In what is a first for a Steelers coach during a bye, Mike Tomlin has given his players the rest of the week off and will not have them report back to work until Monday.

The exception is that rookies and practice-squad players will report tomorrow and Thursday to work with the coaching staff.

The Steelers (5-2), who have won four in a row, do not play again until Nov. 9, a Monday, in Denver, which means they even have an extra day next week to prepare for the Broncos.

This is the latest the Steelers have had a bye since 1990 --- the first year the NFL implemented the off week --- when they were idle Nov. 11. In 1999, they also had a bye on Oct. 31 after their seventh game.

But Tomlin and former coach Bill Cowher have always required the players to report for at least one or two days of practice or light workouts during a bye week. However, Tomlin met with the players this morning and dismissed them for the rest of the week.

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