Pittsburgh ? Hines Ward needs extensive work to rehabilitate his sprained right knee for the Super Bowl, but Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin still expects the wide receiver to play.

“We’re definitely not going to count him out,” Tomlin said Tuesday. “We’re going to save a seat on the bus for 86.”

Ward, the Steelers’ career receiving leader, sprained a medial collateral ligament while making a catch in the first quarter of the AFC championship game against Baltimore on Sunday night. If the Steelers played this week, he may not have been ready.

Tuesday was the players’ scheduled day off, yet Tomlin observed Ward doing extensive rehabilitation work in the team’s practice complex. The Steelers leave Monday for Tampa and the Feb. 1 game against Arizona.

The schedule will be the same as for any other week, and the Steelers will draw up a game plan as if they were playing Sunday. A game plan that is likely to include Ward.

“We’re going to do everything in our power so he gets the medical attention he needs,” Tomlin said. “In his mind, he’s playing, so chances are he is.”