The question about if Ryan Clark is going to go in Denver appears now to be answered, as Sporting News is reporting that he, along with Lawrence Timmons and Travis Kirschke will all be out for the Monday night affair:
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense is expected to be without three starters against the Denver Broncos: DE Travis Kirschke, ILB Lawrence Timmons and S Ryan Clark.
Clark will be held out because he has the sickle-cell trait, which could jeopardize his health when exerting himself in Denver’s high altitude. Tyrone Carter, a backup strong safety, will take Clark’s spot.
Nick Eason will start at left defensive end for Kirschke and will be spelled by No. 1 pick Ziggy Hood.
But nose tackle Chris Hoke has been taking more and more snaps at defensive end and could actually see some time there while Kirschke is out. Right now, he would only be used in an emergency if another defensive end were to get injured.
Also, Limas Sweed, who has been beset with drop problems, will be the fourth receiver against the Broncos. He is getting another chance because he has looked good in practice the past couple weeks, according to the coaches.
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Orange Crush
November 8, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Just wanted to mention how relieved I was to hear this morning that Clark decided not to play on Monday. I wish there was a way to communicate this to him directly.
This desire has nothing to do with the game but with this man’s well being. Being extremely competive I am sure that many of us understand how much he wanted to play, but even warriors sometimes need to know when to fight and to retreat. Seeing him get hurt and potentially losing him for other games would be bad enough, but this is a matter of potentially life and death and it is just not worth it.
We would all prefer to see our teams clash at full strength, but in this case if the roles where reversed I would hope that any Bronco would be encouraged by his team, fans and make the right decision to sit down.
One game is certainly a better trade off, than a career or a lifetime.