NOTEBOOK | Steelers vs. Bengals

Milestone: Steelers punter Chris Gardocki's third kick of the game, a 42-yarder in the second quarter, was the 1,000th of his career. He's never had one blocked and is 16th on the NFL list for punt attempts. Gardocki punted for the Cleveland Browns from 1999-2003. "He is a solid consistent pro," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "I'll take him every time."My name is: The Bengals' offense starts three players with the last name Johnson -- wide receivers Chad and Jeremi, and tailback Rudi. Cincinnati also has a rookie linebacker named Landon Johnson.Missed opportunities: Safety Troy Polamalu, linebacker Joey Porter and defensive lineman Justin Smith all came close to intercepting passes from Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. "We dropped about three of them," linebacker James Farrior said. "Our defense needs to get on the Juggs Machine every day after practice." Linebacker Clark Haggans said the Steelers could have done a better job putting pressure on Palmer. "We could have put more," Haggans said. "We can't expect the secondary to cover forever. We have to get pressure on [the quarterback]."Turnovers: Steelers tailback Duce Staley fumbled twice. The first came early in the first quarter at the Steelers 27 when he was hit by Bengals cornerback Delthea O'Neal. Linebacker Caleb Miller recovered to set up the Bengals' six-play drive capped by quarterback Carson Palmer's 2-yard touchdown pass to Jeremi Johnson. Early in the third quarter, Staley was hit by defensive end Duane Clemons at midfield and fumbled. Five plays later, Steelers linebacker Larry Foote hit halfback Kenny Watson who fumbled and linebacker James Farrior recovered at the Pittsburgh 32. Cowher said he didn't consider lifting Staley. "You deal with those things," Cowher said. "Duce is his biggest critic and I think that it is so important to put the ball back into the guy's hands, to let him know you haven't lost confidence in him." Staley missed a fourth-quarter series after coming to the sideline "disoriented," according to Cowher."Top receivers: Hines Ward caught six passes for 48 yards to lead the Steelers. Plaxico Burress caught four tosses for 69 yards. A 57-yarder was negated when the Bengals replay challenge showed that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's knee hit the ground before he escaped the Bengals' pass rush. "I tried to dust off my knee real quick so he could not see, but he did not fall for it," said Roethlisberger who added he thought his knee would be ruled down. "That's why we were running up trying to get the play off real [quickly]." For the Bengals, T.J. Houshmandzadeh produced six receptions for 53 yards.
Milestone: Steelers punter Chris Gardocki's third kick of the game, a 42-yarder in the second quarter, was the 1,000th of his career. He's never had one blocked and is 16th on the NFL list for punt attempts. Gardocki punted for the Cleveland Browns from 1999-2003. "He is a solid consistent pro," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "I'll take him every time."My name is: The Bengals' offense starts three players with the last name Johnson -- wide receivers Chad and Jeremi, and tailback Rudi. Cincinnati also has a rookie linebacker named Landon Johnson.Missed opportunities: Safety Troy Polamalu, linebacker Joey Porter and defensive lineman Justin Smith all came close to intercepting passes from Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. "We dropped about three of them," linebacker James Farrior said. "Our defense needs to get on the Juggs Machine every day after practice." Linebacker Clark Haggans said the Steelers could have done a better job putting pressure on Palmer. "We could have put more," Haggans said. "We can't expect the secondary to cover forever. We have to get pressure on [the quarterback]."Turnovers: Steelers tailback Duce Staley fumbled twice. The first came early in the first quarter at the Steelers 27 when he was hit by Bengals cornerback Delthea O'Neal. Linebacker Caleb Miller recovered to set up the Bengals' six-play drive capped by quarterback Carson Palmer's 2-yard touchdown pass to Jeremi Johnson. Early in the third quarter, Staley was hit by defensive end Duane Clemons at midfield and fumbled. Five plays later, Steelers linebacker Larry Foote hit halfback Kenny Watson who fumbled and linebacker James Farrior recovered at the Pittsburgh 32. Cowher said he didn't consider lifting Staley. "You deal with those things," Cowher said. "Duce is his biggest critic and I think that it is so important to put the ball back into the guy's hands, to let him know you haven't lost confidence in him." Staley missed a fourth-quarter series after coming to the sideline "disoriented," according to Cowher."Top receivers: Hines Ward caught six passes for 48 yards to lead the Steelers. Plaxico Burress caught four tosses for 69 yards. A 57-yarder was negated when the Bengals replay challenge showed that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's knee hit the ground before he escaped the Bengals' pass rush. "I tried to dust off my knee real quick so he could not see, but he did not fall for it," said Roethlisberger who added he thought his knee would be ruled down. "That's why we were running up trying to get the play off real [quickly]." For the Bengals, T.J. Houshmandzadeh produced six receptions for 53 yards.