Defensive captain James Farrior doesn't pay much attention to the verbal rants of Cincinnati Bengals receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco. Owens called quarterback Ben Roethlisberger "soft" during a segment of his reality show with Ochocinco. Farrior said the mouthy receivers are quiet during games. "It's kind of surprising. At game time, those guys don't say too much. They go about their business," Farrior said Thursday. "We know those guys do a lot of talking. We can't even worry about anything they're saying, because most of the time it's a bunch of junk."

• Cornerback Anthony Madison has been on and off the roster since 2006. Madison recorded his first tackle since 2008 when he opened the Buffalo game two weeks ago in a nickel package and totaled five stops. Madison recorded one tackle last Sunday against Baltimore. For a special teams standout, being a regular part of the defense was a strange feeling. "That's the most significant action I had since 2006," said Madison, who is tied for second on the team with 12 special teams tackles. It's a big turnaround for a player who was released before the start of last season only to be brought back for the final five games. "Last year was a trying time for me," he said. "Certain things you don't have much control over. Just having the opportunity to play here again is worth it."

• Tackle Flozell Adams and wide receiver Hines Ward returned to practice yesterday. Safety Troy Polamalu (ankle), tight end Heath Miller (concussion) and defensive end Aaron Smith (triceps) continued to sit out. Polamalu is expected to practice today and play Sunday. Miller isn't expected to play. Smith still isn't ready to practice.

• For Cincinnati, cornerback Johnathan Joseph (ankle) and tight end Jermaine Gresham (not injury-related) missed practice for the second consecutive day. Cornerback Rico Murray (ankle) also sat out.