Coach Bill Cowher:  I really don't have much of an injury update given the fact that it is less than 24 hours after the game. Like I said last night, Ryan Clark and Cedrick Wilson, I am not sure they will be able to make it on a short week, and certainly even with Troy (Polamalu) and Hines (Ward). So we are still in the process of seeing where we are with the injuries and we will go from there. Obviously, there will be a chance of some roster moves and some of those things may take place as the day unfolds but I am not ready to make any announcements at this time.

What do you know about Derek Anderson?

I saw him play for a half just this morning and he was impressive. I think what they did to come back from 14 points down against Kansas City and he had a big scramble in the overtime to set up the winning field goal and he showed really good composure. He checked the ball down a couple times, I was impressed. He looked good, he looked mobile and like I said, they will be coming in here high off of a big win.

Does it help to be playing a division team on short week?

Oh, without a doubt. There is no question, that does help tremendously. I am sure it does for them as well. There is no question that helps.

What is your opinion of Thursday games?

If you are a fan, it is great to have football in the middle of the week, unless you are playing in it. I guess both teams are in the same situation but I am not a big fan of it at this time of year. It is what it is. It is part of the entertainment business we are in. It will be nice over the weekend but there will be a lot of work between now and Thursday.

Were coaches consulted about that?

No. We don't get consulted about schedules, we don't get consulted about rules, we don't get consulted about a lot of things. We get more consoled that we do get consulted.

How do the logistics change this week?  Do you condense anything? Do you have to cut corners?

I went back and the three Thursday games we played since I have been here, we always took Monday and gave the players off and game planned and then came in and worked two days. We were 0-3 on those games so that is why I kind of looked around and talked to some teams that have done this and so the consensus was to come in this afternoon and try to treat this like a Wednesday, and tomorrow will be like a normal Thursday, and then Wednesday will be like a Friday, like you do in the preseason because you are playing Thursday night, so we will still have a little workout on Friday, and go to the hotel on Wednesday night and get up and have a normal game day routine. So that is how we are approaching it. I think the last Thursday game we played was Thanksgiving Day. It's been a while. Today is like a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday all in one. Monday was this morning. We're in the middle of Tuesday with (the media). Once I leave here it becomes Wednesday.

Is Monday game-plan day?

Most of it.

You can't do some of it early, like start it last week?

No, but we know the opponent. We know where we are. The hard thing is making preparations and then you have injuries, so you have to throw that out. Between today and tomorrow we'll have most of it put in.

Will there be a full practice Monday?

No, we're not going to have any 9-on-7s. We won't wear shoulder pads this whole week. I'm not that foolish to do that. It is important preparation-wise to mentally see it, rep it and go through it. The tempo will be what it would be like after a Sunday night game basically. I think it's important that we start thinking of Cleveland and get some normality this week.

Is a big part of it to get the players' attention?

Oh yeah, and they knew that. We talked last week about what the next 10, 11 days would entail. They understand the sacrifices and that we have to put this last game behind us, and get prepared in a very short period of time for a very important game. They understand that.

Is there a big benefit on the other end of the Thursday game?

It gives you a bye-week from the standpoint of a long weekend and a chance to get away, come back and gear up for the last three games. Right now you don't think about that but it does help you on the other end.

How is Ike Taylor handling his new role?

It's hard to say. I'm sure he doesn't like it but he accepted it. He understands it. With everything that's going on right now with injuries and everything else, it's a very unselfish team. It's a team that will sacrifice a lot for the team. They've taken on that mindset. That being said, anyway opportunity you get – whether it's in the kicking game, offense or defense – you've got to seize it. That's what I like about this group of guys. We've been through a lot. A lot has been said about them. It hasn't unfolded the way we want it to unfold but they keep at it, and I'm proud of them. We'll see what happens.

Are the TEs more important because of the injuries to receiver?

Yeah, a guy like Heath (Miller), he's such a multi-talented guy. He's got great hands. Ben (Roethlisberger) made three really good improvised plays the other night. One to Willie (Parker) in the second quarter, one to Nate (Washington) at the end of the third quarter and the touchdown pass (to Miller). The line did a good job of protecting for him to give him time to look down the field, and Ben did a good job of seeing the whole field. Those are three big pass plays now. Jerame (Tuman) and Heath are two really good tight ends.

Do they learn the roles on four-wide receiver sets?

Some of those you have to. You have plans in the game. We will take the players we have and utilize packages with what we have.

Will Washington play flanker and Santonio Holmes play split end if Wilson doesn't play?

That's correct.

Can you evaluate Washington?

Nate is a good football player. Nate's played really well. He's had a couple drops this year but he's made some tough catches. He really has. He made a couple catches last week and took hits down the middle, and got up. He took another one the other day. He's got good hands. He's a tough kid. He's running good routes and he's still a young player. People are so quick to judge the guy. It's his first year playing. He didn't even play last year until we got into the playoffs. He's a good young player, just like Santonio. These guys are going to get better the more they play. I don't like the circumstances but they're going to be playing a lot more now.

What pleased you about the Tampa Bay game besides winning?

Just the way they played. I look at this football team and we've won three of the last four games. A lot gets focused on the game we didn't win. We didn't play well against Baltimore, so be it. They're a resilient group of guys. They play hard. We still have not played our best football. I'd like to see us continue to grow from that. We have some challenges ahead of us. The one think you can control is what we think and how we approach it, and not get caught up with all the cynical people that talk about how we beat the team we beat. There's a lot of negativity that exists out there because the expectations are high around here, and we have not met those expectations. The only thing that we can do right now is control what we can control, that's going out there and being more defined by our performance now than anything else. That's what I'm proud of on this football team, to go out there and keep battling week-in and week-out and not be deterred by what people are saying, where we are, and not get caught up in that because you can't control that. You can control what you think and the future, not what is behind you.

Do you look at the teams above you?

No, because we can't control that. The only thing we can control is taking every game and do what we can to win the game. I even talked about it yesterday with the team about focusing on the process. What happens, the result, we always talk about that. We talked about it last year in the playoff run and not getting caught up in what could be if you do this. It's no different now. It's no different now. Don't get caught up in the season, could you have done this? Could you have done that? Just focus on the process. We're in the middle of the process right now. That is more defining than the result because the result will be nothing more than a by-product of the process. I believe that. I want the players to understand that. It's the same thing during the course of a game. Don't get caught up on what took place on a previous play, or what could happen, just play. If you surround yourself with guys with that mentality and that mindset, good things will happen because you won't dwell. You won't worry about things that are going to happen anyway. Just like the first interception. Okay it happened, go out there and stop them. I had all kinds of time to think about if I should let Jeff Reed kick a 50-yard field goal. I started think that if (he misses) they get the ball at the 40(-yard line), they could get a couple first downs and it would be 7-3. If I punt I can go in(to halftime) at 7-0 because they probably can't drive that far. Then I was thinking about the result, not the process. I said, the kid's out there. Just like in practice. I said you have a strong enough leg, don't over-kick it. Just play inside right. There's a little right to left wind. I like to be Jeff's caddy. He put a good swing on the ball. He didn't try to kill it. That thing would have been good from 55, 60 maybe. When he does that and quits worrying about the mud and the wind, he's a good kicker. I like the fact that he's more bothered by the one he missed than gloating about the one he made. That's what makes him a good kicker.

Is the turf at Heinz Field an issue?

Both teams are playing on it. I like it. You're talking to the wrong guy. I like that stuff. For me that's what the game should be played on. I think a natural surface is much better. Most players, I think, during the course of their career would rather play on grass than an artificial surface.

But grass is different from mud?

Grass turns to mud sometimes. You get to this time of year, we're not down south. We have the weather. It is what it is. Grass doesn't grow year-round up in Pittsburgh. That's what football was like growing up. You loved days like that. As long as it's firm, it starts firm anyway. Maybe Jeff (Reed) may take exception to that with his plant foot. For the most part, you get used to it. You get acclimated to it. You adjust to it. That's what the game of football is all about. Both teams are playing on it.

Will Santonio Holmes be available for practice all week?

Yes.

How many players went to the John Bettis' funeral?

A number of them, I don't know the exact count. They had a couple planes that left. They're up there as we speak. They'll be back here, we pushed practice back an hour so they could attend. They'll be back this afternoon. I'm glad they had an opportunity to be up there.

Why is the running game not getting off to a quick start?

We've been preparing for some fronts. They did some things yesterday, they used the 10 days off to put some new things in. They played on Thanksgiving Day game. They did some things that we had not seen. They threw a loop at us a little bit. I like at the end of the game I saw us getting a good push. Sometimes they ran some plays down. I think they'll be fine. I'd like to get off to a quicker start. Not just the run game but offensively. Sometimes you have to throw the ball early to loosen people up and to get them to respect you. All of sudden they're bringing eight nine guys into the back. I think we'll be able to do that. I'd just like to see us get off to quicker starts than we have in these last three games: Cleveland, Baltimore and Tampa Bay. We didn't get off to very quick starts. We overcame that against Cleveland and Tampa Bay but we couldn't do that against Baltimore.

Do you avoid outside negativity or utilize it to your advantage?

You can't escape it. It's there. I sense it sometimes with the questions I get in here. Sometimes what I say in here gets used in very cynical ways, even after the game. That's part of it. If I'm aware of it, I know they're aware, just don't get caught up in it because you can't control that. I think it would be naïve not to talk about it because it does exist. In my opinion – I can never tell people how to think, act or what to do- I think it's important to give my perception of how you deal with that. Just be careful that you don't get caught up in it, just you don't get caught up in it when they're giving you the accolades as well. Sometimes that's easy to do as well. I'm not upset. I understand (the media) have jobs to do and that's all part of it. I understand the expectations around here. That's what happens when you create that and you fall short of that, you understand what goes along with that territory, and just be careful you don't get caught up in it. Just like you don't get caught up in the success, it works both ways. You have to deal with it, in my opinion, you talk about it. The only thing we can control is how we think. A lot of times how you think is how you play and perform. I just want us to continue to look forward as opposed to look at the results or the big picture, just keep focus on the process.

How has Ben Roethlisberger handled the highs and specifically the lows of this season?

I think he's done fine, like our football team. I don't look at him any differently. He had the first interception, but that came back. He made some good throws. He's working with a couple young receivers. I thought he competed well and got out of the pocket and tried to make some plays. He's a tough kid, a competitive kid. He's a good quarterback.

Did you use different schemes against Bruce Gradkowski?

A little bit. We have a pretty extensive package and we did some things against him. We pressured him. He made some good throws. At third and sixteen Aaron Smith was right in his face and he made a great throw to (Joey) Galloway. He made some plays and dropped the one ball on the wheel route and we got fortunate there. We did a good job of getting some pressure on him and keeping him antsy in the pocket.

Is there a challenge in putting a high salary guy like Ike Taylor on the sidelines?

I don't get caught up with contacts and what people make. My job is to play the best people in week-in and week-out and that's the only protocol that I use.

Is his status day-to-day?

Yeah. It's day-to-day, week-to-week.

Is Anthony Smith starting if Ryan Clark can't?

Yeah.

What did you notice was different on the kickoff coverage?

Obviously getting James Harrison back is big. He's done a good job. I think we've tried to switch something with the kickoffs, with some of the people we have aligned. We've done a lot of different things. We're trying to fill a hole, so to speak. We are going to have a big challenge this week. Certainly, I remember the last time (we played Cleveland) with (Joshua) Cribbs as a kickoff returner and (Dennis) Northcutt as a punt returner, we have to have our A game without a doubt. We've done some good things the last couple weeks. I thought we played well against B.J. Sams last night, but we'll have a big challenge this week.