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7 to be held out of Thursday's Steelers game
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Coach Mike Tomlin has ruled out seven players for Thursday night's Steelers preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Heinz Field, including three starters -- cornerbacks Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden and guard Chris Kemoeatu.
Taylor was scheduled to have thumb surgery today and will be out about three weeks. He is scheduled to return in time for the Sept. 11 season opener in Baltimore.
McFadden has been bothered by a combination hamstring/quad injury and will not play for the second game in a row.
Kemoeatu (knee), who came off the physically unable to perform list on Sunday, will be held out of the game because Tomlin doesn't think he has had enough practice time.
It's the same reason he held out Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu and Pro Bowl outside linebacker James Harrison last week against the Washington Redskins. Tomlin said both players will play against the Eagles.
Other players who have already been ruled out by Tomlin are wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, cornerbacks Cortez Allen and Crezdon Butler and rookie free-agent linebacker Mario Harvey.
"There may be some others but those are the ones we are definitive about at this juncture," Tomlin said this morning at a news conference at Saingt Vincent College.
The list of scratches could also include defensive ends Aaron Smith (knee) and Brett Keisel (ankle), who have not practiced this week.
First Published August 16, 2011 11:34 am
