Willie Parker will shelve the sleeves

The Steelers running back can’t afford to fumble against the NFL’s top team.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Willie Parker is taking the gloves off for the New England Patriots.

Actually, he’s removing those rubber sleeves from his arms, the ones that were blamed for his two lost fumbles Sunday. And he’s doing it because of a suggestion from a young fan.

Parker, usually one of the NFL’s least fumble-prone running backs, came in for considerable scrutiny for wearing the slick elbow sleeves on a rainy night. John Madden on NBC wondered why he was wearing them, and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had no explanation for them.

“You would have to ask him,” Tomlin said.

A boy asked Parker exactly that when Parker appeared at an autograph session one night later: Why do you wear them and, since you fumbled, why not take them off?

The surprising reply from Parker: I think I’ll do exactly that.

“A little kid looked at me and told me, after I gave him his autograph, he said, ‘Next game don’t wear those things on your arm,”’ Parker said. “I said, ‘Just for you I’m not going to wear them.’ I gave him my word I wasn’t going to wear them. That’s the only reason I’m not going to wear them.”

Parker asked for the young fan’s phone number and plans to call him after the game to remind him he kept his promise.

Which gets back to the original question, namely why was wearing Parker wearing the slippery sleeves while running on Heinz Field’s squishy playing field?

Sure, the Steelers beat Cincinnati 24-10 and Parker, No. 2 in NFL rushing with 1,093 yards, ran for 87 yards and had a 14-yard reception. Still, it seemed an odd equipment choice given the weather and field conditions.

Parker said the sleeves usually allow him to grip the ball better. Until fumbling twice in less than a quarter’s worth of playing time, Parker had lost only one other fumble this season.

Turns out the player who advised Parker to wear the rubber sleeves was Jerome Bettis, the No. 5 rusher in NFL history and Parker’s former teammate.

As much as Parker respects Madden for being a Super Bowl-winning coach, he believes Bettis knows a little more about a running back’s business than Madden.

“He once told me, ‘Use those rubber gloves when it gets wet,”’ Parker said. “I have been using them ever since. Nobody complains when I am out there carrying it 20, 30 times and not putting it on the floor. It was just a bad game.”

Parker hasn’t had many of those this season, despite having only one 100-yard effort in the Steelers’ last five games. He is only 104 yards behind NFL rushing leader Adrian Peterson of Minnesota and has a chance to become the Steelers’ first NFL rushing leader since Bill Dudley in 1946.

The Steelers (9-3) likely need a big game from Parker on Sunday to win at New England and end the Patriots’ pursuit of the NFL’s first 16-0 regular-season record. Baltimore’s Willis McGahee ran for 138 yards and a touchdown Monday night against the Patriots (12-0), who escaped with a 27-24 victory by rallying in the final minute.

“I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself this week. This is a big weekend,” Parker said. “They’ve got a great defense and I just have got to be ready to make some plays.”

Polamalu doubtful

Safety Troy Polamalu is likely to miss Sunday’s game after sitting out practice for the second day in a row Friday because of a sprained knee.

Polamalu, who has missed the Steelers’ last two games, aggravated the injury during practice Wednesday and has been unable to practice since. He is listed as doubtful, meaning he has a 25 percent chance of playing.

Polamalu, a Pro Bowl safety the last three seasons and the team’s highest-paid player, injured the knee Nov. 18 against the New York Jets. He is not having a big year statistically — he doesn’t have a sack or an interception — but his versatility is a key to Pittsburgh’s zone blitz defense.

The Steelers almost never allow players to play in a game when they are physically unable to practice on Friday — one reason why wide receiver Santonio Holmes struggled through the team’s workout on a sprained right ankle.

Holmes, also out for two games, continues to have pain in the ankle and was urged earlier this week to sit out another game. Holmes said the game against New England (12-0) is too important to the Steelers (9-3) to miss and he plans to play.

Holmes has averaged 17 yards per reception on 39 catches. He leads the Steelers with seven touchdown catches.