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Quarterback quandaries Steelers' Stewart struggles, but Dolphins QBs also bad
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers looked just the same as last year with Kordell Stewart at quarterback. Luckily for them, the Miami Dolphins look much, much different without Dan Marino. Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, seemingly the forgotten man in their backfield, scored the Steelers' only touchdown and set up Kris Brown's winning field goal with a 60-yard run in a 13-10 preseason victory against the Dolphins on Saturday night. The Dolphins ushered in the post-Marino era by going without a touchdown until the third quarter, an inept performance offset by an even more dismal showing by a still-struggling Steelers offense that threw for minus-5 yards. Less than a week after scoring 38 points in the first half in beating Dallas 38-10, the Steelers scored only 3 by halftime. Asked about the dramatic difference from one game to the next, Stewart said, "A whole bunch of completions ... and no completions." Stewart, 0-for-6 while playing most of the first half, showed his frustration at one point by ripping off his chin strap. "It didn't work out the way I expected," said Stewart, benched during the final five weeks of a 6-10 season last year. "You can put too much pressure on yourself." Stewart, booed frequently last season as the Steelers were swept at home by their AFC Central rivals, heard his first sustained booing midway through the first quarter. "I wasn't concerned with the booing," he said. "It can be frustrating when you work hard and don't accomplish what you want to accomplish." Stewart's replacement, the slow-afoot Kent Graham, wasn't much better even against Dolphins defensive backups, finishing 2-for-5 for 19 yards while being sacked four times for 23 yards in losses. The Dolphins had six sacks for 33 yards in losses. Fuamatu-Ma'afala provided about the only offensive excitement, scoring the tying touchdown on a 3-yard run with 6:41 left, then running 60 yards to the 15 before Brown's 21-yard game-winner with 1:34 remaining. Fuamatu-Ma'afala played a variety of roles as the third-down running back in the first quarter, the fullback in the second quarter and, finally, as the main running back in the second half. He finished with 122 yards on 15 carries. "I almost forgot what it was like to take a pounding," said Fuamatu-Ma'afala, who had only one carry last season. "I'm just trying to fit in wherever they need me -- and stay healthy." Jim Druckenmiller, projected as Miami's third-team quarterback, did what starter Damon Huard couldn't by leading a 78-yard drive for the game's first touchdown and a 10-3 Dolphins lead at 4:07 of the third. Druckenmiller was 13-of-21 for 141 yards. Autry Denson broke three tackles on a 26-yard gain on a third-and-13 swing pass to the Steelers' 23, and Denson later scored from the 2 for the Dolphins' only lead. "There were no big plays in the offense, and you need them to win," said Dave Wannstedt, who replaced the retired Jimmy Johnson as coach after a 62-7 playoff loss to Jacksonville. "I thought our defense was outstanding, but offensively we were not sharp." Both offenses looked overmatched against the starting defenses in a first half in which they combined for only 66 passing yards -- only 2 by the Steelers. It didn't help that three Dolphins offensive linemen left the game with leg injuries: John Bock, Willie Jones and Keno Hills. All will be re-examined Sunday. "The two defensive units were outstanding," Wannstedt said. "It began and ended with the front seven. They got in there and stirred it up, which is what caused Pittsburgh's problems." Huard, who apparently won the Dolphins' quarterback derby by default when Jay Fiedler underwent hip surgery last week, had an underwhelming debut as Marino's replacement. He was 8-of-14 for 64 yards, rarely testing the Steelers defense with anything except short, timing passes. "I thought I rushed some throws a bit," Huard said. "But I didn't do anything stupid and that's the key." The Dolphins' excellent defensive effort was marred by two pass interference penalties. The Steelers' only first-half scoring was set up by a 30-yard pass interference call on Ray Hill that led to Brown's 30-yard field goal with 11:30 left in the second quarter. Later, a 31-yard interference call on Orlondo Steinauer preceded Fuamatu-Ma'afala's tying score. The Dolphins, looking like a team playing its preseason opener, tied it at 3-3 on Olindo Mare's 33-yard field goal at 3:40 of the second following Leslie Shepherd's 46-yard punt return.
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