Steelers

In the aftermath of the Ravens' latest loss to another seemingly unworthy opponent, coach John Harbaugh was asked whether there might be a psychological component to the team's apparent inability to make the most of their most winnable games. "I'm not a psychologist," he replied. "I think what you do is look at football. You look at what you can do better as a football team. So, we're moving forward. " That was the right answer … after the Ravens followed up their blowout win over the Steelers with a deflating loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 2. It might still have flown after the Monday Night loss to the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7. But the third time definitely is cause to wonder just what's going on inside all those helmets.

As if the rivalry between Baltimore and Pittsburgh needed to be ratcheted up a few notches, the NFL is ratcheting away -- months before football season even starts. The football league has just released an intense, movie-style trailer for the November rematch between the Steelers and the Ravens as if the game is the season's cinematic blockbuster. Like any trailer worth its salt, the short film starts with the rating: "The following preview has been approved for all football fans by the national football league," is how it begins.

No. Name Pos. 2 Dennis Dixon QB 3 Jeff Reed PK 7 Ben Roethlisberger QB 9 Daniel Sepulveda P 10 Santonio Holmes WR 11 Stefan Logan KR 16 Charlie Batch QB 17 Mike Wallace WR 19 Tyler Grisham WR ...

Last week, the Ravens locked up their most important restricted free agent, cornerback Lardarius Webb, with a five-year contract extension. Meanwhile, the rival Pittsburgh Steelers are still reportedly experiencing headaches with their marquee restricted free agent, speedy wide receiver Mike Wallace. Wallace doesn't plan to sign his restricted free-agent tender and intends to skip the team's offseason workouts, according to ESPN. He can't be disciplined for doing so because he isn't technically under contract.

PASSING Att. Com. Pct. Yds. TD Int. Lg. Rat. Roethlisberger 446 302 67.7 3849 22 11 60t 100.6 D. Dixon 26 12 46.2 145 1 1 33t 60.6 Batch 2 1 50.0 17 0 0 17 79.2 Me. Moore 1 1 100.0 6 1 0 6t ...

Kevin Cowherd Steelers 23, Ravens 20 Only because it's at Heinz Field. And I'm not convinced Ben Roethlisberger's butt belongs to Terrell Suggs there. Edward Lee Steelers 14, Ravens 9 The offense malaise that the Ravens have uncomfortably ventured into won't be cured by tangling with the Steelers' defense. Mike Preston Steelers 17, Raven 14 The Steelers are hot and on a semi-roll. The Ravens are still in search of an offensive identity.

The Steelers have been negotiating with the agent for safety Troy Polamalu over the past several days, an 11th-hour attempt to sign the NFL defensive player of the year before the season begins Sunday. Polamalu is entering the final season of his contract, and their previous discussions this summer with agent Marvin Demoff went nowhere and stalled. After the Steelers signed linebacker Lawrence Timmons to a six-year, $50 million contract two weeks ago, they decided they could do no more extensions until after the season.

Ravens run offense vs. Steelers run defense: Ray Rice's three lowest rushing totals from last season came against the Steelers. In three meetings, he rushed for 20, 32 and 32 yards. But the Ravens are confident in revitalizing the NFL's 14th-ranked rushing attack with the free-agent signing of All-Pro fullback Vonta Leach. The Steelers have allowed only one 100-yard rusher in their last 50 games (which dates back to 2007), but that one player was Rice. Pittsburgh led the league in fewest rushing yards per game (62.8)

Ravens recap chat: Sweeping the Steelers

Ravens 23, Steelers 20 Fourth quarter: 0:08 Baltimore Touchdown - Joe Flacco pass to Torrey Smith for 26 yards. (Billy Cundiff extra point is good). Steelers 20, Ravens 16 Fourth quarter: 4:59 Pittsburgh Touchdown - Ben Roethlisberger pass to Mike Wallace for 25 yards. (Shaun Suisham extra point is good). Ravens 16, Steelers 13 Fourth quarter: 14:32 Pittsburgh Touchdown - 1-yard run by Rashard Mendenhall. (Shaun Suisham extra point is good)

Wedding Day: June 24, 2012 Her story: Sarah Friedman, 31, grew up in Baltimore. Her father, Lou Friedman, heads up Lou Friedman & Co., an Owings Mills accounting and financial services firm. Her mother, Paula Friedman, is a cardiac nurse at Sinai Hospital. Sarah went to college at the University of Pittsburgh, where - in her junior year - she had to watch the Super Bowl alone in her dorm room, because all her friends were Steelers fans. Friedman returned to Baltimore, where she is now a pediatric nurse at Sinai Hospital.

Viewers of WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh were stunned this morning when anchor Todd McDermott reported that long-time Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward had signed with the Ravens. A few problems with the "signing": No free-agent signings can take place until next Tuesday at 3 p.m., and the Steelers haven't officially released Ward. The joke was a spoof by BroCouncil.com that WPXI fell for. The fake post even has Ward in a Ravens uniform. Not sure who would be stunned more if it turns out to be true next week: Steelers fans or Ravens fans.

Hines Ward, a longtime nemesis of the Ravens, won't return to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2012 season. The Steelers announced on their website Wednesday that they plan to release the veteran wide receiver. Ward, who turns 36 next week, caught just 46 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns in 2011, his least productive season since his rookie year in 1998. He was willing to restructure his contract to remain with the Steelers, but they will cut ties with their all-time leader in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

There has been plenty of speculation that the Ravens could be interested in Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace, who will be an unrestricted free agent if the Steelers don't put the franchise tag on him by March 5. The Steelers are reportedly leaning toward placing a first-round restricted tender on Wallace, which means that another team -- willing to give up their first-round pick as compensation and with the right amount of cap space...

No room for sentimentality Dan Pompei Chicago Tribune There is only one way the Steelers should bring back Hines Ward next season — if they believe he can make them a better team. There is no room for sentimentality or loyalty in the NFL. There is only room for progress. And judging by how the 2011 season went, my guess is the Steelers believe they will be better served using Ward's roster spot on a younger player. If Ward is going to be a bit player on offense, as he was last season, he would need to be a key contributor on special teams.

The Ravens' loss of defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano to the Indianapolis Colts might actually be a big gain in the long run. Not because Dean Pees is replacing Pagano, but because Pagano just hired Bruce Arians, former Steelers offensive coordinator, to the same job in Indy, and he will interview Keith Butler, Steelers linebacker coach, to be defensive coordinator of the Colts. You can say that Arians had already left the Steelers and therefore isn't a loss to them, but he and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger have killed the Ravens for years.

Steelers 13, Ravens 10 Fourth quarter: 2:51 Pittsburgh Touchdown - 9-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Isaac Redman. (Shaun Suisham extra point is good). Ravens 10, Steelers 6 Fourth quarter: 12:46 Pittsburgh Field Goal - 19-yarder by Shaun Suisham. Ravens 10, Steelers 3 Third quarter: 7:14 Baltimore Field Goal - 24-yarder by Billy Cundiff. Ravens 7, Steelers 3 Third quarter: 10:54 Pittsburgh Field Goal - 45-yarder by Shaun Suisham.

Former Ravens quarterback Troy Smith has signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Smith, a former Heisman Trophy winner and a fifth-round pick by the Ravens in 2007, spent three seasons with the team before losing the primary backup job to Marc Bulger during the 2010 training camp. Smith bounced around with the San Francisco 49ers and the UFL's Omaha Nighthawks before agreeing to a deal with the Ravens' nemesis. Smith could be competing with Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon for the right to back up starter Ben Roethlisberger.

Lest anyone outside the Ravens take the Houston Texans for granted, the players said Wednesday that they won't overlook the Texans even though the Ravens finished with a better record and earned the right to play Sunday's AFC divisional contest at M&T Bank Stadium, where they are 8-0 in 2011. The Ravens have only to recall the Pittsburgh Steelers' 29-23 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday to remind themselves of the instability of the postseason. “Eight-and-0 was regular season -- a great thing that we did, to do that for the first time in Ravens history, since I've been here.