With the official injury report due out Wednesday, there’s some early indications of who to watch for the Steelers heading into practice when it comes to injuries.
Starting QB Ben Roethlisberger will be listed as questionable (or 50/50 to play) due to his grade one ankle sprain. Strong safety Troy Polamalu (hamstring), outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley (hamstring) and center Maurkice Pouncey (high-ankle strain) will be evaluated throughout the week, and will all be listed as questionable.
“Under the circumstances with James Harrison, it would benefit us to have LaMarr Woodley,” Tomlin said. “The guys who are available to us are the guys we’ll work with. You lose guys because of injuries or a suspension, the standard is still the standard. We won’t blink in that regard.”
Also, linebacker Chris Carter (hamstring) is questionable. Tomlin said he’s confident that both wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (foot) and defensive end Ziggy Hood (groin strain) will participate in today’s practice.
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DrGeorge
December 14, 2011 at 11:01 am
Hopefully, Carter and Woodley will recover sufficiently to play; otherwise, we will go from being a team that is linebacker rich to one dependent on backups at key positions. Our young guys on D — Sylvester, Worilds, Hood, and Heyward — must step up against the 49ers, if we are to win.
The amount of time the defense will spend on the field will be determined by whether Ben R. can play on offense. If Ben is unable to go, the strategic shortcomings of Arians’ one-dimensional aerial circus will become only too apparent, and the burden of carrying the team will necessarily shift to the running game (possibly without Pouncey at Center) and to the defense. Whether Arians can cobble together an effective running game in six days is anyone’s guess. That places even more pressure on our D.
Then, there is the challenge of playing a division leader on its home field on the West Coast. The rigors of travel, a hostile crowd, and the change in time zones will not help either. So, Tomlin and his staff have their work cut out for them. And the betting money in Las Vegas won’t be on the Steelers. The 49ers will be over-confident, and the Steelers will have their backs to the wall.
All of which means to the Steelers faithful that the conditions are ripe for an upset. Legends are made in games like this.
George H
December 14, 2011 at 11:34 am
Is there really any doubt that Ben won’t play? He came in with one foot and still got the job done on Thursday night. I can understand wanting to protect your most important asset of the team, but if the Steelers want any chance of winning the division, they need to win out. No doubt in my mind Ben will be ready for prime time. Like the Doc said, these are the moments when legends are born… in Ben’s case, just adding to his.