Polamalu unlikely to play for Steelers Sunday
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Steelers safety Troy Polamalu went through a limited practice today but acknowledged that it would be unreasonable for him to play Sunday in Miami after a six-game layoff with a knee injury.
"For me, no, but I haven't done it before,'' Polamalu said.
With a brace on the left knee that was injured Nov. 22 in Kansas City, Polamalu pulled on his No. 43 jersey and helmet and practiced with his teammates for the first time today. He has missed 10 full games and most of two others with two separate injuries to his left knee. His MCL was sprained in the first quarter of the opener and his PCL was sprained early in his fourth game back.
Coach Mike Tomlin reported that the PCL injury was not as serious as first thought and listed Polamalu as "questionable" for several weeks on the injury report. Tomlin later acknowledged that the first prognosis was overly optimistic.
Polamalu, though, said his absence since the injury is about how long he was told to expect.
"I think this is honestly what they expected with the original diagnosis of the second injury,'' Polamalu said. "But it is frustrating."
Polamalu said there is more to it than the injured PCL healing.
"Whenever you take this much time off it's kind of a mix of everything. It's trying to get your nervous system right, trying to get muscle bulk from the atrophy, trying to get some strength back . . .
"It's a process of even seeing looks at this point in the season. Had I been 100 percent healthy I probably wouldn't be practicing any faster than I am now. We'll see when the time comes."
First Published December 30, 2009 4:21 pm
