'Confident' QB drives win

Rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger directed the Steelers to early scoring marches.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
PITTSBURGH -- In Sunday's battle for first place in the AFC North, the Cleveland Browns failed to heed a key rule of the Old West -- don't go to a shoot-out loaded with blanks.
In their first four possessions, the Browns offense tallied three punts and one Phil Dawson field goal.
On the other side of the line, the Steelers, led by rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, generated five scoring drives for 27 points, one punt and a returned interception off a tipped pass in their first seven possessions.
"I like his demeanor," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said of Roethlisberger. "He is a very confident young man that you really don't see things bother him that much."
Roethlisberger, who compiled a passer rating of 107.4, shared the credit in the Steelers' 34-23 win over the Browns.
"The running backs are doing a great job [as is] the offensive line," said Roethlisberger, who was 16-of-21 for 231 yards in his third start.
Roethlisberger also scored a 6-yard running touchdown in the second quarter to put the Steelers ahead for good.
"[There] was a huge lane, so I just started running," Roethlisberger said of his first career touchdown. "Then I saw that linebacker and I just tried to make a move to the inside. I saw the goal line and I just dove."
More time
In the first half, wide receiver Plaxico Burress caught five passes for 120 yards. He praised Roethlisberger's ability to buy time while under pressure.
"Ben just gives us an opportunity to make plays," Burress said. "Normally, plays go four-to-five seconds long, but with Ben back there, he can break a few tackles and scramble."
Burress finished with six receptions for 136 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown in the second quarter that put the Steelers ahead, 24-10.
Tailback Duce Staley rushed 21 times for 117 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown on the Steelers' third offensive play. It was Staley's third straight 100-yard game.
"Duce Staley made some good cuts, made some cutback runs and put them in a situation where they were effectively running the football that made their play-action pass that much more dangerous," Browns coach Butch Davis said.
The Browns found a brief spark when Roethlisberger's second pass was bobbled by wide receiver Antwaan Randle El and intercepted by safety Chris Crocker, who returned it 20 yards for a tying touchdown.
"The pick wasn't Ben's fault," said wide receiver Hines Ward, who caught six passes for 61 yards. "Antwaan catches that ball a hundred times in practice -- it was just a lack of concentration on his part."
Steelers respond
The Steelers responded to the costly turnover with a six-play, 70-yard drive, capped by Roethlisberger's scramble into the end zone.
The key play was a 48-yard completion to Burress. After the throw, Roethlisberger was flattened by Browns defensive end Orpheus Roye.
Asked if the coaching staff thought the rookie quarterback was woozy after the hit, Cowher said, "If so, he 'woozied' himself right into the end zone on the scramble."
Roethlisberger said he was "in pain, but I was not woozy in my head. I was just laying there -- I just wanted to make sure I was in one piece."
williams@vindy.com