Published: Friday, December 8, 2006
Parker puts icing on the cake at Heinz
He broke Frenchy Fuqua's single-game rushing record with 223 yards.
By TOM WILLIAMS
PITTSBURGH — Minus Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu and two other secondary regulars, a dominant performance by the injury-wracked Steelers was anything but assured.
Someone forgot to tell tailback Willie Parker and the Steelers offensive line.
After rushing for 114 yards in the first half on a frosty night, Parker shredded the Browns for 104 more in the third quarter as the Steelers (6-7) defeated the Browns, 27-7, Thursday at Heinz Field.
With 223 yards on 32 carries, Parker broke Frenchy Fuqua's 36-year-old single-game record of 218 yards in a contest that wasn't nearly as close as the final score indicates.
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"I'm so happy for Willie Parker — he's such an unselfish kid," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said after his team won for the fourth time in five games. "What a job the offensive line did and [quarterback] Ben [Roethlisberger] did a great job, too. That touchdown pass was thrown right into the teeth of the wind."
On Nov. 12, Parker rushed for 214 yards against the Saints, making him the first Steeler to top 200 yards.
The Steelers' top draft picks from April also excelled in starting roles.
Wide receiver Santonio Holmes (first round, Ohio State) caught four passes for 81 yards. Injuries to Ward and Cedric Wilson moved Holmes and Nate Washington into starting roles.
And strong safety Anthony Smith (Hubbard native, third round, Syracuse), made his first career start and interception, replacing Ryan Clark, who suffered a groin injury in Sunday's 20-3 victory over the Buccaneers.
"Anthony Smith played really well," Cowher said. "He made some big hits, he came up with that big interception. Santonio made some great catches today."
After getting his feet wet against the Bucs, Smith said he felt comfortable in his starter's role.
Good week
"I had a good week of practice and went out there with a lot of confidence," Smith said. "After the first couple of plays, it was all good. Half of my family are Browns fans, so it gives me a chance to go home and bug them about it."
On their first five possessions, the Steelers marched into Browns territory but produced just 10 points.
But in the third quarter, the Steelers scored touchdowns on their first two drives to run away with the game. Parker's legs, plus a 23-yard reception by an outstretched Holmes on third down, helped set up the Steelers' next score.
Facing third-and-goal from the 2, Roethlisberger ran a naked bootleg, then overpowered Browns safety Sean Jones at the goal line for a 17-0 lead.
Five plays later, the Steelers had the ball again and Parker burst through the Browns for a 39-yard gain to the Cleveland 35 that set up his 3-yard touchdown.
Browns quarterback Derek Anderson outgained Roethlisberger, 147-138, in first-half yardage. Filling in for injured starter Charlie Frye, Anderson completed 21 of 37 tosses for 276 yards.
Anderson was unhappy with his second-quarter fumble and a off-target toss to wide receiver Braylon Edwards.
Played hard
"I played hard," Anderson said. "I tried to make pretty good decisions. I thought I made pretty good decisions, except on those two plays."
Anderson wasn't helped by his receivers, who dropped at least a half-dozen passes.
And the Browns couldn't move the ball on the ground, finishing with 18 yards on 11 attempts.
While Parker was gaining yardage, the Steelers limited the Browns to 13 yards rushing in the first half, with Reuben Droughns gaining 5 on three carries. He finished with 6 yards.
On their second possession, the Steelers took the lead on a 97-yard scoring march capped by Washington's 49-yard touchdown catch. Roethlisberger's pump-fake allowed Washington to slip past the Browns secondary.
"It isn't so much your hands getting cold — they get numb," Washington said of the weather conditions. "You can't squeeze the ball the way you want to when it's coming at you. But you can't turn the wind off."
About his touchdown, Washington said the Steelers wanted to take advantage of the Browns' aggressive tendencies.
"They had been biting on a lot of our curl routes and shorter routes," Washington said. "It was an out-and-up and he bit on the out."
The lead grew to 10-0 in the second quarter when Jeff Reed kicked a 23-yard field goal to finish a 15-play drive.
Right before halftime, the Browns drove deep into Pittsburgh territory and came close to scoring. But Phil Dawson's 40-yard field-goal attempt was wide left.
With 5:20 to play, the Browns ended the shutout when Anderson connected with Edwards for a 45-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-3 play.
williams@vindy.com
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