Woodley: "We Won't Go 0-2"
PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) -- You know, it's been a full decade since the Steelers last...well, never mind, says linebacker LaMarr Woodley.
He didn't go so far as to do what a certain New York Jets alumnus did four decades ago, but needless to say, Woodley likes the chances of his team to bounce back from a 31-19 Week 1 loss at Denver when Gang Green visits Heinz Field Sunday afternoon.
"We won't be 0-2," he said flatly after practice on the South Side Wednesday. "We're 0-1. Our plan is not to go 0-2."
The Steelers last held that record after dropping consecutive prime time games at New England and against the visiting Oakland Raiders at the beginning of the 2002 campaign. They are one of only three NFL teams not to start a season 0-2 since.
Furthermore, one can hardly blame Woodley for his boast, even after the Jets hammered AFC East rival Buffalo, 48-28, on Sunday, considering Pittsburgh leads the all-time series 17-4. That includes a victory in their most recent meeting, the 2010 AFC Championship, which avenged an earlier regular-season loss to the Jets in Pittsburgh.
Woodley has already put both those games in his rear-view mirror, but he hasn't forgotten how the defense was humbled by Peyton Manning and the Broncos' no-huddle attack.
He expects different results against Mark Sanchez and/or Tim Tebow, even though each quarterback owns a victory over the Steelers, and will be protected by one of the most heralded offensive lines in pro football.
"Every year you've got people who can go to the Pro Bowl. It doesn't mean anything, unless you can get to the Super Bowl," said Woodley, who recorded two tackles and a fumble recovery in Week 1. "Pretty much our whole defensive front has been to the Super Bowl, so it's a [favorable] comparison."
Check out the rest of what Woodley said Wednesday:
Podcast
Kickoff between the Steelers and Jets is set for 4:25 Sunday on KDKA-TV, with CBS Sports' Jim Nantz and Phil Simms on the call.
