STEELERS Extra attention leaves Burress extra frustrated

The Pittsburgh wideout has faced double coverage in recent weeks.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Plaxico Burress is finding it twice as hard to catch passes as he did a few weeks ago.
Burress was being targeted for extra attention by defenses even before he took advantage of Atlanta's more traditional coverages to set a Pittsburgh Steelers record with 263 yards in receptions Nov. 10.
Since then, Burress has gone up against double coverage almost exclusively, especially the now-popular "Cover 2" or "Tampa Two" alignments in which a safety rolls up to help out or take over the coverage from the cornerback.
With Burress seeing so little open field, it's creating more space for Hines Ward to make catches -- and he's making them, 15 for 293 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games.
Burress, however, had only seven receptions for 79 yards against Tennessee and Cincinnati the last two weeks, games in which he admittedly fought with himself to keep from getting frustrated and distracted.
"Teams are just not going to let me run up and down the field," Burress said. "I'm not going to see as much single coverage as before, and I knew that. With the nickel and dime [defenses], you just have to get yourself in the football game the best way you know how."
Being creative
That means either being more physical -- which can lead to offensive pass interference penalties -- or more creative. He's trying to do both, as much as defenses will allow him.
"It's almost like I'm my own worst enemy," Burress said. "You go out and play hard and do the things you want to do -- then, at the same time, you put yourself in a situation where you've got to deal with it [more attention]. It can be very frustrating at times, but I guess I did it to myself."
Once he arrived in the NFL in 2000, Burress took a while to break some of the bad habits he developed at Michigan State, where his size -- 6-foot-5 -- and athleticism allowed him to make plays even if he wasn't going all out on every play.
He developed into a 1,000-yard receiver last season, his second in the NFL, and he's only 152 yards away from a second consecutive 1,000-yard season. Ward is already past 1,000 yards again.
Until this season, no Steelers receiver since Roy Jefferson in 1968-69 had enjoyed consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Even though the Steelers have switched quarterbacks from Kordell Stewart to Tommy Maddox and, after Maddox got hurt, back to Stewart, Ward and Burress currently are the most productive receiving tandem in the league.
They lead all receiving duos in yardage (1,887) and touchdowns (17) and, with a combined 134 catches, trail only Buffalo's Eric Moulds and Peerless Price (138) in receptions. Ward has had three consecutive 100-yard games.
Fighting for yards
Still, it seems to Burress as if he is fighting uphill for every yard he gets, every empty patch of territory he can locate upfield. He wonders if it might help at times to put him in motion, possibly confusing defenses and creating the room he's not seeing now.
The Steelers don't use a lot of motion in their offense, so Burress would be surprised to see offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey take him up on his suggestion.
"[Maybe they could] figure ways to put me in situations where I can get single coverage, move me around or whatever," he said. "Teams know when I come out of the huddle and I line up, I'm not moving. So it's easy for teams to zero in on you and take you out of the football game.
"I haven't really been moving since I've been here, just in situations where we move to confuse the defense. That's just something I have to live with and overcome, and try to work harder to get open in double coverage."