STEELERS Bettis' play brief but promising

He netted 17 yards during his first two carries against Dallas.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Jerome Bettis responded to his surprise benching by the Pittsburgh Steelers exactly the way they hoped he would.
With his legs.
He wasn't exactly a revved-up Bus during his brief work with the starters in a 15-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, as evidenced by his statistics: 18 yards on only three carries.
Not exactly the kind of performance that made him the 10th leading rusher in NFL history or enabled him to go into this season needing only 771 yards to overtake Jim Brown and move into sixth place.
But Bettis was encouraged that he powered for 9 and 8 yards on his first two carries after entering the game in the second quarter. Amos Zereoue, who is starting in Bettis' place, finished with seven carries for an inconsequential 12 yards.
The two runs were vintage Bettis, and they were easily his best during his limited playing time. Because he has carried so few times (14 for 42 yards), Bettis was disappointed when coach Bill Cowher told him Tuesday that Zereoue would start.
No ego
Still, despite his status in the sport, Bettis has declined to criticize his coach. He realizes that stirring up trouble would be counterproductive to a team struggling through a difficult preseason.
"I'm not an ego guy," Bettis said. "If I was an ego guy, I would have gotten upset a couple of years ago when my carries got cut. ... All I can do is compete hard every day. I respect his decision, and I have to take it and stand up and be positive."
However, it's difficult to gain yards from the bench, where Bettis will find himself when the season starts Sept. 7 against Baltimore. Zereoue, who has the ability to slice through relatively small holes and catch passes out of the backfield, is expected to get a majority of the playing time, especially when the Steelers are moving the ball through the air.
Steelers cut fullback
Wes Ours, the fullback who caught the game-winning 2-point conversion pass Thursday, was among 13 players cut Friday. He is a first-year pro from West Virginia.
Among the other players released was quarterback Tim Levcik, who sprained a knee in the first practice of training camp and never got on the field again.
Also cut were defensive tackle Roy Attieh, linebacker Dantonio Burnett, cornerback Nashville Dyer, offensive tackle Jack Fadule, safety Rashad Faison, punter Glenn Pakulak, tight end Casey Poppinga, kicker Jonathan Ruffin, wide receiver Lamar Slade, wide receiver Leonard Scott and quarterback Phil Stambaugh. Slade played at Pitt.
The cuts left 70 players on the Steelers' roster; they get two exemptions for players who were on NFL Europe rosters. They must reduce to 53 players by 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 31.