Steelers acquire kick returner Rossum from Falcons for draft pick

<p>The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired cornerback-kick returner Allen Rossum from the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday for a conditional 2008 draft pick.</p><p>Rossum, a 2005 Pro Bowl player as a return specialist, holds Falcons team records for kickoff and punt return yards and also had two punt return touchdowns. The former Notre Dame player broke into the NFL as a third-round pick with Philadelphia in 1998 before being traded to Green Bay in 2000. He signed with Atlanta as a free agent in 2002.</p><p>Rossum had a 59-yard kickoff return that set up a score in Atlanta's 24-19 exhibition victory over Cincinnati on Monday. He had a concussion last week and did not return any kicks Thursday against Baltimore.</p><p>Last season, Rossum averaged 7.8 yards on 37 punt returns, the lowest average of his career. He averaged 14 yards in 2003 and 12.4 in 2004.</p><p>The Steelers tried several players as kickoff and punt returners without much success during the preseason _ a holdover problem from a season ago. They were 26th in the league in kickoff returns and 19th in punt returns during their five exhibition games.</p><p>Willie Reid, a second-year player from Florida State who was injured most of last season, was the most-used punt returner during the preseason but averaged only 6.5 yards on 12 returns.</p><p>Last year, a fumbled punt by Ricardo Colclough led to an early season loss to Cincinnati and set the tone for a 2-6 start by the defending Super Bowl champions.</p>

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