STEELERS Cowher reports progress

He doesn't like the Steelers' 1-3 preseason record.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers' starters were outplayed by those of the Lions and Eagles.
They barely held their own against the Cowboys. The offensive line was a worry throughout a training camp that was constantly interrupted by violent storms -- and not just those by coach Bill Cowher.
If not for a late scoring drive against Dallas directed by No. 3 quarterback Brian St. Pierre -- who isn't even assured of being on the team Monday -- the Steelers would be coming off their first winless exhibition season in 38 years.
Cowher's reaction to perhaps the most uneven preseason in his 12 seasons as the Steelers' coach? Can't wait for the season to start.
"I like a lot of things that we did," Cowher said following a 21-14 loss Friday at Carolina. "I like where they are. I like the state of the team. I like the mindset. I think we're fine."
Clearly, he doesn't like the record, although that hardly matters with their Sept. 7 opener against Baltimore only a week away.
Sees progress
But he sees progress since two weeks ago, when the offensive line was struggling to come around and the passing game had yet to develop any rhythm.
On Friday, the Steelers' starters dominated the Panthers during the one quarter they were on the field together, leading 14-0 until backup defenders gave up a touchdown in each of the last three quarters.
For the second straight game, the Steelers threw the ball effectively and efficiently, with Tommy Maddox finishing 4-of-5 for 65 yards and backup Charlie Batch going 8-of-11 for 104 yards.
"I think in the first half we played as good a half as we have put together in the entire preseason. I think that when you look at this team and what we're made of, that's what we are about," Batch said.
Batch pointed to the play of the offensive line, which finally played with some cohesion and consistency.
For much of camp, the line was unsettled as right guard Kendall Simmons sat out nearly three weeks after being diagnosed with diabetes and neither Oliver Ross nor Todd Fordham emerged as the starting right tackle.
Minor sprain
But the line seemed to stabilize with Fordham starting Friday, although he was lifted after spraining his left ankle midway through the second period.
Cowher said the injury was minor and Fordham should be able to practice this week.
Ross didn't play because of a sprained ankle, and his absence may have allowed Fordham to secure the starting job for the opener.
"We'll sit down and look at it and we'll make a call," Cowher said. "We have two guys I think can play."
Left tackle Marvell Smith believes the line began coming together during practice a week ago and that improvement carried over to Friday.
Running back Amos Zereoue noticed it, too, especially after he had little room to run in the first three games.
"I think we made some progress," said Zereoue, who ran for 33 yards on five carries, including a 19-yard touchdown. "Coming from the first game up to now, I think with each of these games we made some progress. You can always get better, but I think we made some progress."
Eight roster cuts
Meanwhile, the Steelers made eight roster cuts Saturday, none of them a surprise. They must make moves involving six more players today by 4 p.m. to get down to the regular season limit of 53.
Waived were offensive tackle Josh Burr, offensive guard-center Calvin Collins, offensive guard-center Mike Cook, defensive end Jabari Issa, offensive lineman Jimond Pugh, wide receiver Brian Robinson, linebacker Terrence Robinson and safety Erik Totten.
The Steelers will start the season without backup defensive end Brett Keisel, who will be out for as long as six weeks after undergoing shoulder surgery.