PITTSBURGH -- There have been very few constants in Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlins six years on the job. Peterson Jersey . The sight of Ike Taylor in his No. 24 uniform has been one of them. Until now. The veteran cornerback will miss at least two weeks with a fractured right ankle, meaning his streak of playing in 135 consecutive games will end on Sunday when the Steelers (7-5) host reeling San Diego (4-8). "You can say a lot of things about Ike, and a lot of positive things, but probably the thing that sticks out the most is his durability and availability," Tomlin said. "This guy hasnt missed practices, let alone football games, since Ive been here." The 32-year-old Taylor has spent the last seven-plus seasons serving as an anchor on one side of the field. Its not a coincidence Pittsburgh has ranked in the top 10 in total defence each year and is No. 1 overall and in passing yards allowed yet again. Though Taylor doesnt need surgery, the Steelers will have to rely on second-year reserves Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown against San Diego and Dallas, both of which have two of the more physical receiving corps in the leagues. Its a task, however, Allen and Brown appeared to be up to while playing extensively last week against Baltimore after Taylor went down. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco completed just 16 of 34 passes for 188 yards with a touchdown and an interception as the Steelers revived their playoff hopes following the franchises first two-game losing streak in three years. To keep it going Pittsburgh will now rely a pair of 2011 draft picks to ease the pain from Taylors absence. Tomlin likened Allen and Brown to third-year wide receivers Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders. The duo were taken in the 2010 draft and have quickly evolved into key contributors. Tomlin figures its time for the two cornerbacks to do the same. "Theyre both talented young guys who are continuing to improve and prove that the stage isnt too big for them," Tomlin said. "Obviously, we need them to answer the bell as we continue to push into a territory that we havent been in." While one familiar face will be out of the lineup, another one could return. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will practice this week with a chance to return since going down with a sprained right shoulder and a dislocated rib in a 16-13 overtime win over Kansas City on Nov. 12. Roethlisberger threw on Monday, though Tomlin stressed that at the moment backup Charlie Batch is "our guy." Batch, who turns 38 on Wednesday, passed for 276 yards and led the Steelers to a pair of late scoring drives in Baltimore. Tomlin, however, stressed the decision on Roethlisbergers availability rests solely on the quarterbacks health, not Batchs ability to channel the fountain of youth. "Ben is our quarterback and if hes capable of playing then were going to play him," Tomlin said. "But we appreciate the efforts of Charlie and all the other men that step up when given an opportunity due to injury." Roethlisberger said last week arm strength and pain have been major concerns during his rehab. He appears to have made progress on both fronts in the last week. "Seven days does wonders for injuries," Tomlin said. So does the prospect of playing significant games in December. Tomlin allowed the victory in Baltimore is among the most significant of the last two seasons, so much so he was in a rush to get to the locker room afterward, one of the reasons the postgame handshake between Tomlin and Ravens coach John Harbaugh appeared strained. "It took special effort to secure that victory and when I noticed that guys were headed to the locker room I was in a hurry to get there," Tomlin said. And Tomlin is in a hurry to get back to work, though hes not trying to read too much into similarities between the teams position now and the one it was in seven years ago, when the Steelers won their final four regular season games then added four playoff wins to capture their fifth Super Bowl. "I do think our team has some unique characteristics that are kind of born out of unique circumstances or situations," he said. "Quite frankly, its always 20-20 looking back at it. If were able to put together a run and win necessary games and get some momentum, then you can say it was unique. "If we dont, then you can say it was irrelevant." ------ NOTES: LB LaMarr Woodley will test his injured ankle this week and could play after missing the Ravens game ... WR Jerricho Cotcherys fractured ribs have healed enough that he has a shot to return against San Diego ... Tomlin said hes encouraged by the way S Troy Polamalu played against the Ravens in his first game in nearly two months and could see a heavier workload on Sunday. Adrian Peterson Elite Jersey . Emelin recorded three goals and four assists in 67 games with the Canadiens this past season, his first in the NHL. Vikings Peterson Jersey . Cochrane, Canadas only swimming medallist four years ago in Beijing with a third-place finish in this event, posted a preliminary time of fourteen minutes, 49.31 seconds to advance as the third seed. http://www.azulvirtual.org/new.html[/ur... . U.S. Ski Team spokesman Doug Haney says the five-time overall World Cup winner "has had an incredible preparation period" so far but will focus on the only U.S. stop on the womens circuit. [url=http://www.azulvirtual.org/new.html]Adrian Peterson Womens Jersey .J. Williams trial on driving under the influence and traffic charges ended in a mistrial just hours after it began Monday after his lawyer objected to how jurors were selected. Peterson Womens Jersey . It took three minutes following his introduction for the 20-year-old to score in the 81st minute, after Czech defender Theodor Gebre Selassie equalized for Bremen on his league debut in the 75th.DALLAS -- Down by 13 points with less than 10 minutes remaining, youthful Oklahoma City could have easily have been content knowing they could go home for a Game 5 still needing to win only one more game. The Thunder, with their 20-something All-Star duo Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, are instead going home to wait and see who they will play next. And it was their other emerging star who led the way. James Harden scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter, including nine in a 12-0 run, and the Thunder rallied for a 103-97 victory Saturday night to complete a first-round series sweep of the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. "I got into attack mode. I was determined to make plays," Harden said. "He was phenomenal," said Durant, who scored 24 points. "His pick and roll game is unreal. Its fun to watch, fun to be part of. The best part about our team is that we have a lot of guys who can play off each other, and we complement each other well." Dallas led 86-73 after Jason Terry hit a 3-pointer with 9:44 left before the Harden-fueled surge over 3 minutes when the only other score was a 3-poitner by Durant. Oklahoma City finally took the lead, and kept it, after Westbrook stole the ball from Dirk Nowitzki and passed to Serge Ibaka for a two-handed slam that made it 92-91 with 5:17 left. "This goes without saying, Im excited we won the series," coach Scott Brooks said. "James had an incredible game. We ran pick and rolls at the angles. ... He was making plays for himself or our shooters." Durant had 11 rebounds, while Westbrook and Fisher had 12 points each. Oklahoma City plays the winner of the series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver. The Lakers lead that first-round series 2-1 going into Game 4 on Sunday night in Denver. It was the first four-game post-season sweep for the Oklahoma City franchise since 1996, when they were still the Seattle SuperSonics and swept the Houston Rockets in the second round. Dallas is the second defending champion in five years to be swept in the first round. Miami lost in four games to Chicago in 2007, after beating the Mavericks in the 2006 NBA Finals. Dallas had never been swept in a best-of-seven series. And the Mavericks hadnt lost four playoff games in a row since 2006 against the Heat. But now they are the oldest team in the NBA, and vastly changed from last years championship squad. "It was an up and down year," said Nowitzki, the 11-time All-Star who had 34 points. "We werent consistent enough throughout to be an elite team." Even when Harden bobbled the ball after Oklahoma City took the lead for good, Fisher ended up with it and drove for a layup to make it 96-91. Fisher, a late-season addition to the young Thunder, won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. Nowitzki then had a shot that hit the rim a couple of times beforee falling out, among several near misses for him down the stretch. Authentic Peterson Jersey. "If you want to be an elite team in this league, you got to have two or three guys who can go off at any time," Nowitzki said. "I just thought they had more weapons than us." Oklahoma City finished off the Mavs without starting centre Kendrick Perkins, who left the game with 4:09 left in the first quarter with a right hip strain. He had two rebounds, two assists and missed his only shot in his 8 minutes. Jason Kidd, the Mavericks 39-year-old point guard, had 16 points and eight assists. Jason Terry had 11 points in what might have also been his last game in Dallas. After Terrys 3-pointer, Harden scored seven in a row -- on a three-point play and two other baskets. Durant then made a 3-pointer. After Nowitzki was short on a 14-footer, Harden drove for a powerful two-handed slam that got the Thunder within 86-85. "He got up a head of steam and was great," said Rick Carlisle, the Mavs coach whose four-year contract is up. "We tried everything, five or six different coverages going. We needed to be better but it was more about how good he was." The Mavs had looked like they were ready after halftime to at least force the series back to Oklahoma City, where they opened the series with two losses by a combined four points before losing by 16 at home in Game 3. The game was tied at halftime before Nowitzki had 12 points and Kidd made three 3-pointers in the third quarter, when the Mavs scored 34 points to take an 81-68 lead. Nowitzki drove around Ibaka for a tiebreaking one-handed reverse layup less than a minute into the second half, and the lead was up to 64-54 when Shawn Marion had a slam. Carlisle had talked about the Mavericks controlling their emotions after his outburst in the first quarter of Game 3. He had to be held back by an assistant coach when he charged onto the court and was pointing and screaming at an official because of what he said were three missed calls on one possession, ending with Oklahoma City scoring on what appeared to be basket interference. Before the end of the first quarter Saturday night, Carlisle was mad again -- and for good reason. Kidd had bad pass that went out of bounds, but officials missed that the ball was deflected in the air by Harden. Replays showed clearly that Carlisle had a gripe and that the loud boos were warranted. Fisher then made a 22-foot jumper. "Not our year. Take your hat off to them. Theyre a good young team," Terry said. "The balls were definitely bouncing their way. You have to give them credit. It just wasnt our time." Notes: This was Dallas 23rd best-of-seven playoff series. The only time the Mavericks had ever been swept in the post-season was in the a first-round series in 1990 when they lost a best-of-five against Portland. .... Ibaka fouled out with 2:14 left. ' ' '