STEELERS Jaguars' coach says Maddox will start

Kordell Stewart replaced the Pittsburgh starter after he was severely injured two weeks ago.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Ever since the Jacksonville Jaguars came into the NFL, Tom Coughlin wanted them to be like the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This week, Coughlin took it a step further, actually trying to make coaching decisions for the Steelers, too.
At midweek, the Jacksonville coach took the strange and unprecedented move of announcing that Tommy Maddox would start at quarterback for the Steelers (6-4-1), when they play at Jacksonville (5-6) today.
Never mind that Maddox is two weeks removed from a scary hit that briefly paralyzed him, or that Kordell Stewart took most of the snaps in practice this week, or that the Steelers' real coach, Bill Cowher, made no official quarterback decision.
Coughlin's way
This was Coughlin's way of trying to get ahead in the mind games traditionally played by these two former AFC Central rivals.
"He didn't say anything," Coughlin said. "I'm just looking at that he's not on the injury report, and he said he's ready to play."
Funny thing is, more than one player on the Jacksonville defense says the coaches have been preparing more for Stewart than Maddox.
"I'd be pretty surprised to see Maddox play so soon after a hit like that," Jaguars cornerback Jason Craft said. "But you have to be ready for anything."
Each Steelers quarterback says that yes, he would like to play, and yes, he would naturally be disappointed if he didn't get the call Sunday.
Although it seems improbable, Stewart claimed he really wouldn't know for sure until today.
"He'll let you know when he's ready to let you know," Stewart said.
If Maddox does play, it would be one of the most stunning medical turnarounds in recent memory.
After an awkward hit from Keith Bulluck, he was motionless on the field two weeks ago at Tennessee. Maddox briefly was paralyzed; doctors said he suffered cerebral and spinal cord concussions.
Maddox' status
Maddox has been cleared by doctors to play and has no lingering problems from the injury, but neurosurgeon Joseph Maroon said he would prefer Maddox stay out another week.
"I feel good," Maddox said. "I'm ready to get back out there, but that time will come. I don't know when it will be, but that time will come. I'll prepare every day and see what happens."
Stewart has not played well against Jacksonville. He has thrown for seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions and has a 68.8 passer rating. In many of his worst games against Jacksonville, the Jaguars have been successful in stopping Pittsburgh's run and forcing Stewart to throw.
Coughlin is 8-6 lifetime against Cowher and the Steelers, including 6-1 in Jacksonville. When the teams were in the same division, he placed Pittsburgh on the highest pedestal, not only because it was the team to beat, but because the Steelers played the grinding, physical style Coughlin liked.
"That's a pretty good way to be successful in this league," he said.
The Steelers have changed a bit this year, though, and Maddox has been a big reason for it. With him in the starting lineup, the Steelers have thrown 54 percent of the time. They have averaged 28.8 points and 409 yards, and set a record by scoring 28 points or more in four straight games.
In Hines Ward, the Steelers have the second-leading receiver in the AFC. But combining the yardage of Jerome Bettis (411) and Amos Zereoue (512) on the ground would only net the seventh-leading rusher in the conference.
Coughlin, of course, doesn't buy the notion the Steelers have changed.
"I think really, deep down, the core is they want to run the football, which is what they do very, very well," he said. "The rest of it is a product of being able to do that."