STEELERS Joey Porter expected to play Sunday

The All-Pro linebacker has recovered from a drive-by shooting incident.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter returned to practice Wednesday, only 21/2 weeks after being injured in a drive-by shooting in Denver.
When Porter was shot by an unknown assailant in a nightclub parking lot Aug. 31 following the Colorado State-Colorado game, the Steelers estimated he could miss as much as half the season. Instead, he is expected to play Sunday in Cincinnati after sitting out only two games.
"I'm just happy to go out there and have a chance to do what I love doing, and that's play football," Porter said Wednesday. "To be able to do it 20 days after what happened is actually amazing."
The bullet grazed Porter's buttocks and lodged in his right thigh before being surgically removed. Doctors said the threat of infection and the possibility that scar tissue might form around the wound made it difficult to predict how long Porter would be out.
No complications
However, doctors told Porter the wound began healing immediately and without complications. That has allowed him to return almost as quickly as was possible with such an injury.
Porter said it is important for him to practice well this week so that he can get ready to play at game speed again.
"As far as running straight and cutting, anybody can go out there and do that -- that's not playing football," said Porter, who practiced with the starting defense. "I've got to find out what I can do taking on a double team block or having to cover somebody or wrapping up and making a tackle."
Porter is hoping his return will provide a lift to a defense that allowed Kansas City's Priest Holmes to rush for 122 yards and three touchdowns in the Chiefs' 41-20 victory Sunday. The Steelers were No. 1 against the run the last two seasons but are 23rd overall two games into the season.
Deficient in two areas
The Steelers have been visibly deficient in two areas they usually are strong -- running the ball and stopping the run. They've also had problems in special teams, where they were much improved last season.
That's why quarterback Tommy Maddox said Wednesday they can't wait any longer to get back to doing what they always do -- complement their throwing with their running.
And what better place to start than in Cincinnati, facing an opponent that allowed 367 yards rushing against them in two Steelers victories last season?
"We need to run the football and I think we will," Maddox said. "It just takes a little bit here and there and, all of a sudden, we're running the ball very well. I think every week we go into it wanting to have that balance."
Of course, they're also accustomed to going into a season with one of the most reliable runners in NFL history to build around. But Jerome Bettis, No. 10 in NFL career rushing, hasn't been a factor, with 21 yards on eight carries, and starter Amos Zereoue is averaging only 52 yards.
Running game questioned
The question is whether the Steelers are simply off to a slow start or whether they are showing the first signs of what might become a season-long trouble spot.
Their offensive line is considered one of the NFL's best, yet they haven't rushed for 100 yards as a team in five of their last six games. They've also had only one 100-yard rusher in 11 games dating to last season.