Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

This year’s Steelers Training Camp has started out rather slowly.  There hasn’t been much drama.  No big hits.  No fights worth noting.  No “Backs-on-Backers” highlights to talk about.  And the crowds have been noticeably smaller than in previous years.

But one thing that has been in large supply at St. Vincent College is injuries.  The injury bug has hit the Steelers early and often.  In fact, injuries are probably the biggest story coming out of training camp so far.

Casey Hampton has been a non-participant since Saturday (the first day of practice) due to a hamstring injury.  Of course, it is never clear whether Hampton is really hurt, or if he is just trying to avoid practice.  It is no secret that Hampton hates training camp.  I’m not accusing Hampton of faking an injury, but I’m just sayin’…………

Rookie linebacker Jason Worilds is also suffering from a hamstring injury.

First round draft pick Maurkice Pouncey is also on the hamstring injury list.  He returned to practice on Tuesday, but he was used in a limited capacity.

And rookie running back Jonathan Dwyer has also missed most of practice so far due to a hamstring injury.  Dwyer is one of the players that I am most interested in seeing play at camp.  But so far, his participation has been limited.

Rookie RB Jonathan Dwyer (#41)

Mike Wallace appeared to have tweaked his hamstring on Monday.  He sat out the wide receiver drills for much of practice, but he joined them before practice ended, and was active on Tuesday.

Rashard Mendenhall had his toe stepped on and has been sitting out practice.  Coach Tomlin doesn’t seem to believe that the injury is serious.

Ramon Foster has been out due to a concussion.  He is another player that I was anxious to see during training camp.  I was extremely impressed by how Foster came in and won a starting position (due to injuries) last year despite being an undrafted rookie.  In doing so, he beat out  higher draft picks like Kraig Urbick.  I believe that Foster is the wildcard in this year’s offensive line battle.  Personally, I’d feel incredibly comfortable with a starting offensive line that consisted of Max Starks, Chris Kemoeatu, Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster, and Flozell Adams.  The coaches have never mentioned that combination, as far as I know.  But just think about it for a moment.  Doesn’t that lineup sound better than any group that includes Trai Essex?

Linebacker Andre Frazier has also been sidelined due to a knee injury.  With all of the linebackers that the Steelers drafted this year, along with the return of Larry Foote, Frazier had better get healthy fast.  His roster spot is definitely in jeopardy.

A few random observations

• Flozell Adams looks good at right tackle.  I think this is going to prove to be a good move for the Steelers.

• Has anybody seen Kraig Urbick?  I didn’t think so.  If he doesn’t make his presence known soon, he may not be with the team much longer.

• Speaking of making your presence known, where is Tony Hills?  I see his number out there everyday, but I have yet to see him do anything worth noting.  Ever.  I doubt he’ll make the roster this year.

Tony Hills gets instruction from Sean Kugler

• Thaddeus Gibson is good.  You are going to be hearing that kid’s name in the future.  He’s going to have to learn Dick LeBeau’s defense, but once he does, watch out.

• Some people were concerned when the Steelers lost Santonio Holmes.  Don’t be.  The wide receivers look great.  Antwaan Randle El was signed to add another veteran presence, but from what I’ve seen so far, Emmanuel Sanders is the WR of the future.  I won’t be surprised if he sees some playing time this year.  The kid is fast, makes quick cuts, and he has great hands.  There are several other young wide receivers who have also caught my eye.  I’ll be writing about the WR’s soon.  But this is a good group.  Stay tuned.

• The Steelers practiced a play where Dan Sepulveda hands the ball off to Jeff Reed and Reed runs the ball.  I thought it was a joke, but they’ve practiced that play several times now.  I guess it’s some type of trick play.  I hope we never have to use it.  I certainly don’t want to depend on Jeff Reed to run for a 1st down.

• Troy Polamalu looks good so far.  I see no lingering signs of last year’s injury.
  

Other Steelers news

• The Steelers released fullback Demetrius Taylor today and replaced him with fullback Dwayne Wright.  Wright was released by the Philadelphia Eagles.  Wright had been drafted in 2007 by the Buffalo Bills, and new Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler worked with Wright in Buffalo and is familiar with him as a player.

Like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano, each year hordes of black and gold clad fans descend on Latrobe, Pennsylvania.  They are making their annual trek to Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp.

Fans come from far and near to get a glimpse of their favorite Steelers players.  Like Eric and Heather Higgs, who along with their baby Elaine, traveled all the way from Cleveland to visit Steelers Training Camp.

The Higgs family from Cleveland

Like so many other fans, the Higgs family realizes that Steelers Training Camp is a great way to kick-off a new year of Steelers football.

Training Camp attendees get an early look at the new rookies and free agents.  They get to start formulating opinions about who is going to contribute to the upcoming season long before other fans get their first view of the team.

Not only do training camp attendees get an early look at the team, but they also get a closer view of their favorite players than they can get just about anywhere else.

Tight end Heath Miller

Ryan Clark talks to fans

Troy signs autographs for fans

Ziggy Hood signs an autograph

Rookie Jason Worilds greets fans

The only problem with Steelers Training Camp is that it takes place in August.  So it can get hot at times.  Very hot!  And St. Vincent provides very little shade.  So be prepared to sit in the sun.

Of course, the staff from Parkhurst Dining Services is always ready to help you to cool off.  Just stop by the concession stand to pick up food, drinks, popsicles, or ice cream to help you beat the heat.

Marcus, Jim, and Ben will help keep you cool.

It always amazes me how many Pittsburgh natives have never made the trip to Latrobe.  It’s a short drive from most parts of Pittsburgh.  It’s a fun outing, and it is definitely worth the trip.

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The start of  Steelers Training Camp 2010 will be remembered more for what didn’t happen than for what did happen.

What didn’t happen, despite the expectations of many fans, sportswriters, and sports talk show hosts, was booing for Ben Roethlisberger.   Perhaps this should have been expected, since the people who make their way to St. Vincent College for Steelers Training Camp tend to be very loyal, die-hard fans.  They are probably the group that is least likely to boo a member of the Steelers, regardless of what that player may have done.

For the most part, the greeting that Big Ben received was very courteous.  He didn’t receive the loud, ground-shaking cheers that Troy Polamalu and Hines Ward received, but they didn’t boo him either.  In fact, a few female fans could even be heard yelling “We love you, Ben!”

Despite not receiving a hostile reaction from the fans, Roethlisberger’s jersey #7 was noticeably scarce.  There were plenty of #7 jerseys to be found in the crowd.  But many were worn by small children.  Anyone who has been to Steelers Training Camp in the past would have noticed the drastic reduction in the number of #7 jerseys in the stands.  Moreover, I’d be willing to bet that the Steelers organization is noticing a drastic decline in sales of Ben’s #7 jersey.

I’m sure that Roethlisberger was just as uncertain as I was of how he would be greeted.  Once he got out on the field, Ben seemed very loose and relaxed.  He took the first snaps in each of the drills, before turning the ball over to Byron Leftwich.

Roethlisberger, Leftwich, and Dennis Dixon all got a significant amount of work on Saturday.  However, there didn’t seem to be many snaps left over for Charlie Batch.  There just isn’t enough time to prepare four quarterbacks for the season, and Batch is apparently the odd man out.

Other than the aforementioned reaction to Big Ben, and the division of labor among the quarterbacks, the first day of Training Camp  was very uneventful.

Here are a few random observations from the first day of practice:

• As in years past, Training Camp didn’t feel like it had officially begun until Chris Hoke performed his dance in the middle of the field.  This has become a tradition at Training Camp, and was met with thunderous applause by the fans and the other players.

• LaMarr Woodley’s ascension as a Pro Bowler was evident.  I noticed far more #56 jerseys in the crowd than I’ve ever seen before.  In fact, there seemed to be more #56 jerseys than #92 (James Harrison) jerseys.

• #86 and #43 are the most popular jersey numbers by far.  Those two number must have accounted for more of the jerseys worn by fans at St. Vincent College than all other numbers combined.

• While Stefan Logan took most of the reps receiving punts, Antonio Brown and Crezdon Butler also fielded a few punts.

• Chris Kemoeatu drew cheers from the crowd when he jumped in front of Mike Wallace and intercepted a pass.  Of course, Kemoeatu wasn’t supposed to be participating in the drill, so Wallace didn’t expect him to jump in front of him.

• The crowd cheered loudly when Rashard Mendenhall got around the defense and broke a long run to the outside.

• Emmanuel Sanders’ first catch of the day was a long bomb from Byron Leftwich.

• WR Brandon London is a big target.  At 6’4″, he towers over the other Steelers receivers.

• Mike Wallace burned William Gay for a long reception.  Both aspects of that play seemed strangely familiar.

• Rashard Mendenhall got knocked on his butt by a hard hit after catching a short pass over the middle.

• Rookie LB Stevenson Sylvester intercepted a pass near the end of practice.

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With Steelers training camp less than a week away, many Steelers fans are anxious to see if Bryant McFadden will beat out William Gay for the starting left cornerback position.

Okay, that’s probably an understatement.  The reality is that most Steelers fans are PRAYING that McFadden will beat out Gay for the starting spot.  Fans remember McFadden, and they feel confident that he will do a much better job than Gay did last year.

CB William Gay making a play

Personally, I don’t think it’s possible to do a worse job than Gay did last season.  However, I think fans are missing the mark if they believe that the Steelers have a two-horse race on their hands this summer at training camp.

Sure, McFadden and Gay are the Steelers’ most experienced cornerbacks, outside of Ike Taylor whose starting position is basically assured.  However, Gay and McFadden are not the only players with a chance of emerging as starters this season.

William Gay shared snaps with McFadden in 2008, and then took over the starting position in 2009 after McFadden signed with the Arizona Cardinals.  Gay struggled as a starter.  He was often out of position, and he seemed to have difficulty covering his man (regardless of who he was covering).  He didn’t make a single interception during the entire season.  In fact, none of the Steelers’ cornerbacks recorded an interception until the final game of the season in 2009.  Gay did have 10 passes defensed, but that number is not particularly impressive considering how opposing quarterbacks seemed to go at him at least 20 times per game.

William Gay makes another play

While some believe that McFadden is the answer, I’m not sure that’s the case.  Remember that back in 2008, the reason that McFadden and Gay split playing time was that McFadden was better against the run, but Gay was thought to have better coverage skills.  Like Gay, McFadden also had no interceptions last year despite starting all 16 games for the Cardinals.  In fact, he only has 7 interceptions in his five years in the NFL.  By comparison, cornerbacks Asante Samuel (PHI) and Charles Woodson (GB) each recorded 9 interceptions last season.  McFadden also recorded fewer tackles than Gay last season (69 versus 78).  So I wouldn’t be so quick to anoint McFadden as the starter.

In 2009, the Steelers selected Keenan Lewis in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft.  Lewis was injured most of last season, so fans never really got to see what he could do.  But there was a reason the team took him so early in the draft.  He is long and rangy, and his size will remind fans of Ike Taylor.  Lewis is taller than either McFadden or Gay.  He is also almost 20 lbs. heavier than either of them.  Despite not getting to play last year, he has had a full year to digest Dick LeBeau’s defensive scheme.  That experience should serve him well in training camp this year.

The Steelers also took another cornerback in the 2009 NFL Draft.  Joe Burnett was selected in the 5th round out of Central Florida.  Burnett was taken primarily for his All-American status as a kick/punt returner.  Stefan Logan seems to have won the primary returner spot for the Steelers, but Burnett still has a chance to win a spot as a cornerback.  Most fans probably remember Burnett most for dropping an easy, potentially game-winning, interception against the Oakland Raiders last year.  It is probably not fair that that is the play that most fans remember Burnett by.  He was actually quite a playmaker in college.  He set the record for career interceptions at Central Florida.  While he is a bit under-sized, I won’t be surprised to see Burnett show a lot more during training camp than we saw from him last year.  He’s a better athlete than William Gay, and with a year of experience under his belt, he should be ready to compete with Gay and McFadden for playing time.

William Gay makes yet another play

Crezdon Butler was drafted in the 5th round of this year’s NFL Draft, and expectations for him are high.  Like Keenan Lewis, Butler is a tall cornerback.  Butler has very good speed and athleticism.  However, in college he relied too much on his athleticism and did not develop good technique.  Like Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett before him, I think that Butler is going to spend his rookie season simply learning the Steelers’ defense.

Despite not having a great season last year, I believe that Ike Taylor’s position is secure.  He is the Steelers’ best cornerback, and he usually defends the opposing team’s best receiver.   I believe that last season was an anomaly for Taylor, and that this year he will return to being the same “cover corner” with hands of stone that he has always been.  The one thing worth noting is that this is the final season of Taylor’s contract, and the Steelers have not offered him an extension.

The Steelers did sign former Baltimore Ravens CB David Pittman during the off-season.  Pittman has spent his career as a journeyman, and has never made an impact in the league.  I doubt he will make the Steelers’ roster.

William Gay doing what he does best

Of all of the position battles that will take place during training camp, cornerback is the one that I am most interested in.  It is the position that looked the weakest last year for the Steelers.

The question that the Steelers will have to answer is “do they have a strong group of cornerbacks who simply looked bad due to Troy Polamalu’s absence, or do they have a weak group of cornerbacks who were exposed by Polamalu’s absence?”  One way or another, that question is going to be answered this season.

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Many Steelers fans are already thinking pessimistically about the Steelers’ 2010 season.  I hear all of the usual excuses.  I’m sure that you’ve heard them too.  Here are a few of them:

“Big Ben is going to miss the first 4-6 games.”

“The defensive line is too old.”

“The offensive line was already weak, and now Willie Colon is out for the entire season.”

“The defensive backs suck!”

“We can’t run the ball effectively.”

“The team was 9-7 and missed the playoffs last year.”

Blah, blah, blah.  Yada, yada, yada.  I’m sick of all of the pessimism.  Maybe it’s just me, but I’m actually optimistic about the Steelers’ chances in 2010.

Here are 10 reasons why I am optimistic about the Steelers’ 2010 season:

1.  Troy Polamalu is back
I think the 2009 season showed us just how important Troy is to the Steelers’ defense.  Troy wasn’t healthy last year, and the defense suffered.  All indications are that “The Tasmanian Devil” is feeling great this year, and the rest of the NFL had better watch out.

2.  Byron Leftwich
If Big Ben has to miss games due to suspension, I am mighty glad that we have Byron Leftwich waiting in the wings to take his place while he is out.  Some fans may have forgotten that Byron is a former franchise quarterback who was selected just one year ahead of Big Ben.  In fact, he was drafted higher than Ben was (#7 versus #11).  Does anyone else remember how tough those games against Leftwich’s Jacksonville teams used to be?

3.  “Hines Ward is too old”
Every year they say that Hines Ward is too old.  And every year, Ward uses that as motivation to come into training camp in even better shape to prove everybody wrong.  Ward’s game has never relied on speed or jumping ability, so he won’t be as affected by age as players like Terrell Owens or Randy Moss might be.  But I hope people keep telling Ward that he’s too old.

4.  The re-emphasis of the running game
Don’t get me wrong.  I love the Steelers new passing attack.  However, I also want to see them be more effective in the running game.  I got tired of seeing the Steelers get stopped when they tried to run the ball in “3rd and 1″ situations.  I think that the Rooney’s ultimatum that the team re-emphasize the run will help the team in two ways.  firstly, it will ease the pain of not having Big Ben.  Secondly, it will resurrect a tough, physical attitude that the offense seemed to be lacking last season.  Frankly, it doesn’t seem feasible that a team with Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman, Frank Summers, and Jonathan Dwyer, can’t run the ball in short yardage situations.

5.  William Gay won’t be starting
As a starting cornerback, William Gay has to be one of the worst that I’ve seen wearing a Steelers uniform.  And if God is merciful, he will make sure that Gay is not a starter this year.  Hallelujah!

6.  Mike Wallace should get more opportunities
I’ve said it since last year in training camp; “I love Mike Wallace”.  The average cornerback just doesn’t stand a chance against him.  I loved seeing him burn cornerbacks for long touchdowns last year.  And now that Santonio Holmes is gone, Wallace should get even more opportunities.  Oh yeah!!!!

7.  Aaron Smith is back
Aaron Smith is possibly the most under-appreciated defensive end in the entire NFL.  He is one of the best at what he does, and he gets little credit for it.  Well Aaron, I am giving you the credit that you deserve.  I am soooooooo happy to have you back this season.

8.  Maurkice Pouncey
It was so good to see the Steelers take an offensive lineman early in the draft.

9.  LaMarr Woodley is more experienced
Last year, LaMarr Woodley quietly emerged as the best player on the Steelers’ defense.  This year, he is more experienced and should be even better.

10.  Did I mention that Troy Polamalu is back?

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