Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

 August 12, 2009
By John DeWald

Editor’s note:  Prior to training camp, we started a series previewing all of the positions.  Our goal was to make fans familiar with all of the players who would be competing at training camp, and to give our best guess at who would actually make the 53-man roster.  Unfortunately, we did not complete the series prior to the start of training camp like we had originally intended.  We have decided to complete the series anyway.  We hope that it will make fans more familiar with some of the names that you will hear us mention in our regular training camp updates.

Also, please note that this installment is being written by John DeWald.  John is one of our regular readers who alway impressed me with the quality of the comments that he left.  I wanted to share his insight with my readers,  so I asked him to co-write this series with me.  See what happens when you leave quality comments?  Hint, hint.

This is Part 6 in a series.  If you haven’t read the previous installments, please click below:

Part 1:  Defensive linemen

Part 2:  Linebackers

Part 3:  Safeties

Part 4: Cornerbacks

Part 5: Quarterbacks

Last season the Steelers carried 3 running backs and a single fullback on the active roster (and kept 1 back on the practice squad). The incumbents are Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, and Carey Davis.

Early in the 2008 season, Mendenhall was placed on IR (compliments of Ray Lewis) and Gary Russell was activated from the practice squad. Russell is gone but the rest of them are still on the team along with four new backs. So, unless someone really shines on special teams (and is kept primarily for that purpose) we are looking at 8 players fighting for 4 spots on the 53-man roster.

The Steelers appear to be in very good shape with the top 3 RB’s returning.  Of course, as we found out last year, injuries can change that outlook very quickly.  So let’s take a look at the running backs who will be competing at Steelers training camp.

Willie Parker – Parker is a good (although limited) back with blazing speed and good vision but mediocre elusiveness (he’s not going to make people miss unless he can run away from them).  He’s also not much of a pass catcher.  Parker had an off year last season due to injuries and an inconsistent line.  He expanded his off-season training regimen to try to avoid injuries this year.  This is a contract year for Parker and he is playing with a chip on his shoulder so expect him to put everything on the line to earn a new contract.

Rashard Mendenhall- Behind Parker is last year’s #1 pick.  Mendenhall is a more complete back than Parker but is very inexperienced after logging only 19 carries last year.  The Steelers are very high on him and would like to see him shoulder a significant amount of the load to keep both he and Parker fresh for the postseason.  Not to mention, to give them an idea of whether to give Parker a contract extension.

Mewelde Moore- Moore was signed last season as a 3rd down back/return specialist.  Proving that you can never have too many good backs, he logged some heroic performances filling in for the injured Parker and Mendenhall.  Over his 4 starts he carried 80 times for 360 Yards (4.5 YPC) and had 16 receptions for 89 yards.  He is a much better pass catcher than the other RB’s, logging 40 receptions last year (tied for 5th on the team).  His return game was not nearly as impressive but at least he was sure handed.

Parker, Mendenhall, and Moore are all locks to make the team.

Carey Davis- Unlike the other returning backs, Davis should probably brush off his resume.  Davis began last year as the starting FB until it was discovered that Sean McHugh (the 3rd TE) was actually a better blocker.  Given the de-emphasis of the FB in Bruce Arians’ offense, the competition from H-Back/TE players such as McHugh and Johnson, and the intriguing abilities of Summers and Logan, Davis will have an uphill battle to keep his job.  This year the hill will prove too steep.

Those fighting for Davis’s spot:

Frank “The Tank” Summers -  The Steelers’ second 5th round pick is quickly becoming a fan favorite before ever playing a down in the NFL.  The Steelers have been noticeably weak in short yardage situations over the past few years and, given his size, many fans are having visions of the “Tank” being the first effective replacement to “the Bus”.  Needless to say, this will be easier said than done.  Bettis was a unique talent with rare size and agility.  Frank has a lot of upside but, coming from a spread offense, it will take time for him to transition to the NFL.  Lucky for him, the Steelers will not ask him to be anything other than a short yardage back this year – anything else will just be a bonus.  Barring a horrendous camp, Frank is the front runner to take Davis’s spot.

Stefan “The Yugo” Logan- OK, the “Yugo” comment isn’t really fair but this guy is SMALL (5’7 and 185 – and that might be stretching it).  Logan, however, offers some intriguing capabilities.  While lacking the size of Mendenhall and Summers or the speed of Parker, he has great agility and elusiveness.

Logan walked on at South Dakota in 2003.  Four years later, he was the best running back in school history with 15 school records to his credit.  He was the 11th player in Division II history to rush for 5,000 yards (5,968) and surpass 7,000 all purpose yards (7,770).  In his first and only year in the CFL he registered 122 carries for 889 yards (an awesome 7.3 YPC) and had 52 receptions for 477 yards.  He was 6th in the league in combined yards from scrimmage as well as having a 10.5 average on punt returns and nearly a 30 yard average on kick returns.  He is a good receiver, returns punts and kicks, and could be Pittsburgh’s version of Darren Sproles (who is only listed at 5’6 and 185).  Logan has a good chance to make the team but it will be determined almost entirely by his special teams play.

Justin Vincent – Justin Vincent, a 4 year player at LSU, was first signed to the practice squad by Pittsburgh in 2007.  He faced stiff competition for playing time at LSU and never really distinguished himself.  He has spent parts of the last 2 years on the Steelers’ practice squad and has never been elevated to the active roster.  In all likelihood, unless he sets training camp on fire, he is only competing for a place on the practice squad.

Isaac Redman- Redman was signed this year as an undrafted free agent. He ended his college career (Bowie State) as the school’s All-Time leading rusher with 3,300 yards and holds the school’s single season rushing (1,512) record.  He has good size (230 lbs) and good overall skills, but is understandably a bit raw having played in Division II.  Given his upside, I predict that he beats out Vincent for a spot on the practice squad.

So, in summary, Parker, Mendenhall, Moore, and Summers are in. Logan is a possibility as a return specialist. Redman makes the practice squad and Davis and Vincent are out.  Agree?  Disagree?  Your comments are welcome.

Today’s Featured Item:  Reebok Pittsburgh Steelers Hoody Sweat Jacket

Buy the best Steelers gear right here at Steelers Today.  We search for the coolest Steelers gear that we can find, and then we present it to our fellow Steelers fans.  Check out this Steelers hoody.  It even has the Steelers logo on only one side just like the Steelers helmet.  Is that cool or what?  Click below to purchase. 

 Click here to buy

 (If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

August 8, 2009
By Donald Starver

Okay, let me start off by saying that I got lost last night.  There, I admitted it.

Every year the Steelers hold a night practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.  For some reason I, along with about 200 other Steelers fans, thought that Latrobe Memorial Stadium was located at Latrobe High School.  Allow me to be the first to tell those of you who have never been to Steelers training camp that Latrobe Memorial Stadium is NOT located at Latrobe High School.  But at least I had plenty of company at the high school, so I didn’t feel too stupid.

Once I finally made it to the stadium, the Steelers provided an entertaining evening.

Friday Night Lights

The Steelers did their famous backs-on-backers drill for the fans’ entertainment.  This is always a lively drill, and reputations are often made or destroyed during it.

As has been the case for the last 3 years, James Harrison was practically unstoppable during this drill.  The rest of the NFL learned last year what Steelers running backs have known all along; Harrison cannot be blocked.

One player who began creating a reputation for himself last night was Frank “the tank” Summers.  Summers did what most thought was virtually impossible.  He stopped James Harrison’s bull rush.  While that was impressive, Summers’ drill didn’t start off quite so well, as he completely missed a block on Andre Frazier in his first attempt at the drill.  Frazier went around Summers like wind goes around a tree.  But after that, Summers came into his own.  Summers completely neutralized Keyaron Fox’s attempt to beat the rookie.  He also stopped Tom Korte dead in his tracks, and then pushed him back 3 yards with a hard shove at the end for good measures.  As the grand finale to the drill, head coach Mike Tomlin called out Summers and James Harrison to be the final combatants of the drill.  As teammates looked on, James Harrison began his charge towards Summers.  I assumed that Harrison would want to bully Summers to show that Summers’ earlier win against Harrison’s bull rush was a fluke.  But instead, Harrison hit Summers with a last second swim move and blew right past him.  Score one for the veteran.

Summers need not feel bad though.  Nobody else has figured out how to stop Harrison either.

In other match-ups, Bruce Davis bull rushed Willie Parker into the next county.  Donovan Woods went around Rashard Mendenhall as though he weren’t even there.  So did Patrick Bailey.  Mr. Mendenhall definitely needs to work on his blocking technique.  Rookie tight end David Johnson stopped Lawrence Timmons cold.  He did the exact same thing to Andre Frazier and then pushed him backwards 5 yards for good measures.  I have been extremely impressed by Johnson’s blocking.  Rookie running back Isaac Redman held off Andrew Schantz and Keyaron Fox.  He also drove Bruce Davis into the ground.  Lawrence Timmons blew right by Sherrod Dezmond, but Dezmond saved face later when he outwrestled Bruce Davis.

Harrison, Summers, Johnson, and Redman were clearly the winners in this drill.

Once backs-on-backers was over, the Steelers moved to 11-on-11 drills.  On the very first play, Troy Polamalu intercepted a pass from Ben Roethlisberger.  Fans were happy to see this, since Polamalu has barely practiced since training camp started due to a hamstring injury.

Most of the excitement in the 11-on-11 drills was provided by WR Dallas Baker.  Baker didn’t excite the crowd with what he did.  Rather, the excitement came from what was done to him.

On one play, Charlie Batch completed a pass to Baker, only to have Baker get drilled by Tyrone Carter (did I mention that there is no real hitting or tackling in the 11-on-11 drill?).  A little later in the evening, rookie LB Andrew Schantz took a page out of Tyrone Carter’s book and clobbered Baker as he made another catch.  I don’t know what Baker did to anger the defense, but they were definitely teeing off on him.

In other news, Stefan Logans and Shaun McDonald took turns fielding punts.  Rookie Joe Burnett was noticeably absent from the drill.  Santonio Holmes has also been participating in punt return drills, but he too did not return any punts tonight.

Both kickers, Jeff Reed and Piotr Czech, were asked to kick progressively longer field goals.  Both kickers made their shorter kicks, but each finally missed on a 58 yard attempt.  Reed’s 58 yard attempt was on line but fell short.  Czech’s attempt had plenty of distance, but flew wide left.

Finally, the offensive  and defensive linemen broke off for blocking drills.  Neo (Tony Hills) successfully held off James Harrison on a bull rush.  He also stopped Arnold Harrison on a similar attempt.  Rookie Kraig Urbik held his own against Jordan Reffett, but was successfully bull rushed by  rookie DT Steve Mclendon.  Rookie Ramon Foster came up limping during the drill.  Not a good thing, with the offensive line already heavily depleted.  Lastly, first round pick Ziggy Hood pushed Jason Capizzi back so far on a bull rush that I thought they were going to credit him with a 2-point conversion.

The night ended with a fireworks display.  When the fireworks were over, the annual Steelers practice under the Friday night lights had come to a close.

To read more of my recent training camp reports, click the article below:

Steelers training camp update: 8/7/09

A perspective on Steelers training camp

Steelers training camp day 4

10 observations from Steelers training camp day 3

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

Today’s practice started out with a big crowd, but most left when the skies opened up and it started raining cats and dogs.

Since it was raining so much, I didn’t get to take as many notes as I normally would (my notebook got soaked).  I couldn’t take as many pictures either.  But here are my top 10 observations from Day 3 (Sunday August 2, 2009).

1)  Hines Ward did not practice today.  I don’t know if he was injured or if coach Tomlin is just giving him a rest.  However, he wasn’t in pads.  He just had on shorts and a t-shirt.  He was wearing a baseball cap turned backwards.

2)  If you ever wondered if the Steelers practice in the rain, the answer is “yes”.  It started raining really hard in the middle of practice.  A few of the players started to leave the field.  Someone on the field yelled that they saw lightning.  Coach Mike Tomlin yelled back “We play games in the rain in the NFL”, and that was that.  Nobody left the field, and practice proceeded as usual.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I absolutely love the control that Mike Tomlin exercises over his team.  He absolutely will not let them lose focus.  It definitely inspires confidence in me as a fan that the Steelers will not become distracted for any reason.

3)  Dan Sepulveda is back!!!! If there were any question about how Dan Sepulveda is healing from his injury/surgery from last season, let me put your mind at rest.  Sepulveda is back 100%!!!!!!  I actually asked Sepulveda how he was feeling yesterday, and he told me 100%.  However, I needed to see it myself.

Today Sepulveda punted for the first time at open practice.  He boomed punts that all seemed to hang in the air for 6 seconds (no exaggeration).  He probably made 10 punts.  The shortest one went 47 yards in the air.  The longest one went 67 yards in the air.  There was a slight wind at his back, but still, 67 yards is awesome.  By the way, did I mention that it was 67 yards in the rain?

4)  Mike Wallace is fast.  He got behind the entire defense for a long reception from Big Ben.  He beat the defenders so badly that it looked like Tom Brady to Randy Moss.

5)  Don’t ignore Piotr Czech.  Jeff Reed is an amazing kicker, and I hope the Steelers sign him to an extension.  However, today at practice Piotr Czech got to kick field goals.  He started with an extra point, and then moved back 5 yards on each successive kick.  He never missed.  The coaches stopped the drill after he hit a 55 yarder.  Frankly, I wanted to see him attempt a 60 yarder.

6)  Ziggy Hood beat Kraig Urbick twice in a row in one-on-one drills.  He looked like he totally outclassed Urbick.  However, Urbick stopped him cold on the third try, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

7)  Martin Nance drops too many catchable balls.  I know that he was Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite receiver at Miami of Ohio, but I just can’t see him making this team.

8)  Limas Sweed is showing good signs.  Limas made several pretty catches, including a nice diving catch by the sidelines that made the crowd go wild.  However, Limas also had some drops that drew a few jeers from the crowd.

9)  I like the way Mike Tomlin lets his assistants do their job.  Each Assistant runs practice for their particular unit.  Tomlin then circulates through the units and watches what they’re doing.  At each unit, he singles out a player and shouts encouragement to him.  When he got to the tight ends, he yelled out “C’mon DJ, show me something.  Show me what you got, DJ”.  He was referring to rookie tight end David Johnson.

I noticed that when Tomlin is watching a particular unit, the players go at it just a little bit harder.  The wide receivers in particular tend to dive for balls that they would have let fall to the ground if Tomlin weren’t watching.  The running backs also seem to hit the holes harder when Tomlin is watching.

10)  Frank “the tank” Summers is already a fan favorite.  Practice ended today when Summers had a violent (and loud) collision with a defender on a running play.  Summers didn’t win this one.  He got knocked on his back.  I couldn’t see who the defender was, but those around me said that his number ended in a “5″.  They thought it was either Patrick Bailey (#55) or Donovan Woods (#95).  The play drew ooohs and ahhhs from both fans and other players on the field.  It looked like a fight was going to break out, and I saw coaches jump in.  Tempers cooled, and practice ended.

#44 Frank "the tank" Summers

Note: I was wrong about the hit on Frank Summers yesterday.  According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it was Willie Gay who put the big hit on Summers.  In fact, he knocked Summers down with the hit.  Read about it here.

If you haven’t already read our coverage of Day #2, please click below:

Notes from Steelers training camp Day 2

Also see our coverage of Day 4 by clicking here.

Today’s Featured Item:  Steelers Black-White 6-Time Super Bowl Champion Varsity Jacket

Buy the best Steelers gear right here at Steelers Today.  We search for the coolest Steelers gear that we can find, and then we present it to our fellow Steelers fans.  Check out this great 6-time Super Bowl Champion varsity jacket.  Feel proud knowing you are letting all of those Ravens, Browns, and Cowboys fans know which team is REALLY king of the hill.  Click below to purchase.

Click here to buy

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

June 7, 2009
By Donald Starver

This is part 4 of our AFC North review.  On Thursday,  Joe Barnes from the Baltimore Ravens blog  The Ebony Bird started things off with a review of the Baltimore Ravens’ off-season.  On Friday, Adam Kiefaber from the Cincinnati Bengals Blog Bengal Stripes gave us his review of the Bengals’ off-season.  On Saturday, Don Delco from the Cleveland Browns blog No Logo Needed shared his perspective on the Browns’ off-season moves.   Now it’s my turn to share my views on the Steelers’ off-season thus far.

AFC North Offseason Review: Pittsburgh Steelers

Best free agent signing and impact:

Biggest Loss and Impact:

What is your reaction to the Steelers’ draft?  I really like the players the Steelers selected.  Ziggy Hood adds much needed youth to the Steelers defensive line.  Kraig Urbik should be able to win a starting position at right guard by mid-season.  Mike Wallace has amazing speed, and is a star receiver of the future.   Keenan Lewis should see some playing time if he can learn the playbook.  Frank Summers is the short yardage back that the Steelers have lacked since Jerome Bettis retired.  And getting a center in the 7th round who won the Rimington Trophy in 2008 was the icing on the cake.  The Steelers addressed most of their needs, got much stronger in their return game, and added pieces for the future.  Overall, an excellent draft.

What storylines will you follow in camp? 1) Will the sophomores finally make an impact.  Rashard Mendenhall, Limas Sweed, Tony Hills, and Bruce Davis need to make their presence felt this year.  They were all MIA last year, and that will have to change if they want to hold onto their roster spots.  2)  How is Lawrence Timmons adjusting to being a starter?  I think he’ll do fine, but I’d like to see it on the field.   3) Can the Steelers’ offensive line finally figure out how to keep QB Ben Roethlisberger off his back?  Let’s face it.  Big Ben gets sacked way too often.  If he is going to last in this league, he is going to have to get better protection.  4)  Can Joe Burnett and Mike Wallace make an impact on the return game?  The Steelers didn’t have many weak spots last year.  Their return game was one of the few.

So, that is my review of the Steelers’ off-season so far.  I really like what they’ve done.  I don’t think we’re going to miss any of the players who left, and I think the rookies are going to be solid.  We won the Super Bowl last year, despite having the toughest schedule in the NFL.  The road to the Super Bowl will be much easier this time around.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

April 26, 2009
By Donald Starver

With their second pick in the 5th round, the Steelers selected Frank “The Tank” Summers.   Summers stands 5’10″, and weighs 230 lbs. 

Nicknamed “The Tank” because of his bruising running style, Summers is a strong, physical running back from UNLV. 

At UNLV, Summers was known as a workhorse running back who tended to get better as the game wore on.  His physical style tended to wear down defenders.  He was named the toughest player to bring down in the MWC by Lindy’s.

Despite his large size, Summers is also a receiving threat out of the backfield.  He has soft hands, and is the only player in UNLV history to lead his team in both rushing and receiving touchdowns in the same year.  He posted both the team’s longest rushing touchdown and their longest receiving touchdown.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC1OFDMdMik

Summers rushed for 928 yards and 6 touchdowns as a junior, and 740 yards and 8 touchdowns as a senior.

Everyone knows that the Steelers have struggled in short yardage situations over the last few years.  The addition of Summers, along with the return of Rashard Mendenhall, should definitely help that situation.

To read about the Steelers’ previous pick, click here.

To read about the Steelers’ next pick, click here.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader