STEELERS Burress,Ward in no mood to catch

The wideouts aren't happy with their contracts.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers ended their offseason workouts with one more unhappy wide receiver and a lot fewer questions about quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Receiver Plaxico Burress finished the sessions in the same place he started them during the team's May 7-9 minicamp: anywhere but Pittsburgh. He skipped every workout for undisclosed reasons, which probably centered around his lack of a contract beyond this season.
Coach Bill Cowher said he hasn't talked with Burress, though agent Eugene Parker said Burress will report to training camp July 30.
What's interesting is the Steelers' other starting receiver, Hines Ward, is making no such promises despite attending all of the offseason practices.
Underpaid
Ward thinks he is underpaid with a base salary of $1,688,760 and wants to renegotiate his contract, just as quarterback Tommy Maddox did earlier this week. Ward, a three-time Pro Bowl receiver, is signed through 2005.
"I maxed out all my incentives ... and I'm still underpaid," said Ward, who caught 95 passes last season despite playing with broken ribs in December. "That's just a fact."
Asked if he expects Ward to report to camp on time, Cowher said, "We'll wait and see. I have no control over that."
Team president Art Rooney II called the Maddox renegotiation a "rare exception" and suggested other players shouldn't consider similar treatment.
Maddox was the NFL's lowest-paid veteran starting quarterback -- and would have been No. 3 among Steelers quarterbacks once Roethlisberger signed -- until being given a $2 million signing bonus.
Maddox was a backup when he signed his previous contract in 2002, with the understanding it would be reworked if he became a starter. However, he spent nearly two full seasons as a starter before getting the modest pay hike. The renegotiated contract did not boost his $750,000 base salary.
Cowher and Ward talked about Ward's contract situation before the Steelers headed off for their summer vacations.
"I understand what this system is all about," Cowher said. "Again, we'll try to deal with things on a subjective basis, still recognizing the bottom line is when you have team success, individual goals will be met. It still starts with the team."
Top pick's progress
While Maddox is signed through 2007, the Steelers plan to go with first-round draft pick Roethlisberger sooner than later.
According to Cowher, he showed steady progress while going against the Steelers' starting defense almost daily since last month.
"Certainly, I think he is getting comfortable," Cowher said. "He saw a lot of different fronts, a lot of different blitzes, a lot of people going in a lot of different directions. You couple that with being new in the system, there were some inconsistencies. But that is to be expected.
"He showed a lot of signs of what we thought we were getting when we drafted him."