Duce Staley, who hasn't been in uniform since the last time the Steelers played the New England Patriots, could make his first appearance of the season Sunday at Heinz Field.

	Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Duce Staley could make his first appearance of the season. Click photo for larger image.

Staley has missed the entire preseason and the first two games of the regular season with a torn meniscus, but the ninth-year running back has participated in every practice the past two weeks and might be activated for the Patriots, coach Bill Cowher said.

"He's looked very good," Cowher said yesterday. "It's the second consecutive week he's taken part in every practice, and we'll see where he is at the end of the week."

Staley practiced all last week, too, but he was inactive for the game Sunday in Houston. Even if he dresses against the Patriots, he will serve as a backup to AFC rushing leader Willie Parker and Verron Haynes.

Staley has not appeared in a game for the Steelers since the AFC championship loss to the Patriots, when he carried 10 times for 26 yards

"There's a good chance he'll be able to participate," Cowher said.

Simmons makes adjustments

Right guard Kendall Simmons acknowledged he slowly is adjusting to playing again after missing the 2004 season and said he can play better than he has the first two games. "But I think I'm doing well enough to help the line do pretty well," said Simmons, a No. 1 pick in 2002.

Simmons, though, allayed a bigger concern Sunday in Houston when he made it through the entire game without being affected by the heat in Reliant Stadium, which had a feel-like temperature of 102 degrees at kickoff. He has adult onset diabetes -- he was diagnosed before the start of the 2003 season -- but he played nearly the entire game and didn't have any physical problems. It was the hottest game Simmons has played in since being diagnosed with the disease, which occurs when the body cannot properly regulate sugar.

"I went through camp, and it was hot in camp. And we had a couple hot days here last week, nowhere near as hot as it was down there, but, at least, we had some hot days to work in. I'm not really worried about it. I know I'm going to have my days, but that's part of the life that I'm living. I'm going to have to deal with it."

Close call

Chris Gardocki is the only player in NFL history to have more than 1,000 punts in his career without a block. But the streak almost ended in the fourth quarter in Houston when linebacker Antwan Peek nearly blocked Gardocki's first attempt.

Peek got so close he ran into Gardocki and was penalized 15 yards for roughing the kicker.

"He was close," said Gardocki, who has punted 1,050 times without a block in his 15-year career. "The biggest thing is when they come up the middle. When they come from the outside, it's tougher [to block]. But [Peek] came up the middle. We still had time to get it out of there, but it was obviously too close for comfort."

Gardocki said he has never had a punt tipped in his career, either. Nor has there been a time when a penalty negated a blocked punt. As he talked, he pretended to knock on his head for good luck.

Morey update

Wide receiver and special-teams co-captain Sean Morey (hamstring) did not practice again yesterday and remains questionable for the game against the Patriots. Cowher said Morey, who was injured in the victory in Houston, will attempt to practice today. "I really want to play in the game," Morey said. The reason: Morey was a seventh-round pick of the Patriots in 1999 and made the opening-day roster before he was released and signed to their practice squad. He spent portions of the following season on their practice squad before he was released in training camp in 2001 -- the season the Patriots won the first of their three Super Bowls in four years.