STEELERS Faneca's bruising blocks inspiring to teammates

The offensive guard turned in an outstanding performance against the Bengals.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Running backs can point to yardage, quarterbacks to completions. For an offensive lineman, no statistic truly reflects how well he plays.
So maybe Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro guard Alan Faneca has designed the new standard by which linemen should be judged: the bobblehead.
Faneca's teammates were still talking Wednesday about the two big hits Faneca put on Bengals linebacker Adrian Ross during a 17-10 victory Sunday in Cincinnati.
One leveled Ross, putting him on his backside. The other was so punishing it sent Ross' helmet flying, causing CBS to replay it so viewers could understand the force with which Faneca delivered his block.
"He had two blocks that I have not seen in a long time in this league," coach Bill Cowher said. "I have never seen a game by an offensive lineman any better than that. Offensive lineman usually don't stand out, but he stood out. Those two hits were impressive."
Got nomination
So much so, the Steelers nominated Faneca as the NFL player of the week, even though an offensive lineman has won only twice since the award's inception in 1984. Faneca didn't win, perhaps because the Steelers' other offensive statistics -- besides helmets removed, that is -- were rather pedestrian.
It was the second time Faneca can remember taking an opposing NFL player's helmet off, also doing so with a hit on Redskins linebacker Lavar Arrington during an exhibition game several years ago.
"I've had some good hits but Faneca had some crushing blows," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "To see him crushing guys, that excites me and makes me want to go out there and do the same."
For a lineman, even one as skilled as Faneca, all the attention he's receiving is rather disconcerting. Unlike some NFL cities, the offensive linemen get recognized around Pittsburgh, so Faneca is hearing about the hits from fans.
Motivation
Faneca insists that he didn't get any special thrill from making such an attention-getting play, but likes how it motivated his teammates.
"To be able to do that, and kind of rev up the team a bit, that's great," he said. "That's maybe a difference-maker for an offensive lineman, for lack of a better word. It's like a spark."
The hats-off hit illustrates why Faneca repeated on the AP All-Pro team last season, even as the Steelers were making the transition from a running to a throwing offense.
It certainly didn't take Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox long to understand why Faneca is the first guard in the Steelers' 71-season history to make All-Pro and the Pro Bowl in consecutive seasons.
"He plays every play as hard as he can, whether it is 5 yards downfield or 20 yards down-field," said Maddox. "At the end of the play, he's standing around somewhere, hustling, looking to make that extra block."
Wanted to run ball
Faneca never emulated any linemen while playing at John Curtis High in New Orleans or Lamar Consolidated High in Houston, wishing instead -- like most linemen -- that he could run the ball. He also played defensive line in high school, but was judged too slow to play there at LSU and was installed at guard.
At 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, he thinks he's a perfect fit for a Steelers system that requires the linemen to be more than large occupiers of space. He is regularly asked to pull on running plays, something less athletic linemen can't do.
"A 330-plus offensive lineman probably couldn't survive in this offense, the way guards are asked to go out and move around," Faneca said. "We're always at the point of the play. You look at the Raiders and how they're going huge, and I probably wouldn't fit in with their offense."