Cowher challenges heralded team to remain focused in Ohio

The 7-1 Steelers next make trips to Cleveland and Cincinnati.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Hours after the Pittsburgh Steelers finished off their unprecedented run of consecutive victories over unbeaten teams, coach Bill Cowher delivered a pointed message to his players.
He expects to see the same team against the Browns (3-5) and Bengals (3-5) on the road in the next two weeks that he saw against the Patriots (7-1) and Eagles (7-1) at home in the last two.
Now that the Steelers (7-1) are playing like the NFL's best team, they must prove to their coach they can be just as good while being chased as they were in chasing down New England and Philadelphia.
"We have been anointed nothing," Cowher said Tuesday. "We have gotten here because we are very respectful of every team we've played. We are in a what-have-you-done-lately-for-me business and it can change weekly. It is not a concern as long as we don't get caught up in it and we won't, trust me."
Staley may play
Running back Duce Staley could be ready for the Browns after missing Sunday's 27-3 victory over Philadelphia with a sore hamstring, an injury that allowed Jerome Bettis to step in and run for 149 yards. Staley is listed as questionable.
Despite Bettis' big day, Staley will play if he can after gaining more than 100 yards in four of his last five starts.
"We are not in any position to be resting anybody," Cowher said. "We are playing with a little bit of an edge right now and we can't lose that. You can lose it quickly in this business. ... Everybody that can go is going to go in this game."
The Steelers have won three straight in Cleveland, each time by a touchdown or less, and are 4-1 there since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999.
The Steelers opened a 21-point lead in beating the Browns 34-23 in Pittsburgh on Oct. 10, when Staley ran for a touchdown and Ben Roethlisberger threw for one and ran for another.
Extra magnitude
"But they've won three of their four at home with the only loss being an overtime loss to the Eagles," Cowher said. "I think any time you play a divisional game, it takes on extra magnitude in terms of the overall picture."
To Cowher, Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia looks much sharper than he did last month in Pittsburgh, when Browns coach Butch Davis suggested he became "skittish" while dodging Pittsburgh's blitz. Garcia was 16 of 34 for 210 yards and was sacked three times.
"I think the biggest thing that has happened between now and the last time is that he is becoming more comfortable with the offense and that group of receivers," Cowher said. "That just makes him that much more dangerous."
Still, Cowher seems as eager as anyone to see how his team will stand up to being in command of its own destiny. The Steelers currently own home-field advantage in the AFC.
"That's what the next couple of weeks will show, can we be a good road team?" Cowher said. "Can we be that team with the bull's eye on it, going into that hostile environment, going in with the opportunity of making someone's season by beating us? Can we handle that? Time will tell."
The only Steelers player listed as doubtful is running back Verron Haynes (turf toe), while fullback Dan Kreider (hip flexor) is questionable. Linebacker Kendrell Bell returned against Philadelphia after groin and shoulder injuries sidelined him for seven games, but Cowher said Larry Foote remains the starter for now.