Tomlin Sidesteps Big Ben Query

TAMPA - Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin tried this morning to dump water on the notion Ben Roethlisberger  had an MRI on his ribs on Wednesday.

"Like a lot of the situations that go on with Ben's medical status, I don't know where that report came from," said Tomlin. "Ben is fine. He is going to play."

The report came from profootballtalk.com initially and has since been confirmed by other outlets. The Steelers, meanwhile, are casting aspersions but not saying, "Ben didn't have an MRI and he has no pain at all in his torso."

Roethlisberger refused comment on the report when asked by rotoworld and nbcsports.com's Gregg Rosenthal. Tomlin and Steelers PR man both said they weren't aware of any x-ray.

Given that all indications are he did indeed have an MRI, at least they're not going the bald-faced lie route. But more germane to the situation now is how Big Ben will be impacted on Sunday. Will this limit his mobility and agility? And have the Steelers had to tweak their game plan? With Roethlisberger feeling something and Hines Ward not at full speed either, those are two issues to consider before making any Namathian guarantees on the outcome.

- Tom E. Curran