LATROBE - As Joey Porter found out, there's been nothing worth celebrating so far at the Pittsburgh Steelers' training camp.

Pro Bowl wide receiver Hines Ward is holding out, running back Duce Staley is hurt and Porter - a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker - is out for a month with a knee injury possibly caused by celebrating a play he made during a routine practice.

With so many key players from last year's 15-1 team down, out or simply not around, it's probably no wonder coach Bill Cowher complained of flat practices on consecutive days. That may be a first: Cowher lamenting it's not noisy enough on the practice field.

"You take away Joey Porter, Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley, those are a lot of vocal cords that are running," Cowher said Thursday. "The jabbering and talking and everything else ... you kind of get used to these guys for a little bit of that edge. And, suddenly, they're not there."

Bettis isn't hurt, but the Steelers are limiting his contact work before the Sept. 11 opener against Tennessee. Staley, who had knee surgery Monday to repair a torn meniscus, expects to be ready for the Titans, but the Steelers don't seem as sure as he does that he'll be back that soon.

After learning Porter (torn cartilage) will be out at least a month, Cowher suggested Porter would return sooner than Staley - and, to play against Tennessee, Porter can be out no longer than a month to the day.

"Has it been a tough camp without them?" Cowher said. "I don't know that it's been tough, but it's an opportunity to reveal more about our team."

Porter needed surgery the day after landing hard on both feet to celebrate handling rookie free agent tackle Ulish Booker in a one-on-one drill. Booker held his own against Porter when the two initially locked up, but Porter won a rematch he now probably regrets requesting.

Still, Cowher doesn't seem upset that Porter's injury might have occurred needlessly.

"If something like that prompted it, it was probably going to happen at some point anyway," Cowher said of Porter's injury. "The game of football is a little more violent than jumping up and down and stomping the ground. He's going to get himself in worse positions than that. I told him not to beat himself up over that. It's not something that was foolish."

Getting Ward back in camp is probably just what the Steelers need right now, but the four-time Pro Bowl receiver is giving no sign he's ready to end his 12-day holdout. Ward has one year left on his contract, but is refusing to report because he couldn't reach terms on an extension that would pay him an eight-figure signing bonus.

The two sides are at an impasse because the Steelers are holding to their policy of not negotiating with holdout players who are under contract. Defensive back Deshea Townsend, one of Ward's best friends, is

pessimistic Ward will return before training camp ends Aug. 24. Notes: Antwaan Randle El (sprained

ankle) missed practice Thursday, leaving the Steelers without any of their top three receivers from last season. Plaxico Burress signed with the Giants during the offseason. To help compensate for the missing players, the Steelers signed WR Chris Doering to a one-year contract and placed TE Marco Battaglia on the injured reserve list, meaning he cannot play this season. Doering was with the Steelers in 2003 and played in three games last season. ... Cowher expects all four quarterbacks to play Monday night against the Eagles, with starter Ben Roethlisberger likely playing only the first quarter. ... Cowher said second-year CB Ricardo Colclough is not only behind starters Willie Williams and Townsend, he is trailing backups Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden, a rookie. Cowher said, "I try to address it with each player and see how they respond." ... All-Pro LB James Farrior also missed practice, an ice pack attached to his lower back. Cowher didn't explain the injury, as he does not hold post-practice media briefings on the days he has a morning news conference.

AP-ES-08-12-05 0009EDT