No longer mum in Motown

Controversial Steelers linebacker Joey Porter has stopped playing nice.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

DETROIT — To the dismay of the 2,000 media members gathered here for Sunday's Super Bowl XL, trash talk has been all but non-existent between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.

Then Steelers linebacker Joey Porter came through in the clutch.

Before Porter's outburst, wide receiver Hines Ward spoke the company line, saying "there's no need to talk — they're a great team, we're a good team."

Citing the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin for inspiration for the Steelers' silence, Ward said, "There's respect — they've earned that. To say we're better than them, no. We're a six seed."

True, but probably the strongest sixth seed the NFL has ever fielded.

No longer quiet

Porter, who usually says whatever crosses his mind, was doing his best to remain quiet. Then he broke out in song as the seventh-year linebacker decided to be offended by comments made by Seahawks tight end Jerramy Stevens on Tuesday.

"I've been asleep all week but now I got woke up," Porter said. "I've got my first taste of blood and now I'm thirsty for more."

Stevens said the Jerome Bettis homecoming is "a heartwarming story and all that, but it will be a sad day when he leaves without that trophy."

That prompted Porter to criticize Stevens as a first-round bust who barely made plays this season and someone who doesn't have the resume to criticize Bettis or make a guarantee.

It's the second time in three weeks that Porter has ripped into an opponent. Days before the Colts-Steelers game on Jan. 15, Porter said the Colts are soft because they don't like to play smashmouth football.

Before the AFC Championship game, Coach Bill Cowher cautioned his players not to make inflammatory remarks and Porter said little about the Broncos.

Porter admitted he's anticipating Sunday night.

"I'll be looking at that day like Christmas, so it will be tough for me to go to sleep because I'll be so anxious thinking about the game. It can't get here fast enough. I wish it were a 1 p.m. game."

Surprising team

The Steelers earned the AFC's final playoff spot by winning their final four regular season games. Then they became the first team to knock off a conference's one (Colts), two (Broncos) and three (Bengals) seeds to qualify for the franchise's sixth Super Bowl.

Along the way, they've changed minds about their underdog status.

"People ask if you guys are happy that you're favored," Ward said. "That has nothing to do in this locker room — we don't feel like we're favored.

"We understand the role where we came from. With four games to go in the regular season, most had written us off. You didn't think we could pull off this run, beat Cincinnati at Cincinnati, beat Indianapolis in Indy, beat Denver at Denver.

"We appreciate this — there is no need for us to go out and trash talk because we know what type of team we've got.

"If anyone wants to play the respect card, be mad at the people who make the odds, don't be mad at us," Ward said. "If we go out there and take of the things that we've been doing well the last several games, then we like our chances."

A key to Sunday's game is whether the Steelers can get their rushing game going again.

"We are going to have to be able to run the football to win," running back Jerome Bettis said.

Emerging back

Willie Parker, who's expected to be the backup so Bettis can start in his hometown, rushed for more than 1,200 yards in the regular season, but had little success against the Colts and Broncos.

Parker's success in the wake of Duce Staley's absence was a surprise because he had few touches when he played at North Carolina.

"He was raw talent with natural ability and he didn't get a lot of opportunities in college," said Bettis of Parker. "So trying to build his confidence" was a goal.

"In practice, I've showed him some things and gave him some little tricks of the trade," Bettis said. "He has the patience now, he understands how to play off a block and how to set up blocks. He's a totally different running back.

"Usually fast guys have a difficult time running inside the tackles, but that was something I didn't even have to coach him up on," Bettis said. "He was comfortable just hitting it up in there. That's rare for a fast guy."

Despite his lack of playing time in college, Parker said he has no regrets being a Tar Heel.

"The last time I touched the ball 25 times a game was in high school," Parker said. "I was a Michael Jordan fan, so Michael Jordan sold me to the [North Carolina]. If I had to do it all over again, I'd go back to UNC. I met a lot good people at UNC — I love that university."

Despite the praise being heaped on Roethlisberger for his strong passing starts against the Colts and Broncos, Coach Bill Cowher said his philosophy hasn't changed.

"If you watch us through the course of the season, we are going to be a 50-50 team [run-pass] in the first half most of the time," Cowher said. "You have to have balance [and] you have to be able to run the football."

williams@vindy.com