Steelers QB Roethlisberger attends practice

Dec 30, 2008 - 8:51 PM PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was at practice on Tuesday, though he did not participate in drills.

Roethlisberger left Sunday's 31-0 win over Cleveland in the first half with a concussion and was briefly hospitalized.

His appearance at the team's training facility Tuesday is a strong indication that Roethlisberger will be ready to play when the Steelers hosts an AFC divisional playoff game the weekend of January 10-11.

"We're going to proceed slowly with him because we have that luxury," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. "But we feel comfortable with where he is relative to (last) Sunday and where he's capable of being next week in preparation for our game."

Ahead of a three-day weekend, the Steelers will practice again Wednesday and Thursday. Tomlin did not rule Roethlisberger out of either practice.

The 2007 Pro Bowl selection was injured when his head bounced off the turf while being sacked by Willie McGinest and D'Qwell Jackson.

The Steelers (12-4) had already clinched a bye week, and their playoff seeding was set regardless of Sunday's outcome.

Because the Steelers have this weekend off, the coaching staff wanted the starters to play at least a half against the Browns.

"I never second-guess the decisions that we make," Tomlin said, when asked about the matter Tuesday.