Mike Tomlin quiet about finale lineup

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Tomlin isn’t sure how long of a break he wants to give his star players before the postseason begins.

The Pittsburgh Steelers coach is going to wait to determine how much Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and company play during Sunday’s regular-season finale against winless Cleveland.

The Steelers (12-3) wrapped up their third AFC North title in four years earlier this month and secured a first-round bye by dominating Houston on Christmas night.

A shot at the top seed and home-field advantage in the playoffs remains a possibility, a scenario the relies almost exclusively on the New York Jets beating New England on the road, something the Jets have done only once in the past decade and even that came in 2008 when Tom Brady was out with a knee injury.

The Steelers held out Roethlisberger, Bell and Antonio Brown in their meaningless 2016 finale against the Browns when backup quarterback Landry Jones guided Pittsburgh to a comeback 27-24 victory.

James Harrison is no longer the odd man out or the oldest man in the locker room.

The ex-Steelers star signed a one-year deal with the New England Patriots on Tuesday, three days after his unceremonious departure from Pittsburgh.

The 39-year-old linebacker posted a photo on Instagram showing himself with 40-yearold quarterback Tom Brady in New England’s locker room, writing that he finally has “a teammate that’s older than me!”

The AFC North champion Steelers released the five-time Pro Bowl linebacker and 2008 NFL defensive player of the year on Saturday to make room for right tackle Marcus Gilbert, who is returning from a suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy.

“We make the decisions we feel give us the very best chance to win,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday when asked why