Let me give the injury situation as it relates to this weekend. First of all, Hines (Ward) had a scope done yesterday to remove two loose bodies. This injury occurred Sunday in Baltimore. This was not a result of the injury that took place in Cleveland. There were maybe some after affects of that but he felt fine as the week went on. On Sunday he felt close to 90, 95 percent out there. Right now he's out for a week. Given the fact that we play on Thursday the following week, we'll say one week right now but with the short week it could run into two. Troy (Polamalu) is also out. Troy has a second-degree MCL sprain. It's not as significant as we first thought. No surgery is required. He's out this week and we'll go week-to-week from there. Two players are questionable: Willie Reid with a foot and Clark Haggans with his hip. We have six players probable: Joey Porter with an elbow, Jeff Hartings with a knee, James Harrison with an ankle, Sean Morey with a toe, Ben (Roethlisberger) with his chest and Ike Taylor with a concussion. That's our situation going into this weekend against Tampa.

If you look at the game (against Baltimore), it was a surprising game from the standpoint that I thought we had a good week of work. It was a game that got out of hand early. We did not play well at all in the first half. In the second half, to get behind against that team and to have to revert to the pass was a feeding frenzy for them. As I told the team on Monday, it's one of those games that you never want to go through but in this business you'll experience. The biggest thing you can do is learn from it but you have to move on. You can't dwell on it. Right now we have five games left. We have to try to win every one of them and let the chips fall where they may. Knowing the quality of players that we have, they understand that. The biggest thing we have to do right now is take that approach with our preparation.

Tampa Bay is another team that is like we are. They had high expectations going in. They're going through some tough times. They're a good football team, a young team. It's going to be a big challenge for us. We have to meet that challenge. Certainly, it's not where we expected to be at this point, but it is where we're at. We have to learn to deal with that, we're going to deal with that and proceed on.

Does it become easier to deal with losing after 15 years?

I don't look at it as being easier. If anything it's probably harder. The longer you're in this business the higher the expectation level becomes. If you don't have a high expectation then you probably haven't been in this business long enough to establish that. It does become difficult. With our football team and where we are, the expectations that we've had, it becomes trying. I think it becomes very revealing as well. You find out about yourself and the people around you. It has a way of separating the conditional friend from the unconditional. From that standpoint it reveals a lot about yourself. I like to think that last weekend was not representative of our football team. We did play that way and I'd like to think that was an aberration and something that won't take place again but we have to validate that statement by how we play on Sunday. When we play Kansas City, where we 35 points, or whatever it was, better than Kansas City? No, we got off to a fast start. Sometimes in this business if you get off to a fast start at home, things can roll for you or in our case snowball against us like it did last week. We have to come back from that. I don't think they're 27 points better than we are but they were last Sunday. We have to control this week, this football team and put last week behind us.

Why has the protection been so bad even though you have the same offensive line, tight ends and fullback from last year?

I think we've gotten behind for whatever reason. We've turned the football over, at times we haven't started off fast defensively. We've played from behind a lot this year. When you play from behind then you'll get involved in must-throw situations. If you look at the last couple of years we played a lot ahead. When you're playing ahead you have an ability to dictate a lot of things. I think that has a lot to do with the fact last week we got into a situation where you don't want to play catch-up against them, particularly on the road. You don't want the noise, trying to run the no-huddle because of the time element, a lot things led to the inefficiencies and the results.

Are you worried that the beating that Roethlisberger took is getting into his head?

Ben wanted to be out there. I don't think you wouldn't want to be out there with the rest of your teammates that are fighting and battling. There's a lot to be said for that. Quarterbacks like him look at that as being a part of the team. Why should he not be out there and the other players are out there. He wanted to finish. Certainly I wasn't going to put him out there if there was a medical risk. That was not the case. He fought through like everybody else.

Will you stick with Bryant McFadden and Deshea Townsend as the starting CBs?

I haven't really made a decision. That may be a week-to-week decision.

How do you think your team will respond?

We'll find out. I'm not going to speculate on any of that. I'd like to think that we'll come out, play hard, battle and find a way to win.

Was the loss deflating inside the locker room?

It was disappointing, there's no question about it. Even the way we lost is very disappointing. Like you say, it's a gut-check time. We'll find out from each guy, and as a football team. It is what it is. What we have to do is put that behind us and move on. We have an opportunity to get that sour taste out of our mouths with our play this Sunday.

Does Nate Washington move up for Ward?

Yeah, Nate and we'll get Santonio (Holmes) some work over there as well.

At flanker?

Yeah.

Would running the ball get the bad taste out of your mouths?

There's no question. We need to do that more affectively. We've been playing a lot of catch-up and getting into those situations. You get behind early and you still want to stay with the running game. We probably abandoned it a little too soon the other day. The biggest thing is putting ourselves in situations where we're not playing catch-up the entire game.

Can you evaluate your offense on first and second downs?

When you look at the third downs in the first half, we were 0-for-5, we didn't have one third down that was less than 10 yards. We had sacks, no gain plays on the first two, third down-and-10s and we had three consecutive sacks on second-downs that led to third down-and-longs. Just to get positive yards, zero yards or a passing play where you get four or five (yards), just to get back to manageable situations. Otherwise, you're getting third downs, you're seeing us complete passes on third-and-19 for 14 yards because you can't hold the ball against that type of team for long periods of time, to run deep enough routes to get that type of yardage. There's no question first and second down have a lot to do with that.

Did Baltimore show you a lot of new stuff?

Not really. We just didn't do a good job of picking it up. We didn't throw hot (routes). We had some hots that we missed. They're always going to send more than you can protect with, but in those situations there is an exposure that they risk and we didn't take advantage of it. There's a risk-reward type of thing. They took the risk but got all the reward. We didn't hit the opportunities that we had to make big plays when they did that.

Roethlisberger said a lot of the sacks were his fault.

It's a little bit of everything. The big hit he took, they moved a guy around. We actually repped it in practice. Willie (Parker) stepped up instead of stepping out. He should have taken the guy coming off the corner. He took some hits that we should have had protected. Other times he's got to throw the ball away before he does get hit. There was a combination of all of those things.

Are you happy you have another shot at Baltimore?

It isn't for a while. The biggest thing we have to worry about is Tampa Bay this Sunday and not look beyond that.

What did you think of Bruce Gradkowski?

He's a good quarterback. He's a young guy, you watch him play and you see a lot of good things. You see other times where you can see the inexperience. It's a football team that wants to run the football with (Mike) Alstott and Cadillac (Carnell) Williams, he's a really good back. They have a deep threat in Joey Galloway. He can still run even at his age. You see him getting behind defenses all the time. It's a good offense.

Why are so many teams switching quarterbacks late in the season?

Every situation is different and I think it's a very subjective question, to be honest, because each is a unique situation. It would not be fair of me to be judgmental on other people making those decisions.

Can you be as patient with quarterbacks as in the past?

I don't think it's that. Bottom line, you do what you think gives you the best chance to win. You can talk what you want and people talk about wanting to prepare for the future by looking ahead. Best way to do that is to win football games, to create that mindset and mentality because you have to do that. You can't jeopardize any game just to develop someone else. You have guys out there playing hurt. You never know what your team is going to be a year from now. You're trying to win football games, and that's the bottom line of this business.

When you tired to win at the end of the 2003 season, was that a foundation for 2004?

I wasn't looking at 2004. I was looking at 2003 and trying to win as many football games as possible. Whatever players you have, you're going to play the best players that give you the best chance to win week-to-week.  You're not sitting there looking at the future from that perspective. If you look at our football team, we have a young team. We're young in some areas and we have experience in other areas.  We will continue to play and play as hard as we can week-in and week-out and try to win as many games as we can.  Along the way, you get the people the experience that you nee and in other players, you find out who they are and their accountability. You look at the future when the season is over, but at the same time, I don't think it's fair to jeopardize the present to try to develop anyone or a few of the players. That's an unfair thing to do.

In retrospect, did that serve as a foundation?

That's hard to say. You only know how to play one way and you don't turn that off, just because the situation is how it is and as disappointing as everyone makes it to be, you go through it. That's part of this business. You have to learn how to deal with it, how to accept that, and learn from that. It becomes very revealing and very defining, in my opinion, as who you are as a person, as a player and your ability to persevere through those times. That's what we are going through. It will be defining for a lot of people, myself included. No one likes the situation we are in, but we're in it and we have to deal with it. The biggest thing we can do right now it to take advantage of the opportunity we are in next Sunday to go out there and try and win a football game. This is a team that has won its last two-out-of-three games and I'm not going to let one game define who we are. As many people in here would like to be able to do that, so be it.  You are entitled to make whatever judgments you want to make. But in my mind, one game does not define this football team. It's ability to preserve through though times and find out who you are and surrounding yourself with. That's what we are in the process of doing.

How does the team keep the right perspective?

I'm giving them the perspective they need to have. No one likes it, but they have to deal with it. You don't get caught up in tough times, just as you don't get caught up in the good times. You are never as good as you think you are and you're never as bad as they say you are. Right now, they are saying a lot of things that aren't real positive. You don't get caught up in that, just like you don't get caught up when they are giving you all the accolades. If you are able to do that, it gives you the proper prospective and keeps you grounded. I think we have enough guys who have been here and understand that. Last week does leave a sour taste in your mouth. But that's the great thing about it; we have a chance to play next Sunday. It can't get here fast enough.

Is there a concern that it might spiral downward?

We certainly don't like losing. We don't like losing, period. That's the bottom line.  If you're in this business and you have a passion for this business, you will never accept it.  You have to learn how to deal with it, because it is what it is and don't try to sugar coat it. I don't do that and I don't want our players to do that. But at the same time, stand up for who you are and be accountable. Times like this have a way of defining who you are.

Might you get more experimental?

Whatever it takes to win football games.

Will you be more cautious with Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu in terms of their health?

Not that it would be in any other situation. Obviously if you're involved in a playoff game, then you look at that definitely. We will certainly view their health first and foremost, just like we would do with any player. There are a lot of guys that are playing banged up. That's the type of football players we have on this team. We will take all those things into account. I'm not discounting anything at this point.

If Willie Reid in healthy is he the punt returner or will it be Santonio Holmes?

No, if Willie gets back, I'd love to put him back there. We'll see how he is.

Who steps in for Troy Polamalu?

Tyrone Carter or Mike Logan. We'll see. One of those two.

Will Anthony Smith get some time in the dime package?

Yeah.

How has Willie Reid looked in practice?

He hasn't done much. He was in for one game. He's not practicing at full speed yet, I can't make an assessment based on that.

Has Anthony Smith gotten any time at SS?

He works at FS.

Exclusively?

Yes.

Have you seen opponents deal with games against you differently?

I don't know if it's that. It seems like we've been the barometer every week for a team. The defending (champion) probably has something to do with it. We've brought out the best of everybody's play. At this point in the season you are who you are. It hasn't been a deviation from anything. We're going to continue to get pressure until we show an ability to handle that. People have thrown down the field. Until we show an ability to stop the deep ball we'll continue to see that. As the season progresses, teams won't vary too much from their character and try to exploit weaknesses that you show. I don't think that's any different from any other year, particularly at this time of year.

Were there things you did well in 2005 that you're not doing this year?

Yeah, we were really good last year at not turning it over. Honestly, we got more takeaways. I feel like we've been playing from behind a lot. When you play from behind offenses don't take as many chances. They're told to be very careful with the football. When you're behind you take more chances. It's one of those things that is a snowball affect, us getting behind, turning it over and consequently not getting the takeaways. That really has been the one area that stands out above everything else.

Are the 2005 and '06 season the best examples of the fine line between winning and losing?

It's pretty good. Some of the close games we won a year ago we have not won this year. This was the first game I can honestly say that we were never in this football game. I still think there is a fine line and that's proven week-in and week-out when you see some of the results in the league. It's a fine line that you have to walk and we're not walking very well right now.