Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Pittsburgh 23 at Cleveland 20 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Pittsbugh Steelers: Another excellent game for Tommy Maddox. While known for being a classic pocket passer, the Steelers actually rolled Maddox out of the pocket on occasion and had some success with it. What the Steelers give up with Maddox's immobility they more than make up for with is accuracy. His TD pass to Ward was a bullet that was in the receiver's hands while he was breaking open, not after he broke open and the defense had time to react. He also had a nice 1-yard pass to Bruener off of play action. The interception was a killer for Maddox owners because it was on the Cleveland goal line. If he had led Randal El a bit more he would have had another TD pass. His finished the day 23-42 with 239 passing yards. Amos Zereoue should have Bettis owners justifiably worried. He was the total package today in the backfield for the Steelers. He carried 29 times for 111 yards and added 5 catches for 62 yards. He didn't score but that yardage total helped soften that blow for owners in performance leagues. Bettis was interviewed during the game and said he expected to be back next week which probably means Zereoue is back to his old role. Plaxico Burress had a disappointing game for fantasy owners. 4 catches for 69 yards isn't going to get anybody too excited. Especially since one of those catches ended at the 1-yard line and set up the Bruener TD. He also had a 20+ yard gain wiped out on a trick play where the Steelers got called for holding. Maddox uncharacteristically overthrew Burress on what would have been a 40+yard TD. Hines Ward showed good concentration on his TD catch because the ball was literally in his hands as he broke out of his cut. Maddox isn't really zeroing in on any particular receiver so it's tough to call which one is the lock start. I should also note that the Steelers seem to be having kicker trouble again. It's not the catastrophe that Kris Brown was last year but it's pretty bad. Twice today the Steelers went fro 4th and long instead of trying for a FG because of Peterson's problems this year. He did finish the game 3 for 4 with a long kick of 43 yards but if you have other kicker options you should got to them rather than rely on Peterson. Cleveland Browns: Jamel White left the game in the 3rd quarter with an unspecified shoulder injury. The Browns were not the same after that. White ran hard while he was in the game and again proved himself as a threat to catch balls out of the backfield. It was clear that the Steelers schemed defensively specifically against White. William Green was terrible as White's replacement. He rushed only 4 times for 10 yards and left all of the offensive pressure on Couch. Green didn't have a single catch in the game, either. With zero rushing threat to bail him out Tim Couch had a long, painful second half. He was under constant pressure and was sacked three times. It seemed like every time he dropped back he got hit. It's a wonder he finished the game. The added pressure also forced him to make throws into double and triple coverage, something he had gotten away from in recent weeks. He threw two interceptions, the first was off of a tipped ball but the second was one he threw into triple coverage. He also threw 2 TDs, the first was to TE Steve Heiden on a play fake from the 1-yard line. The second TD was a 31-yard jump ball to Quincy Morgan where Morgan simply out-fought the defender. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Pittsbugh Steelers QB: Tommy Maddox has this team playing like the Super Bowl contenders they were predicted to be. He hits wide receivers in stride or just out of their breaks consistently, something Kordell Stewart was never able to do as starter. What Maddox gives up with lack of mobility he more than makes up for with his accuracy. Despite that general lack of mobility the Steelers called a number of roll out passes in the game today. Maddox made those throws, too. His TD passes were examples of how accurate he is. The 20-yarder to Ward was a bullet that hit Ward's hands just as he came out of his break. Not to get too excited, but It looked eerily similar to how Kurt Warner would hit Holt or Bruce on all of those post patterns two years ago. Maddox isn't that good yet but there are times when he looks that good. RB: Amos Zereoue is a legitimate starting RB in the NFL. He's exceptionally quick to the hole and he also has the raw speed to get to the corner on a sweep. Zereoue rushed 29 times for 111 yards. He was most effective on draws up the middle and on pitches to the outside. He was bottled up pretty well on straight dive plays but then he would just break an 8 or 9 yard gain outside to make up for it. He also caught the ball well and was second to Ward with 5 catches in the game for 62 yards. He didn't score but he made up for that (in performance leagues) with all of his yards. This performance comes only because Bettis is out injured. When Bettis returns expect Zereoue to go back to his normal production. Jerome Bettis did not play this week. He was interviewed on the sideline during the game and said that he was planning on returning next week. WR: Hines Ward had his second strong week in a row. He had 9 catches for 79 yards and touchdown. The TD was a terrific pass from Maddox that hit Ward in the hands just as he came out of his break to the post. Ward showed terrific concentration just by hanging onto the ball. Ward led the Steelers in catches and yards for the game. Plaxico Burress was two missed opportunities away from a huge game. The first was a 20+yard catch that was nullified by a holding penalty and the other was a sure TD pass that Maddox simply overthrew that would have added another 40+yards to Burress' receiving totals. I guess this qualifies as a down game for Burress but he's just two breaks away from another monster outing. There's no way you bench him based on today's performance. Antwaan Randle El is as exciting to watch as you've heard. He literally looks like he might score every time he touches the ball. While normally relegated to the return game he got a chance to contribute offensively today. He caught three balls for 18 yards, he had 1 rush for 2 yards, and he was 2 for 2 passing for 26 yards. The numbers don't look like much but they do show how willing the Steelers are to get him involved in their offense. He forces the defense into awkward match ups, which frees Ward or Burress downfield for a big gain. If you're in a deeper league it might be worth starting Randle El as a 3rd or 4th WR just because he can score for you running, catching, and throwing. TE: Mark Bruener scored a 1-yard TD on a play action pass. That was his only catch. Pittsburgh Pass Defense: It looked early like the Pittsburgh pass defense was falling victim to the play action pass for no reason. The Steelers were stopping the Cleveland runners early in the game without much problem. Then for no reason the safety steps up for run support leaving Quincy Morgan open downfield for a 63-yard gain. Shortly after that the Browns scored a 1-yard TD on a play action pass that left Steve Heiden wide open at the back of the end zone. They gave Jamel White a lot of respect as a runner and receiver but once he left the game with a shoulder injury they rushed Couch fiercely. Couch was hit almost every time he dropped back to pass in the second half, which caused him to become careless with the ball. Away Rush Defense: The Steelers came into this game intending to stop Jamel White, who they perceived as a threat running and receiving. Pittsburgh did a good job of keeping White in check on both counts and when White left in the 3rd quarter with a shoulder injury they set their sights on Tim Couch and rushed him hard for the rest of the game. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Cleveland Browns QB: Tim Couch really suffered once Jamel White left the game. His numbers on the day were disappointing, 15-24 for 181 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The TD's were well executed. The first was on play action from the Steelers 1-yard line on 4th and goal. The second was a jump ball he threw to a covered Quincy Morgan who out-jumped his defender. His two interceptions were his first in several games. The first was on a tipped attempt so it's tough to blame him for that. The second, however, was a pass into obvious double coverage that should never have been thrown. The Pittsburgh pressure had forced Couch into some bad throws and the second interception was one of the worst. RB: Jamel White is clearly the best back on this team. He runs harder to the hole and is a viable option in the passing game. He left the game early in the third quarter with an unspecified shoulder injury. He did not return. His limited time produced limited numbers, 6 carries for 19 yards and 3 catches for 18 yards. William Green does not fit well into this Cleveland offense. It doesn't look like he sees the holes that are open. He gets limited carries when White is in the game and today the Browns were behind and passing to catch up when Green became the featured back. Even then, he was not used in the passing game at all. WR: It seems they rotate who is going to be the go-to-guy in Cleveland and this week it was Quincy Morgan. He finished with 4 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. His TD came on a jump ball from Couch where he out jumped and out muscled the defender. Dennis Northcutt gets special mention due to his 87-yard punt return for a touchdown. He made some nice moves to get into the open and then just outran all of the pursuit. Andre Davis and Kevin Johnson combined for 5 catches and 38 yards. It's really hard to recommend any of the Browns' WR's as fantasy starters because you never know who's going to get the majority of the looks from Couch. It's a good thing for the Browns because they have several quality targets at WR but it's a bad thing for a fantasy owner because there's so much guesswork involved in trying to pick the best one. TE: Backup TE Steve Heiden caught on ball for a 1-yard TD. That is all. Cleveland Pass Defense: Somebody lit a big fire underneath Courtney Brown, and I do mean big. He was everywhere Sunday. He sacked Maddox twice and would have had a third but for a holding penalty that erased the play. He batted at least two passes down and was a constant presence in the pocket that led to Maddox's low completion percentage. The interception at the goal line was more due to a bad pass than a good defensive play but it still counts as a take away. Cleveland Rush Defense: They got run over and around by Amos Zereoue. They just didn't have an answer for his speed to the hole and through the hole. It looked early like they might keep him from going off but as the game wore on they simple wore down. They fell victim to a lot of draws and sweeps and just couldn't get a clean hit on Zereoue all afternoon.