Ben Roethlisberger took another mental test yesterday afternoon that should determine whether he returns to play quarterback for the Steelers Sunday in Oakland.

If all went well, as expected, Roethlisberger should go through a full practice today. Then, it will be up to coach Bill Cowher to decide if Roethlisberger will start against the Raiders.

"I feel good,'' Roethlisberger said before taking the indoor field with his teammates. "Just trying to get ready to get out there and help the team any way I can."

Roethlisberger suited up in pads and threw passes in the early part of drills, but he did none of the team work with the offense. That was planned, Cowher said, because he had one more test to pass before he could go through a full practice.

		Listen In As the Steelers (2-4) head into a must-win road game this weekend in Oakland, the players speak with the media before practice yesterday: Ben Roethlisberger On the status of his head injury, and if he'll play Hines Ward On the importance of this game, and on celebration penalties Charlie Batch On being ready to go if Big Ben can't play Related articles Steelers Notebook: Cowher to Ward: Stop the celebrations Ed Bouchette's Daily Question

After practice, Dr. Joseph Maroon gave the quarterback another Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Test (ImPACT) that he and Dr. Mark Lovell developed with a team of researchers at the University of Pittsburgh. The 20-minute test measures brain process, memory, speed and motor skills.

Cowher listed Roethlisberger as questionable after a concussion knocked him out of the game Sunday in Atlanta in the third quarter. Tests conducted on Roethlisberger's head and neck showed no physical damage.

In almost all cases, patients show improved results on the ImPACT test as time goes on. If that's the case with Roethlisberger, he will practice today.

"This is not my decision, it's the doctor's decision," Cowher said. "Once the doctors have cleared him and he is comfortable with that, then it comes down to working with him and seeing where he's at mentally and understanding he's OK physically."

Raiders coach Art Shell said he expects Roethlisberger to start in Oakland Sunday.

Cowher said Roethlisberger had a "mental" practice yesterday during the team drills and that he passed that one, too.

"He seemed very good out there today, going over the script," Cowher said. "He seems very positive, so we'll go from there.

"Tomorrow's practice will say a lot more than where we are today. I truly think, obviously, by the end of the week, on Friday, as we get through the week of practice we'll have a better sense of where he's at from the standpoint of his availability."

Roethlisberger was upbeat during a session with the media yesterday. He said he wanted to return to the game after his concussion in the third quarter, and he called the hit on him by Falcons defensive end Chauncey Davis clean. Roethlisberger left the field on a cart, but returned for the entire fourth quarter to stand on the sideline with his teammates.

"They didn't want me to go back out there. I tried to go back in the game but they didn't let that happen, obviously. Then, they tried to get me to leave and I said 'No, I've got to get back out there.'

"The main thing was just getting back out there on the sidelines so that the guys could see that I was out there and supporting them."

Davis' hit appeared to be helmet on helmet, which violates NFL rules and usually draws a fine.

"I don't think it was anything," Roethlisberger said. "I was trying to duck under it and I kind of got hit from every different angle."

He did say one of the Falcons uttered something derogatory at that point, though.

"The last thing I remember is throwing the ball to Hines [Ward] and seeing him, and I tried to duck out of it. As I ducked, I remember getting hit in the chin and feeling like I busted my whole jaw or something. One of their players said something to me, and that was the last thing I kind of remember."

Roethlisberger said he had headaches after the hit, but they've subsided, then joked that his head is in good shape after his June 12 motorcycle accident.

"I got my head prepared for concussions about three or four months ago. I guess I'm prepared to bounce back when I get hit hard ... wasn't worried about the front of [the jaw] because I've got all the plates. I've got a tough jaw, I can take a good shot. I was worried about the back, it was a little sore. But I think it's OK."

He declined to say whether he ever lost consciousness on the field after the hit.