Steelers, Dolphins kick it off
PITTSBURGH – They were the NFL’s hottest team at the end of last season, with numerous reasons to think they will be better still in 2006. Their quarterback’s exceptional off-season injury recovery makes them all the more optimistic this could be a championship season.
The Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, right? Wrong. Try the Miami Dolphins.
The Steelers and Dolphins meet tonight in the NFL’s opening game, but one that originally wasn’t planned to match these opponents. A rematch of the Steelers-Denver Broncos AFC championship game was anticipated, but the Broncos pressured to get out of the game and the Dolphins took their place.
Which raises this question: Is playing in the NFL’s showcase opener a reward or an unjust penalty for the Dolphins, who missed the playoffs despite ending the regular season with a league-best six straight wins?
Heinz Field usually is one of the NFL’s toughest stadiums for a road team, though the Steelers lost there three times last season, and this will be the first game there that counts since Pittsburgh won its fifth Super Bowl.
The Steelers are on an eight-game winning streak after going 4-0 to end the season – and all four were must-win games – and 4-0 in the playoffs.
Star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger appeared to have made an exceptional comeback from his scary and near-tragic motorcycle accident in June, only to need an emergency appendectomy on Sunday that will keep him out of at least this game.
Roethlisberger observed practice Tuesday, and can only watch today as one-time Detroit starter Charlie Batch tries to win his third game in a row as a backup.
Roethlisberger’s absence eliminates one of the expected story lines, the matchup of recovering quarterbacks. Daunte Culpepper takes over the Miami offense after missing his final nine games with Minnesota last season because of three torn knee ligaments.
Culpepper was told he might miss this season, too, only to come back much faster than anticipated. He led the NFL with 4,717 yards passing his last full season in 2004, the fifth-highest total in league history.
“I’m extremely excited,” Culpepper said. A Dolphins pass rush led by stars Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas will pressure Batch frequently to try to force mistakes – and perhaps force the Steelers to beat them with a running game.
“But they were going to do that even if Ben played,” said Batch, who grew up in Pittsburgh and attended the same elementary school as Taylor. “I’m looking forward to it, I really am. It’s always important to get off to a fast start.”
To do that, the Steelers might turn to running back Willie Parker, who rushed for 1,202 yards in his first season as a starter.