"Rashard Mendenhall, from outhouse to penthouse in seven days, will make his second consecutive start for the Steelers Sunday in Detroit.

No one said that officially, but the eyes and ears do not lie, and neither does Willie Parker's big left toe. That turf toe remained painful after Parker ran a little while his teammates practiced yesterday.

You do not have to be Mike Tomlin to make this call. Even Parker understands.

"You know what type of game this is; if you don't play, somebody else comes in and they pretty much shine, that's the nature of the beast," Parker said. "I have to get back on the field and do what I do."

It's possible he may not get that chance at all on Ford Field's poor artificial turf. If Parker continues to stay away from practice, there is nothing to stop the Steelers from again making the Isaac Redman-Nick Eason switch to give them another healthy running back Sunday, just in case.

The plaudits for Mendenhall's performance Sunday night against San Diego continued to roll in. The NFL picked him as its AFC offensive player of the week after he rushed for 165 yards (11th most in club history), two touchdowns, caught two passes for 26 yards and threw several big blocks.

Parker admired it from the sideline.

"I think that was real good, just to have somebody run the way he did the other night," Parker said. "I think that was a great thing for us and the team, something for us to build on."