Bills, Steelers seek second-half traction

Associated Press

Pittsburgh

EJ Manuel. Thad Lewis. Jeff Tuel. To be honest, Pittsburgh Steelers nose tackle Steve McLendon doesn’t really care who the Buffalo Bills start today.

A week after the worst defensive performance in the franchise’s 81-year history in a 55-31 loss to New England, McLendon just wants to get back on the field and find a way to restore some sense of normalcy to a team getting pushed around in the midst of a 2-6 start.

“I’m not really thinking about the throwing,” McLendon said. “We gave up 55 points. People was running the ball on us. That’s what we’ve got to worry about, worry about stopping the run. Don’t worry about no quarterback, worry about who’s running the ball.”

That’s been one of the few constants for the Bills (3-6), who have one of the league’s better 1-2 punches in Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller. They’ve helped keep Buffalo competitive even as a knee injury to Manuel forced Lewis and Tuel — an undrafted rookie free agent — onto the field.

Here are three things to look for as two teams trying to either rebuild or reclaim their identities meet.

EJ DOES IT

Though Manuel returned to practice on Wednesday and took the majority of the snaps with the first team, Marrone declined to name him the starter, perhaps out of caution. Manuel, however, believes he’s good to go. That’s good news for Buffalo’s offense, which wasn’t nearly as dynamic with Manuel standing on the sideline. Though Lewis and Tuel weren’t terrible, they were sloppy. They combined for eight turnovers in four games. Manuel had just four turnovers over the same period before getting hurt.

“Yeah, we’re excited to get EJ back,” center Eric Wood said. “Hopefully, it gives us a boost, offensively.”

EMBATTLED LEBEAU

Pittsburgh’s late meltdown against the Patriots, when New England finished the game with a 31-7 burst, did more than raise concerns about an aging secondary. It also brought heat on Hall of Fame defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

Coach Mike Tomlin defended LeBeau earlier this week. When pressed on why, he simply answered “because he’s Dick LeBeau.”

JOHNSON’S HEALTH

The Bills nearly beat the Steelers in the last meeting, missing a chance to win when an easy touchdown pass in overtime fell through the hands of wide receiver Stevie Johnson. The mercurial Johnson blamed God after the game on his Twitter account, an act that has overshadowed what is turning into a solid NFL career.

Johnson is one of five active players to have three straight 1,000-yard seasons and has become one of the most dependable players in the game. He doesn’t think Pittsburgh’s defense has lost a step, but he welcomes a second chance to right a wrong.