Big Ben, Steelers serve notice in win

PITTSBURGH — As previous opponents have showed this season, it is possible to knock Ben Roethlisberger down, toss him around and even rub a little dirt in his face.

But it's going to take more than that to really knock out the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A team teetering and limping to the point that it had to sign Max Starks off the street this week and start him at left tackle was able to protect Roethlisberger against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. The result was five touchdown passes that tied his own team record and a 38-17 rout, the kind of total tail-kicking the Steelers routinely used to hand out at Heinz Field.

These Steelers are certainly graying and bruised. But they're not done yet.

Roethlisberger threw for 228 yards, recorded the second five-touchdown game of his career and surpassed 150 TD throws for his career. He did it while wearing a redesigned shoe that included a metal plate to protect his injured left foot, a result of the beating he took last week in Houston.

"It was a good bounce back for us," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "It was an appropriate response."

Tests revealed Roethlisberger's foot wasn't broken, but he still spent the week dealing with pain. Injuries also forced the Steelers to play without starting running back Rashard Mendenhall, veteran defensive stars Casey Hampton, James Harrison and Aaron Smith, offensive lineman Chris Kemoeatu and third-down back Mewelde Moore.

What had been a porous Pittsburgh offensive line — and that's putting it mildly — was much improved. The Steelers grabbed momentum and the lead early, used the running game (174 yards total) to set up Roethlisberger's touchdowns and, instead of being hampered by their line issues, made the most of what they had.

"I'll be there until they take me off in a cart, which has happened before," Roethlisberger said. "I'm going to give this team everything I've got."

Starks, who's lost 60 pounds since the Steelers cut him for salary-cap reasons in late July, got his pre-planned rest on the third series of the game but declined to come out in the second half. At various times the Steelers were forced to shuffle Doug Legursky from guard to center and have Jonathan Scott, Starks' replacement, make a cameo at right guard.

Tomlin called Starks, who has two Super Bowl rings with the Steelers but suffered a neck injury last year that led to the weight gain, "a quick study."

"I saw Bryant McKinnie (sign with Baltimore) and I knew I was in way better shape than he is," Starks said. "I remembered the plays and I knew if I didn't have amnesia, I'd have a shot."

So far, so good.

A week after Roethlisberger was sacked five times and hit after he threw many more, he was sacked him only once by the Titans. As for the injured foot, Roethlisberger said, "We won the game big time, so it feels good now."

Starks signed Wednesday, found out Friday he'd be in the starting lineup and was part of a line that included rookie Foster starting at guard (before hurting his shoulder) and Legursky returning after sittting out last week because of an injury. As part of the all-hands-on-deck approach, the line opened holes for reliable backup Isaac Redman and third-stringer Jonathan Dwyer.

Dwyer, who had all of nine carries in his career before Sunday, ran the ball 11 times for 107 yards.

"To get sacks and get pressure and things like that, you have to be able to stop the run first," Titans coach Mike Munchak said. "We didn't do that. We were never able to make them one-dimensional."

The guys who suited up played the Steelers' most complete game of the season against what had been one of the league's hottest teams. The loss, the Titans' first since opening weekend, dropped the Titans to 3-2 and left them in a tie atop the AFC South with the Texans.

The Titans weren't in this one past the first 12 minutes. The Steelers scored touchdowns on their first three possessions — the second after a pass on a fake punt by Daniel Sepulveda to backup safety Ryan Mundy that left the Titans both deflated and basically doomed.

"We didn't get the lead like we wanted to," Munchak said. "The (Steelers) were able to dictate what they wanted to do."

The Steelers are now 3-2, which might not meet local expectations but — considering the losses were at Baltimore and at Houston — really isn't all bad. If the line can continue to keep Roethlisberger upright, that should be 5-2 soon with Jacksonville and a trip to Arizona coming next.

"Under the circumstances," Tomlin said, "I am satisfied with the win."

Harrison is going to be out a while recovering from eye surgery, and Mendenhall's hamstring issue could linger. But the Steelers have been here before.

The line wasn't exactly stellar last season, and they went to the Super Bowl. When Roethlisberger is on his game, they can beat anybody.

The season is still young. As a whole, the Steelers are not. But Sunday served notice that they're not planning to go away, quickly or quietly.