive, converting third downs. That’s huge.”

Particularly after Roethlisberger’s last shot at operating out of the no-huddle ended in disaster as Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs perfectly read Roethlisberger’s call for a bubble screen and came up with an interception deep in Ravens territory to end a Pittsburgh scoring threat in a game Baltimore eventually won, 23-20.

Don’t expect Roethlisberger to turn into Peyton Manning, running his own show and spending 20 seconds standing in the shotgun barking out signals. Yet it is a significant step in the process of making the Steelers one of the most versatile offenses in the league.

“We want to be dangerous,” Wallace said. “We want to be able to beat teams in lots of different ways.”

Even if it means the glove on Roethlisberger’s hand has a little extra padding for the next few weeks.