hird most on the team behind Paige and Berry. The Tar

PITTSBURGH -- When Ben Roethlisberger returned to the field in Baltimore on Nov. 6, just 20 days removed from surgery on his left knee, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin sent a message to his offensive line: protect Roethlisberger or else.He said `we cant let him get hit, guard Ramon Foster. We need Ben standing up.Things didnt exactly go as planned. Roethlisberger took two sacks in a lethargic and rusty 21-14 loss and hit the deck once the following week while getting clipped late by Dallas in a 35-30 defeat that dropped the Steelers to 4-5. A once promising season on the brink of spiraling out of control, Pittsburgh instead switched direction midstream.The talk of averaging 30 points a game died down. The ball found its way to running back LeVeon Bells hands with borderline alarming regularity. And Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley crafted game plans that called for shorter routes, ramping up a mindset thats evolved in recent years as Roethlisberger morphed from hang in there until the last second gunslinger to decisive CEO.Roethlisberger has been sacked just twice during the four-game winning streak the Steelers (8-5) take into Cincinnati (5-7-1) on Sunday. The Steelers are second in the NFL in fewest sacks given up (18) and Roethlisberger is on pace to go down the fewest times in his 13-year career. Call it the byproduct of playing behind one of the leagues top offensive lines and some very basic math.If hes in, we win, Foster said. Keeping him protected is our No. 1 goal.One Roethlisberger takes as seriously as the guys in front of him. With Bell producing at a record-setting pace, the play calling has become far more flexible. The Steelers passed it 24 times and ran it 13 in the first half last week against Buffalo, a ratio that flipped to 26 rushes and just five passes after halftime in a 27-20 victory.Coach has definitely stressed that, simplifying it, eliminating mental errors, guard David DeCastro said. Just getting back to basics and it really worked out for us. Weve found out what works too. If the run works, stick with it and if the pass works, stick with it.The struggling Bengals dont quite pose the same threat as they have in recent years, though theres something about the Steelers that brings out an extra level of vitriol. The last time Roethlisberger took snaps at Paul Brown Stadium, he guided Pittsburgh to an emotionally charged and physically draining win in the wild card round of last seasons playoffs. Roethlisberger basically played the last drive with his right arm basically numb after being driven into the ground while getting sacked by Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict.The Steelers survived thanks in large part to a full-on meltdown by Cincinnati (Burfict included) in final moments. Things were relatively tame in the first meeting this season, a relatively tame 24-16 Pittsburgh win that Burfict missed while serving a suspension as penance for a variety of violations. Hell be back this time around, and Roethlisberger will be watching.You just have to know where he is, Roethlisberger said. He takes his chances as well. Hell shoot gaps and come up to try to stop the runs. And also, you saw last week or two weeks ago, he gets interceptions as well.Roethlisberger is hoping to improve on last weeks three-interception performance in Buffalo, mistakes the Steelers were able to survive rather easily thanks to Bell. Thriving when its franchise quarterback is having an off day is a luxury Pittsburgh often couldnt afford. The way Foster figures it, this simply means Roethlisberger is due for a breakout, one thats only capable so long as his No. 7 is in the huddle.For all of Bells remarkable talent, the Steelers will continue to go as Roethlisberger does.The more and more we keep him up and not looking around, the better it is for us, Foster said.Game notes Foster practiced for a second straight day after missing the Buffalo game with a chest injury. .. G Marcus Gilbert (ankle), G B.J. Finney (concussion) and NT Javon Hargrave (concussion), also practice. ... WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) and RB DeAngelo Williams (knee) did not practice.---For more NFL coverage: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL Nike Air Max Canada Replica . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Air Max 98 Canada . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. http://www.clearanceairmaxcanada.com/air-max2-light-canada-sale.html . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. Nike Air Max 2020 Canada . -- Nate Robinson has played for seven teams, so beating one of them is no longer a rare occurrence. Nike Air Max Tailwind 7 Canada . Artturi Lehkonen, Joni Nikko and Ville Leskinen had the other goals for Finland (1-0) while Juuse Saros stopped 28 shots. Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina wont have a difficult time finding motivation this season.The memories of losing in the NCAA championship game on a last-second 3-pointer to Villanova still sting more than six months later. It was the crushing final play in a 33-win season that saw the Tar Heels go from a preseason No. 1-ranked team questioned about its toughness to a group that matured enough to sweep the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season and tournament titles before reaching the Final Four.There are enough veteran returnees for UNC to have the potential to do it again, driven by the memory of coming so oh-so-close to cutting down the nets in April.Every time I turn around and look up at the banners, where the national championship banners are, junior Joel Berry II said, sometimes it hurts me that we dont have the 2016 national championship up there. So its just motivation to me.Some Tar Heels, including Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams, still havent watched film from the loss.I thought we had a great, great year but its just like somebody pulls your heart out and taunts you by shaking it in front of you, Williams said. But youve got to get over it.The Tar Heels (33-7, 14-4 ACC) have some big holes with the losses of four-year starter Marcus Paige -- the guy UNC looked for when it needed a big shot -- and Associated Press all-American Brice Johnson inside. But they return six of their top eight scorers while adding a top-10 recruiting class.Berry is the top returning scorer (12.8 points), while fellow junior Justin Jackson (12.2) and senior big man Kennedy Meeks are returning starters. The Tar Heels also return ACC sixth man of the Isaiah Hicks, now likely to earn a promotion into the starting lineup.On the bench, senior Nate Britt provides backcourt depth along with junior Theo Pinson -- out indefinitely with a broken bone in his right foot -- and sophomore wing Kenny Williams III.The Tar Heels also will get help up front from McDonalds All-American Tony Bradley Jr., who headlines a wing-heavy recruiting class.---Some other things to know about the Tar Heels thiss season:PINSONS INJURY: Pinsons injury during a recent practice, announced Friday, has the potential to be a big blow.dddddddddddd The versatile swingman is the teams top defender, a good passer and a leader with a knack for keeping up team morale .BERRY IN CHARGE?: Berry looks like the top candidate to take Paiges role as the guy to entrust with taking the big shot. He was the teams best outside shooter (38 percent from 3-point range) and led the team in assists, steals and free-throw percentage. And in a sign that Berry could be ready for a leap, he upped his game by averaging 13.7 points and shooting 50 percent in six NCAA Tournament games -- ending with 20 points against Villanova.HICKS FOUL TROUBLE: Keeping Hicks on the floor last season was a challenge, including twice in the final 10 games when he picked up four or five fouls in fewer than 10 minutes. The 6-foot-9 forward brings scoring and rebounding, and he was the teams defensive player of the game eight times -- third most on the team behind Paige and Berry. The Tar Heels need him out there this year with fewer frontcourt options.JACKSONS GROWTH: Jackson has good size on the perimeter and has been a complimentary scorer through his first two seasons. The Tar Heels need him to become a consistent scorer now in a leading role, especially when it comes to improving his 29-percent shooting from behind the arc last year. Hes an unselfish player and has occasionally seemed content to blend into the background, but the Tar Heels are tougher to stop when hes playing assertively .THE ROOKIES: The 6-foot-10 Bradley, a native of Bartow, Florida, will have a shot at immediate minutes for a team with only Meeks and Hicks returning to the frontcourt. The rest of that recruiting class brings depth on the wing with Brandon Robinson, Seventh Woods and Shea Rush.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap and the APs college basketball site at http://collegebasketball.ap.org ' ' '