Steelers Tailgate Insider – Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Darnell Stapleton

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sitting out Wednesday afternoon’s practice was by design, according to coach Mike Tomlin, who “wanted to give him a rest.” Tomlin also wanted to give Charlie Batch, Dennis Dixon and Mike Reilly more reps.

“It’s not about the guys that you pull out of drills,” Tomlin said. “It’s the guys you put in place of them. When you take (No.) 7 out of the huddle, I was very interested in seeing how the offense operated.” According to Tomlin, the offense met with mixed results without Roethlisberger. “The jury’s still out,” Tomlin said. “I’ll reserve judgment until I look at the tape. It wasn’t a bunch of highlight-reel kind of plays out there, but sometimes it’s those kind of days. Sometimes it’s going to require 14, 15 snaps for us to put the ball in the end zone, and we’ve got to be able to do it when those things occur.”

Hines Ward also sat of practice on Wednesday. He’s not hurt. He’s been using his time to help those behind him on the depth chart. Both second-year receiver Limas Sweed and rookie receiver Mike Wallace say they’ve received help from some of the veteran receivers who act like coaches on the roster.

“Everyday they teach me different things – every single day, every practice,” Wallace said. “Every time I come back from a route, blocking, Hines is always on me about what I did – if I did a good job he’ll tell me I did a good job. If I didn’t do it right he’ll tell me what to do to get it right for the next time.” “That’s just Hines. Hines understands the obligations of being the kind of veteran player he is and I say obligation – it’s an obligation that he welcomes,” Head Coach Mike Tomlin said. “He’s interested in us winning so he’s going to help in the growth and development of young guys.”

Offensive lineman Darnell Stapleton continues to watch practices and coach Mike Tomlin continues to shed little light about what is wrong with his second-year starter. Stapleton has a left knee injury that has kept him from practicing since Sunday. He had at least one MRI (Monday), but Tomlin remains mum about what might be wrong with him. “No new news with Stapleton,” Tomlin said, and, when asked about him a second time, said, “Again, when I’m ready to talk, we’ll talk about it.”