Rashard Mendenhall ready for Week 5 return

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By rule, both players will not be able to practice in full pads until next week.

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This would that Mendenhall would likely start the season on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he’d have to miss at least six games to start 2012. Mendenhall has led the Steelers in rushing in each of the past three seasons, but tore his ACL on Jan. 1 in the regular-season finale. Even before the injury, he was having a bit of down season with 928 yards rushing. That was his lowest total since taking over the starting job in 2009.

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If Tomlin’s fears are confirmed, that leaves the Steelers without the most important cog of their running game as they attempt to repeat as the AFC’s Super Bowl representatives in the 2011 NFL playoffs. Mendenhall had 928 rushing yards in the regular season; every other Steelers runner combined had a total of 975 rushing yards.

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