Wednesday morning

I went to the Tampa media party last night - probably the only party I'll get to this week. But it was worth it.

The food - from many of Tampa's best joints - and liquor were plentiful and the price was just right.

The event was held at the Cuban Club in Ybor City. When I found that was where it was going to be, I looked the place up on line to learn a little more about it.

It was an interesting place, much like a party being held at the Duquesne Club in Pittsburgh.

Many of the buildings down here aren't that old - the city itself was barely a blip on the map 100 years ago. But cigar makers moved their production centers here around that time, turning this area into a giant smokehouse.

As such, there were gentlemen at the party last night rolling cigars on the spot. I'm not a cigar smoker, but some of the guys I was with are and they took advantage of the opportunity getting several different varieties.

Like everything else at the party, they were free as well.

The main entertainment was .38 Special, a band that I guess at this point would be considered classic rock. God, I must be getting old because I remembered every song they played from my high school days. But they were pretty good.

After that night, it's back to the grind today. There are more interviews to be done and plenty of stories to be written. Just thought I'd update you all on some of the non-football stuff going on here.

Sitting down with Rod

I sat down with length today with former Steelers cornerback and current Hall of Fame finalist Rod Woodson.

Woodson, now an analyst for the NFL Network, was very concerned about the Steelers' matchup with the Cardinals because of what Arizona can do offensively spreading a defense out.

I'll have more on that in Thursday's Observer-Reporter.

Media day madness

Media day has just ended. It should actually be called media/I'm just a guy who wants to be on TV or get my picture taken day.

The lunatics were out in full force as usual today.

Just a quick rundown of what I saw:

© A guy interviewing players in a wedding dress. (As Casey Hampton said, "that's f-ed up.")

© An idiot in a coonskin hat.

© Several female reporters - apparently all from Spanish-speaking stations – who were either scantily clad or wearing clothing so tight they apparently had it painted on.

© A ponytailed dude from the islands who got off getting the players to say aloha to him.

The craziness seemed a little toned down this year as opposed to others - or maybe I'm just getting used to it. I hope not.

I did get a chance to get a lot of interviews done with some people I normally don't get to speak to on the record.

Director of football operations Kevin Colbert is one of those people. Colbert doesn't speak to the media during the season because he doesn't want to be a distraction.

But he's kind of forced to talk today, so we had a nice long chat about the team's future and its current roster.

I'll have a story on it later this week.

© Today was when I saw a big difference in the two teams.

The Cardinals went first with their media day and they seemed a little tight. They didn't have a lot of fun with all of the silliness that goes on.

The Steelers were very loose. Even James Harrison was having some fun with it, sitting down at Mike Tomlin's table for a while before Tomlin came in.

Monday afternoon

We just finished up with the Steelers' portion of Monday's media schedule, as head coach Mike Tomlin, linebacker James Harrison, safety Troy Polamalu, wide receiver Hines Ward, tight end Heath Miller, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and defensive end Brett Keisel were made available to the media.

I had a nice moment with Tomlin and a couple of other reporters before he went up and answered questions from the masses as he arrived a little early.

Tomlin made a joke about making us work an extra week, to which I replied that at least he wasn't still working next week. My line of thinking was that if he were working next week, it would mean he would be coaching in the Pro Bowl - the job that falls on the losing coach in the conference championship game.

But he went another way with it, saying he wouldn't mind taking the Steelers and playing against the NFC in the Pro Bowl.

Tomlin really seemed to be enjoying the moment in the sun.

© I asked Keisel if the rumors about defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's retirement after the Super Bowl had been addressed.

He said they had and that they weren't true.

I'll have more in Tuesday's edition of the Observer-Reporter.

Greetings from Tampa

We touched down in Tampa at 11:55 a.m. after a quick and painless flight.

The players are having a lot of fun with this. A number of them are carrying camcorders to record the memories of this week.

Some even ventured back into our part of the plane to record us. I guess since we record them all the time, fair's fair.

After the plane touched down, a pillow fight was started in the front of the plane, with the little airplane pillows flying freely.

The team is very loose.

Ready to go

The bags are officially packed and the plane leaves in the morning.

Tonight will be the last night of normalcy for me for the next eight days until I return home Monday afternoon.

There's a lot happening at the Super Bowl – every day, in fact. I've gotten the schedule of events for the week from the NFL and will try to get to as much stuff as I can.

I'll be updating this blog several times per day, so check back often.

And I'll try to get to as many questions as I can - but the daily newspaper is my master and the master has me very busy this week.

Dale

What's the big deal?

From the AP: ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonathan Dekker was arrested early Saturday and charged with obstruction of justice.
Dekker, who injured his knee in August and spent the season on injured reserve, was released on $1,000 bond, police said.
Police said they responded to a complaint at 3:30 a.m. near Old Town Alexandria. When they arrived, police said, Dekker tried to flee but was apprehended.
Police did not provide details of the complaint. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Dekker played three games for the Steelers in 2007. He was signed by the Steelers in 2006 as a free agent from Princeton and spent that season on the practice squad.
Pittsburgh plays Arizona in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.

The Steelers put Dekker on injured reserve after he tore knee ligaments, but his chances of making their final roster weren't great. He's a receiving threat at tight end, not a blocker.

But that won't stop some from saying this will be a distraction for the Steelers as they prepare for the Super Bowl.

Puhleez. Dekker has spent time in Pittsburgh rehabbing his knee, but he's hardly relevant in the grand scheme of things.

Record breakers?

Assuming he plays, Hines Ward has a good chance to set a franchise record for postseason receiving yards.

Despite playing just the first quarter last Sunday against the Ravens, Ward passed Lynn Swann for second place on the team's all-time posteason receiving yards chart.

Ward now has 1,021 postseason receiving yards and needs 34 in the Super Bowl to pass John Stallworth and become the Steelers' all-time leader.

Placekicker Jeff Reed needs one field goal to tie the franchise postseason record of 14 held by Roy Gerela and Gary Anderson. Reed is two back of Gerela’s record of 34 extra points.

He's got a ways to go to catch Gerela in career postseason attempts, though. Gerela had 27. That's right, the great Roy Gerela was 15 of 27 on field goal attempts in his career.

Put up those kind of numbers these days and you won't last very long.

© Here's a did you know: Troy Polamalu's interception return for a touchdown was the first in Steelers' postseason history.

An injury report already?

In a suprising move since the game won't be played until Feb. 1, the Steelers issued an injury report for the Super Bowl.

Hines Ward and linebacker Patrick Bailey are questionable, Ward with a knee injury, Bailey with an ankle problem.

Oensive tackle Max Starks and linebacker Lawrence Timmons all returned to practice Friday after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday.

Center Justin Hartwig still isn't practicing to rest his injured knee, but is listed as probable for the Super Bowl.

Running back Mewelde Moore (ankle) and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (back) are also listed as probable despite returning to practice Thursday.

I realize head coach Mike Tomlin wanted to treat this week as if the Steelers were playing Sunday, but this is a little ridiculous.

But the Steelers aren't alone in the craziness.

The Cardinals issued a practice report for Wednesday, even though they did not practice, but did not issue one Thursday, even though they did.

The league doesn't require them this week.


© The Steelers are making an extra effort to help Ward recover quickly from his sprained MCL suffered in the AFC Championship against the Ravens.

The Steelers are sending Ward's hyperbaric oxygen chamber to Tampa to help with his rehab regimen.

Thursday update

Ben Roethlisberger and Mewelde Moore were back on the practice field today after sitting out Wednesday. Roethlisberger had a sore back, Moore an ankle injury suffered against Baltimore.

Linebacker Patrick Bailey (hamstring), center Justin Hartwig (knee), offensive tackle Max Starks (knee), linebacker Lawrence Timmons (illness) and wide receiver Hines Ward (knee) missed their second consecutive day.

© Interesting note out of Arizona:

The Cardinals are using former Steelers backup QB Brian St. Pierre to simulate Ben Roethlisberger's scrambling ability in practice according to coch Ken Whisenhunt.

“We have Brian St. Pierre who was in Pittsburgh, so he has seen Ben do that. I’m not saying that physically he can do the things that Ben can do, but as far as scrambling and moving around in the pocket and those kinds of things, extending the play, we are trying to give them a picture for that. I think it’s not just Ben. It’s their receivers too because they are on the same page as Ben as far as where they are going when he scrambles. You are trying to give (the defense) that look, but it is not always easy.”

© The Pittsburgh Steelers will host a Super Bowl Pep Rally Friday, January 23, at Heinz Field in anticipation for the team’s trip to Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday, Feb. 1, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

The following is a schedule of events for the Pep Rally, which is being presented by PNC Bank and Comcast.

Here's the schedule of events rundown:

Admission - FREE
3 p.m. – Stadium lots and Carnegie Science Center lots open (parking for $5 available)
3 – 7 p.m. – WDVE live broadcast (Coca-Cola Great Hall)
5 – 7 p.m. – KISS FM live broadcast (Coca-Cola Great Hall)
5 p.m. – Gates A & B open
Highlights to be shown on Jumbotron
Concession stands will be open
Official Steelers merchandise will be available
5:40 p.m. – Performance by Pittsburgh Poison All-Stars Dance Team
5:45 p.m. – Performance by South Fayette Marching Band
6 p.m. – Free concert by The Clarks
7 p.m. – Pep Rally to begin
Big Machine Recording Artist Dusty Drake to perform 12th Man song
Hosted by KDKA-TV’s Bob Pompeani and Ken Rice, along with Steelers’ Radio Network talent Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley
Steelers’ players and local dignitaries will be on stage
7:30 p.m. – KDKA-TV Live Steelers Super Bowl TV Special
8:05 p.m. – Pittsburgh Fan Club performance – “Here We Go”
8:10 p.m. – Pep Rally to conclude

Wednesday update

The Steelers are treating this as a regular work week - albeit with five times the media – as Mike Tomlin had said.

Wednesday was a normal practice day, though a number of players sat out, including Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Aaron Smith, Deshea Townsend, Patrick Bailey, Justin Hartwig, Mewelde Moore and Willie Parker.

For Roethlisberger, Townsend, Smith and Parker, Wednesdays is a normal day off - a veteran's day off as I call it. Hines Ward is usually included in that group, but he's actually nursing a knee injury this week.

The others who sat out Wednesday are injured as well.

© The crush of ticket requests and such is great on these players, but usually abates toward the end of the week as players let people know they don't get a bunch of tickets for free. Yes, they have to pay as well for anything above the two they normally get.

You can imagine the friends and family that come out of the woodwork for something like this.

But pulling a Nancy Reagan and just saying no is probably the best tact to take. If you get tickets for one friend or family member and not another, I'm sure it can lead to hard feelings.

© The worst thing about covering a team that reaches this point - at least for the guys who cover the team regularly - is the crush of national media that descends.

Suddenly, guys you've spoken privately with all season long are no longer available even for a quick word.

What they're playing for

Just in case you think NFL players are only there for the payday, consider what they actually get paid for the playoffs:

Wild-card games (division winners): $20,000.
Wild-card games (fifth- and sixth-seeded teams): $18,000.
Divisional games: $20,000.
Conference championship games: $37,500.
Super Bowl winners: $78,000.
Super Bowl losers: $40,000

That may seem like a lot of money, but when you consider the cut the government and their agents get, it's really not.

If the Steelers win the Super Bowl, the players will have pocketed an extra $135,500, of which they'll probably actually get between $60 to $70 thousand per player.

It's a nice chunk of change, but when you consider the risk involved – ask Willis McGahee – it's not all that great.

This is much more about winning a championship to these guys than anything.

Injury update:

Here's what Mike Tomlin has to say about injuries Tuesday:

"Hines Ward has a right knee sprain. We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure he gets the medical attention he needs. In his mind, he’s playing. So chances are, he is. It’s not going to be comfortable between now and game day in terms of making that happen. But it’s not about comfort, particularly for Hines. This guy, this morning, was down there aggressively getting after his rehabilitation and putting himself in position to help this football team. We’re definitely not going to count him out. We’re going to save a seat on the bus for 86."

Other injuries are:
Mewelde Moore right ankle sprain.
Darnell Stapleton ankle sprain.
Patrick Bailey hamstring strain.
Justin Hartwig knee
Max Starks knee sprain

Post AFC Championship thoughts

Sunday's game was the seventh AFC Championship I've covered, but it was perhaps the best one that I've seen.

If you like football, you liked this game. The hitting was phenomenal. The chess match between the two teams was interesting to watch. And there were some great plays made out there.

That was the good.

The bad was the length. It just shouldn't take four hours to play an NFL game under any circumstances.

The officiating crew was an "all-star" group that included Tony Steratore at back judge. Tony is, for those of you who don't know, a Washington business owner and a McMurray resident.

Part of the problem with the length of the game, in my opinion, was that these guys weren't accustomed to working with each other. It led to a few more post-play huddles than usual.

© I thought going into this game that the play of Joe Flacco would be the difference – and I didn't mean that in a good way.

These really were two pretty evenly matched teams, with the only glaring difference being Flacco's inexperience. That proved to be the case.

Flacco never solved what the Steelers' defense was doing to him. Even though the Ravens generated more of a running game than the Steelers did, they couldn't take advantage of it.

© Limas Sweed, you've got to catch that deep ball. There's just no excuse for a guy who's paid to get open and catch the ball not to catch that pass.

On the plus side, that's two weeks in a row he's gotten himself wide open.

And he did come up with some catches later in the game while also making a crushing block on a catch by Heath Miller.

But you've got to catch the ones when you're wide open like that behind the defense.

© LaMarr Woodley has six sacks in three career postseason games. That's called a money player.

© We got a glimpse of what the Steelers offense might look like without Hines Ward and it wasn't pretty.

But Ward's got a few more years left in him and should be back for the Super Bowl. That gives some other guys – are you listening Sweed? – some time to polish their game.

© Ryan Clark's hit on Willis McGahee may have been the exclamation point on this game, but it was Carey Davis' decleater of Daren Stone on the opening kickoff that was the opening statement.

© Listeing to the radio on the way into the game, I heard my good friend Joe Starkey say that nobody has a winning record picking games in these playoffs.

Joe must not read this site – I don't know why – because I'm now 8-2 in these here playoffs picking games.

With that said, I'm picking … well you're just going to have to wait to see who I pick in the Super Bowl because I'm not even sure how I feel about this one yet.

Tampa beckons.

Game-day updates

I've been here at Heinz Field for an hour or so now and, of course, it's snowing. It's not real cold, however, and the win seems light.

Word is that Suggs, as expected, will play today on at least a limited basis.

I'll update with any other tidbits I find out throughout the day.

Will they or won't they/picks

Cornerback Samari Rolle is doubtful to play Sunday against the Steelers, while linebacker Terrell Suggs is questionable.

I expect Suggs to play, or at least try to, with his shoulder dislocation. How long he lasts, is the only thing in question.

Rolle, on the other hand, won't play, which will leave the Ravens very thin at cornerback considering Chris McAlister is already on injured reserve. I don't think the Steelers are too concerned with Frank Walker and Fabian Washington at cornerback.

Troy Polamalu and Justin Hartwig are both probable for the Steelers and are their only players on the injury list.

© I'm 6-2 in the playoffs thus far after my 4-0 opening weekend. I blew it changing my mind and picking the Giants over the Eagles based on the early weather report. I should know by now that you can't trust a meteorologist.

This week we have a couple of intruguing matchups.

In the NFC, Philadelphia is favored by four points at Arizona. The over-under for running plays in this game combined are 35. Neither team runs it a whole lot. The Eagles trounced the Cards earlier this season in Philadelphia, but I don't see that happening again. Anquan Boldin will be back for Arizona, which could make a big difference. And the Cardinals are 7-2 at home this season. Take Arizona, 31-27

In the AFC, the Steelers are 6-point favorites over the Ravens. That would seem strange consideing the Steelers beat the Ravens twice this season by a combined seven points. And we all know how tough it is to beat a team three times in a season - OK, not really. The team that won the first two matchups is 3-1 in this situation in championship games and there's no reason to think the Steelers won't make it four out of five. They're the better all-around team. Joe Flacco will make a rookie mistake or two in this game and the Steelers will win, 24-10.

Thursday notes

Troy Polamalu was back at practice today and looks good to go Sunday against the Ravens. Center Justin Hartwig participated on a limited basis with his sprained knee. He should also be ready to go against Baltimore.

Le'Ron McClain was back at practice today for the Ravens, but Terrell Suggs and Samari Rolle were not. Wide receivers Derrick Mason (knee) and Mark Clayton (thigh) also missed their second day of practice.

© Dermontti Dawson and Rod Woodson will be the Steelers honorary captains on Sunday. Both are finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It's a good move for the team to get the duo out there in the public eye, especially in this setting. Woodson obviously doesn't need the exposure, but it can't hurt Dawson.

© Suggs said today he's unsure if he'll be able to play - a stark contrast to his guarantee earlier this week that he would play.

It could be the Ravens just trying to play some games with the Steelers. But the Steelers expect Suggs to play.

Suggs said today that he could have some ligament damage in the shoulder. He'll be a free agent after this season, so there may be some concerns there.

Sorry so late

What a night in Pittsburgh.

Heavy snows that began in the afternoon blanketed the roads and made getting home from the Steelers offices an adventure.

Those of you who have been on the Southside can appreciate the fact it took me nearly two hours to get from the Steelers offices to Greentree hill.

I-79 wasn't much more fun. The roads weren't all that bad and I didn't see a single wreck, but everybody was driving like we were in Washington D.C. and there was an inch of snow on the roads. It was ugly.

© Leaving the Steelers' practice this afternoon, I couldn't help but laugh as a number of the players remarked about the amount of snow falling. Several of them had never really spent much time in the snow.

It's been cold in Pittsburgh this winter, but the snow really hasn't stuck all that well - particularly in the city.

This snow, however, isn't going anywhere and will be there for this weekend's game.

© The Steelers look to have an interesting game plan from what I saw at practice today. Because we agree not to report what we see in terms of plays and such, I can't share it with you, but suffice it to say, it will be interesting if they do some of the stuff they were working on.

Now, maybe they were just taking a look at it live to see what things looked like, but with in a situation with one game for all the marbles, there's no reason to leave any plays in the book unused.

© Troy Polamalu will play Sunday, though he didn't practice Wednesday. Justin Hartwig was the same.

Polamalu, by the way, did not have the flu Sunday against the Chargers as was reported somewhere. Don't know where that one came from.

© As this week wears on, I'm really liking the Steelers more and more in this game. They are very loose and confident.

James Farrior called it a different feeling than, say, 2004, when the team was 15-1 and expected to beat the Patriots.

They expect to win Sunday, but with the majority of this roster having already won a Super Bowl, they know not to look past this game.

They've beaten the Ravens twice and largely shut their offense down doing it. They know if they don't turn the ball over or give up a return or two, they'l beat the Ravens again.

Ravens' coach John Harbaugh, on the other hand, seemed a little uptight when we spoke to him today.

Tuesday Tomlin

Mike Tomlin said today that Troy Polamalu played with a strained calf against the Chargers Sunday.

Tomlin said Polamalu suffered the injury in warm-ups and he wasn't sure Polamalu was going to play until he saw him run onto the field.

Polamalu will be limited in practice early in the week, but will play Sunday in the AFC Championship.

Center Justin Hartwig suffered a slight knee sprain in the first half Sunday, but was fitted with a brace and finished out the game. He'll be limited as well early in the week, but will play.

© Word out of Baltimore is that linebacker/defensive end Terrell Suggs expects to play with his injured shoulder, but head coach John Harbaugh didn't sound as sure.

It will be interesting to see if Suggs does play, how long he's out there or if he's out there on every play.

The big injury for the Ravens, though, will be running back Le'Ron McClain. McClain sprained his ankle against the Titans and only carried the ball a couple of times after that. He wasn't effective after the injury.

If McClain is limited, so is the Ravens' offense.

Samari Rolle has a groin injury as well, which could definitely affect Baltimore's secondary. If Rolle can't play, Baltimore will be without both of its starting cornerbacks.

Post-San Diego thoughts

I'm hoping all those people who wanted to trade Willie Parker this offseason will now officially shut up.

Parker punished the Chargers Sunday for 146 yards on 27 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns.

It was the third-highest rushing total in Steelers' playoff history. And that's a long and storied history.

Parker's finally feeling healthy and confident. He's running decisively and with speed.

All that may change next weekend against Baltimore, but as we've seen over the years, it's tough for any running back to have a lot of success against the Ravens.

© If LaMarr Woodley did hit a wall at some point this season, he crashed through it – and Philip Rivers – Sunday.

Woodley was a force, picking up two sacks, the second of which left Rivers dazed and confused. That was also Woodley covering speedy Darren Sproles out in the flat early in the first quarter, forcing Rivers to throw the ball high.

In two career playoff games, Woodley has four sacks, just in case you were wondering.

© The worry all week long was that the Chargers would handily defeat the Steelers on special teams.

Didn't happen.

In fact, the Steelers handily won the special teams battle, with the much-maligned Mitch Berger more than holding his own against Mike Scifres.

In fact, the Steelers used Scifres propensity to hit booming punts against him on Santonio Holmes' return for a touchdown. Holmes had a nice running start by the time any of the Chargers had gotten downfield.

© The third quarter was the strangest I've seen in 16 years of covering the NFL.

Pittsburgh ran 25 offensive plays compared to one for San Diego.

That just doesn't happen at this level.

© Can't wait for the third Steelers-Ravens matchup. If you like football, this is the game for you.

There doesn't promise to be a lot of offense, but the hitting should be outstanding.

Tomlinson a scratch

Tomlinson is scratched for the Chargers today, but Antonio Gates is active.

No surprises on the Steelers' list.

The weather here is cold with a light wind. There has been some light snow on and off, but no accumulation.

Friday's news, Weekend picks

Both Antonio Gates and LaDainian Tomlinson missed practice again Friday - as did placekicker Nate Kaeding – for San Diego, putting their status for Sunday's playoff game in doubt.

Tomlinson, in fact, is listed as doubtful to play. Gates is questionable. Kaeding is probable, but will likely be limited.

I wouldn't expect Tomlinson to play with his torn groin and even if he does, he won't last long.

Gates, who already had a high ankle sprain, now also has a sore Achilles tendon. I would expect him to try to play, but he will be very limited.

With that in mind here are the much-awaited playoff picks for this weekend:

Baltimore at Tennessee: I've gone back and forth on this game all week long. On the radio Tuesday, I picked Tennessee, 17-13, then I started leaning the other way later in the week, especially if Tennessee center Kevin Mawae is unable to play. That looks as if it will be the case, so I can't see the Titans pulling this one out without perhaps their best offensive lineman. Baltimore will shut down Tennessee's running game and force Kerry Collins to win the game. I don't see that happening again - though he led them to 10 fourth quarter points in a 13-10 win over the Ravens earlier this season. Take Baltimore, 17-10

Arizona at Carolina: To me, this is the easiest game of this weekend to pick. Arizona manned up and won last week at home as I expected, but on the road at Carolina, that's not going to happen again. Carolina played awful at home offensively in the first half and still managed to beat the Cardinals at home earlier this season. The Panthers should be able to do so again. Anquan Boldin will try to play with his injured hamstring, but it's going to be difficult. Take Carolina, 31-17

Philadelphia at N.Y. Giants: This is another game I changed my mind about this week, but this time due to the weather forecast. There's supposed to be sleet and snow at the Meadowlands Sunday. That will make things awfully difficult for a team that doesn't run the ball - like Philadelphia - to get anything going. I think the Giants are ripe for the picking without Plaxico Burress in the lineup and picked the Eagles in an upset earlier this week. But I don't see that happening now. Take the Giants and their running game, 20-16

San Diego at Pittsburgh: My thoughts on this game really haven't changed since earlier in the week. I just don't know how San Diego is going to score much once the Steelers make them one dimensional, as they will do stopping Darren Sproles. Philip Rivers and the boys have been a nice comeback story, but people forget, this is where this team was supposed to be all along. They just underachieved for much of the season. The Steelers defense will lock the Chargers down and Willie Parker and the running game will control the clock. Take Pittsburgh, 24-13

All in

The Steelers had everybody back at practice Thursday as wide receiver Hines Ward returned from taking Wednesday off.

The Chargers are not so fortunate. While defensive tackle Jamal Williams was back after sitting out Wednesday, running back LaDainian Tomlinson and tight end Antonio Gates were still out – Tomlinson with his groin injury, Gates with a high ankle sprain.

They were joined on the sidelines by placekicker Nate Kaeding, who also has a groin injury.

I thought earlier in the week that the Steelers win this game 24-13 and I've seen nothing that has changed my mind.

The Steelers likely expect the Chargers to play a lot of cover-2 against them as they did the first time. That will allow Willie Parker and the running game some lanes working against a seven-man front.

It will also allow tight end Heath Miller and wide receiver Hines Ward to work the underneath stuff. So long as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger doesn't get greedy and try to force the ball downfield – and I saw nothing at practice to make me feel he will – Pittsburgh should win this one going way.

Wednesday update

Another nice quiet day for the Steelers. Everybody practiced today, with the exception of Hines Ward, who got his usual Wednesday veteran's day off.

San Diego could not say the same. LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates and Jamal Williams were among the Chargers not practicing - though Williams was non-injury related.

Tomlinson is unlikely to play against the Steelers, while Gates continues to struggle with a high ankle sprain that has bothered him for a number of weeks.

Placekicker Nate Kaeding has a groin injury that could be troublesome as well.

© The Steelers are a very loose bunch right now. I think this team has a lot of confidence heading into this game with San Diego.

They know they dominated the Chargers on both sides of the ball in the first meeting, rolling up twice as many yards and holding the ball for over 36 minutes.

They also know that the Chargers are 3-5 on the road this season, with those lone road wins being at Oakland, Kansas City and Tampa Bay.

Only Tampa Bay would be considered a strong opponent and that win came in late December, when the Bucs had mailed in their season.

Tuesday Tomlin

Not much to report from Tomlin's press conference today.

Everybody's healthy. The Chargers are great. And the Steelers have a huge challenge ahead of them.

On the other hand, the big news of the day was twofold.

© The Chargers' Vincent Jackson was arrested early Tuesday morning for driving under the influence.

San Diego head coach Norv Turner is unlikely to suspend Jackson – and there won't be any league punishment at this time if at all - but it has to be a bit of a distraction, something the Chargers didn't need.

© The Steelers' Rod Woodson and Dermontti Dawson were both among the 15 finalists for the Hall of Fame.

Woodson is a shoe-in. Dawson should be.

But my best guess is that only Woodson gets in this year.

Monday news

Ben Roethlisberger has been cleared to play Sunday by team doctors and should be good to go against the San Diego Chargers.

That, of course, was just some of the big news for the Steelers today.

Linebacker James Harrison became the fifth member of the Steelers to win the AP's Defensive Player of the Year award.

Harrison joins the elite company of Joe Greene, Jack Lambert, Mel Blount and Rod Woodson as Pittsburgh players who have won the award. The first three are in the Hall of Fame, while Woodson will be voted in this year.

Harrison outpointed DeMarcus Ware by nine votes. Troy Polamalu also garnered two votes.

Steelers-Chargers initial thoughts

The Steelers rolled up 410 yards to 213 for the Chargers and held the ball for more than 36 minutes in an 11-10 victory.

Yet the Chargers talked after the game as if they had dominated the Steelers.

That could come back to haunt them.

I don't expect LaDanian Tomlinson to play, which means Darren Sproules will have to carry the load. I don't think he'll have a lot of success against this Pittsburgh defense, which does a great job of closing down gaps.

Sproules could hurt Pittsburgh on some swing passes, though. He's very fast when he gets the ball on the edge.

Punter Mike Scrifres is also a weapon. He only punted twice the first time, but pinned the Steelers at the 6 and 15. He's a guy who changes field position every game.

But at this point, I like the Steelers, 24-13.

They'll get after Phillip Rivers and Willie Parker had 115 yards rushing in the first meeting. It's a good matchup for the Steelers.

Round 1 playoff picks

Here's what I see happening in this weekend's playoff games in which all four road teams are favored. All four road teams won't win. You can bet on that. The trick is figuring out which home teams will hold serve.

Indianapolis at San Diego: These two teams met earlier in the season, with Indianapolis pulling out a 23-20 win. Both teams are hot. Indianapolis has won nine straight, while the Chargers won four in a row to get in when Denver stumbled. But I like the home team here. San Diego's weakness is rushing the passer. But Peyton Manning doesn't get sacked anyway, so that won't hurt them here. The Chargers can certainly score with the Colts and have the better running game. San Diego 27, Indianapolis 24

Baltimore at Miami: Another rematch that was won, 27-13, by Baltimore. I don't see that changing much here as the Dolphins will have a heck of a time moving the ball against the Ravens. The Dolphins used the Wildcat five times in that first meeting, gaining four yards. That won't work here. To beat Baltimore, you've got to be able to spread the Ravens out and challenge them down the field. Miami doesn't have the weapons to do that. Baltimore 20, Miami 10

Atlanta at Arizona: Arizona was 6-2 at home, 3-5 on the road. Yes, the Cardinals stumbled down the stretch, but I think that was largely because they weren't challenged in the NFC West. Their offense will be too much to handle at home for Atlanta. And if the Cardinals can turn this into a track meet, they could win going away. Arizona 30, Atlanta 24

Philadelphia at Minnesota: The Vikings' strength on defense is their run defense. But that won't help them against the Eagles, who don't even try to run the ball. Philadelphia's defense may be the most under rated unit in the league. These guys can get after it and their corners are excellent. Adrian Peterson is also having ball control issues, which won't help. I like Brian Westbrook to have a big game catching the ball out of the backfield. Philadelphia 23, Minnesota 14

Tuesday update

Ben Roethlisberger was on the practice field today, but did not work. He seemed lucid speaking to his teammates and left the locker room without speaking to the media.

Speaking to players in the locker room, they said Roethlisberger's concussion was mild.

Mike Tomlin said he expects Roethlisberger to be fine and wouldn't rule him out of returning to practice this week.

© Ryan Clark, James Harrison, James Farriror, Willie Parker, Aaron Smith and Hines Ward were the veterans who did not practice Tuesday as the team held its first bye-week workout.

Tomlin is not having the team spend a practice on each of their possible opponents. They are instead focusing on their own play.

Tune in to Fox 970

I'll be hosting the Steelers' show on 970-AM Tuesday night from 7 to 9 p.m. the next two weeks with Jim Wexell.

Give us a listen. Don't be afraid to call in.

© As expected, Bill Cowher will sit out another year before coming back to coach in 2010 – though he will talk to the Jets about their opening. Though, I don't expect anything to come of that, either.

There was no way Cowher was going to go to Cleveland.

Cowher coached against the Browns enough times to know what a mess that team is. And considering it traded half of next year's draft away this year to acquire a couple of picks, there's no quick fix.

© The Giants are 2-1 favorites to win the Super Bowl according to Las Vegas.

You can get 4-1 odds on the Titans, while the Steelers are third at 9-2.

The Arizona Cardinals are the biggest longshots for the title at 40-1; in the AFC, the Miami Dolphins have 30-1 odds.

The two preseason favorites — the New England Patriots (2-1) and Dallas Cowboys (7-1) — failed to reach the playoffs.

Not unexpectedly, all four road teams are favored in this weekend's wildcard games.

Post-Cleveland thoughts

The big news coming out of this one is, of course, Ben Roethlisberger's injury. Word is that Roethlisberger is expected to be just fine, however.

He should be ready to go in two weeks when the Steelers host their AFC Divisional playoff game, probably against Indianapolis. At least that's my best guess at this point.

© After a slow start, you could see Willie Parker start to gain confidence Sunday. He had just 22 yards on his first 10 carries and finished with 116 on 23 attempts.

That was what the Steelers really wanted to accomplish in this one.

Parker's knee is fine, but he didn't have a lot of confidence making the cuts he needed to be effective.

He does now.

So what if it was against the Browns. The Steelers need the threat of a running game to be effective in the playoffs. And a confident Parker gives them that.

© The Steelers really wanted to lead the league in scoring, total, rushing and passing defense but will have to settle for three of the four.

That's not bad. And considering that the Browns really made no attempt to throw the ball Sunday, it's not all that bad.

The Steelers allowed 156.9 yards passing per game this season, their best since 1990 when they gave up 156.3 per game.

For a team whose weakness was supposed to be the secondary, that's not bad.

© Would I have played Roethlisberger Sunday? You bet.

Roethlisberger was coming off a four-turnover game and needed some positive plays as well heading into the playoffs.

Harrison out

James Harrison will join Ryan Clark on the sidelines today as the Steelers finish off the regular season against the Browns.

It's not a bad move, as Lawrence Timmons will start at OLB and get plenty of work there, something he hasn't had a chance to do a lot of.

Everybody else will play as usual - at least until the Steelers get a big lead, which against these Browns could be 7-0.

Christmas Eve news

Whilst the children are all nestling in bed - OK, not yet – I was toiling away at the Steelers offices today.

Here's what we learned.

© It comes as no surprise that James Harrison was named team MVP for the second year in a row.

Harrison was a near unanimous choice with Aaron Smith getting some votes as well.

© Ben Roethlisberger took all the snaps today at practice and it appears as if he will see the majority of the playing time Sunday against the Browns. Roethlisberger had a wrap on his right ankle, but appears no worse for the wear.

© Ryan Clark (shoulder), Harrison (hip pointer), Willie Parker, Smith, Deshea Townsend and Hines Ward did not practice Wednesday.

Clark is out for Sunday's game, while Parker, Smith, Townsend and Ward were getting their regular veterans day off.

© The Steelers worked a lot against the wildcat package today. I would guess they're figuring to see a lot of Josh Cribbs at QB Sunday.

Tuesday Tomlin

Safety Ryan Clark won't play this week after injuring his shoulder in thte fourth quarter against Tennessee. He'll be the only starter who won't play, though.

Mike Tomlin said today that Tyrone Carter would start in Clark's place, but that Anthony Smith would see some time at free safety as well.

© James Harrison (hip pointer) and Ben Roethlisberger (ankle) will be limited at practice early in the week, but are expected to play.

© The Steelers finally gave up on getting Marvel Smith back this season and placed him on IR Tuesday.

To replace him on the active roster, the team signed Jason Capizzi to its roster. Capizzi was on the practice squad of the St. Louis Rams.

© Tomlin refused to address whether he stood behind offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and took offense at the question.

It was a poor time to ask about Arians. The team is 11-4 and readying for the playoffs, not 4-11.

Post Tennesee thoughts

The final score was 31-14, but this game was much closer than that.

Four turnovers to none will do that.

© I know Ben Roethlisberger said he was going to go into this game loose after the Steelers clinched the division title and a bye in the first round of the playoffs but I didn't realize he meant he was going to be loose with the football.

© Chris Kemoeatu had an awful game. Ike Taylor too.

© Mitch Berger actually had a good game, for those of you keeping track.

That was one positive to take out of this one.

© The Titans were pressing the Pittsburgh receivers a lot to take away the short passes that had been working so well in recent weeks. That opened some stuff up downfield, but it also caused Roethlisberger to get sacked and pressured on three-step drops because his primary reads were covered.

© Stomping on Terrible Towels is really a meaningless act, but you can bet Mike Tomlin will use it as a motivational tool the next time these teams meet - in about a month.

Yes, the Steelers and Titans will meet in the AFC Championship - unless Baltimore goes to Tennessee and beats the Titans.

© Tomlin said he will play the Browns next week as a regular game.

The guess here, though, is that he'll play it more like a preseason game. Once the Steelers get up 21 or so points - roughly three minutes into the second quarter - he'll start pulling some key starters.

Sunday morning

The Steelers have solved their short-yardage problems. Jerome Bettis was on the team flight to Nashville Saturday.

Bettis, however, was just hitching a ride to the game.

© There's ice on the field here at LP Field. The crew has been busy all morning scraping it off.

It rained here last night and apparently - though the field was covered - the cover is not heated. The water on the cover froze up and in the spots where there were gaps, there were large patches of ice on the turf.

© Anthony Smith is among the inactives today in something of a surprise.

Friday's update

Brett Keisel practiced again today, but it listed as questionable to play Sunday at Tennessee. Best guess is that he plays, albeit rotating generously with Travis Kirschke.

Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley are all probable. All but Woodley, who has a sore knee, have foot problems.

© The money in Vegas is heading the Steelers way. This game opened with the Titans favored by one, but now the Steelers are favored by two, a swing of three points.

That's a big swing for an NFL game, but as people looked at the Titans' 3-13 record without Albert Haynesworth, it made sense.

© It's been 24 quarters and counting since an opposing offense has had a holding call against the Steelers.

That's six games for those of you with problems in math.

But, as laid out in my story in Friday's O-R, that's a trend that's league-wide. NFL officials just aren't calling holding penalties - though I did see a couple in Thursday night's game.

In the same six games, the Steelers have had eight holding penalties called against them.

But for the season, the Steelers have had 19 holding penalties called on them, opponents, 21.

Thursday thoughts

Everybody was back at practice today, leaving Marvel Smith as the only player out.

This team is getting healthy at just the right time.

Win this week and they get to play Cleveland's JV team next week in what will likely be treated like a preseason game. Starters play a half, get a big lead and take a seat.

Cleveland hasn't scored a touchdown in more than 200 offensive plays and won't likely do so against the Steelers, either.

One of the dumbest questions bandied about the locker room this week by my media brethren was why do the Steelers want the No. 1 seed?

Sure, the Steelers have lost four of their past five AFC Championship games at home, but that was with Bill Cowher as head coach.

Really, only a couple of those games were upsets.

And I was there for each one of Cowher's crushing moments.

In 1994, they were big favorites over an average San Diego team and choked.

In 1995, they struggled with an average Indianapolis team before pulling it out.

In 1997, Denver was a wildcard team, but went 13-3 in the regular season. One of those losses was to the Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium, but the Broncos were a very good team.

In 2001, the Patriots were big underdogs, but a couple of fluke plays got them a win. And as we would later find, the Patriots were pretty good - and also cheating.

In 2004, the Steelers took a rookie quarterback - albeit a good one - into an AFC title game against the aforementioned Patriots and lost again.

So of those four losses, three were against he eventual Super Bowl champion. The only team I see in these AFC playoffs that's capable of winning it all other than the Steelers is Indianpolis. And, as the No. 1 seed, if the Steelers play the Colts, it would likely be in the divisional round.

Wednesday update

Sorry this is so late, but I'm trying to fit Christmas shopping in among everything else.

Quite a few bodies missing from practice today, but none are really considered serious.

Ryan Clark was hobbled today by a sore foot, but it's not expected to keep him out of Sunday's game at Tennessee.

In fact, foot injuries were the craze today as James Harrison and Troy Polamalu also were out with them. Again, they aren't considered serious.

© Speaking to some different guys in the locker room, I got some interesting answers to why they thought there hadn't been a holding penalty called against a Steelers opponent in 23 quarters – a span of nearly six games.

I'll have that story in Friday's Observer-Reporter.

© There were more than a few guys ticked off about the team's three Pro Bowl selections. But, as was pointed out, last year's Giants had just one Pro Bowl representative.

These guys will take a Super Bowl over a Pro Bowl every day.

© James Farrior offered to take anyone from the defense with him to Hawaii who wants to go.

Tuesday Tomlin

Brett Keisel will again try to return this week from his sprained MCL and has a pretty good shot of being ready to play at Tennessee.

That would leave the Steelers with just one starter out from the lineup they began the season with - Marvel Smith.

His back injury remains the same.

But Max Starks has played well in his absence, justifying the team's decision to put the transition tag on him in the offseason, despite a $7 million salary that came with it.

Not too many people complaining about that now.

Lost in the win was the fact the offensive line held up pretty well last week against a very good Baltimore defense.

The Steelers didn't move the ball great throughout the game, but they only had a couple of three-and-outs and those came at the beginning of the second half.

© Tomlin again refused to say what he would have done on fourth and goal at the end of the game against the Ravens. I don't blame him. It serves no purpose.

Though I was told they were preparing to go for it.

Had Santonio Holmes not been ruled in the end zone, the ball would have been placed at the one-inch line. I'm guessing Ben Roethlisberger gets into the end zone in that situation on a sneak.

© Tomlin brought up the fact that Kerry Collins has only been sacked seven times and thrown seven interceptions this season. That's all well and good, but he's also only thrown 11 touchdown passes.

Teams aren't going to beat the Steelers running the ball. Collins is going to have to beat them through the air.

Post-game thoughts-Baltimore

Was it a touchdown or not?

I didn't think so when Santonio Holmes first caught the pass from Ben Roethlisberger with 43 seconds remaining.

But after seeing the overhead replay and the side view, I thought the ball did reach Holmes hands just across the goal line.

People in Baltimore will obviously think otherwise, but that's water over the bridge as Bill Cowher once said.

© Ben Roethlisberger will go down as this generation's John Elway.

That's five times this season he's led the Steelers to game-winning or tying drives in the fourth quarter.

The crazy thing is that he can look awful at times, but when the game is on the line, he becomes a totally different quarterback.

The players and coaching staff believe in him and that's perhaps the biggest thing.

© We heard all week that Joe Flacco hasn't looked like a rookie of late.

He certainly looked like one Sunday.

Maybe that's the difference between playing the Bengals and Browns or playing the Steelers.

© Then again, the Ravens coaching staff didn't allow Flacco to try much downfield until they needed to.

They played not to lose instead of playing to win.

© That was one excited locker room after the game.

Most of the players on this team had never before won in Baltimore.

To get that monkey off their backs while also winning the division and locking up a first-round bye in the playoffs was a pretty good day for the Steelers.

© I said Saturday night when another writer asked me why I liked Pittsburgh to win this one that I felt if the Steelers could keep things close, the more veteran quarterback would win it. That proved to be the case.

That won't be the case next week in Tennessee. I don't think Kerry Collins can beat the Steelers. I just don't see it happening.

© Holmes was fortunate the Steelers came back and won this one – and he had the game-winning score - or he may have gone down as one of the biggest goats in Pittsburgh sports history.

Beautiful day in Baltimore

What a beautiful, sunny day here in Baltimore. There's practically no wind and the conditions look great.

I didn't see many Steelers fans here running around Fells Point or on the drive in to the stadium. This will truly be a hostile environment.

Pretty much every national media personality that covers the NFL is at this game, which is somewhat surprising considering the Cowboys are playing the Giants, and the Falcons are hosting Tampa.

Keisel won't play

Brett Keisel was unable to practice again today and won't play Sunday against the Ravens.

Fullback (?) Carey Davis did practice and is questionable to play.

James Harrison was also back at practice today after sitting out Thursday with a sore knee.

© While doing my weekly picks, I iniitally picked Baltimore to win this game.

But I've been thinking about it and Bob Prince's hidden vigourish comes to mind. The more something happens, the more likely it is that the opposite will occur.

The Steelers are due to win in Baltimore. And Ben Roethlisberger has only started one of the five games the Steelers have lost there.

I like Pittsburgh, 14-13.

Parker fallout

"Every morning when I come to work I walk past five Lombardi’s, not five rushing titles. The issue is winning, so do we need to get better in terms of running the football? Absolutely. The reason is this, because it increases our chances of winning. So that is my response to it and he needs to be a little more careful with the things he says and how he says it because they can be misinterpreted as uninformed or selfish, of which he is neither."

That was Mike Tomlin's response to Willie Parker's statements on Wednesday.

Tomlin said he also addressed the team about keeping its eye on the prize.

Certainly some of what Parker said about the problems with the running game are true. But some of it was also said out of frustration.

Tomlin also said that Parker didn't have a big problem running out of the two tight end sets last season when he was leading the league in rushing before being injured in the team's 15th game.

He has a point there.

But last year's offensive line was probably a little better with Alan Faneca in there and Parker wasn't banged up like he is now. Ben Roethlisberger was also having a better season, keeping opponents from stacking the box.

© Aaron Smith, Troy Polamalu, Deshea Townsend and Hines Ward returned to practice today, while James Harrison sat out to take a break.

Brett Keisel and Carey Davis both worked out a bit before practice, but did not practice. They could give it a shot Friday.

Parker blows up

Willie Parker went off for about the fourth time this season about the Steelers' lack of a running game.

Only this time, he was a little more specific with his complaints.

Parker said Wednesday that he prefers to run with a fullback in front of him - something the team rarely does - and that until the Steelers do that, the running game is going to look sporadic.

We'll see how Parker's outburst flies with the head coach.

When Parker complained to me and a couple of others following the Washington game about the team's lack of running, he promised to meet with head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians about his unhappiness with the rushing attack.

But then Parker was injured, so the meeting never happened.

But he's healthy now.

© Brett Keisel will try to practice Thursday, while Troy Polamalu (calf) may wait until Friday as he did last week before practicing.

Tuesday Tomlin

Once again, not much injury news to speak of at the Tomlin PC today.

Brett Keisel will try to go this week, which would give the Steelers their healthiest lineup since opening day.

Marvel Smith is still out - and Carey Davis is questionable with a calf injury - so they won't have everybody back.

But considering how much they use Davis and the fact that Smith hasn't played in two months, it's about as healthy as they could be.

It's a good thing, too, with the Ravens up next.

Even a loss in this game doesn't hurt the Steelers all that badly, though.

As I laid out in today's Observer-Reporter, the Steelers have a good shot at winning the division and the No. 2 seed in the AFC even if they lose to Baltimore and Tennessee.

The Ravens would need to go to Dallas and win - something they probably have a 10 percent chance of accomplishing - if the Steelers lose to Tennessee - which isn't a given.

Both teams will win their finales - Pittsburgh versus Cleveland, Baltimore against Jacksonville.

But if they finish in a tie, the Steelers have beaten teams with better records - assuming San Diego finishes with a better record than Oakland and New England at least matches Miami.

The two teams currently have identical schedules except for those games - though the Ravens own a win over Philadelphia, a team that beat Pittsburgh.

The Steelers own a win over Dallas, however, that would pretty much cancel that out.

Post-Dallas thoughts

Two games into their supposedly make-or-break four-game stretch the Steelers are 2-0.

But this offense continues to look like it's stuck in neutral.

One week they come out and run the ball like they really want to establish a running game, the next, it's run, pass, pass, or pass, run, pass.

Even when the run on first down picks up four or five yards, they still go right back to the air. You just can't establish a running game that way.

You also can't establish a running game when you hand the ball off to the backs just 21 times.

Maybe they were afraid of getting into third-and-longs against the Dallas pass rush. But because of the weather conditions that limited the passing for both teams, they did anyway.

Dallas picked up five sacks Sunday, but really, only two were the fault of the offensive line.

The first sack came on a corner blitz and two others were a case of Ben Roethlisberger holding the ball well past the point he should have.

Then again, Roethlisberger made a play scrambling around in the fourth quarter, so once again, things have a way of evening out.

But it sure is frustrating at times to watch him hold the ball and take a sack when he could have gotten rid of it.

Roethlisberger did throw a couple away Sunday as well, but all of this passing against a team that rushes the passer well just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

© Was there a worse use of a challenge in the history of challenges than Wade Phillips’ decision to challenge whether Roethlisberger’s knee was down late in the third quarter?

Phillips had already used a challenge in the first half and loss and even though he won the second challenge – giving Jason Hatcher a sack – was there really any difference between second-and-10 from the 18 and second-and-18 from the 26?

Phillips probably realized that with about five minutes to go when Nate Washington had a questionable catch in front of the Dallas bench on the Steelers’ game-tying touchdown drive.

© Mike Tomlin is the first coach in team history to win 10 games in each of his first two seasons.

Just in case you were wondering.

Can he win a playoff game in his first two seasons as well? Bill Cowher didn't do that either.

Not that anyone is keeping track of such things.

© The Steelers defense has now held 13-straight opponents under 300 yards of offense this season, the second-longest such streak since the NFL merger in 1970.

Dallas finished with 289 yards and rookie running back Tashard Choice hurt them a couple of times. But forcing five turnovers in back-to-back games against quality competition more than makes up for that.

The Steelers are a good bet to make it 14 in a row next week at Baltimore.

In fact, the first team to 200 yards or 10 points wins.

© Fans who were booing punter Mitch Berger needed to take a closer look at the conditions.

The wind was definitely in their face going into the close end of the field and when both teams were moving in that direction, that’s when bad things happened.

All three touchdowns were into the open end zone - including Deshea Townsend’s.

And every bad punt in this game was booted toward the closed end. That’s why the Steelers deferred after winning the coin toss and chose to open the game kicking toward the open end zone.

That's not to say Berger is a great punter. He's not.

But let's be realistic. It's not like the next Ray Guy was out there waiting to be signed after Daniel Sepulveda was injured.

© The Steelers’ kick coverage teams are the best that I’ve seen in the 16 seasons I’ve covered this team. And I’m talking about opposing teams as well.

And we’ve even begun to see some flashes in the return game in recent weeks, most notably Santonio Holmes’ 35-yard punt return in the fourth quarter.

Rookie linebacker Patrick Bailey has been a big part of that, which is why he'll get my vote as the team's rookie of the year.

© We’ve now seen James Harrison and DeMarcus Ware on the same field together and Harrison is by far the more disruptive force.

Ware had five tackles and a sack Sunday, while Harrison had eight tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. He also had a big stop on a fourth-down run.

And then he nearly killed Adam Jones on a punt return early in the game.

Harrison has to be the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.

He'll get a chance to be on the same field in a couple of weeks with another of the leading candidates, Tennessee's Albert Haynesworth.

Here's guessing he dominates that performance as well.

Friday news and notes

Troy Polamalu was back at practice today as expected and will play Sunday.

Only two players out for the Steelers are Brett Keisel and Marvel Smith, neither of which is a surprise.

For Dallas, it's looking like Marion Barber won't play. He's listed as questionable, but didn't practice all week and the Cowboys activated a running back from the practice squad to back up Tashard Choice, the only other back on the active roster.

I'd be shocked if the Cowboys beat the Steelers on a cold, wet Heinz Field turf with Tashard Choice at running back.

© Speaking of the Heinz Field turf, it got the highest vote (27 percent) as the worst in the NFL in a player's vote taken by Sports Illustrated.

But that's doesn't bother me as it does some others.

The turf at Heinz Field is a home field advantage for the Steelers. It's obviously in the heads of opposing players.

Watching films at training camp this year of games played in the 70s and on up through the 80s, there were some bad fields around the league at that time. Certainly Heinz Field is better than them.

And there's something about playing football in the mud that's just so natural.

The Steelers? Other than Willie Parker, I've never heard any players grousing about it. They're used to it and it really does give them a home field advantage.

The second-place finisher was Oakland at 13 percent.

Thursday thoughts

As expected, Ben Roethlisberger practiced today and is on schedule to start Sunday against the Cowboys at Heinz Field.

Roethlisberger, of course, was slightly injured Wednesday when he slipped dropping back to pass during practice and hyperextended his right knee.

© Aaron Smith, Travis Kirschke and Willie Parker were back at practice Thursday after sitting out Wednesday and should be ready to go Sunday.

Strong safety Troy Polamalu did not practice Thursday with his sore calf, but is expected to play, perhaps even if he does not practice Friday.

© DeMarcus Ware was back at practice Thursday for Dallas, but in a limited fashion.

That's better news than Dallas had on running back Marion Barber and cornerback Mike Jenkins. Both missed their third day of practice this week Thursday.

In fact, head coach Wade Phillips said Barber is very doubtful this week, though he will be a game-time decision.

Down goes Roethlisberger

OK, maybe Ben Roethlisberger didn't go all the way to the ground at practice Wednesday, but he certainly slipped and hyperextended his plant leg a little bit dropping back to pass.

Roethlisberger didn't finish practice and his backup, Byron Leftwich, also slipped a couple of times dropping back on the outdoor practice field - falling to the ground once .

Why work outdoors when you have an indoor facility?

First, it was a nice afternoon.

Second, since many of the players aren't from the northeast, to get them ready for the cold weather, they've got to practice in it.

Third, the soft field can't be any worse than what it could be like at Heinz Field if it gets wet this weekend.

Since the Steelers play a warm-weather team this weekend - Dallas - they want to be as ready for the weather conditions as possible.

Roethlisberger will be fine, but the team certainly got a scare.

© It looks like Bryant McFadden will be back this week, which will leave the Steelers with an interesting problem.

William Gay has played well with Deshea Townsend and McFadden out. Now, both are back, but who starts and who goes to the bench as the fourth corner.

The bet here is that Gay starts Sunday, with him shifting to the slot in the nickel with McFadden playing the outside and Townsend going to the bench.

© A number of players took the day off with some minor injuries, including Aaron Smith and Willie Parker.

But it was pretty much a veterans day off.

The only players the Steelers will be without this weekend are Brett Keisel and Marvel Smith.

Tuesday Tomlin

Not a whole lot on the injury front from Tuesday's Mike Tomlin press conference - and that's a good thing.

Marvel Smith and Brett Keisel are the only two players who are out.

Tomlin did speak more at length than he has in weeks about Smith's back problems and how the team is holding out hope that it will get Smith back at some point.

Willie Parker may not practice Wednesday, but should be back on the field Thursday.

Tomlin expects Bryant McFadden back this week. That will be a big addition against a Dalllas passing game that is even more dangerous than New England's.

The Steelers will prepare as if Marion Barber and DeMarcus Ware will play. Barber has a toe injury, Ware a knee.

Tomlin called Ware the best defensive player the Steelers have faced this season and also talked at length about how dangerous the Cowboys' offense is.

Post-New England thoughts

OK, so maybe the Steelers can run the football.

They just need to stick with it as they did Sunday in the rain. Of course it took them a half to figure that out.

After dropping back to pass 19 times in the first half - with 14 runs - the Steelers had Ben Roethlisberger drop back 14 times in the second half, with 20 runs.

As Willie Parker told me after the victory, that's Steelers football.

Those 20 second-half carries netted 121 yards as Parker ripped off a 31-yard run and Mewelde Moore had a 20-yard carry.

The two alternated possessions, wearing the Patriots down.

Parker told me after the game he didn't know that was the plan going into the game, but was OK with it since he's still not 100 percent. He certainly looked good Sunday.

© Some credit has to go to the offensive line, which allowed just one sack in addition to opening holes for 161 yards on the ground.

And that sack came on a corner blitz that, had Roethlisberger picked up a second earlier, would have gone for a nice gain to Nate Washington, who was standing in the flat by himself after the blitz.

© That was a vicious hit Ryan Clark put on Wes Welker and he's probably going to draw a fine. But it was a hit that needed to be made.

Clark left his feet on the play, otherwise it would have been perfectly legal. Brutal, but legal.

© I've said it before and I'll say it again: James Harrison is the best defensive player in the NFL.

That was an All-Pro left tackle he was beating like a red-headed stepchild Sunday in Matt Light.

I think Light is overrated - always have - but his resume says he should be able to handle Harrison. He couldn't.

© The Steelers special teams coverage teams are outstanding and make up for some return problems - though that phase is starting to come around as well.

© Don't be too hard on Lawrence Timmons for running out of gas on his 89-yard interception return.

Remember, he started in the middle of the field, sprinted into the flat to pick off the pass intended for Kevin Faulk and kept on sprinting until he got to about the New England 20, where he slowed down.

He probably ran about 110 yards on the entire return after running around for an entire game.

© Timmons had a blitz earlier in the game where he came from the outside and crushed Matt Cassel just after he released the ball. Cassel gave Timmons a look like, "what the hell was that?" Timmons hit him hard.

Game day news

It's my understanding that Willie Parker and Deshea Townsend will play today. McFadden will not.

It's very rainy and wet here today and the weather is supposed to turn to snow around 6 p.m.

Friday's update

Willie Parker practiced again Friday and looks like he'll be ready to go Sunday at New England.

Deshea Townsend also made it through every practice this week and appears to be good to go as well.

Bryant McFadden continued practicing, but there's no word yet if he's been cleared medically to play. As noted earlier this week, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus is telling McFadden to wait. We'll see how that plays out for the free agent-to-be,

Richard Seymour returned to practice for the Patriots Friday after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday, but linebacker Tedy Bruschi and defensive lineman Ty Warren were limited in practice for the third day in a row, Bruschi with a knee, Warren with a groin injury.

If either of those guys can't play, it could be a long day for the Patriots.

Secondary getting healthy

The Steelers on Thursday re-signed running back Najeh Davenport, a sure sign they expect to get at least one of their injured cornerbacks back in the lineup Sunday at New England.

How does the re-signing of a running back figure into that?

To make room for Davenport on the roster, the team released cornerback Roy Lewis.

On first glance, it might appear the re-signing of Davenport would be insurance if Willie Parker doesn't play because of his sore knee.

But Parker practiced Thursday and looks to be on schedule to play.

Davenport is a solid special teams player and with Deshea Townsend practicing for the second consecutive day Thursday while coming back from a hamstring injury, and Bryant McFadden also being a possibility, the Steelers didn't need Lewis.

Manufacturing drama

Leave it to the Boston media to try to manufacture something that isn't there.

In a story in last week's Indiana Gazette, Anthony Smith - yes that Anthony Smith - was asked if he still felt the same way about his guarantee of a victory over the New England Patriots last season.

Smith said he didn't feel any different about it - as he said after the game, what's he supposed to think, that his team is going to lose?

He then went on to say that IF the Steelers defense continues to play well and IF the offense plays well, the Steelers will win on Sunday.

That's kind of like saying that IF I met a supermodel and IF she liked me, I might have a chance.

Of course the idiots in Boston are taking that as a guarantee - from a guy who plays nothing but special teams.

Smith is the Steelers' fourth safety this season and has barely seen the field as a defensive player. He's been used mostly on special teams.

But hey, guys, whatever you think you need to do to generate a controversy.

In fact, Smith's quote was so innoculous, that it was the last paragraph of the story.

It's good talk-show fodder - and the Pittsburgh radio guys swamped Smith Wednesday - but there's no reason to talk to a backup safety and there was no reason for him to make any guarantee, which he didn't do anyway.

© Willie Parker didn't practice Wednesday and is looking iffy to play Sunday against the Patriots.

Bryant McFadden practiced again and said he's waiting for clearance from team doctors to play this week.

Word has it, though, that McFadden's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has been in his client's ear about returning to quickly and getting hurt.

McFadden is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

On the plus side, Deshea Townsend did practice. I don't know if that means he'll play, but it certainly seems like a possibility, even though Mike Tomlin said he was doubtful on Tuesday.

Four with Steelers ties reach semifinals

Rod Woodson, Kevin Greene, Dermontti Dawson and Russ Grimm are among the 25 semifinalists being considered for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

Of that group, this is Woodson's first year of eligibility.

Woodson is considered a shoe-in for induction, while the others have been up for vote in the past and come up short.

To me, Woodson, Dawson and Grimm should all be easy choices.

Woodson was a game-changing cornerback for the Steelers before switching to safety later in his career and excelling at that as well.

Dawson was the most dominant center - and possibly lineman - of his era.

And Grimm was a cornerstone for the Redskins' Hogs of their Super Bowl teams in the '80s before going into coaching.

Greene is among the league's all-time sack leaders, but was perhaps too one-dimensional in my opinion to be a sure-fire Hall of Fame player.

That one dimension was pretty good, but he was a liability in coverage. When he was with the Steelers, he wasn't even the best defensive player on his team, ranking behind Woodson, Greg Lloyd, Levon Kirkland and Carnell Lake in the pecking order - in my opinion.

© The Steelers should get Bryant McFadden back this week against the Patriots, while Willie Parker is questionable to play.

Deshea Townsend and Brett Keisel are definitely out, as is Marvel Smith.

© Mike Tomlin didn't exactly give Mitch Berger a ringing endorsement today when asked why the team chose to re-sign him, saying it came down more to continuity at holder for Jeff Reed.

That's what I've been saying about the signing. But even a hobbled Berger has to be better than Paul Ernster was in the two games he replaced Berger in.

Berger has had nearly a month since he last kicked, so his injured hamstring should be better.

A Sunday update

The Steelers moved into first place in the most important defensive statistic Sunday when Tennessee got blitzed by the Jets and now lead the league in scoring defense.

They lost their lead to Philadelphia in sacks and now trail the Eagles by two in that category, but lead the league in pass, rush and total defense in addition to scoring.

© Baltimore isn't going away and the Steelers are going to have to keep the pedal to the metal the rest of the way.

I still think they need to go at least 2-2 in their next four games - and 3-2 - overall to win the division. That would force Baltimore to go 4-1 in games at Cincinnati and Dallas, and at home against the Redskins, Steelers and Jaguars.

If that happens and the Ravens beat the Steelers in Baltimore, the two teams would be tied atop the division having split their two meetings and both owning 5-1 records in the AFC North.

The third tiebreaker is record against common opponents.

If that's the case, everything could hinge on what the Steelers do against Tennessee and/or Dallas.

The Ravens lost to the Titans, while a victory by the Steelers would cancel out Sunday's win by Baltimore over Philadelphia, a team the Steelers lost to.

If the Steelers beat the Cowboys at home and the Ravens lose in Dalllas, that would also cancel out the Philadelphia loss.

The fourth tiebreaker is conference record and if the two teams finish tied and if the Ravens go 2-2 against the NFC East, while the Steelers go 1-3 – losing to Dallas – Pittsburgh would win the division based on a better record within the AFC, 10-3 compared to Baltimore's 9-4.

The fifth tiebreaker is strength of victory and it's likely the Steelers would have the Ravens there if they go 2-2 in the next four weeks.

Post-Cincinnati thoughts

Paul Ernster, we barely knew ya.

When I asked Mike Tomlin about the aforementioned Ernster following Thursday's 27-10 victory over the Bengals, the look he shot me could have cut glass.

The Steelers are playing championship defense and their coverage units have been pretty darn good throughout the season.

But you can't average less than 30 yards per punt against good teams and win.

The Steelers will begin the tryout process for a new punter this weekend.

© The team hosted its portion of the punt, pass and kick before Sunday's win against San Diego. Here's betting the 13 and 14-year-old winner booted the ball more than 30 yards - and I'm talking about the girls champion.

© The Bengals came out with short, quick passes to negate the Steelers' pass rush and it worked for a series.

But Dick LeBeau isn't Dick LeBeau for no reason.

He turned up the pressure at just the right time to make Cincinnati quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick feel like he had less time to pass than he did

It was perfect.

The Steelers had better get used to seeing that kind of attack. There's no way opponents are going to allow LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison to have free shots at their quarterback on a play-to-play basis.

This team is impossible to run against and if your quarterback gets on a bit of a roll, the only way to move the ball consistently is to throw those three and four-yard passes and hope somebody misses a tackle.

© Cincinnati's defense is playing better, but the Steelers have to be a bit concerned that their running game produced little in the first half.

People - myself included - have been clamouring for this team to run the ball more. They tried against the Bengals and spent two quarters banging their collective head against the wall before it finally opened up.

© Willie Parker left the game in the third quarter after tweaking his knee - the same one that caused him to miss four games - but it's not considered serious.

Brett Keisel's knee injury in the fourth quarter, however, could be a little more serious - though we won't know for sure for a few days.

© The Steelers have put themselves into good position entering their toughest stretch of the season. Three of the next four are on the road, with the only home game being against the Cowboys.

The Steelers have to travel to New England, Baltimore and Tennessee.

If they can go 2-2 in that stretch, it will say a lot about this team's chances in the postseason.

Wednesday news

Heath Miller made it through both days of practice this week and is good to go Thursday night against Cincinnati.

Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said, however, they expect Miller to probably tweak the ankle here or there - nothing serious - and to be limited to about 75 percent of the offensive plays.

If you've ever had a badly sprained ankle before, you know how easy it is to turn it again doing the most simple of things. But the pain goes away pretty quickly.

It kind of gives you an idea, however, of how serious they're taking this game.

The Steelers could allow Miller another week off to rest the ankle and get it ready for the game at New England. But they're going to put him on the field at less than 100 percent this week because they need this win against the Bengals.

Miller likely can't do any more damage to the ankle, but the Steelers need him to make their offense go.

Tuesday news

Short week, short notes.

Bryant McFadden is practicing again this week, but the team is waiting until the New England game to bring him back.

That's probably a smart move since it gives his broken forearm another 10 days to heal and the Steelers need him for the long run.

© Heath Miller could be back this week, which would be good news for an offense that's struggled to score without him.

© Marvel Smith continues to be out and Mike Tomlin said surgery hasn't been decided upon - yet - for his injured back.

© For the first time in weeks, the team came out of a game with no new injuries. That's a good thing considering they'll have a mini-bye after Thursday's game with 10 days off before they head to New England.

© Willie Parker and Gary Russell could share short-yardage carries.

The $64 million mistake

We all make mistakes from time to time. Fortunately, most aren't as costly as the one made by Scott Green in Sunday's 11-10 win by the Steelers Sunday over San Diego.

According to R.J. Bell of Pregame.com, Green's blown call on the final play that robbed Troy Polamalu and the Steelers of a touchdown was a $64 million swing in Las Vegas.

The Steelers were giving 5 points in the game and Polamalu's touchdown would have covered the spread.

Of course that doesn't take into account the "ahem" local interests, so you can bet - no pun intended - that the figure was actually over $100 million since most of the money was going Pittsburgh's way in this one. The spread went from 3 1/2 to 5 points in favor of the Steelers during the week.

Others who are a little angry about Green's call include fantasy owners who have either Polamalu or the Steelers defense on their teams.

Chargers post-game thoughts

OK, I've watched and re-watched the final play of Sunday's 11-10 win and read and re-read the official explanation of the play and no, the play still doesn't make any sense the way it was called.

That was a touchdown scored by Troy Polamalu at the end of that game.

The final score should have been 18-10.

That won't help anybody who bet on the Steelers. The final score is the final score and that's why gambling is, well, gambling.

© Willie Parker explained he wasn't in the game on fourth-and-goal in the first quarter because the coaching staff didn't want him running any short-yardage plays with a sore shoulder.

That makes sense. But why didn't the coaching staff go to Gary Russell in that situation instead of Mewelde Moore.

Moore has proven that for all the good things he can do, short-yardage running is not one of them.

Parker said after the game that he'll be lobbying for short-yardage runs. But you can bet Russell will be in that mix as well.

© I didn't see any weakness in Ben Roethlisberger's arm, particularly on that ball he zipped in to Hines Ward on third down on the final drive.

He put that ball in the only spot Ward could catch the ball and also threaded it between two defenders. That was a big-time throw.

© If there's a defensive player in the league playing better than James Harrison, I don't know who he is.

© Now you can see why the Steelers went with Mitch Berger instead of Paul Ernster at punter.

Don't be surprised if the team makes another change there soon.

© Why do opponents continue to try to cut block LaMarr Woodley?

Haven't they seen enough of him leaping over players and getting to the quarterback anyway to see that it doesn't work?

© There may not have ever been a game in the NFL in which a team has had 410 yards of offense, no turnovers and failed to score - before Sunday, that is.

Let is snow

The snow is falling hard here at Heinz Field a half-hour before the start of today's game with the Chargers. Should make things interesting.

No real surprises in the inactive list for either team.

With Baltimore getting smacked around in New York as expected, the Steelers have a chance to create some room between themselves and the Ravens today.

Ownership getting settled

Dan and Art Rooney II have reportedly reached an agreement with the other four sons of team founder Art Rooney to purchase their shares of the Steelers.

That would keep ownership of the team in the family and resolve issues the NFL had with the Rooneys about dual ownership of the Steelers and several racing tracks involved with gambling.

So much for the sky-is-falling crowd who thought there would be a day in the near future in which the Steelers would not be owned and run by the Rooney family.

Overtime strikes again

Watching Thursday night's Jets-Patriots game, we saw another reason why the NFL should change its overtime rules.

The Patriots stormed back to tie the Jets at 31-31, only to watch helplessly as the Jets - who had done very little in the second half - win the coin toss and move into field goal range for a game-winning field goal in overtime after winning the coin toss.

How much more exciting would that game have been if both teams were given the ball at the 50?

Think the Jets would have settled for a field goal unless they had to knowing the Pats would get the ball as well with a chance to score?

Wednesday thoughts

Ben Roethlisberger practiced Wednesday, but didn't want to admit that maybe his timing was off because of his lack of practice time this season.

That may be a bit of a pipe dream.

Roethlisberger's reasoning was that the team's receivers are guys he's worked with in the past. But that just doesn't matter. When you're missing half the practices, your timing is going to be off. Otherwise, nobody would ever practice.

© The Steelers are about as healthy this week as they've been in the past month - with the notable exception of the cornerback position.

They had better dial up the pressure this week against San Diego.

LaMarr Woodley didn't practice Wednesday, but he'll be back for the game. That will help.

© Roethlisberger was chucking the ball deep in practice Wednesday. So much for the theory being touted on local radio that he couldn't.

The people saying that discounted the fact the Colts play a Cover-2 defense, which allows the ball to be thrown underneath.

© Willie Parker said he's embarrassed that the running game is averaging under 100 yards per game. That might not change this week against a San Diego secondary that's the worst in the NFL.

But at least Parker will be back.

He put his shirt on over his head while talking to me Wednesday, raising both arms over his head. There was no grimmace of pain like I've noticed with Roethlisberger at times. That's a good sign.

© Word is that Marvel Smith may undergo another back surgery - no surprise to readers of this blog.

So much for the back spasms, as head coach Mike Tomlin called them.

Tomlin PC news

The Steelers added veteran cornerback Fernando Bryant to their roster Tuesday to help add depth to a unit depleted due to injuries to Bryant McFadden and Deshea Townsend.

To make room for Bryant on the roster, the team released linebacker Donovan Woods, who they hope to add to the practice squad again.

The team also added safety Ryan Mundy to its practice squad. Mundy was a sixth-round draft pick this year who was injured in training camp. To make room for Mundy on the pratice squad, the team released Grant Mason.

Bryant, a 10-year veteran, has played for Jacksonville – where he was a first-round draft pick – Detroit and New England.

He was released by New England at the end of training camp by the Patriots.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said Bryant will battle Anthony Madison for the nickel corner spot this week with Townsend out with a hamstring injury and McFadden needing at least one more week to recover from a broken forearm.

© Heath Miller will likely not play again this week due to a high ankle sprain.

© LaMarr Woodley is expected to be back this week after sitting out Sunday with a calf injury.

© Willie Parker is also expected to return this week after sitting out against the Colts with a shoulder injury. Tomlin said Parker's shoulder briefly popped out of the socket against the Redskins, but Parker did not realize it at the time.

While he did not exactly deny Parker has a torn labrum, he also did not confirm it.

© Left tackle Marvel Smith could be back at practice this week, but he may not be ready to step back into the starting lineup. Smith has been out a month with a back injury and Tomlin admitted Smith may be a little rusty.

© Tomlin is hopeful that Ben Roethlisberger will be able to go through an entire week of practice. He admitted that Roethlisberger's lack of practice time this season may be starting to have a trickle-down effect.

Visiting Steigerworld

I'll be on KDKA radio with John Steigerwald Monday at 8:05 talking about the decline of Ben Roethlisberger.
You can be Kordell Stewart's name will be mentioned once or twice.

Indianapolis post-game thoughts

Two shots from the 1 and no touchdown against one of the league's worst run defenses.

It was almost like the Colts knew what was coming.

Oh, that's right, they did. The Steelers ran the same play they did to score two touchdowns in the first half.

© Bruce Arians is taking a lot of heat for his play calling and in previous games it was deserved.

But there was nothing wrong with Sunday's game plan, which called for plenty of short passes and running.

It would have worked if the quarterback hadn't gotten greedy and tried to force a couple of passes.

© Uh oh, I'm criticizing Ben Roethlisberger. Let the name-calling begin.

© That's one touchdown and eight interceptions by Roethlisberger in his past 10 quarters of football.

I know the guy has won a lot here – including a Super Bowl – but he's not playing well right now. There's no sugar-coating it.

And don't give me the, "He has no time to pass," argument. The Colts only had two sacks Sunday on 44 dropbacks. The pass blocking wasn't the problem.

© Willie Parker's got a torn labrum. That'd be a problem if he were a pitcher or quarterback. But they'll have to put a harness on him and he's going to have to play through it.

They could have used him Sunday.

© Could have used Heath Miller, too, particularly down by the goal line.

One of the best ways to attack a Cover-2 is to use the tight end down the middle. Matt Spaeth had some nice grabs Sunday, but he gets nothing after the catch.

© The Steelers may be forced to rush Bryant McFadden back this week with Deshea Townsend going down with a hamstring injury.

© Mike Tomlin said LaMarr Woodley, being a young guy, needs to practice to play.

He would have been a help Sunday, but I don't know that he would have made a difference coming from Peyton Manning's front side.

The Steelers gave Manning fits with their pressure Sunday, forcing him to throw on the move, something he does not do well. But that's about the only thing he doesn't do well.

In the long run, giving Woodley the week off will help. He should be back next week against San Diego, a game that is now a must-win contest.

© Glad to see the Steelers finally found themselves a kick returner.

Reading the injury report

Let me preface this by saying that getting injury information out of the Tomlin regime is like prying state secrets out of the former U.S.S.R.

Bill Cowher had his faults, but he rarely played games with the injury report. He would tell you up front who was likely to play and who wasn't.

Tomlin is not that way. I can understand why, but it doesn't make my job - or that of fans who want to know if their favorite player is going to play or not - any easier.

But I digress.

Ben Roethlisberger practiced Friday and it appears that he'll play Sunday against the Colts. Tomlin could still change his mind about that, but I doubt it.

Willie Parker, on the other hand, likely won't play. His sore shoulder didn't get any better as the week wore on, so it appears Mewelde Moore, Gary Russell and Carey Davis will get the carries against the Colts.

Moore will also likely have to return kicks because Najeh Davenport has been out all week with a hamstring injury. Santonio Holmes will handle the punt returns.

linebacker LaMarr Woodley, who was fined $10,000 this week for a hit on Jason Campbell last week, did not practice all week with his calf injury. But Woodley didn't practice last week, either, and played against the Redskins, picking up a pair of sacks.

I would guess that he'll play this week.

Thursday update

Ben Roethlisberger sat out practice again Thursday, but is targeting Friday as a day to possibly return.

Willie Parker sat out again with his shoulder injury, but like Roethlisberger, he is targeting Friday as a day to practice.

At this point, I would say that Heath Miller, Marvel Smith, Najeh Davenport and Bryant McFadden are the guys who will be out.

© There are several reports that the Steelers are interested in signing former Atlanta and Oakland cornerback DeAngelo Hall. Even though the Steelers could use some help at the position - particularly next season – I don't see it happening.

Hall has been a bit of a goofball during his career and, in my opinion, is overrated as a player. He's certainly not as good as he thinks he is.

He could possibly help the Steelers in the return game, however. Hall has done a little punt and kick returning in his career.

Perhaps bringing a me-first guy into this locker room is something the Steelers feel they could get away with because they have strong leadership.

Playing the game

Tony Dungy in his conference call with the Pittsburgh media Wednesday said he expects to see Ben Roethlisberger in the starting lineup Sunday when the Colts meet the Steelers.

Mike Tomlin and Roethlisberger are playing a little game of cat and mouse with the decision.

Sure, Roethlisberger told the media later in the day, he'd like to play and will do everything possible to play.

Tomlin, meanwhile, was more vague.

Roethlisberger could play without practicing, Tomlin said. Heck, he's already done it once this season.

The whole point for Tomlin is to keep the Colts guessing. And why not? Make the Colts prepare for both Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich.

© A number of Steelers didn't practice Wednesday in addition to Roethlisberger, but of that group, only Bryant McFadden, Marvel Smith and tight end Heath Miller are likely definitely out for this game.

© There's some growing disgust in the locker room about the lack of running the team is doing. Ask a question about the running game - or lack thereof - and you'll get the company answer. But with it is an accompanying eye roll and smile that tells you all you need to know.

Steelers release Berger

The Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday released punter Mitch Berger, replacing him with veteran Paul Ernster.

The 26-year-old Ernster had been released by the Steelers at the end of training camp after losing a preseason battle for the punter's position with Berger.

Berger, 36, was signed in training camp to compete with Ernster for the punting job when Daniel Sepulveda suffered a torn ACL in training camp.

Berger averaged 41.9 yards per punt, but had seen his average decrease in recent weeks as he struggled with a hamstring injury in his left (non-kicking) leg.

Ernster has appeared in 19 games in parts of four NFL seasons. He averaged 41.7 yards per punt with Denver in 2006, the only season in which he spent the entire year on a team's roster.

Post-game Washington thoughts, Tomlin PC

The Steelers defense is playing the best football I've seen a unit play in the 16 seasons I've been covering the team.

Not only is this defense getting after the quarterback at a record pace, it's also stopping the run at a record pace as well.

That combination allows head coach Mike Tomlin to do silly things like try surprise onside kicks to open games.

After the Steelers turned the Giants away time after time two weeks ago, Tomlin knew there was no way the Redskins were getting the ball into the end zone.

It was a roll of the dice by Tomlin, but it didn't hurt him because the defense continues to bail this team out.

© Tomlin said today that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hurt his shoulder on the quarterback sneak at the end of the first half, but it certainly looked like Roethlisberger's shoulder was bothering him throughout the game.

Roethlisberger is also wearing a brace on his left thumb after hyperextending it against the Giants. He's beat up and it might be a good idea to sit him down this week against the Colts, even if he's cleared to play.

They need a healthy Roethlisberger for the stretch run and playoffs. And Byron Leftwich showed that he can lead this team.

That will particularly be the case against an Indianapolis team that the Steelers figure to run the ball plenty against.

© Willie Parker was upset after the game because he didn't feel like he had a particularly good game.

Parker told me he's still not 100 percent, but he's very close. He added that the Steelers are going to run the ball and run it plenty soon and was very adamant about it.

© Mitch Berger's hamstring problem is becoming a big problem for the Steelers. The defense is playing outstanding, but this team can't continue to get 35 yards a punt.

© Heath Miller will definitely miss Sunday's game against Indianapolis. Ryan Clark could be back.

Tomlin was a bit evasive about Marvel Smith's status again. But at some point, they have to think about shutting him down for the season, particularly if they get another injury on their offensive line.

They're holding out hope with Smith, but unless his back responds to treatment soon, it's just that, hope.

Washington-Pittsburgh inactives

Inactive for the Steelers are McFadde, Clark, Bruce Davis, Keyaron Fox, Tony Hils, Marvel Smith, Orpheus Roye and Dixon.

Santana Moss is active for the Redskins and will start.
Springs and Taylor are out. Fred Smoot will start for Springs.