Monday, September 20, 2004
Pittsburgh quarterback Tommy Maddox has an injured throwing arm.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Kyle Boller showed it's easy to be an NFL quarterback when backed by a prolific running game.
Ben Roethlisberger can only hope for a similar situation when he gets his first start with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jamal Lewis ran for 62 yards and two touchdowns, and Chester Taylor added a career-high 76 yards on the ground Sunday, making life easy for Boller in the Baltimore Ravens' 30-13 rout of the Steelers.
Boller, in his second season with the Ravens, went 10-for-18 for 98 yards -- hardly great numbers, but enough to get Baltimore (1-1) back on track after a 20-3 loss to Cleveland.
With Lewis and Taylor pounding away at the Pittsburgh defense, all Boller had to do was avoid messing things up. He had three turnovers against the Browns and none against the Steelers (1-1).
"I feel like I did a really good job of protecting the ball," he said.
Rookie to start
Roethlisberger threw two interceptions in his NFL debut after entering for the injured Tommy Maddox in the third quarter with Pittsburgh trailing 20-0.
Maddox injured his elbow on a hit by cornerback Gary Baxter and will likely miss the Steelers' game Sunday in Miami.
"Ben's our guy right now," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "He's got an opportunity to play next week. He's going to make more throws and we're going to make more plays."
Beginning with the running game. Duce Staley, who gained 91 yards in the opener against Oakland, was limited to 57 against the Ravens.
Roethlisberger, the 11th player taken in the 2004 draft, went 12-for-20 for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
But his second interception was returned 51 yards for a touchdown by Chris McAlister with 2:56 remaining, ending all hope of a Pittsburgh comeback.
"I'd say I got my feet wet, but I got my whole leg wet," Roethlisberger said. "It's tough, you come out and your first game is against probably one of, if not the best, defenses in the NFL."
It might not be any easier against the Dolphins, but Roethlisberger plans to do it his way.
"I'm not Tommy Maddox. Can't be Tommy Maddox," Roethlisberger said. "I'm just going to do the best that I can."
Huge lead early
Baltimore went up 20-0 immediately after the play that forced Maddox from the game. Maddox fumbled after being hit by Baxter, and Terrell Suggs took the loose ball to the 1, setting up a TD run by Lewis with 11:59 remaining in the third quarter.
The game was decided much earlier, perhaps when the Ravens moved 90 yards after the opening kickoff for their first touchdown of the season. Boller threw only one pass during the 11-play drive.
"Baltimore came out and set the tempo with that first drive," Cowher said. "I was very disappointed to see them run down the field like they did."
Playing in his second game since ending a three-year retirement, Baltimore defensive back Deion Sanders left late in the first half with a hamstring injury and did not return. The injury apparently occurred when he was covering Plaxico Burress on a long pass that fell incomplete.
Sanders participated in eight plays, seven of them as a nickel back. He returned a punt for 23 yards, but was penalized 15 yards for removing his helmet on the field.
"It wasn't me celebrating," Sanders insisted. "To be honest with you, that head thing came down over my eyes the last 10 yards ... my instinct was to get this thing off of my eyes."
The Ravens also lost tight end Todd Heap to an ankle injury in the first half. X-rays were negative, but his status for next week is uncertain.