Fast Bill Won't Play On Sunday

The Steelers play their first preseason game on Sunday. Willie Parker will not.

Soreness in his left knee will sideline Fast Bill for the NFL's Hall of Fame Game against New Orleans.

Ed Bouchette is claiming he jinxed the stud running back. I say shut up before anything else goes wrong, Ed.

Parker's knee injury is not said to be serious, but there is no reason to push the LT-wannabe to a more serious ailment.

With Willie officially out, Iron Mike can take a better look at the guys vying to be Willie's primary backup. Dump Truck Davenport will likely get a decent amount of reps with the first squad, as will new addition Kevan Barlow. Aside from these two, Verron Haynes will have to show how his surgically-repaired knee holds up.

I'm not too worried about Parker's knee. To this point in his career, he has stayed away from major injuries, and holding him out of the Hall of Fame game will only improve his chances of a quick recovery.

Willie's "I want to be better than LT" speech shows his passion for the game, and not playing the first preseason game will probably eat at him. However, sacrificing a a meager preseason game for the ability to rehab a minor injury should be a worthy deal. There's no reason to risk blowing out a sore knee in the Hall of Fame game.