Updated: 11-28-07, 6 a.m.
With snow and rain predicted for Pittsburgh this week, it's uncertain if the Bengals end up playing in the same swamp-like conditions at Heinz Field that saw the Steelers barely slog to a 3-0 win over the winless Dolphins Monday night.
The Steelers won't re-sod the grass field after the re-sodding done last weekend was marred by heavy rains and they plan to dry out the field by rolling it and aerating it.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Tuesday that the NFL has assigned an official to oversee the situation but it remains to be seen how much help he'll get from the weather.
According to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, there is a 30 to 40 percent chance of snow and rain Wednesday night and Thursday. The forecast is dry for Friday and Saturday until snow showers are to move in again Saturday night and Sunday with clouds predicted for most of the week.
Yet the Steelers aren't getting the same reports and told the Post-Gazette they are confident the field is going to be in much better shape after Tuesday was dry and sunny.
Club president Art Rooney II told the paper that rain is only expected on Thursday, and "from that standpoint, weather conditions are in our favor. We'll try to dry it out. They'll roll it, aerate it, do all the things they need to do to get it in good shape for Sunday. I think by Sunday it will be in good shape."
Rooney also issued a statement that admitted the field was less than ideal.
"The field conditions on Monday night were less than satisfactory for playing the Monday Night Football game. We consulted with the NFL prior to laying down new sod and our grounds crew did the best it could under the circumstances.
"Unfortunately, we were faced with about the worst possible weather conditions and we acknowledge that it did have an impact on the playing surface. We will continue to work with the NFL Game Operations people this week as our grounds crew works to improve the conditions of the field in time for Sunday night's game against the Cincinnati Bengals."
The Bengals have won three of their last four games at Heinz, including victories the last two seasons.
 Perry |
Jones, whose 17 special-teams tackles were double anyone else on the roster before he was deactivated for Sunday's game, is to undergo arthroscopic surgery on the knee he injured Nov. 4 in Buffalo.
Expect to see more from running back DeDe Dorsey on special teams, now. He replaced Jones on the kick cover team against the Titans and made a nice tackle.
The 6-4, 240-pound Maxwell is a fourth-year NFL player out of Gardner-Webb who has played 33 games for the Giants, 49ers and Dolphins.
Maxwell signed out of college as a free agent with the 2004 Giants. He last played wth the Dolphins, for whom he played in every preseason game this year before being waived/injured the week before the season started. He had four special-teams tackles while playing eight games in Miami last season.
He saw his most amount of time as a rookie, when he played in 14 games for the Giants and had 12 tackles as well as his only NFL sack.
