Steelers sprint past Eagles
Hard to blame this on Terrell Owens.
The Philadelphia Eagles got off to a terrible start following a disruptive week of camp that led to Owens’ one-week banishment for bad behavior, letting the Steelers score the first two times they touched the ball Monday night in Pittsburgh’s 38-31 exhibition victory in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers scored on an interception return – of Donovan McNabb’s first pass of the preseason – a punt return and a kickoff return, a trifecta of return touchdowns no NFL team has accomplished in a game that counted. Luckily for the NFC champion Eagles this one didn’t, as they fell behind 14-0, 21-7 and 28-10 before rallying to make it close in the second half with reserves on the field for both teams.
The Eagles’ first-team offense outplayed Pittsburgh’s, except for Willie Williams’ 10-yard interception return touchdown with 12 seconds gone, but that 14-0 deficit with only 2:05 elapsed was too much to overcome with the starters playing just over a quarter. Ricardo Colclough returned the Eagles’ first punt 66 yards for a score.
To prove it wasn’t a fluke, Ike Taylor ran back a kickoff 100 yards early in the second quarter to make it 21-7 and give the Steelers twice as many kick return touchdowns in a 19-minute span than they had all last season.
•Pro Bowl wide receiver Hines Ward ended his 15-day contract holdout and reported to the Steelers.
Ward arrived at Heinz Field about two hours before the Steelers’ exhibition against the Philadelphia Eagles and was quickly escorted into the stadium by a team official to watch the game.
•The Eagles confirmed an ESPN report that they sent wide receiver Terrell Owens a letter detailing his alleged misdeeds during his 10 days at training camp at Lehigh University.
An Eagles source said that the letter sent during the weekend was just one in a series the team has addressed to Owens during his tenure.
What the Eagles are doing is putting together evidence in case they decide to file a grievance against Owens for violating the terms of the seven-year contract worth just under $49 million that he signed before last season.
Rams’ top pick practices
Alex Barron, the St. Louis Rams’ first-round pick, practiced for the first time after ending a two-week holdout last week and landed at a new position.
All of his snaps came at left tackle, Orlando Pace’s position, a clear indication that for the immediate future, the Rams consider him a high-priced backup.
“He’s got a long ways to go to learn how to play,” coach Mike Martz said. “When he gets to the point where he can play, and he’s ready to play, then we’ll make a decision on what he does.”
Martz named Barron the starting right tackle shortly after the team took him with the 19th overall pick, but demoted him in a minicamp after Barron struggled moving from left tackle – his position in college – to the right side.
Dolphins’ Brown ends holdout
Top Miami Dolphins draft pick Ronnie Brown ended a three-week holdout and joined the team’s training camp practice.
The former Auburn running back, the No. 2 overall pick in the April draft, flew late Sunday from his Georgia home to South Florida after missing the Dolphins’ first two exhibition games. His contract was expected to include about $20 million in guaranteed money.
Brown is the Dolphins’ highest draft selection since 1966, and the first rusher in the draft to be taken higher than fourth since Ki-Jana Carter was the No. 1 pick in 1995.
•Gus Frerotte has moved ahead of A.J. Feeley in the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback competition and will start Saturday’s exhibition game at Pittsburgh, coach Nick Saban said.
“Right now we feel like Gus is a little bit ahead of A.J.,” Dolphins coach Nick Saban said. “We’re going to give him an opportunity to be the starter in this particular game.”
Around the league
The Patriots placed rookie linebacker Ryan Claridge on injured reserve and signed free-agent defensive lineman Ifo Pili. … Ravens return specialist B.J. Sams was arrested and charged with drunken driving after a traffic stop in Towson, Md.