Steelers piece together victory over Colts

By Alan Robinson

Published: Sunday, August 19, 2012, 11:30 p.m.
Updated 16 hours ago


The offense the Steelers are trying to learn outscored the offense they already know so well, even after the double numbers started showing up for both Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.

Ben Roethlisberger showed off a tad more of Todd Haley’s offense-in-progress, stretching the defense slightly more, too, while throwing for 81 yards and a touchdown in slightly more than one quarter of a 26-24 preseason win over the Colts on Sunday night at Heinz Field.

An under-pressure Roethlisberger rarely had time to go downfield 10 days earlier against the Eagles — and it wasn’t certain if he even wanted to. Roethlisberger ran a controlled but not conservative passing game Sunday, although the first team’s lone touchdown — Antonio Brown’s 57-yard scoring catch ­— came on a screen pass play that was finished off by Baron Batch’s pinball block on two Colts.

“I had a two-way option and I gave it to him,” said Roethlisberger, whose play-action fake freed up Brown. “I thought he’d get the first down, and he ended up getting a little more.”

Brown punctuated the touchdown by doing a back flip into the end zone. A little Olympics gymnastics watching while in training camp, perhaps?

“It was an 8.5,” Brown said. “I’ve got to stick the landing.”

Batch, the second-year back who is getting more playing time with Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman injured, said it wasn’t by accident he stuck a couple of defenders.

“During practice, they always tell us to run after the ball, especially coach (Kirby Wilson), he’ll definitely let you know if you don’t do it,” Batch said. “It’s something we work on every day in practice.”

A screen pass with a couple of blockers leading the way. Shades of Bruce Arians — and, coincidentally, the former Steelers offensive coordinator was on the opposing sideline overseeing the development of Andrew Luck, who looked just like a No. 1 draft pick should while playing the entire first half.

Luck, like Roethlisberger, was intercepted early. Ike Taylor, the man with the usually unreliable hands, sliced in front of Reggie Wayne to grab a Luck pass and return it 49 yards for a touchdown early in the second quarter to make it 14-0.

“Ike’s been working on his hands and he showed it,” linebacker LaMarr Woodley said. Taylor laughed at that, but he became serious when he said that turning the ball over must be a priority for a team that was a minus-13 in turnover differential last season.

“We try to create as many turnovers as possible,” Taylor said. “This defense has been around for a while.”


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