Football - Simmons Out With Frostbite

Things are worse and worse for the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. They have just lost a key starter for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. While Simmons was attempting to come back from an injury, he got actually too much treatment to cure this wound. The right guard Kendall Simmons will sit on the bench but will not play the game because of an ice burn on his left foot.

It appears that Simmons, who has not practiced this week, fell asleep while he had a cooling device on his foot as he tried to treat a heel injury. Instead of curing the injury, the fifth-year veteran is now suffering the equivalent of frostbite. It is undetermined for how long the injury will sideline Simmons, whose heel was left raw by the incident. Simmons is the team's first-round choice in the 2002 draft and a veteran of 46 starts.

The Steelers already found the replacement for Simmons. Second-round veteran Chris Kemoeatu, who is a sixth-round choice in the 2005 draft, will fill in Simmons’ spot in the starting lineup. It will be the first start for former Utah standout Kemoeatu and also his first appearance in a regular-season game. Indeed Kemoeatu was on the field for only one game without playing in 2005. He has not played this season yet, Pittsburgh having started the same five offensive linemen in all four games this year.

The injury of Simmons took place at a desperate moment for the Steelers at 1-3. Pittsburgh will need to get on a roll if they want fight their way back into playoff contention. In addition to Simmons, the Steelers will have to play without star linebacker Joey Porter and likely without cornerback Deshea Townsend. Indeed both players suffered hamstring injuries in practice early this week.