Rookie Lives Up to Billing

The Dallas Cowboys spent a week comparing Pittsburgh rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a young Dan Marino.

How about some Terry Bradshaw to go with it?

Roethlisberger was 21-for-25 passing with two touchdowns, completing nine straight throws on the Steelers’ last two scoring drives and 11 in one stretch, in leading Pittsburgh to a 24-20 comeback win Sunday over the Cowboys.

Dallas Coach Bill Parcells had warned his team about how good Roethlisberger could be. It was Parcells who compared him to Marino.

“He can flat-out play,” said Steeler receiver Plaxico Burress. “I think Parcells was right.”

Roethlisberger is the first rookie quarterback to go 4-0 since Phil Simms on the 1979 New York Giants. He also became the first Pittsburgh quarterback to win in Dallas since Bradshaw in 1982.

“He’s got great poise,” Parcells said. “I think he’s going to be outstanding. I haven’t changed my mind about that.”

And though a rookie led the way, it was a timely Dallas fumble and a short touchdown from a Steeler old-timer that provided Pittsburgh (5-1) with the winning points.

The Cowboys (2-3) had the ball on the Steeler 47 and faced a third down with a 20-17 lead with under three minutes left.

When Testaverde dropped back to pass, James Farrior, who had two sacks and caused two other fumbles, crashed through the line to knock the ball loose again. Kimo von Oelhoffen scooped it up and ran to the Dallas 24 to set up the winning drive.

The Steelers drove to the two and Jerome Bettis rumbled in for the final touchdown in the last minute.

“We made a mistake and it cost us big-time,” Parcells said.

The Cowboys had one last chance to win with some razzle-dazzle.

Dallas covered 30 yards on a pass and lateral that moved the ball to the Pittsburgh 30 with one second left. But Testaverde’s final throw into the end zone fell incomplete.

“That one big mistake at the end cost us,” said Testaverde, who was 23 for 36 for 284 yards. “If we hold onto the ball, the worst case we punt and they have to go 80 yards for either a touchdown or a field goal to tie.”

Farrior was grateful.

“We had a little present today,” he said. “But we’ll take it and we appreciate it.”

The Steelers have won four in a row. And Roethlisberger, the cool rookie who stood in the pocket and made some tough throws against a rugged pass rush, will be credited with guiding them to this one.

“I was trying not to get hurt,” said Roethlisberger, who was sacked three times but avoided several others. “I was able to make some people miss and luckily I have the best receivers in the game.”

“There was no panic,” said Hines Ward, who led the Steelers with nine catches. “He showed a lot of poise and relied on the veteran guys around him.”