Drake Bell » th five birdies and an eagle. He came agonizingly cl

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Mike Tomlin isnt interested in progress reports. The final grade is all that matters to the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach. So forgive Tomlin if hes not ready to assess his team or the division it plays in as the season reaches its midway point.Its easy to write and tell stories at the turn, Im not going to, he said.The way Tomlin figures it, if the AFC North is the toughest division in the NFL itll play out over the next two months. By then the fact Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Cleveland are all over .500 heading into November may be long forgotten.I think if we are (the best) its going to be revealed in the second half of the season, he said.One thing is for certain, however. After a sluggish start the Steelers are in the mix. Pittsburgh (5-3) finally has momentum heading into Sundays rematch with the rival Ravens (5-3). The Steelers have won two straight for the first time all season and looked every bit the role of contender while dismantling Indianapolis 51-34 last weekend.Tomlin praised the offensive line, particularly right tackle Mike Adams, for giving quarterback Ben Roethlisberger all the time necessary to pass for a club record 522 yards passing and six touchdowns. Adams filled in capably with starter Marcus Gilbert out with a concussion, helping Roethlisberger get off 49 attempts without getting sacked once.Though Gilbert will be back in the lineup barring a setback this week, Tomlins assessment of Adams play against the Colts might as well double as a status report on a team that spent the first half of the year searching for consistency as it flip-flopped wins and losses regardless of who was on the other side of the field.I thought he was a finisher, Tomlin said of Adams. I just liked his performance. A big arrow pointed up relative to some of his other performances.Yet the Steelers are wary of how quickly the arrow can change direction. They felt pretty good about themselves after a road victory at Carolina in Week 3 then followed it up with a still hard to fathom home loss to Tampa Bay.Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger believes he leads one of the most talented offences in the league. The tricky part is trying to get it to perform that way on a weekly basis. After some troubling growing pains, the Steelers appear ready to hit their stride.While Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell give Pittsburgh one of the best quarterback/wide receiver/running back combinations in the NFL, its the development of the players around them that has keyed the recent surge.Rookie receiver Martavis Bryant needed six weeks to earn a spot on the active roster. The 6-foot-4 fourth-round pick has quickly emerged as a valuable target, catching three touchdowns in his first two games. Veteran Lance Moore languished on the depth chart behind Justin Brown but has flourished since moving into the slot position he felt he deserved to hold all along. Second-year wideout Markus Wheaton emerged from a lengthy slump to catch an 18-yard scoring pass from Roethlisberger against Indianapolis that jolted the Steelers to lifeOut of the entire group, Bell might be the best pass catcher on the team not named Brown. He already has 42 receptions at the midway pointWe know what were capable of, Bell said. We showed everybody. Now we have to go out there and put performance on top of performance.Its what Tomlin calls stacking wins. How high the pile becomes will depend on if the offence can finish drives the way it did against Indianapolis — when five of six red zone possessions ended in touchdowns — and if the defence can create even a little bit of chaos.That hasnt happened with any regularity so far, though there were flashes against the Colts. The Steelers sacked Andrew Luck twice and sent him to the turf so often Colts pristine No. 12 white jersey was a decidedly darker shade by games end. Pittsburgh will need to keep the pressure on to compensate for a secondary that struggles to stay in front of anyone.Cortez Allens rise to the role of shutdown corner has come to an abrupt stop. Luck picked on Allen repeatedly, with most of the passes resulting in big plays or penalties. Its not what the Steelers had in mind when they signed Allen to a five-year extension on the eve of the season opener. While Tomlin stresses he has confidence Allen can bounce back, Allen will need a good week of practice just to start against the Ravens.Often times hes in position ... but positioning is just an element of it, Tomlin said. Youve got to finish.A message sure to resonate throughout a locker room eager for a return to the post-season after a two-year absence.___Online:http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Daniel Alfredsson Jersey . Linemates Ryan Johansen and Boone Jenner each had a goal and an assist in the first period, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves to lead the Blue Jackets past the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Saturday night. Custom Ottawa Senators Jerseys . -- David Freese is starting to pick up his run production, which is something the Los Angeles Angels have been waiting half a season to see. http://www.senatorssale.com/. - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Matt Duchene Jersey . Perhaps their first trip to the city of Winnipeg in 16 years can serve as the shakeup they need. Jason Spezza Jersey . Sami Vatanen had a goal and an assist and Anaheim used a four-goal first period to extend their winning streak to six games with a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night.COLOGNE, Germany -- Fabrizio Zanotti won a four-way playoff to take the BMW International Open title Sunday and become the first player from Paraguay to win on the European Tour. Zanotti won when No. 2-ranked Henrik Stenson conceded after failing to make a bunker shot on the fifth playoff hole. Gregory Havret of France and Rafa Cabrera-Bello of Spain went out on the second and fourth, respectively. The 31-year-old Zanotti earlier made seven birdies for a 7-under 65 final round to finish on 19-under 269 on the Gut Laerchenhof course. It was his second successive 65 after rounds of 72 and then 67. Stenson came close to snatching victory before the playoff but had to be content with par on the last hole. The Swede made up for two bogeys with five birdies and an eagle. He came agonizingly close to ending the playoff at the first hole. Cabrera-Bello earned his playoff place with a birdie-eaagle-birdie finish.dddddddddddd He almost made an eagle to end the playoff at the third hole as the rain began falling. Overnight leader Pablo Larrazabal, who held a three-stroke advantage, could only finish tied for eighth on 17 under after two bogeys - the Spaniards first missed shots of the week - and two birdies gave him a final round of 72. Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand, Simon Dyson of England and Welshman Jamie Donaldson finished tied for fifth on 18 under, ahead of former champions Larrazabal (2011), Danny Willett (2012), Thomas Bjorn (2000 and 2002) and Argentinas Emiliano Grillo. Spains Sergio Garcia, Irelands Shane Lowry, Englands Paul Waring and Alex Cejka - the highest placed German - were in a group of 10 players tied for 12th. James Heath scored a hole in one on the 16th hole to win a sports car. The Englishman finished 11-under 277 overall. ' ' '