The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to play the Denver Broncos in the first round of the playoffs on January 8, 2012. The game will be held in the high altitude and low oxygen conditions of Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. Unfortunately, for Steelers S Ryan Clark, this means he will not be able to play and he has been pulled out of the game.

Clark carries the sickle cell trait in his blood and when exposed to high altitude and reduced oxygen, this condition can become life-threatening. Clark learned this in 2007 when he last played in Denver. That game cost him his spleen and gallbladder, as well as a loss of 30 pounds and an end to his season. He thought he was going to die.

So what exactly is sickle cell and how is it affected by high altitude and reduced oxygen?

Sickle cell affects the red blood cells in the body. It is caused by a trait that is acquired from both parents.

Healthy red blood cells are round in shape and designed to move easily through the blood vessels. They carry the iron-rich protein called hemoglobin which carries oxygen throughout your body. In people with sickle cell disease, these red blood cells are crescent shaped and carry abnormal hemoglobin. Because of the shape of the cells, they can also block blood flow in the vessels. This can cause pain, organ damage and serious infections.

In order to have sickle cell disease, you need to have received the sickle cell trait from both of your parents. However, if you only receive the trait from one parent, you are diagnosed with sickle cell trait. This means that you will more than likely not have symptoms of the disease but can see complications under certain conditions.

Ryan Clark is considered to have sickle cell trait. He does not suffer from the disease on a regular basis but can experience complications and can pass the trait to his children.

Complications for those carrying the sickle cell trait occur under conditions of high atmospheric pressure, low oxygen levels, dehydration and high altitudes. Unfortunately for Clark, those account for many of the conditions in Denver. The higher altitude and reduced oxygen can be difficult enough for healthy individuals to receive enough oxygen for their body, but with sickle cell trait it becomes even more difficult.

While the idea of missing the first playoff game is not appealing to Clark, neither is a risk of potential complications. This is not the first game he has missed because of this condition. The Steelers have played Denver two times since that game in 2007 and Clark was pulled out of both of them.

Deborah Braconnier is a former athlete, medical professional and avid football fan. She is a freelance writer and Featured Contributor for the NFL and Olympics. She has followed the Denver Broncos since she was a child and can usually be found yelling at the television during football season. Follow her on Twitter at @fwcdeborah.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) — SportsRadio 93-7 The Fan Steelers’ Insider Ed Bouchette thinks we’ll hear by tomorrow whether or not James Harrison will be fined or suspended for Thursday night’s hit on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy.

As for what he thinks should happen to the Steelers linebacker, Bouchette said Harrison “maybe should get fined, but not suspended.”

During his weekly visit to The Fan Morning Show, Bouchette also previewed the Steelers’ upcoming match against the San Francisco 49ers.

Steelers Insider Ed Bouchette

  Add Your Comment

| Read (0) Comments

Published 11/26/2011 in Sports

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t remember a whole lot about the last time the Pittsburgh Steelers played the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Steelers’ quarterback sustained a concussion when his head banged into the knee of Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson as he leaned headfirst during a running play in overtime. He came back to play some of his best games of the 2009 season afterward, twice throwing for three touchdowns without an interception and leading Pittsburgh to a second-place finish in the AFC East.

It certainly wasn’t the first time Big Ben was banged up.

There have been numerous concussions, several knee injuries, and a fractured thumb sustained a few weeks ago against Cincinnati. Roethlisberger plans to play Sunday night against Kansas City, even though he admitted it’ll be painful, and that’s dreadful news to the Chiefs.

The truth is that Roethlisberger seems to play better when he’s ailing.

“He’s an extremely intense competitor,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said, “and I think adversity such as that brings that out of him. I think it’s a characteristic that all good competitors have.”

Pittsburgh had last week off, giving Roethlisberger time to heal. But the thumb still bothered him in practice this week, and he didn’t take snaps under center early in the week, working out of the shotgun with a splint under his glove to protect it.

It’s unclear how Pittsburgh might alter its playbook in light of the injury, though it won’t be the first time there have been subtle tweaks. The team worked out of the shotgun and pistol last year against Baltimore to take some of the pressure off Roethlisberger’s sprained foot.

“I’ll be out there, I guarantee that,” Roethlisberger said. “It won’t be an issue that way. Will it be an issue with pain and throwing? I don’t know.”

Roethlisberger said he doesn’t plan to take an injection to numb the pain. Instead, he’ll simply play right through it, something he’s done with tremendous success at other times in his career.

“For me the reason I want to play is for my guys,” he said. “When you’re dinged up a little bit, you have to play a little better, concentrate a little bit more.”

It would take a lot more than a banged up thumb to keep Roethlisberger out this week. The Steelers (7-3) are a half-game behind Baltimore (8-3) in the tough AFC North, with Cincinnati just a game back, heading into this week’s games. They have a good opportunity to pick up a win on the road against the Chiefs (4-6), who have lost three straight and been ravaged by injuries all season.

The latest occurred two weeks ago, when quarterback Matt Cassel hurt his throwing hand late in a loss to Denver. Any hope that he’d be able to return this season vanished the very next day when he had season-ending surgery, turning the reins of an offense already missing tight end Tony Moeaki and All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles to a journeyman quarterback in Tyler Palko.

Palko appeared comfortable despite throwing three interceptions in a 34-3 loss last week at New England, which earned him another start Sunday. After that is anyone’s guess.

The Chiefs picked up Kyle Orton off waivers from the Broncos on Wednesday, but he couldn’t make it to Kansas City until Friday. That meant there was virtually no chance he could get up to speed in time to play against the Steelers. With a tough stretch coming up, though, the Chiefs were willing to pay the roughly $2.6 million Orton is still owed to potentially play in just five games.

“We have consistently communicated that we are always looking to create competition and depth within our team,” Chiefs coach Todd Haley said. “We feel adding Kyle to our roster reinforces that goal and we look forward to having him as a member of the Chiefs.”

For as long as it may be. Orton is a free agent after this season.

In the meantime, Palko is preparing to make the second start of his professional career against a team that has made a habit of competing for Super Bowls.

The son of a high school coach in western Pennsylvania said he’s undaunted by the challenge, especially after making his debut in a high-profile game on Monday night at New England a week ago.

“I was surprisingly calm throughout the whole game,” Palko said.

Playing the Steelers is especially meaningful for Palko because he grew up watching the Steelers, and even played at Heinz Field while he was leading the University of Pittsburgh.

The fact Kansas City could turn around its season with a victory — the Chiefs are two games behind AFC West-leading Oakland — only adds to the pressure. Another loss with a tough stretch looming would almost certainly eliminate Haley’s crew from playoff contention.

“I’m fired up,” Palko said. “It was fun growing up in Pittsburgh, seeing the Steelers, the black and gold, understanding the tradition. It’s exciting and I’m looking forward to it.”

Roethlisberger nursing fractured right thumb

By WILL GRAVES

AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) Ben Roethlisberger has an unexpected homework assignment during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bye week: protecting a fractured right thumb.

Roethlisberger injured the thumb on his throwing hand sometime during Pittsburgh’s 24-17 win over Cincinnati on Sunday. He’s not sure when it happened, only that he noticed it while coming out for the second half.

“It was hard to determine it on the sideline, but we did all the tests (Monday), and it’s fractured in there,” Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger didn’t miss a snap as the Steelers improved to 7-3. He completed 7 of 11 passes for 70 yards in the second half, including a perfect 4-for-4 during the game-winning drive in the third quarter.

“It hurt, but (Steelers head trainer) John Norwig did a great job taping it up, making a quick splint out of tape and going with it,” Roethlisberger said. “Squeezing the ball is the hardest part, but it’s a good thing that I had a glove on it because that helps gripping it a little bit.”

This isn’t the first time Roethlisberger has played with a busted thumb. He suffered a similar injury in 2005, though it didn’t prevent him from leading the Steelers to their fifth Super Bowl title.

There should be no issues this time either, though Roethlisberger will continue to play with a splint. Pittsburgh travels to Kansas City on Nov. 27.

“I won’t have to throw for a week or so, (until) next Wednesday or whenever we practice next week,” Roethlisberger said. “So, that’ll be a good time for it to rest. For me, it’ll just be getting used to throwing with a splint on again and a glove on, which I’ve done before.”

Wide receiver Mike Wallace said he wasn’t aware Roethlisberger was even hurt, though the quarterback work a black brace during a shortened practice on Tuesday.

“I didn’t even notice to tell you the truth,” Wallace said.

It’s not unusual for Roethlisberger to play through minor injuries. He suffered a sprained foot in a loss to Houston on Oct. 2 then tied a franchise record with five touchdown passes in a victory over Tennessee.

“That’s just Ben,” Wallace said. “You know that something small isn’t going to slow him down like that.”

Roethlisberger has been playing some of the best football of his career during Pittsburgh’s surge following a 2-2 start. The Steelers have won five of six going into their bye week despite an inconsistent running game and a defense that’s put up its usual stellar numbers but has struggled to take the ball away.

No matter. Roethlisberger is completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,726 yards and 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions over the last six games and became the first quarterback in team history to top 300 yards in three straight games when he went over the mark against Arizona (361), New England (365) and Baltimore (330).

He didn’t quite get there against the Bengals, though he showcased his playcalling ability during a pair of no-huddle drives in the second half, including the 11-play, 81-yard march that ended with Rashard Mendenhall’s 9-yard touchdown run that gave Pittsburgh the lead for good.

Roethlisberger said it was important for the Steelers to come back with an emphatic answer after the Bengals rallied from a 14-point deficit to tie the game at 17.

“That was kind of the mentality – `Let’s go no-huddle and try and get down there. Let’s answer,’” Roethlisberger said. “We take pride as an offense in wanting to be the best. It’s our time to do it, so let’s step up and score. We always want to answer. If I remember right, it was a pretty long drive, converting third downs. That’s huge.”

Particularly after Roethlisberger’s last shot at operating out of the no-huddle ended in disaster as Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs perfectly read Roethlisberger’s call for a bubble screen and came up with an interception deep in Ravens territory to end a Pittsburgh scoring threat in a game Baltimore eventually won, 23-20.

Don’t expect Roethlisberger to turn into Peyton Manning, running his own show and spending 20 seconds standing in the shotgun barking out signals. Yet it is a significant step in the process of making the Steelers one of the most versatile offenses in the league.

“We want to be dangerous,” Wallace said. “We want to be able to beat teams in lots of different ways.”

Even if it means the glove on Roethlisberger’s hand has a little extra padding for the next few weeks.

Updated November 15, 2011

While the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t exactly be limping into
Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium this Sunday, there should definitely be some
lingering effects from their hard-fought game from a week ago.

That could play right into the hands of the Bengals, who’ve been thriving on
wearing teams down and beating them late.

One week after a loss to the rival Ravens dropped them out of first place in
the AFC North, the Steelers try to avoid falling even further behind this
weekend against the division co-leading Bengals.

Out to avenge a lopsided road loss to Baltimore back in Week 1, the Steelers
fought tooth-and-nail with the Ravens at Heinz Field last Sunday. Things looked
to be in Pittsburgh’s favor when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger found Mike
Wallace for a 25-yard touchdown pass with 4:59 remaining to take a four-point
lead in the back-and-forth affair.

However, Baltimore’s Joe Flacco engineered a 92-yard drive in the closing
moments and overcame some drops by his receivers to find Torrey Smith for a
26-yard score with only eight ticks to go, lifting the Ravens to a 23-20
victory.

Pittsburgh had a four-game win streak end despite an high-impact return by
linebacker James Harrison, and fell a half-game behind both the 6-2 Ravens
and Bengals in the division.

“That’s a tough defeat for us,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. “We tip
our cap to Baltimore. They finished better than we did. We didn’t make enough
plays to win the game.”

The Steelers probably can’t wait for their Nov. 20 bye, as they are in the
midst of a five-game stretch against teams either leading their division or
tied for first place. The string began with a win over AFC East front-runner
before last week’s loss to the Ravens. Following this road contest in
Cincinnati, Pittsburgh gets a week off before visiting Kansas City and then
hosting the Bengals in a rematch.

Pittsburgh has won nine of its last 12 on the road, while Roethlisberger is
7-1 at Paul Brown Stadium in his career.

The Bengals look to reverse that trend on Sunday, as they carry their longest
winning streak in 23 years into this meeting. Following a 24-17 victory over
Tennessee in Week 9, Cincinnati has won five straight for the first time since
the 1988 club opened the season 6-0.

Rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green continued to impress in the win. Dalton
threw a career-high three touchdown passes and hooked up with Green seven
times for 83 yards.

“Lots of people say Andy and I don’t look like rookies,” Green said. “We just
take every rep and try to make it better each week.”

After falling behind early, the Bengals outscored the Titans 17-0 in the
second half while limiting them to just 95 yards of offense. Dalton’s five-
yard touchdown pass to Andre Caldwell with 10:52 left in the game put the
Bengals in front for the first time, and gave the rookie quarterback his third
fourth-quarter comeback of the season.

Cincinnati, which hasn’t lost since Sept. 25 at home to San Francisco, is
outscoring its opposition 87-43 in the fourth quarter and 156-59 in the second
half on the season.

“I’m just going to keep it to myself,” head coach Marvin Lewis said when asked
about the fourth quarter success. “I don’t want to jinx it. As I said last
week, I think our guys, we keep learning, we keep having a good understanding
of what’s happening. Our guys are able to tune in and make adjustments, make
corrections, make revisions, move forward with new things and keep attacking.”

Cincinnati is beginning its own mini-gauntlet, as it visits Baltimore next
weekend.

SERIES HISTORY

The Steelers took a 49-32 lead in their overall regular-season series with
Cincinnati after sweeping last year’s home-and-home set between the divisional
foes. The defending AFC champions recorded a 27-21 win over the Bengals at
Paul Brown Stadium in Week 9 and followed up with a 23-7 home triumph last
December, Pittsburgh’s seventh victory in its last nine meetings with
Cincinnati. The Bengals’ lone two positive results over that span took place
in 2009, when the team posted a 23-20 home decision as well as an 18-12 win at
Heinz Field that year. The Steelers are 8-1 in their last nine regular-season
stops at Paul Brown Stadium.

Pittsburgh also prevailed in its lone postseason encounter with Cincinnati,
topping the then-AFC North champion Bengals by a 31-17 count on the road in a
2005 AFC First-Round Playoff en route to an eventual Super Bowl title.

Lewis is 5-12 all-time against Pittsburgh, for whom he served as a linebackers
coach from 1992 through 1995. Tomlin owns a 6-2 mark versus both Cincinnati
and Lewis during his tenure as Pittsburgh’s head coach.

WHEN THE STEELERS HAVE THE BALL

Pittsburgh’s ninth-ranked offense (389.1 ypg) certainly had its chances last
weekend, racking up 392 total yards to mark the sixth time this season that the
club has posted at least 390 net yards. Roethlisberger (2632 passing yards, 15
TD, 8 INT) also became the first Steelers quarterback in team history to have
three consecutive games of at least 300 yards passing, notching 330 on a 20-
of-37 completion rate against Baltimore. His touchdown pass to Wallace (47
receptions, 6 TD) was his lone one of the game, however, and he was also picked
off once. With teams looking to prevent Wallace from making the long and deep
plays, Antonio Brown (39 receptions, 1 TD) snuck in five catches on 11 targets
last Sunday and went over 100 yards receiving for the second time in three
weeks. He also saw more time with Emmanuel Sanders (18 receptions, 2 TD) out
and Hines Ward (26 receptions, 2 TD) suffering a concussion on a hit by
Baltimore’s Ray Lewis. While Ward is expected to play in this game, Sanders is
out for a few weeks after having knee surgery on Monday. Tight end Heath Miller
(35 receptions, 2 TD) made five catches for 73 yards against the Ravens,
leaving him eight receptions shy of Elbie Nickel’s all-time club record for a
tight end of 329. Pittsburgh’s ground game was limited to only 70 yards by
Baltimore, with Rashad Mendenhall (473 rushing yards, 4 TD) leading the way
with 52 yards on 13 carries. That included a one-yard score early in the fourth
quarter.

Points off turnovers has been key to the Bengals’ success this year, and they
enter this game tied for seventh in the league with a plus-4 turnover
differential. Cincinnati also ranks tied for second in the NFL with nine fumble
recoveries and had scored a defensive touchdown in three consecutive games
before last Sunday. However, they did hold an opponent without a second half
touchdown for the third time this year in the Tennessee and rank fourth overall
in points allowed per game at 17.5. Cincinnati’s second-ranked run defense
(84.5 ypg) held the Titans to 78 yards on 20 carries, while the pass rush was
able to post two sacks, both by defensive end Carlos Dunlap (15 tackles, 3
sacks). Dunlap’s efforts gave the Bengals 20 sacks on the season. Cornerback
Nate Clements (33 tackles), meanwhile, accounted for a turnover after he
stripped Tennessee tight end Jared Cook of the ball and recovered the fumble.
Clements also had seven tackles, while linebacker Thomas Howard (48 tackles)
led the team with nine stops. Clements and fellow corner Leon Hall (30
tackles,1 INT) will have to keep an eye on Wallace and will need deep safety
help from Chris Crocker (23 tackles, 2.5 sacks) and Reggie Nelson (50 tackles,
1 sack, 1 INT), while ends Robert Geathers, Michael Johnson (16 tackles, 2.5
sacks, 1 INT), and Frostee Rucker (15 tackles, 3 sacks) will look to step up
the pass rush. Cincinnati is also hoping for the return of middle linebacker
Rey Maualuga (38 tackles), who has sat out the last three games with an ankle
injury.

WHEN THE BENGALS HAVE THE BALL

Defensive turnovers have also been key to the Bengals’ offense, which is 14th
in points scored per game (24.4) despite owning just the 22nd-ranked unit in
total yards in the NFL. Cincinnati has also scored on 92 percent of its trips
to the red zone. Dalton (1696 passing yards, 12 TD, 7 INT) has had plenty of
time to make plays, as he has been sacked just twice over his last two games
and Cincinnati’s 13 sacks allowed are tied for the fifth-fewest in the league.
While Green is one of Dalton’s favorite targets, he spread the scoring wealth
against the Titans, finding Caldwell (26 receptions, 2 TD), wideout Jerome
Simpson (26 receptions, 2 TD) and rookie tight end Colin Cochart in the end
zone. Cochart and Donald Lee saw more time on the field with Jermaine Gresham
(25 receptions, 3 TD) missing his second game in a row due to a hamstring
issue, though he could be available this week. Though Green (40 receptions, 5
TD) didn’t get in on the scoring party, he still leads all NFL rookies in
receptions, receiving yards (599) and touchdowns. His chemistry with Dalton has
the quarterback on the verge of becoming the first rookie signal-caller to win
six straight games since Vince Young in 2006. Dalton is also 159 passing yards
shy of passing Greg Cook (1,854 in 1969) for the most by a rookie in team
history. Cincinnati did rush for over 100 yards last weekend, getting 78 on 20
carries from Cedric Benson (536 rushing yards, 2 TD). He was returning to
action following a one-game suspension.

Dalton and his offensive line figure to be tested mightily by Pittsburgh’s
third-ranked defense this weekend. The Steelers are allowing 280.2 yards per
game and are also third in defending the pass at 184.7 yards per game. The
return of Harrison (31 tackles, 5 sacks) was a big spark to the unit, as he had
eight tackles and recorded all three of the club’s sacks. One of those sacks
resulted in a forced fumble as Harrison returned with a vengeance after
sitting out four games due to a broken orbital bone. While Baltimore is the
only team to score more than 20 points in a game versus Pittsburgh this season
– the Steelers rank fifth with 18.0 points yielded per game — the unit did
hold the Ravens’ Ray Rice-led ground game to only 67 yards. It was the sixth
time Pittsburgh held an opponent under 100 yards rushing this season. While
Harrison returned, outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley (36 tackles, 9 sacks, 1
INT) missed his first game since Nov. 9, 2008 because of a hamstring issue and
inside veteran James Farrior (45 tackles, 2 sacks) sat out his second in a row
with a calf ailment. Still, Pittsburgh has managed 23 sacks this year, second
most in the AFC. Linebacker Larry Foote (40 tackles, 1 sack) had a team-high 10
tackles versus the Ravens, while cornerback William Gay (35 tackles) had six.
Harrison has three sacks in his last four games versus the Bengals, while
safety Troy Polamalu (56 tackles, 1 sack) matched a career-best with two
interceptions in the last meeting between the clubs, taking one 45 yards for a
score. Pittsburgh has just two picks this year, including one by safety Ryan
Clark (57 tackles, 1 INT).

KEYS TO THE GAME

With the Bengals’ ability to score late and wear teams down, the Steelers will
need to keep Cincinnati off the board early. Last week versus the Ravens,
Pittsburgh stopped Baltimore three times at the one-yard line to hold the club
to a field goal. It was the first time in three games that the Steelers
allowed points on an opening drive.

Dalton has been on a nice run, but he’ll need to be in top form versus the
Steelers. Pittsburgh has held six of the nine quarterbacks it has faced this
year to a passer rating lower than 87.0. It has also held six of those nine
signal-callers under 200 yards passing.

Like the Saints of a few seasons ago, the Bengals get a healthy number of
scores from their defensive and special teams units. Four of Cincinnati’s
touchdowns have been scored by those groups, including three from the defense.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Few would have expected a Bengals-Steelers matchup this year to have a huge
impact on the standings, but that is the remarkable case this Sunday.
Pittsburgh should be hungry and focused following last weekend’s disappointing
loss, and a trip to Cincinnati isn’t likely to rattle this veteran unit. The
Steelers have been able to overcome a slew of defensive injuries the past few
weeks to stay competitive, and some pressure could be off given Cincinnati’s
offensive numbers. However, that lack of depth could favor the Bengals late in
the game, allowing them to pull off in what some would see as an upset.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Bengals 16, Steelers 13

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.