NOTEBOOK | Steelers vs. Dolphins

Tough ticket: Thursday's attendance of 64,927 was the third highest in Pittsburgh history.Hubbard ace: Steelers rookie Anthony Smith, a graduate of Hubbard High, made his NFL debuts, playing on special teams.Sacks: Joey Porter's first-quarter sack of Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper was his 54th in his career, moving him one past Greg Lloyd for fifth place on the Steelers' all-time list.Coming up: The Steelers have 10 days off before their next game when they travel to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars on Sept. 18. The Steelers' next home game will be on Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. against the Cincinnati Bengals. On Jan. 8, the Steelers defeated the Bengals, 31-17, in Cincinnati in the first-round of the playoffs.Scratches: Steelers wide receiver Willie Reid and tight end Jerame Tuman were among the players on the inactive list. Also idle were quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (appendectomy), running back Patrick Cobbs, linebacker Rian Wallace, cornerback Chidi Iwuoma, center Marvin Philip, guard Chris Kemoeatu and tackle Willie Colon.Dean of the league: Bill Cowher, 49, is in his 15th season as Steelers head coach. Cowher's records are 142-82-1 in the regular season, 11-8 in the AFC Playoffs and 1-1 in the Super Bowl. Cowher's Steelers lost Super Bowl XXX in 1996 to the Dallas Cowboys (27-17) and defeated the Seattle Seahawks (21-10) on Feb. 5 at Ford Field in Detroit. Cowher's teams have played in six AFC Championship games (2-4). Dolphins head coach Nick Saban is in his second year in Miami. The Dolphins were 9-7 in 2005. Cowher and Saban were once assistant coaches with the Cleveland Browns: Cowher from 1985-88 under Marty Schottenheimer and Saban from 1991-94 (Bill Belichick's defensive coordinator).Season openers: The Steelers are 8-7 in season openers under Cowher. Last year, the Steelers rolled over the Tennessee Titans, 34-7, at Heinz Field.Home sweet home: The Steelers are 15-4 in the past three seasons at Heinz Field. Last season, they were 5-3. Two of those losses came on the final possession (23-20 to New England and 23-17 in overtime to Jacksonville). The Steelers were 6-2 in the regular season and 3-0 in the AFC playoffs on the road.
Tough ticket: Thursday's attendance of 64,927 was the third highest in Pittsburgh history.Hubbard ace: Steelers rookie Anthony Smith, a graduate of Hubbard High, made his NFL debuts, playing on special teams.Sacks: Joey Porter's first-quarter sack of Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper was his 54th in his career, moving him one past Greg Lloyd for fifth place on the Steelers' all-time list.Coming up: The Steelers have 10 days off before their next game when they travel to Jacksonville to play the Jaguars on Sept. 18. The Steelers' next home game will be on Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. against the Cincinnati Bengals. On Jan. 8, the Steelers defeated the Bengals, 31-17, in Cincinnati in the first-round of the playoffs.Scratches: Steelers wide receiver Willie Reid and tight end Jerame Tuman were among the players on the inactive list. Also idle were quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (appendectomy), running back Patrick Cobbs, linebacker Rian Wallace, cornerback Chidi Iwuoma, center Marvin Philip, guard Chris Kemoeatu and tackle Willie Colon.Dean of the league: Bill Cowher, 49, is in his 15th season as Steelers head coach. Cowher's records are 142-82-1 in the regular season, 11-8 in the AFC Playoffs and 1-1 in the Super Bowl. Cowher's Steelers lost Super Bowl XXX in 1996 to the Dallas Cowboys (27-17) and defeated the Seattle Seahawks (21-10) on Feb. 5 at Ford Field in Detroit. Cowher's teams have played in six AFC Championship games (2-4). Dolphins head coach Nick Saban is in his second year in Miami. The Dolphins were 9-7 in 2005. Cowher and Saban were once assistant coaches with the Cleveland Browns: Cowher from 1985-88 under Marty Schottenheimer and Saban from 1991-94 (Bill Belichick's defensive coordinator).Season openers: The Steelers are 8-7 in season openers under Cowher. Last year, the Steelers rolled over the Tennessee Titans, 34-7, at Heinz Field.Home sweet home: The Steelers are 15-4 in the past three seasons at Heinz Field. Last season, they were 5-3. Two of those losses came on the final possession (23-20 to New England and 23-17 in overtime to Jacksonville). The Steelers were 6-2 in the regular season and 3-0 in the AFC playoffs on the road.