Bell Has Opponents on the Run

It’s a bit odd that the NFL’s top defensive rookie rarely plays in passing situations, but it’s something he intends to change.

Soon.

“Next year,” said Kendrell Bell, a linebacker who is a big part of the difference between the way the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense performed last season and the way it has stifled offenses during a 13-3 season.

“This is the wrong time to be doing a lot of changes.”

For now, Bell, an Augusta, Ga., native, is perfectly happy to sit on third-and-long situations, because pass coverage is his weakness.

The Steelers’ coaching staff is equally satisfied at the moment to have him put vicious hits on running backs coming up the middle and for him to rush the quarterback.

Taken 39 picks into the draft, he has recorded nine sacks, 151/2 tackles for lost yardage and 88 tackles overall. Those numbers were good enough to earn him the top defensive rookie honor earlier this week, as well as a Pro Bowl alternate designation.

“No one has made a bigger contribution to their team than he has to ours,” Pittsburgh Coach Bill Cowher said. “His ability to play at a high level for 16 games has been a credit to him and his teammates.”

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Partial sunshine with seasonable highs in the mid-30s are predicted for the Raven-Steeler playoff game Sunday.

The National Weather Service is forecasting one to three inches of snow today, but it shouldn’t be a factor because Heinz Field’s grass surface is covered and heated.

The Brown-Steeler game Jan. 6 was played in steady snow, with six inches accumulating in the Pittsburgh area. But the below-ground heating system kept the field snow-free, although players said the grass was slick in some areas.

Steeler officials said the grass field has been heated around the clock for weeks to prevent it from freezing.

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More than two months after his four missed field-goal attempts contributed to the Steelers’ only home loss and prevented a season sweep of the Ravens, Kris Brown still can see the failed attempts in his mind.

So can his teammates. So can the Ravens, who wouldn’t mind seeing some more in Sunday’s game that, because it matches the NFL’s two best defenses, could be decided by a field goal--or a missed attempt.

Those four misses started a confidence-shaken Brown on a troubling slump that isn’t entirely over. His 14 missed field-goal attempts and three missed extra-point attempts are the most in the NFL.

Those misses are the very reason that, every Wednesday since that 13-10 loss to Baltimore on Nov. 4, Brown, holder Josh Miller and long snapper Mike Schneck return to an empty Heinz Field and attempt 15 to 20 kicks. Some weeks, Brown makes them all.

“I’m not concerned about Kris, to be honest with you,” said Cowher. “For whatever reason, I have a sense that he’s back to where he was.”

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Swashbuckling

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