The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... Mendenhall tore his anterior cruciate ligament in last year's regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert all but admitted he won't be back anytime soon. "My guess is [Mendenhall will] open the season on PUP (the physically unable to perform list)," Colbert told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Friday.
Diehards Line:Kicking off 2012 on the PUP means Mendenhall would be unavailable to the Steelers until after the sixth game of the season. The Steelers have used this offseason to groom running back Isaac Redman for the starting role. With Mendenhall still on the mend, Redman's status as a front-line Fantasy back is starting to solidify. Mendenhall has posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons, and Redman will be asked to do the same in Todd Haley's run-oriented attack. ... We'll continue to follow up as needed.