Steelers, Ravens acting more civil to each other

Today's game is too important to let a war of words serve as a distraction.
BALTIMORE (AP) -- Barbs and insults have been replaced by compliments and praise. If Shannon Sharpe and Plaxico Burress had to listen to the fluff being spewed by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens this week, they would have screamed.
Back when Sharpe was with Baltimore and Burress played in Pittsburgh, the Ravens and Steelers refused to wait until Sunday before cranking up the trash talk. In 2001, Burress boldly declared that Pittsburgh "beat up" Baltimore in the previous meeting between the teams.
Sharpe responded by calling the receiver "Plexiglas."
Pittsburgh's Joey Porter is a holdover from that era, but the standout linebacker said his feud with Baltimore linebacker Ray Lewis is a thing of the past.
"It's was me just being young at the time when it happened," Porter said. "It's not like he did a whole lot to really get me going, but this was just part of the dislike for each other, for the teams."
Lest anyone get the wrong idea, the Steelers (4-6) and Ravens (8-2) still despise each other. But both teams have too much riding on today's AFC North game to let a war of words serve as a distraction.
"We just want to beat the Steelers. We want it because they are up this week, because they are an excellent football team, because we want to keep winning," Baltimore coach Brian Billick said.
Not overlooking Steelers
An excellent football team? Pittsburgh's record would suggest otherwise, but the Ravens are looking beyond that.
"We have to take them seriously. They are the defending champs and they've earned that right, so we'll play them like they're the defending champs," Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs said. "We want what they have, and we have to take it from them in order to get it."
The Ravens have won four straight to open a three-game lead over the Bengals in the division. Baltimore could have easily flaunted its superior record this week, but instead adopted a businesslike approach.
"We haven't won the division yet. There is nothing settled," Ravens tight end Todd Heap said. "We know we have to get a few more wins and it starts this week against Pittsburgh."
The Steelers have been in a desperation mode since falling to 2-6. They've won two in a row, but still have absolutely no margin for error. That's one reason the Steelers have kept their trash talk to a minimum this week. Another reason is that a 4-6 team has little room for boasting.
"Oh, yeah, this is an important game. They're at the top. If we can get a win, we will get one step closer to where we need to be," Pittsburgh defensive end Aaron Smith said. "It's been the playoffs for us for a while. The way we started, that's how we have to approach each game."
Steelers fared well
The Steelers have thus far fared well in the can't-lose-or-else mode, beating New Orleans 38-31 and Cleveland 24-20. In the latter game, Pittsburgh rallied to earn its first road victory of the season.
Now comes an even stiffer test: Winning in Baltimore, where the Steelers are 0-3 since 2002. In keeping with the mood of the week, Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher expressed admiration and respect for his team's biggest rival.
"I will say this: We have to play better than we have these last two weeks if we are going to compete against Baltimore. This is one of the premier teams in the AFC. They have no weaknesses," Cowher said. "They're playing with a lot of confidence, they're playing very well. We're going to have to play at a very high level and play our best game to even have a chance to compete with this team. They're playing that good."
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