The bye week was supposed to allow some of the Steelers' walking wounded to get well, and, to an extent, it has. But running back Willie Parker, offensive tackle Marvel Smith and nose tackle Casey Hampton were too banged up to participate fully in practice yesterday afternoon and are listed as day-to-day.

Coach Mike Tomlin said each player will be evaluated in the morning before decisions can be made about working out and possibly being ready for the game Sunday in Cincinnati. In Parker's case, he worked Monday but suffered a setback Tuesday, which makes him a question mark for Sunday.

"We're hopeful, but not as hopeful as we were earlier in the week," Tomlin said.

If Parker is unavailable, the Steelers will go with the running back-by-committee approach they used against Jacksonville. Mewelde Moore will start, backed up by Gary Russell and Najeh Davenport.

"We have all the confidence in the world [in them]. Everybody dug in. Everybody contributed," offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said. "There was no drop off [against Jacksonville], and we don't expect any."

Making his first start in a couple of seasons, Moore gained 99 yards against the Jaguars. There was some kidding about just missing the 100-yard mark, but Moore said such numbers are irrelevant.

"To me, it doesn't matter. All I care about is the W. I run, I catch passes, I return kicks with one thing in mind. It's all about winning," he said. "The guys in the locker room believe in each other. They're going to leave it all on the field."

Hampton has missed action with a groin injury, and Smith has been hampered by back spasms. If Smith's condition doesn't improve, Max Starks will get his first start of the season.

"Max had a good week of practice. One thing we do have is good depth," Arians said.

The winless Bengals have allowed more rushing attempts and rushing yards than any team in the NFL, but they've been at a disadvantage because their offense has been unable to control the clock.

"The tape doesn't show lot of long runs. There's no lack of effort. Guys are flying around. This is a solid defense. This is not an 0-6 defense," Arians said.

Kicker Jeff Reed, defensive end Brett Keisel and defensive end Nick Eason have recovered sufficiently to participate in practice and should be available Sunday.

Ward gets explanation

Hines Ward got his letter of explanation on why he was fined but was not penalized in the game against the Jaguars. League officials explained that he taunted Jacksonville cornerback Rashean Mathis by slapping him on the side of his helmet.

Going for the dogs

Police departments in communities in or near the cities where the Steelers play on the road have been the beneficiaries of donations made by Ben Roethlisberger. This week, he will help a town for the second year in a row.

Roethlisberger is making a grant to the Oxford Police K-9 Unit in Oxford, Ohio, to purchase special equipment for its police dogs. Oxford is the home of Miami University, where Roethlisberger played college football.

Lt. Tom Horvath of the Oxford Police Department said the equipment would have been out of reach without Roethlisberger's financial help.

"He made a huge impact on our community as a student athlete and continues to impact us through his foundation," Horvath said. "We are very proud of Ben and appreciate his kindness."

Swead ready, if needed

Second-round draft pick Limas Sweed will be in uniform for the first time Sunday, but he may not get a lot of playing time.

"There won't be a push to get him in. He's ready if need be," said Arians.

Sweed has improved tremendously and has a much better grasp of the offense, but he still has some work to do.

"I wish he'd quit trying to score touchdowns on out cuts. Just drag the feet and get out of bounds. Those are the type of balls he's dropped," Arians said. "Wide receiver is probably the hardest position on offense. People think that just because a guy's fast and he can catch, he can step right in and play. There's so much more that goes with it."