Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0) at Denver Broncos (0-0)Date: Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012Kickoff: 8:20 p.m., ETSite: Sports Authority Field at Mile High (76,125) • Denver, Colo.Playing Surface: DD GrassmasterTV Coverage: NBC (locally WPXI-TV, channel 11)Announcers: Al Michaels (play-by-play)*Cris Collinsworth (analyst) Michele Tafoya (sideline)Local Radio: Steelers Radio Network WDVE-FM (102.5)/WBGG-AM (970)Announcers: Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play) Tunch Ilkin (analyst) Craig Wolfley (sideline)National Radio: Dial Global Radio SportsAnnouncers: Dave Sims (play-by-play) James Lofton (analyst) Steve Tasker (sideline)Spanish Radio: Grupo Imagen - Destrito Federal (Mexico City) *XEDA-FM 90.5Steelers notes for Broncos game
THE COACHES
Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike TomlinOverall regular-season record: 55-25 (.688)/sixth season
Regular-season record at Pittsburgh: 55-25 (.688)/sixth seasonPlayoff Record/Years: 5-3/four years
Denver Broncos Head Coach John FoxOverall regular-season record: 81-79 (.506)/11th seasonRegular-season record at Denver: 8-8 (.500)/second seasonPlayoff Record/Years: 6-4/three years
SERIES HISTORYSeries History: Series began in 1970Overall: Denver leads 13-7-1At Pittsburgh: Denver leads 6-4At Denver:Denver leads 7-3-1Neutral Sites: N/ALast Regular-Season Meeting: Nov. 9, 2009 (in Denver)* *Pittsburgh 28, Denver 10
Postseason Series: Denver leads 4-3Last Postseason Meeting:Jan. 8, 2012 (in Denver)Denver 29, Pittsburgh 23 (OT) (AFC Wild Card)(postseason record not included in overall series record)The Broncos won the most recent meeting between these*two teams as they knocked Pittsburgh out of the playoffs last season in the Wild Card round…the last time the Steelers and Broncos met in the regular season was in 2009 in Denver, with Pittsburgh winning 28-10...last year's postseason showdown was the first overtime playoff game under the new postseason rules format this will be the third consecutive regular-season meeting between these two teams in Denver and five of the last six overall matchups have been in the Mile High City…this will mark the third time the Steelers have played the Broncos in a Sunday Night game (1991, 2007), both were played in Denver, won by the Broncos and decided by seven points or less...Pittsburgh and Denver both lost their regular-season openers last season and the Broncos have not won a game to open the season since 2009…prior to last year's season opening loss, the Steelers had won eight consecutive season openers…since 2000, this is the fifth time the Steelers are opening the regular season on the road *and are just 1-3 in those games.
STEELERS-BRONCOS CONNECTIONSLOCAL CONNECTIONS
• Steelers wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomeryplayed for*the Broncos from 2000-2002.• Broncos Head CoachJohn Fox coached at the University of Pittsburgh from 1986-1988. Fox also coached for the Steelers from 1989-1991.• BroncosG C.J. Davis played collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh from 2005-2008. Davis is a native of Imperial, Pa. and *a graduate of West Allegheny High School.
PRO CONNECTIONS
• Broncos RB Willis McGaheeplayed for the Buffalo Bills in 2003*when Steelers defensive coordinatorDick LeBeau was on the Bills' staff.• SteelersLB Larry Foote and BroncosG Manny Ramirez were teammates with the Detroit Lions in 2009.• Steelers wide receivers coachScottie Montgomery was teammates with current Broncos assistant special teams coach Keith Burns from 2000-2002. Montgomery played for the Broncos when current Broncos secondary coachRon Milus was on the Broncos' staff from 2000-2002. Burns played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004, when Steelers Head CoachMike Tomlin was on the Buccaneers' staff in 2004. Burns was a teammate with the Buccaneers with SteelersS Will Allen in 2004.• Steelers offensive line coachSean Kugler and Broncos running backs coachEric Studesville and wide receivers coachTyke Tolbert were on the Buffalo Bills' coaching staff from 2007-2009. BroncosS Jim Leonhard played for the Bills in 2007 while Kugler as in Buffalo. Kugler coached with Broncos quarterbacks coach Adam Gase in Detroit from 2003-2005. Broncos linebackers coachRichard Smith coached for the Lions with Kugler and Gase from 2003-2004.
• SteelersS Ryan Clark played for the New York Giants from 2002- 2003 when Broncos running backs coachEric Studesville was on the Giants staff.• SteelersQB Byron Leftwich played for Broncos defensive coordinatorJack Del Rio in Jacksonville from 2003-2006. Del Rio was the Jaguars head coach and Leftwich spent the first four years of his career with the Jaguars. Leftwich also played with BroncosLB Keith Brooking for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007.• In the only season of his career he did not play in Denver, Broncos K Matt Prater played with SteelersQB Byron Leftwich for the Atlanta Falcons in 2007.• SteelersWR Jerricho Cotchery was a teammate of BroncosTE Joel Dreessen for the New York Jets in 2005. Cotchery also played with BroncosS Jim Leonhard in New York from 2009-2010.• SteelersK Shaun Suisham and BroncosLB Keith Brooking were teammates for the Dallas Cowboys in 2009. • SteelersLB Brandon Johnson and BroncosWR Andre Caldwell *were teammates for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2008-2011.
COLLEGE CONNECTIONS
• Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butlerand Broncos offensive*line coachDave Magazu were both on the coaching staff at the University of Memphis for the 1997 season.• Steelers offensive line coach was the assistant head coach/ offensive line coach at Boise State in 2006 when BroncosOT Ryan Clady played for BSU.• SteelersLB Lawrence Timmons and BroncosCB Tony Carter were teammates at Florida State University from 2004-2006.• SteelersS Ryan Clark and Broncos quarterbacks coachAdam Gase spent the 2000-2001 seasons together at Louisiana State University. Clark was a defensive back for the Tigers and Gase was a defensive graduate assistant.• SteelersOT Max Starks and Broncos wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert spent the 2002 season together and the University of Florida. Starks was a stalwart on the offensive line and Tolbert was the tight ends coach/ recruiting coordinator.• SteelersRB Jonathan Dwyer and BroncosWR Demaryius Thomas were teammates at Georgia Tech University from 2007-2009.• SteelersLB Brandon Johnson and BroncosDE Elvis Dumervil were teammates at the University of Louisville from 2003-2005.• SteelersLB Stevenson Sylvester and BroncosG Zane Beadles played together at the University of Utah from 2006-2009.• SteelersOT Max Starks, C Maurkice Pouncey, OT Marcus Gilbert andRB Chris Rainey were teammates at the University of Florida with BroncosWR Andre Caldwell. Starks and Caldwell were Gators in 2003, he and Gilbert played in Gainesville from 2006- 2007, and Pouncey and Rainey shared the field with Caldwell in 2007.• SteelersOG Ramon Foster and BroncosDE Robert Ayers andP Britton Colquitt were teammates at the University of Tennessee from 2004-2008.• SteelersS Robert Golden and BroncosFB Chris Gronkowski played collegiate ball together at the University of Arizona from 2008-2009.
*WHAT TO LOOK FOR
PITTSBURGH TEAM NOTES• Pittsburgh looks for its ninth kickoff weekend win in its last 10*openers.• The Steelers look to improve to 41-33-4 all-time on Kickoff Weekend.• The Steelers are looking to improve to 11-17-1 all-time against the Denver Broncos (including postseason).• Pittsburgh looks to improve to 6-10-1 on the road against the Broncos (including postseason).• The Steelers will try and improve to 18-17 overall and 12-12 on the road in Sunday night games.• Pittsburgh looks to get their first win against Denver on a Sunday night after losing the previous two (1991, 2007).• The Steelers look to improve to 334-209-1 against AFC opponents, including the postseason. *PITTSBURGH INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Head Coach Mike Tomlin•Looks to improve his opening day record to 5-1.• With a win, will improve to 56-25 during the regular season.• Looks to improve his regular season road record to 25-16.• Has a chance to improve to 42-19 against AFC opponents during*the regular season.• Has a chance to improve record to 13-5 in September regular season games.• Looks to improve to 19-7 in primetime games, including 10-4 on the road and 8-5 on Sunday Night Football. QB Ben Roethlisberger• Needs 10 completions to reach 2,100 for his career.• With a win, will be 81-33 as a starter during the regular season.RB Isaac Redman• Dating back to last postseason, looking for his second straight 100 yard rushing performance against the Broncos (17 car. 121 yds.)WR Mike Wallace• If he records at least 100 yards receiving, it will mark the 13th 100-yard game of his career and the second consecutive season opener in which he totaled at least 100 yards (8 rec. 107 yds. At Bal, 9/11/11).WR Antonio Brown• Looking to record his fourth 100 yard receiving game in the last 11 regular-season games, dating back to last season.TE Heath Miller• Is 56 yards shy of passing Ray Matthews (3,919, 1951-59) for ninth place on the Steelers' career receiving yards list.• Needs three receiving touchdowns to tie Matthews (34) for the seventh-most in franchise history.LB James Harrison• Needs one sack to tie Keith Willis (59.0, 1982-87, 89-91) for fifth place on the Steelers' all-time list.SS Troy Polamalu• Has recorded at least one interception in five of the last seven season-opening games, including three of the last four.• Needs one interception to become the ninth Steelers' player to record 30 career interceptions.• With one fumble return for a touchdown, will tie Jason Gildon (3) for the most fumbles returned for touchdowns in franchise history.• Is one defensive touchdown shy of tying Carnell Lake, Dwayne Woodruff and Jack Butler (5) for the second-most defensive touchdowns in Steelers history (Rod Woodson, 6).• Needs one interception return for a touchdown to tie CarnellLake, Dwayne Woodruff, Deshea Townsend and Tony Campagno (3) for the third-most in franchise history.• Needs eight yards to surpass Chad Scott (368) for the 10th-most interception return yards in a career in Steelers' history.LB LaMarr Woodley• Looking to record a sack for the third consecutive opening game and for the fourth time in the last five openers.• Needs two sacks to become the eighth player in team history with *50.0 career sacks.
