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LeBeau Will Try To Stop Old Friend

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By GERRY DULAC

Tribune correspondent

Published: January 25, 2009

PITTSBURGH - Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt is such an accomplished golfer that he once qualified for the U.S. Mid-Amateur after his playing days as a tight end in the NFL.

When he was an assistant coach and offensive coordinator for the Steelers, one of the people he always tried to beat on the golf course was his friend, defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

The same competitiveness will exist in Super Bowl XLIII, when LeBeau's defense will try to slow Whisenhunt's offense.

"They're my friends, and you want your friends to be successful," LeBeau said of Whisenhunt and Cardinals offensive line coach Russ Grimm, another former Steelers assistant. "But this is one game I would prefer they're not successful."

Whisenhunt is not the Cardinals' offensive coordinator. That title belongs to Todd Haley, but much of the offense is based on what Whisenhunt did in three years as the Steelers' offensive coordinator.

Because of that, LeBeau joked he has had Whisenhunt's playbook for a long, long time.

"Anything I would know about Coach Whis, he would know about me," LeBeau said, dismissing any advantage. "We'll be trying like heck to get one up on each other, just like we were on the golf course."

HOLMES LIKES TO MAKE AN IMPACT

WR Santonio Holmes has made the big plays that ignited the team in playoff victories against the Chargers and Ravens, and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was not surprised.

Holmes returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7 and help the Steelers to a 35-24 victory against San Diego. And he had a 65-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown against the Ravens that gave the Steelers a 13-0 lead.

"Santonio has that personality where he always wants to make that splash play," Tomlin said. "He loves that. He wants to kill you with bullets. I like that mentality with him. It's one of the reasons we try to find ways to put the ball in his hands."

TOMLIN NO FAN OF ICE BATH

Coach Mike Tomlin was not pleased with the Gatorade shower he received after the AFC title game.

"I am not a proponent," he said.

He quickly turned after being doused to see which players were part of the prank. He said he made a mental note to remember the culprits

One of them stepped forward this week: DE Nick Eason. And he fingered his partner, LB Arnold Harrison, who is on injured reserve.

"I'm pretty sure he'll have something for me at some point in time, if he remembers," Eason said. "You can kind of tell he was kind of looking for the shower. His face was facing the sideline, watching everybody. But as soon as he turned his back we got him."

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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