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‘The Wizard of Oz’ following Yellow Brick Road to F.M. Kirby Center in WB

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Penn State adds five-star Micah Parsons to 2018 class on signing day

<p>PITTSBURGH &#8212; The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to pick up the pieces from an emotional loss to the New England Patriots without Antonio Brown.</p><p>Coach Mike Tomlin says Brown will miss Pittsburgh&#8217;s Christmas Day visit to Houston with a contusion on his left calf. The NFL&#8217;s leading receiver left in the second quarter against the Patriots after getting tangled up while trying to catch a pass in the end zone. Tomlin declined to get into the specifics of Brown&#8217;s injury and didn&#8217;t put a timetable on a possible return.</p><p>&#8220;I just know he&#8217;s out next week,&#8221; Tomlin said.</p><p>The Steelers (11-3) will also be without rookie running back James Conner, who was scheduled to undergo surgery on his right knee Tuesday. Conner, who had 144 yards rushing as Le&#8217;Veon Bell&#8217;s primary backup this season, will be placed on injured reserve. Pittsburgh filled Conner&#8217;s roster spot by signing Stevan Ridley. Ridley, a six-year veteran, last played for Atlanta during the 2016 season.</p><p>Whoever is available, the AFC North champions will head to Houston likely needing at least one win over their final two games and &#8212; maybe two if &#8212; to secure a first-round bye.</p><p>Regardless of the injuries to Brown and Conner, the offensive line and secondary could get a boost this week. Right tackle Marcus Gilbert returns from a suspension for violating the league&#8217;s performance-enhancing substance policy. Tomlin also thinks cornerback Joe Haden may be ready after missing five games with a broken left leg.</p><p>Tomlin is only too eager to move forward after a calamitous fourth quarter against the Patriots. Pittsburgh blew an eight-point lead, then botched a chance to pull it out on the final drive when tight end Jesse James&#8217; apparent touchdown was overturned on review. Ben Roethlisberger then threw an interception in the end zone rather than spike the ball to set up a potential tying field goal.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m not happy with the outcome,&#8221; Tomlin said. &#8220;We played to win. We didn&#8217;t win the game. We&#8217;re not quantifying level of success. We didn&#8217;t do enough to win the game.&#8221;</p><p>Who exactly did what over Pittsburgh&#8217;s final four snaps remains vague. The Steelers were awarded their final timeout after Roethlisberger hit JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 69-yard gain that put the ball at the New England 10. Tomlin said Tuesday his plan wasn&#8217;t to call time after the play, saying referee Tony Corrente incorrectly gave it to Pittsburgh because the official saw Roethlisberger mimicking a &#8220;time out&#8221; signal while looking at the Steelers&#8217; sideline.</p><p>Things only got more confusing from there. James appeared to give Pittsburgh the lead when he caught a pass at the New England 1 and stretched into the end zone, the ball shifting as his hands hit the ground. Replay officials took the score away when they ruled James didn&#8217;t complete the process of making the catch.</p><p>&#8220;I think we all can acknowledge that all of this needs to be revisited, it&#8217;s not just that play,&#8221; said Tomlin, who serves on the NFL&#8217;s competition committee. &#8220;We&#8217;re having similar discussions week in and week out. We&#8217;ve got our work cut out for us during the offseason.&#8221;</p><p>The lengthy review and the reversal appeared to catch Pittsburgh off-guard. Roethlisberger threw short to Darrius Heyward-Bey when play resumed, and when Heyward-Bey was dragged down in bounds, the clock continued to roll. Rather than spike the ball to stop the clock and give kicker Chris Boswell a chip-shot field goal that would have sent the game into overtime, Roethlisberger faked a spike, hoping to take advantage of what Tomlin called an &#8220;uncomfortable&#8221; situation for the Patriots.</p><p>Roethlisberger attempted to find Eli Rogers in the end zone, only to have the ball deflect into the hands of safety Duron Harmon and the Patriots escaped with a 27-24 victory, their fifth straight over the Steelers.</p><p>&#8220;We wanted to try and win the game in regulation,&#8221; Tomlin said. &#8220;There were extra seconds there I wanted to take advantage of. If given the opportunity to do it again, I&#8217;d do it again.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to pick up the pieces from an emotional loss to the New England Patriots without Antonio Brown. Coach Mike Tomlin says Brown will miss Pittsburgh&#8217;s Christmas Day visit to Houston with a contusion on his left calf. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/web1_AB-injury.jpg</photo0><caption0>The Pittsburgh Steelers will have to pick up the pieces from an emotional loss to the New England Patriots without Antonio Brown. Coach Mike Tomlin says Brown will miss Pittsburgh&#8217;s Christmas Day visit to Houston with a contusion on his left calf. </caption0><photoCredit0>Don Wright | AP file photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Brown out vs. Texans, Conner done for season</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Will Graves</p><p>AP Sports Writer</p></bylineMeta></div>

Steelers star Brown out vs. Texans, Conner done for season