Many Steelers flocked to his side, offering words of encouragement and pats on the helmet to kicker Kris Brown after he missed four field-goal attempts in a 13-10 loss to the world champion Baltimore Ravens.

Conspicuous among those Steelers players who rallied around their crestfallen comrade Sunday was quarterback Kordell Stewart, who knows a little about adversity and how to rise above it.

"I've been the lone ranger," Stewart told Brown. "Trust me. You'll be all right."

Such a team-first act speaks volumes about how far Stewart has climbed since his fragile days of 1998 and 1999 when he was the Steelers' starting quarterback, but far from their leader. Now, he's one of the strongest personalities in the locker room, a player who has earned his teammates' respect through hard work, perseverance and productivity.

"It did not surprise me that he would be one of the first ones to go up to (Brown) to let him know he's been there before," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "He has matured tremendously."

Near the end of his news conference Tuesday, Cowher was asked if Stewart's words would have carried the same weight two or three years ago when he was struggling just to keep his own job. Cowher didn't answer the question, but he said, "I was hoping somebody would initiate it with him."

The point: Stewart's recovery was largely self-motivated; Brown, at least, has the benefit of a room full of friends to help him in this time of trouble.

Through misfortune, the Steelers and Brown might find out just how strong they are as they attempt to recover from the loss to the Ravens. Although he can't predict the future, Cowher believes he already knows a lot about how his team will react when it next takes the field Sunday in Cleveland.

"It's a close football team," he said. "It's a very supportive football team. It's a focused team. It's a team that works very hard and takes a lot of pride. They've done that since they left that locker room in San Diego (after the last game of the 2000 season).

"I don't sense any kind of chink in the armor. Games like this, you find out about yourself. You find out how real your confidence is. If we have strong fiber, we're not going to unravel."

Brown, who stood up to a bevy of cameras and questions Sunday, appeared on his radio show Monday night and dutifully fulfilled a speaking engagement 35 miles north of Pittsburgh on his day off yesterday, spent time among those events to sit down for a meaningful discussion with his coach.

Cowher suggested that Brown take holder Josh Miller, long snapper Mike Schneck and a bag of footballs and "get back on the bike."

"I told him," Cowher said, "I thought he should go over there (to Heinz Field this) afternoon, 3 (o'clock) or 3:30, empty stadium, about the same time (of Sunday's game). Go over there, same spot on the field and go kick."

Maybe it's a sign of progress for a team that remains in first place in the AFC Central, but the hot topic of conversation surrounding the Steelers these days is the kicker.

Not Stewart. Not the wide receivers. After all, the passing game has been one of the most consistent elements about the team the past two weeks. But the little guy from Nebraska who seldom gets his uniform dirty is suddenly the most discussed player on the team.

Cowher said yesterday that he has not lost confidence in Brown, who missed as many field goals in one game as he missed during his entire rookie season in 1999.

"I'd be surprised if there are any lingering effects from it," Cowher said. "I can't foresee the future, but I know my confidence in him is not going to vary. If we get the ball to the 30-yard line, to me that's a minimum of three points.

"He's a very strong-minded guy. I have a lot of confidence in him. Sunday has not hindered my confidence in him at all."

Brown came into the game with a career 84.7 percent success rate on field goals. There has been speculation that the wind at Heinz Field or the deflected field goal earlier in the game might have affected him.

Cowher doubts that the wind was the major factor, and he said that Brown rejected the latter theory.

"The wind situation, I don't look at that as much as what effect did the block have?" Cowher said. "In Kris' mind, it had none. He had a very positive outlook everytime he went out there. It was just one of those things."