PITTSBURGH STEELERS Mathis hopes to play against his ex-mates

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Another Sunday, another Atlanta Falcons game for Terance Mathis. Only this one will feel much different from all the others.
This time, he won't be wearing Falcons red and black, the colors he wore for eight seasons as the leading receiver in franchise history. Nobody else is even a close second; with 573 catches, Mathis has 150 more than any other receiver.
Now, he plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers -- and not that often, either. A role player, he has 12 catches and one touchdown in eight games, about his usual production in a game and a half in Atlanta.
"But they know how emotional this game is going to be for me, and they know how I feel," Mathis said.
Was released
Mathis led the Falcons with 51 receptions and started every game last season, only to be released in a salary-cap move.
Mathis signed with Pittsburgh after four months on the open market, and for only a fraction of the money (a minimum $750,000) he sought from Atlanta. The Steelers envisioned him as their slot receiver, a third-down role filled productively the last few seasons by Bobby Shaw, who signed with Jacksonville.
Antwaan Randle El's rapid development shelved those plans, and the rookie is the first receiver off the bench. Mathis usually comes in only when the Steelers go to extra-receiver sets in long yardage, one reason why he has made only three catches in the last four games.
His top role
The biggest role the 35-year-old Mathis plays is to offer his experience and enthusiasm to receivers Hines Ward, Plaxico Burress and Randle El, none of whom is older than 26.
"He is like a coach on the field," Falcons coach Dan Reeves said. "He is great for your locker room. Unfortunately, we got into a salary cap thing where a player has a certain thing he wants and if you can't deliver on that, it makes it difficult for your team.
"To me, Terance Mathis should have been able to finish his career with the Falcons."
Mathis isn't getting the money he sought or the playing time he would prefer. He understands he has no room to complain, not with the way Ward, Burress and Randle El are performing. All three could finish with more catches than he made last season.
Playing status
Mathis doesn't know if the Steelers will get him on the field for some extra downs Sunday, in a game in which both teams are 5-3 and on four-game winning streaks.
"I don't want them to go out of their way to get me a ball against my old team, because I don't want to take away from the flow of what we've been doing the last four weeks or so," Mathis said. "Of course, I would be lying to you if I said I didn't want to score three or four times against my old team."
Still, he insists he has no bad feelings about the Falcons.
"I had a lot of fun," he said. "It was the best time in my career. I accomplished a lot of things. I enjoyed every minute of it. I wouldn't take back from my experience there in Atlanta. I have a lot of respect for that organization. They're trying to turn the corner right now and I can respect that."