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Thursday Notebook: Steelers

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 30, 2009

THREE RIVERS RUN THROUGH IT

Steelers rookie WR Limas Sweed grew up in Texas and played college ball for the Longhorns, but now he's in Pittsburgh and that brings some demands of its own.

So, rook. Can you name the three rivers?

"Oh, man," Sweed said. "Yes, I can. Allegheny, Ohio and Mononga-something like that."

After another false start, Sweed came through with Monongahela.

"I have trouble with that one," Sweed said. "But I can name them. That was the first thing I was quizzed on when I came into Pittsburgh. I was on the subway and a guy said, 'If you are going to play here, you better know the three rivers.'"

Mick Elliott

FINISH STRONG

While the Steelers have had a tremendous season by winning the AFC title and advancing to Super Bowl XLIII, LaMarr Woodley knows it won't mean much if Pittsburgh isn't able to come out on top against the Cardinals on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

"It's about how you finish," the linebacker said. "The whole year I think we played good football. I think so far it's definitely been great. But it's all about now, this last game. How does this team go out there and finish? Do you lose or do you win? That's how everybody will remember this team."

Adam Adkins

PASSIONATE POLAMALU

It's hard for some people to understand how Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu can be so ferocious on the field after meeting him in person.

Polamalu is as soft-spoken as they come, and his off-field demeanor certainly throws some for a loop after seeing him perform on Sundays. But the Pro Bowl safety explains he's a very passionate person, on the field and off, and it's the passion he exudes that makes him one of the NFL's top defensive players.

"I'm very passionate with my wife and my family, and to me, football is no different. I play football with a passion," Polamalu said. "If it was ballet, I would do the same thing. The thing is, football is a contact sport. I would try to play baseball or basketball the same way, with the same passion. I would try to do ultimate fighting, MMA, the same way. The brutality of the sport is not to be focused on. It's the passion that drives people. It's where the motivation is."

Adam Adkins

NEW POINT OF VIEW

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin played his college ball as a wide receiver, ending his time (1990-94) as a three-year starter at William & Mary with 101 catches for 2,046 yards and 20 touchdowns. When he became a graduate assistant at the University of Memphis in 1996, that's when his mentality kicked into that of a defender. There, he worked with the team's defensive backs and special teams.

"It was my first opportunity to coach defensive football. Memphis is a unique place in that it wasn't a dominant program, but they had a dominant defense. They embraced that identity," he said.

"I think that was the beginnings of my mentality regarding playing defense. The mentality those guys had, they were intent on beating you up. When they stepped into the stadium, they played the game in that manner. They had that air of confidence about them and I fed off of that. I think it was really a fundamental basis for how I approach defense."

That experience led to a five-year stint as the Bucs' defensive backs coach before becoming the Vikings' defensive coordinator in 2006.

Eddie Daniels

READING EACH OTHER'S MINDS

TE Heath Miller attributed some of the Steelers' success on offense to QB Ben Roethlisberger being able to improvise during a play.

Roethlisberger returned the compliment, saying that if he was forming a back-yard football team, Miller would be one of the first players he would choose.

"Sometimes the plays break down, that's what we're doing," Roethlisberger said. "We're just out there playing back-yard football."

Tony Fabrizio

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