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According to Associated Press sports writer Alan Robinson, receiver Plaxico Burress was a no-show again when the Steelers resumed their offseason workouts Tuesday.

Burress was fined earlier this month for missing a mandatory mini-camp.

"I thought he was going to be here, but obviously he's not," said Hines Ward, the Steelers' other starting receiver. "It's sad. I don't think it had to come to this. ... I've got to prepare like we're going into the season right now without Plax; we don't know what is going to happen."

Robinson further noted that head coach Bill Cowher didn't discuss Burress' latest absence, leaving the field about halfway through the hour-long workout without speaking with reporters.

However, Cowher was visibly displeased when Burress was the only player to skip the team's post-draft mini-camp May 7-9, saying, "I'm very disappointed in his decision and we are ready to move on with or without him."

Cowher was even angrier because Burress never told the coach he wouldn't attend.

Burress might -- or might not -- have cleared the air last Thursday, when he told a national radio audience the Steelers were "inconsiderate" toward players for holding a mandatory mini-camp on Mother Day's weekend. He went on to echo his agent's claims that the absence was not contract related.

Burress said he believed he needed to be with his brothers more than with his teammates. Burress' mother died two years ago.

All of which prompted Ward to openly ask what the rest of us were already thinking.

"If that's the excuse, Mother's Day, if that's what he says, we have to abide by it, but what's the reason right now?" Ward said. "I don't know. I can't answer the question."

Burress is also said to be frustrated by the team's failure to open contract talks with him. He is in the final season of the $8.67 million, five-year contract he signed after being drafted in 2000, but it now seems unlikely the Steelers will try to work out a new deal before the season starts.

Burress' production fell off sharply, from 78 catches for 1,325 yards and seven touchdowns in 2002 to 60 catches for 860 yards and four touchdowns last season, and some in the organization believe the team would be better off letting him play for a new contract.

Robinson added that Ward, one of Burress' closest friends on the team, wants to discuss the situation with him but can't reach him.

"I've called him, but the number I called is no longer working," Ward said. "I don't even know if the coach has talked to him. ... So I don't know where he's at. I don't know what the situation is."

The absence comes as the Steelers' offensive regulars are getting comfortable with new coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and two new position coaches, wide receivers coach Bruce Arians and quarterbacks coach Mark Whipple.

Burress is also missing time working with rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers' first-round draft pick.

"Unfortunately, this is kind of the way this business works now," Tommy Maddox said. "Guys handle things in their own way, and other guys know that it's going on."

The Steelers' workouts run through early June and are supposed to be voluntary, but Cowher expects all players to attend. Burress was the only no-show. ...

Other Fantasy-specific news and notes of interest from around the NFL. ...

In Green Bay. ... According to Wisconsin State Journal staffer Jason Wilde, former Giants quarterback Kerry Collins is scheduled to arrive in Green Bay tonight and visit the Packers' Lambeau Field headquarters Wednesday.

Although Cleveland quarterback Tim Couch remains the Packers' top choice, contract talks with Couch have stalled, so the Packers are exploring alternatives.

Damon Huard, who backed up Tom Brady in New England last season, visited last week, and now Collins will meet with head coach and general manager Mike Sherman and his staff.

The Packers have 36-year-old Doug Pederson as Brett Favre's primary backup and 2002 fifth-round pick Craig Nall as their No. 3. Wilde added that Pederson performed well in the post-draft mini-camp, while Nall struggled with his accuracy and could be playing his way out of a job. ...

In Miami. ... Dolphins' running back Ricky Williams refused to discuss Tuesday whether he violated the NFL's substance-abuse policy a second time by using marijuana.

"No one in the NFL can talk about anything regarding the substance-abuse program," Williams said. "League-wide, it's a confidentiality thing. ... I'm here to answer questions about football."

Three local newspapers quoted unidentified sources last week saying Williams tested positive for marijuana and faced a fine of at least $650,000 for violating the substance-abuse policy for the second time since joining the Dolphins in 2002.

When asked Tuesday about how the reports of a possible positive test may affect his image, Williams simply said people "can judge for themselves."

"I can't tell anyone about myself," Williams said. "They just have to look at the way I carry myself, look at the way I play the game, look at the way I practice and what I do in the community. ..."

In Chicago. ... After missing most of the last two mini-camps with a strained left quad, second-year wide receiver Bobby Wade returned to the practice field Monday when the Bears conducted the first of 14 "Organized Team Activities."

"I was rusty," Wade told chicagobears.com staff writer Larry Mayer. "It was a rough practice today. But just the fact of being here and knowing that my leg is getting stronger, everything is going well with that. We've got 13 more of these to get better, so hopefully I can catch up and be back on track, which I'm sure I will."

Wade, who had 12 receptions for 137 yards last season as a rookie, was injured in the Bears' first mini-camp under new head coach Lovie Smith in March. The 2003 fifth-round pick participated in one practice in the second mini-camp and was held out entirely in the third and final camp after the draft.

Though the sessions are voluntary, Wade isn't taking anything for granted.

"It's mandatory, at least from my standpoint," he said. "Even with the voluntary mini-camps, it's still important to be around and show up, especially when you have all new coaches and a new offense going in. I think everybody's pretty much taking that mandatory approach to it."