• Font Size    

Most Popular Videos Featured On KDKA.com

Local Highway To Be Renamed I-376
E-mail

Close Window E-mail This Page

Milestones Reached In Regular Season Finale

Required fields are marked with an asterisk(*)

The information you provide will be used only to send the requested e-mail and will not be used to send any other e-mail communications. Read more in our Privacy Policy

Send E-mail

   Print     Share +   
Dec 29, 2008 11:12 pm US/Eastern

Milestones Reached In Regular Season Finale

Reporting
Jory Rand
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ― How do you get up for a meaningless Week 17 game against a far inferior opponent?

Well, the Steelers found a way, as Willie Parker found the endzone for the first time since Week 9. But in the NFL, there is a fine line between get up and go down.

"You know how that is. Ben Roethlisberger, he's the leader of this team," Willie Parker said.

"You know, anytime there's a head injury it's scary," says Brett Keisel.

"Ben's a warrior. Anytime Ben gets nicked up, banged up he always responds," Hines Ward said.

Though there wouldn't be a comeback yesterday, despite his parting thumbs up to the crowd.

Yet, no sooner had Ben left the field, than his replacement jumped into the spotlight.

The Steelers went into halftime up 14-0. From there on out, it was all about defense, the running game and Hines Ward.

Several milestones were reached in this game. Ward crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the fifth time in his career. He reached 80 catches in a season for the fifth time and became the 22nd player in NFL history to have 800 receptions.

"That's a lot of catches. It means, 800 catches for this organization, it means a great deal to me," Ward said of his accomplishment.

The running game, which had stagnated in recent weeks, was suddenly reborn, as Willie Parker eclipsed 100 yards, the first time a Steeler had done that in six games.

"You know, I haven't rushed for 100 yards in awhile so to get back and get back on my feet and rush for 100 yards, I mean, I felt real good doing it," Parker said.

"Thought we controlled the line of scrimmage," Tomlin said.

And the defense pitched their first shutout of the season. Ty Carter, playing in place of the injured Ryan Clark, caught two interceptions and put the game on ice in the fourth quarter.

"And I got stopped the first time – I couldn't believe it," he said. "But, hey man, I thank God for going out there and having the opportunity to go out there and play," he said.

"The guys have really embraced the concept of the standard of the expectation not changing," Tomlin said.

"Mike Tomlin got us practicing on Christmas. That's probably why this game was so lopsided because we [were] upset because we had to practice on Christmas," Larry Foote said. "We were upset - took it out on the Browns." 

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

Featured Slideshows On KDKA.com

© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.