DeCastro’s return still uncertain

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steelers All-Pro guard David DeCastro fractured a bone in his right hand eight days ago in the season opener against the Cleveland Browns, and he still doesn’t know a timetable for his return to the starting lineup.

“I think it’s one of those things they don’t really tell you on purpose so I can keep hoping that I’m going to play, can trick myself into playing and just see how it goes day by day,” DeCastro said Monday. “They never told [me] it was going to be three weeks, one week, 10 weeks. It’s just one of those things where you just try to do everything in your power that day to heal it. You see where you’re at the next day and see if you can play. If I can do it, I’ll go. If I can’t, I can’t.”

The swelling on DeCastro’s hand has gone down, but he has not tested it by going through any exercises on the field.

The Steelers lost Sunday to the Kansas City Chiefs to fall to 0-1-1. Veteran reserve B.J. Finney started and played the entire game at right guard.

The Steelers have an extra day to prepare for their next game because they don’t play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers until Monday night in Florida, but DeCastro said he will listen to the doctors and training staff and do what he’s told.

“I finished the [Cleveland] game so there are some positives to that,” DeCastro said. “I just want to make sure it’s protected and I’m not making it worse. I don’t want to take one step forward and four steps back and miss more time.

“We have a good staff. They’re not worried about it. They’re being smart. I want to get back out there as soon as possible, but this is part of it, unfortunately. I want to be back out there, but I can’t make any promises.”