Ward talked Monday with Roethlisberger - who is expected to play this weekend - and coach Mike Tomlin in separate conversations, expressing regret for saying during a pregame interview on NBC that the locker room was split 50-50 whether the quarterback should play in Baltimore.

"I have apologized to Ben," Ward wrote in a posting on his Facebook page. "Ben and I are cool and always will be. We will not let this come between us, our talk was very productive."

Ward made his comments public because he said he doesn't plan to speak further about the subject.

"I would never question a man's toughness playing in a STEELER unif(orm)," Ward wrote on his page. "I didn't mean to cause such a stir."

Ward and his teammates didn't learn until Saturday that Roethlisberger wouldn't play in Sunday's 20-17 overtime loss at Baltimore.

Meanwhile, Roethlisberger has worked out without problems since missing the Ravens game and is expected to play Sunday against Oakland.

If Roethlisberger's headaches should unexpectedly return, Tomlin said the Steelers will "act quickly."

Ward also faced criticism from Vikings offensive lineman Anthony Herrera, who missed Sunday's game against the Bears with a concussion.

"Hines is being selfish," Herrera told Alex Marvez and Marty Schottenheimer of Sirius NFL Radio on Tuesday. "Honestly and truly, in our locker room no one questioned my toughness or whether I could play or not. They knew it was a concussion and it was bigger than just Football."

Bucs : Clayton to miss games; punter signed

Bucs wide receiver Michael Clayton will miss a week or two with a knee sprain.

The exact nature of the injury isn't clear, but it will almost certainly cause him to miss Sunday's game at Carolina. Clayton was injured on the first offensive play of the game against Atlanta on Sunday.

Also, the Bucs signed punter Sam Paulescu to replace Dirk Johnson. Johnson went on injured reserve Monday after suffering a hamstring injury in Atlanta.

Bears: Linebacker Cato June, released by the Bucs in the offseason, signed a one-year deal. June spent part of the preseason with Houston before going on the reserve/injured list.

Bengals: ESPN.com reported that running back Cedric Benson is expected to return for Sunday's game against Detroit. Benson has missed two games with a sprained hip.

BRONCOS: Coach Josh McDaniels issued an apology five days after the NFL Network aired two obscenities during Denver's victory over the Giants. Though the sideline curses were taped, nobody in the trucks caught the profanities to bleep them out. The network apologized immediately.

CHIEFS: On Sunday, late Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Thomas will be the 10th player in team history to have his number retired. His No.??58 will be retired during halftime of Kansas City's home game against Denver.

EAGLES: Tight end Brent Celek signed a six-year contract extension through the 2016 season.

Falcons: Matt Bryant, who kicked for the Bucs for four years before being released in the preseason, signed to replace Jason Elam. Bryant just concluded a stint as kicker for the Orlando Tuskers of the United Football League. Elam was released after going just 8-of-15 this season on field goals from at least 30 yards.

49ERS: Rookie safety Curtis Taylor (strained hip) is out for the season.

Jets: Rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was working on his sliding technique with Yankees manager Joe Girardi, who guided New York to its 27th World Series title last month. "I've never really been a slider," said Sanchez, who is nursing a sore left knee but is expected to play Thursday. "In baseball, I slid headfirst."

PANTHERS: The team signed linebacker Quinton Culberson, who played this season in the UFL, and waived Kelvin Smith after reaching an injury settlement.

JURISPRUDENCE: Former NFL linebacker Dwayne Rudd has been ordered to pay 10 percent of his income for failing to pay more than $540,000 in child support.

Times staff writer Stephen F. Holder contributed to this report.