Saturday, December 25, 2004
By Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A few seconds from the end of practice Thursday, Plaxico Burress and Ike Taylor tripped over each other's feet in the back corner of the end zone and crumpled in a heap.
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<!--END WHITE BOX-->Taylor came up limping. Uh-oh.
Burress?
The lanky receiver with a balky hamstring that prevented him from playing the past 4 1/2 games just popped up and jogged to the huddle.
That answers that question: He's ready to play.
Ready enough to return to starting tomorrow against archrival Baltimore (8-6) in a game that could present the Steelers (13-1) with that Christmas-bonus bye week for the playoffs.
"Right now I feel pretty good," Burress said. "I'm going to give it a go and play and do the things I'm capable of doing."
Burress fully tested his hamstring for the first time Wednesday in practice and felt tightness the next day.
"It was a little sore," he said. "But I think it was all the muscles around the hamstring. I feel a lot better now."
He practiced each day this week, returning to the first team, returning to patterns that whisked him downfield. So fast was Burress on one occasion, he needed to decelerate to catch a long pass from Ben Roethlisberger Thursday.
Such a deep passing game appeared to be absent much of the past month, at least until Antwaan Randle El's breakout game Saturday against the Giants. In the previous three contests where Burress watched from the sideline, the Steelers compiled 100, 196 and 142 yards passing while Roethlisberger threw just two touchdown tosses ... and halfback Jerome Bettis had one.
Roethlisberger had developed a rather fond passing relationship with Burress as the deep threat and co-option to Hines Ward. Burress, a fifth-year pro from Michigan State, continues to top the Steelers in average gain per catch at 18.8 yards and still ranks third with 32 receptions despite missing 32 percent of the season.
Burress and Roethlisberger enjoyed a 6<SUP>1</SUP>*<SUB>2</SUB>-game roll before Burress' injury, what with 27 catches for 498 yards and four touchdowns.
Without Burress, the Steelers in the three games before a 309-yard passing game against the Giants collected only four pass plays longer than 26 yards. Contrast that to the 18 such plays that occurred in eight other games -- eight of those plays coming from Roethlisberger to Burress.
Whether anyone fully embraces the notion that the Steelers' offense needs Burress now, he certainly holds on to the idea that he needs the Steelers' offense tomorrow.
"It's about me getting confidence in me and my leg. Actually getting some reps in a game instead of trying to make a splash in the playoffs," he said. "Now it's to the point I've got to start working and getting to the point where I can play football again."
The timing of his return couldn't be more dramatic.
Not only do the Steelers need a victory to clinch home field and a first-round bye for the playoffs, but they are facing the rival Ravens.
There's a personal matter here, as well. These are truly two teams that don't like each other. For Burress, there was that little history of cornerback James Trapp in 2002 stomping on his helmet-less head, resulting in a fracas, fines and ejections for both parties. Trapp no longer plays for Baltimore, though there's still plenty of passion for Steelers receivers present among the remaining defensive backs: Chris McAlister, Gary Baxter, Ed Reed and Will Demps, plus some backup newcomer named Deion Sanders.
"I'm not worried about the Ravens," Burress said. "The Ravens are worried about us. We know what we have to do. ... It's what we've been practicing toward all season: home field. Now it's time to focus on Baltimore week, and that just adds to the rivalry.
"They beat us the last two times, so we've got a little more of an attitude to go out and play them. I think it's a good opponent for us, focus-wise."
Both Burress and Taylor were back at work with no problems yesterday, when Roethlisberger's eyes grew wide at the recollection of that scary Thursday practice collision between those two. "It's great to have a player like Plax back," Roethlisberger said. "Obviously, we had players step up in games for him and play well. But anytime you have somebody like Plax back, it's a great help."
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