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Ask the men he coaches what makes Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner tick http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/jamize-olawale-jersey , and you get a variation of the same response.

He's a dude. A good dude. But just a dude.

"There's nothing special or outrageous or eccentric," guard David DeCastro said.

And that might be exactly what the Steelers need after six highly productive if occasionally volatile seasons with Todd Haley calling the plays.

On the surface Fichtner and his predecessor could not be more different. The sometimes combustible Haley wasn't one to hide his emotions and followed a personal mandate to wear shorts at every practice regardless of the weather.

Fichtner, promoted from quarterbacks coach to coordinator in January after the team allowed Haley's contract to expire, takes a decidedly more even-keel approach.

The most recent time he remembers truly losing it on the field came during the 2010 season opener against Atlanta.

When Rashard Mendenhall crossed the goal line for a walk-off win, Fichtner leapt into the air and jokes he may have pulled his hamstring in the process.

To be fair, the 54-year-old Fichtner can still move a little bit. He finished practice on Thursday by playfully dropping into coverage as a safety while the first-team offense went through a quick walkthrough after the defense left the field.

Unlike Haley, Fichtner makes more conservative choices, at least sartorially.

While Haley showed off his calves, Fichtner is usually in sweats, a long-sleeved undershirt and a pullover as he was on Wednesday even as temperatures soared into the 90s.

The thing is, Fichtner didn't really look uncomfortable. Probably a good thing considering the stakes of his new gig.

He takes over one of the league's most star-laden offenses, even with All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell out while waiting ... and waiting ... to sign his one-year franchise tender. All Fichtner has to do is design an attack that will produce a fifth consecutive playoff berth and 鈥?the team hopes 鈥?its first trip to the Super Bowl in eight years.

Asked if he's ready to be second-guessed every Monday and Fichtner smiled.

"Sure, absolutely, comes with it," Fichtner said. "I get it."

He's been there before, just not for a while. He's a football lifer. His father Ross was a quarterback at Purdue then spent eight seasons as a cornerback for the Cleveland Browns in the 1960s. Randy didn't wander far afield.

He played briefly at Purdue then went immediately into coaching after graduation. His nomadic climb up the ladder included four years at Arkansas State from 1997-2000 Womens Charlie McAvoy Jersey , where he crossed paths with a young defensive backs coach whose energy and edge Fichtner couldn't help but be drawn to.

So when that young defensive backs coach called in 2006 and offered Fichtner a job in the NFL, Fichtner figured there was no way he could tell Mike Tomlin no.

More than a decade later, the partnership is still going and is one of the main reasons Fichtner stayed in Pittsburgh rather than chase other opportunities.

"That's just, my relationship with Mike," Fichtner said. "I told him when I came, I told him 'I'm coming for you' and since I've been here, I'm all-in for the (owners) and the organization also. Makes it a couple of reasons. I've always felt I've been content with jobs that I've had and I'm content and just do the best I can."

Having some of the most talented players at his disposal doesn't hurt either. Fichtner has developed a strong bond with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who figures to given plenty of leeway to run the no-huddle as he pleases when the Steelers open the season in Cleveland on Sunday.

"I'm sure he's quite capable of making the right decisions at the right time," Fichtner said. "He's done it in the past and I don't see it being any different in the future."

Still, even Roethlisberger is a bit curious how different things will be with Fichtner's voice coming through his helmet instead of Haley's.

"I don't know," Roethlisberger said. "We'll see. That's the question everyone wants to find out. What's Randy's personality? What are his tendencies? We'll all find out on Sunday I guess."

Josh Dobbs, who credited Fichtner's tutelage for helping him supplant Landry Jones as Roethlisberger's primary backup coming out of training camp, is curious to see how willing Fichtner will be to let the creativity he shows during meetings come to life on the field.

Yet for all of Fichtner's "just one of the guys" persona, Dobbs allows there's a fire underneath even if it's imperceptible on the practice field. Just start watching film with Fichtner. The joking stops, at least briefly, replaced by Fichtner's inner perfectionist.

"When you get in the meeting room Jerrell Freeman Jersey , he flips and he's the most passionate guy every single play," Dobbs said. "It's 'Do this and it's a touchdown. This is what we can do.'"

The self-described "old dude" understands he's an unknown quantity outside the locker room. He's not inside the locker room. His role has changed. His approach has not.

"He's probably wanted to be an OC for a long time," Dobbs said. "So to get to that position where he's the guy calling plays and game-planning and to see him not change is really good. He's the same guy, bringing energy. ... I think that shows in how he attacks the field."

NOTES: Tomlin said he does not plan to outline the team's plan for Bell with Bell's representative. Bell's agent Adisa Bakari said Wednesday they wanted to discuss Bell's usage before Bell reports. "I don't communicate with agents regarding how I utilize players," Tomlin said. "I communicate with players regarding how I utilize players." ... TE Vance McDonald (foot) did not practice on Thursday and is unlikely to play against the Browns.

BALTIMORE (AP) — The manner in which Baltimore manhandled Buffalo in the season opener seemingly validates the Ravens‘ effort to address their shortcomings of a year ago.

Joe Flacco threw touchdown passes to each of his three new wide receivers, the defense was relentless in its debut for coordinator Don Martindale and special teams chipped in with a pair of field goals and a 51-yard punt return in a 47-3 rout Sunday.

For one day, at least, everything went according to plan.

“It’s great to see it unfold,” running back Javorius Allen said. “It’s like a flower, and it blossomed.”

The Bills, on the other hand, had virtually all of their fears come true. They got nothing from the quarterback position, couldn’t move on the ground and never recovered after falling behind 14-0 in the rain before the game was 14 minutes old.

“We got off to a very bad start. It seemed like we came out flat,” running back and team captain LeSean McCoy said. “Collectively, we didn’t play well. It wasn’t one guy’s fault, it was all of us.”

Most of the scrutiny fell on starting quarterback Nathan Peterman Anthony Beauvillier Jersey , who went 5 for 18 for 24 yards and two interceptions before being replaced by rookie Josh Allen in the third quarter.

And now, one game into the season, there’s a quarterback controversy. Coach Sean McDermott will consider his options carefully leading up to Sunday’s home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.

“I’m going to look at everything,” he said. “It’s too early to go one way or another.”

There was plenty of blame to throw around after Buffalo failed to make a first down until the third quarter and was penalized 10 times for 100 yards.

“It was a full, total team effort there,” he said.

Some things we learned about the Ravens and Bills:

BALANCED ATTACK

Although the Ravens have always had a reputation for an aggressive defense, their new-look offense helped pave the way for a lopsided win.

Six players scored touchdowns, including receivers John Brown , Michael Crabtree and Willie Snead, who were signed as free agents to upgrade an ineffective passing game.

“It’s just awesome because, in my opinion, we have one of the best defenses in the league,” Snead said. “Nobody really expects us to put up those kind of points and be as dominant on defense as we are.”

The defense appreciated the assist.

“To be a good team you need a good special teams, a good offense and a good defense,” linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “You can’t have one without the other two.”

NO O-LINE

After losing veteran center Eric Wood and Pro Bowl left guard Richie Incognito, as well as trading away left tackle Cordy Glenn Youth Pavel Zacha Jersey , the Bills hoped their revamped offensive line could jell in a hurry.

It did not. The ground game sputtered and Buffalo yielded six sacks.

“There were times when I thought we could have been better up front,” McDermott said.

ONE DOWN, 15 TO GO

Lest anyone forget, the Ravens blanked Cincinnati on the road in last year’s opener, a victory that ultimately proved meaningless in a 9-7 season.

“You can’t tell anything by one game,” Suggs said. “We got one in the can on our home field. It’s only one game. We think we can get better.”

Despite playing without suspended cornerback Jimmy Smith and injured tackle Willie Henry, the Ravens were dominant on defense.

“The guys that played did a phenomenal job,” Suggs said. “We have a couple of pieces out and we’re looking forward to getting those pieces back.”

GETTING DEFENSIVE

Buffalo was banking on a newly configured defensive line to limit the run, but the Ravens crossed up the Bills on a wet field by throwing the ball early.

“We thought they were going to try to run the ball more than they did, especially with the weather conditions,” said defensive end Trent Murphy, an offseason free agent addition. “That was the biggest surprise.”

SACK HAPPY

Cornerback Tavon Young became the first Ravens defensive back to get two sacks in a game since Bennie Thompson in 1996.

Young revealed that he hadn’t had a sack since his freshman year at Temple.

“That’s crazy, isn’t it?” he said with a grin.
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