Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Ben Roethlisberger’s fractured right thumb didn’t put him on the sidelines the day it happened — the Steelers’ Nov. 13 win at Cincinnati. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin says it won’t keep him out this Sunday, either.

Tomlin said Tuesday that Roethlisberger will start at quarterback against the Kansas City Chiefs.

And while Tomlin can’t tell how much the thumb will affect him, he expects Roethlisberger to be effective.

“Those of us who know Ben understand that he’s going to show and show for his teammates,” Tomlin said.

Roethlisberger fractured the thumb during the second half against the Bengals, but didn’t miss a snap.

He threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, though 175 of those yards and the score came in the first half.

The open week allowed the thumb to start healing, and Roethlisberger has practiced this week.

Roethlisberger wore a splint under his glove and didn’t take a snap from under center Monday, working out of shotgun and pistol formations. Yet Tomlin doesn’t think direct snaps from center Maurkice Pouncey will be a problem Sunday.

“There’s a pain tolerance issue,” Tomlin said. “There’s a comfortability issue. All of those things will be sorted out throughout the course of the week.

“To be honest with you, I’m not overly concerned about [Roethlisberger’s] ability to be effective in the midst of this.”

Even if Roethlisberger were lost to injury, Tomlin said he’s fortunate with his quarterback depth. Charlie Batch is Roethlisberger’s backup, with Dennis Dixon behind Batch.

“We’re comfortable with the men we have at that position, in that we’re capable of playing winning football regardless of who’s under center,” he said.

Tomlin also expects safety Troy Polamalu, slowed during the off week with rib discomfort, to play Sunday.

Linebacker LaMarr Woodley (hamstring) and receivers Arnaz Battle (hamstring) and Emmanuel Sanders (knee) all practiced in a limited capacity, and Tomlin said coaches will monitor their status day by day.

Chiefs

Todd Haley believes there were a few bright spots in Kansas City’s 34-3 loss to New England on Monday night, even if they were hard to find.

Offensive lineman Rodney Hudson, the Chiefs’ second-round draft pick, performed well in about 20 snaps that he played, and Tyler Palko going 25 of 38 for 236 yards in his first NFL start at quarterback.

By Evan Dunlap

– Newsdesk contributor

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Nov 22, 2011 – Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin held his weekly press conference Tuesday to discuss his team’s forthcoming game against the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday, Nov. 27. Pittsburgh enjoyed a bye week last Sunday and was able to rest, recover, and game-plan for the Chiefs.

Perhaps the best news to come from Tomlin’s press conference is that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is healthy enough to play Sunday. Roethlisberger fractured the thumb on his right (throwing) hand in the Steelers’ previous outing, a victory against the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 13, and is still in pain. Nonetheless, he is likely to play against Kansas City. Fortunately, his thumb injury isn’t as severe as the one Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler suffered over the weekend, Tomlin said; Cutler’s injury requires surgery and will force him to miss the rest of the season. Further, he said Roethlisberger “threw pretty well” in Monday’s practice despite the pain in his thumb.

Tomlin also addressed the statuses of other injured Steelers, including wide receivers Hines Ward, Arnaz Battle, and Emmanuel Sanders, as well as linebacker LaMarr Woodley. The coach said he has decided to limit Woodley and Battle in practice, while Sanders is “working his way back.” In addition, Tomlin has yet to decide on Ward’s role against the Chiefs, as he and his coaching staff are still working on the game plan.

At 7-3, the Steelers are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the lead in the AFC North. The 4-5 Chiefs are No. 3 in the AFC West. Sunday’s kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 Eastern.

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Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin met with commissioner Roger Goodell and other NFL officials Thursday at the league’s headquarters in New York to discuss recent statements and actions regarding player safety, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

The Steelers, through a spokesman, confirmed Tomlin, along with team owner Art Rooney, being in New York for a meeting at the league’s headquarters. Sources said Tomlin was there to discuss rules geared at player safety, given the recent comments and actions of players, such as Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark, who have been repeat offenders in receiving unnecessary roughness penalties for illegal hits.

“Mr. Rooney and Commissioner Goodell thought it would be a good idea to meet with our football staff and coach Tomlin to review on-field issues that have been the focus of discussion recently,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in a statement.

Clark said recently that his hit on Baltimore Ravens tight end Ed Dickson, which resulted in a $40,000 fine, was used by the team in meetings as an example of a legal tackle.

These meetings with the NFL are not uncommon — Lions officials were there just a few weeks ago. Given the remarks by Steelers players about not agreeing with and/or understanding recent fines, and with the Steelers on a bye, this was an opportunity to review film and specific incidents with the NFL’s football operations department.

Other NFL officials in attendance included vice president of officiating Carl Johnson, assistant director of operations Merton Hanks and competition committee co-chair Jeff Fisher.

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“To be quite frank with you, it stung as much yesterday as it did on Sunday night, as it should,” Tomlin said. “We lost a very tough, close ballgame, highly contested. … Hopefully we will grow and learn from it. I know those will be our intentions. I truly believe that it will strengthen us moving forward.”

If the Steelers (6-3) want to stay in the playoff picture in the crowded AFC, they don’t really have a choice. A hangover of any kind could be costly, particularly on Sunday against surprising Cincinnati (6-2).

The Bengals have won five straight and typically play Pittsburgh tough no matter how their season is going.

“Really, when you think about it, the last couple of years, the ball has ended up in their hands inside the 10-yard line or so, to win it at the very end,” Tomlin said. “We were fortunate enough to make a play a year ago. We weren’t the year before that.”

The Steelers have been making very few game-changing plays on defense this year. Their four takeaways are tied with woeful Miami for last in the league.

Tomlin would rather his team play smart than take aggressive risks to get the ball and pointed to a pair of missed opportunities in Baltimore’s last drive as to how thin the difference is between getting a takeaway and getting burned.

“I thought we had them moving very early in the drive, in the pocket,” Tomlin said. “We had a swipe at the ball that we missed. We had a third-and-1. We had our hands on the football. We had a fourth-and-1 that the ball just reached the outstretched fingertips of a defensive lineman in the rush lane, and they completed it to Anquan Boldin. To make a long story short, they made all of the necessary plays and we missed a few of them by a hair.”

The defense played relatively well until the final drive. Linebacker James Harrison showed no ill effects of the fractured right orbital bone that kept him out a month, finishing with three sacks and a forced fumble.

Tomlin is hopeful Harrison can be joined on the field by longtime teammates LaMarr Woodley and James Farrior next week. Woodley missed the Baltimore game with a hamstring injury while Farrior sat for the second straight game with a calf problem.

Both players will be evaluated later in the week, though Tomlin was encouraged by replacement Jason Worilds.

“I liked the tempo in which he played with,” Tomlin said. “I thought he was physical. No question there is room for growth. But if you are just looking at his first substantial action as a defensive player, I thought it was a great place to begin.”

Linebacker isn’t the only position with injury problems. Emmanuel Sanders will be out “a couple weeks” after having his knee scoped while Jerricho Cotchery will be limited early in the week with swelling in his knee. Arnaz Battle is dealing with a strained hamstring.

Tomlin expects to have veteran Hines Ward available. Ward left the Baltimore game in the second quarter with concussion-like symptoms following a head shot from Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.

“It shouldn’t prohibit him or slow him down in any form or fashion here,” Tomlin said.

If Cotchery, Sanders and Ward can’t go it’s likely the team would activate Tyler Grisham from the practice squad.

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