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I like to get out to camp as much as I can prior to the first preseason game and as long as the weather is nice and I'm free, I'm there. Today was one of those days.
Roethlisberger appears to be in fine shape and came to the field wearing No. 83 to honor Heath. As he told Bouchette today, his arm is as strong as ever and that is a legit concern as he ages. Behind him is the concern. If we could somehow combine Gradkowski and Jones into one quarterback, there may be something there. However, those two guys are what they are and I saw the same strengths and weaknesses from each on the first day. Granted you cannot take too much away from the first padded practice, but it is what it is. Dustin Vaughan is probably the best No. 4 quarterback they've brought to camp.
I didn't know what to expect from Bell, but I was impressed. Tomlin did not hold him back and he was featured running the ball with the first team. Without pads, you don't get a full appreciate of his burst and quickness, but Bell was out there cutting and running through holes, getting to the outside and showing no real signs of a lingering injury. A year old, there is always a worry that Williams could slow down, but there were no signs. He looked very good and had an impressive one-handed reception on a ball that somehow got by McCullers--yes, he was in coverage in the flat.
The Steelers drafted Coates for a reason and we started to get some more glimpses of that today. You can see that he feels much more comfortable in the offense and didn't show any of those rookie mistakes that he experienced last season. More importantly, his hands were very good and that is the type of progress the coaches have to love with Coates expected to take on a larger role. Rogers had a solid day and Blankeney was one of the top targets during a 7-on-7 drill. I had hoped to see some of Ayers as a receiver, but wasn't able to take notice.
Until Green gets back in the lineup, the tight end position is a bit of a worry. James isn't particularly athletic and looks like a relatively thin quarterback out there. I won't judge his blocking until he gets the pads on, but I don't see how shedding weight will help him in this area. He didn't get a chance to run down the seam--a specialty of Miller--but was often used as an outlet receiver. I saw Xavier Grimble mentioned on Twitter, so I decided to watch him some. The guy looks like a monster, he's very built, but isn't very consistent as a receiver. Dropped one and fumbled one.
Without pads, it's hard to judge the defense, but I did get a chance to see Burns break up a pass from Coates. If you've never been to camp, backs and receivers always "finish out the play" even after the whistle is blown. In other words, they basically run the rest of the way down the field. Defenders usually give chase, but Burns took it a step further and went for a strip. For a defense that focused on creating turnovers last year, it was encouraging to see that Burns has already bought in. Davis played strong safety and in the slot, so it appears as though the defensive coaches hope to get him involved wherever they can. I didn't catch what he did the play before, but Lake did pull him aside at one point to give some individual coaching during 11-on-11. It was only for one play. For reference, I saw Montell Garner with Lake at least two times.
The battle at linebacker should be pretty good. Johnson dropped an interception in deep coverage, Fort had the first interception of camp and the veterans altogether had a solid showing with the defense creating some good pressure, particularly in the seven shots drill. I'm a bit unsure with Zumwalt at outside linebacker--Feeney as well. Neither seems to have the bulk to play the position, but we shall see. Unfortunately, with the nature of practice on Friday, there wasn't a real chance for Feeney to flash any speed.
As far as some other notes, Warren had on a Suisham jersey. It's nice to see guys showing respect to their former teammates. Roethlisberger played a quick game of catch with a serviceman on the sidelines. He was definitely pumped as was the rest of the group he was with. Antonio Brown had a Hulk Hogan-esque act to fire up the crowd, challenging the fans in bleachers against those in the end zone who could be louder. Pretty much anything he does on the field gets a huge reaction--especially his long receptions. Heyward-Bey left the field at one point, but returned to practice. Finally, if you have not had the opportunity to go to camp, get there. It is truly Steeler Nation. There were cars from at least 16 states (including as far away as Florida, Texas and Wisconsin), two Canadian territories/provinces and fans from Mexico.
It's suppose to rain tomorrow and I don't feel like sitting in that, but I do hope to make the first padded practice on Sunday and additional ones next week.
Roethlisberger appears to be in fine shape and came to the field wearing No. 83 to honor Heath. As he told Bouchette today, his arm is as strong as ever and that is a legit concern as he ages. Behind him is the concern. If we could somehow combine Gradkowski and Jones into one quarterback, there may be something there. However, those two guys are what they are and I saw the same strengths and weaknesses from each on the first day. Granted you cannot take too much away from the first padded practice, but it is what it is. Dustin Vaughan is probably the best No. 4 quarterback they've brought to camp.
I didn't know what to expect from Bell, but I was impressed. Tomlin did not hold him back and he was featured running the ball with the first team. Without pads, you don't get a full appreciate of his burst and quickness, but Bell was out there cutting and running through holes, getting to the outside and showing no real signs of a lingering injury. A year old, there is always a worry that Williams could slow down, but there were no signs. He looked very good and had an impressive one-handed reception on a ball that somehow got by McCullers--yes, he was in coverage in the flat.
The Steelers drafted Coates for a reason and we started to get some more glimpses of that today. You can see that he feels much more comfortable in the offense and didn't show any of those rookie mistakes that he experienced last season. More importantly, his hands were very good and that is the type of progress the coaches have to love with Coates expected to take on a larger role. Rogers had a solid day and Blankeney was one of the top targets during a 7-on-7 drill. I had hoped to see some of Ayers as a receiver, but wasn't able to take notice.
Until Green gets back in the lineup, the tight end position is a bit of a worry. James isn't particularly athletic and looks like a relatively thin quarterback out there. I won't judge his blocking until he gets the pads on, but I don't see how shedding weight will help him in this area. He didn't get a chance to run down the seam--a specialty of Miller--but was often used as an outlet receiver. I saw Xavier Grimble mentioned on Twitter, so I decided to watch him some. The guy looks like a monster, he's very built, but isn't very consistent as a receiver. Dropped one and fumbled one.
Without pads, it's hard to judge the defense, but I did get a chance to see Burns break up a pass from Coates. If you've never been to camp, backs and receivers always "finish out the play" even after the whistle is blown. In other words, they basically run the rest of the way down the field. Defenders usually give chase, but Burns took it a step further and went for a strip. For a defense that focused on creating turnovers last year, it was encouraging to see that Burns has already bought in. Davis played strong safety and in the slot, so it appears as though the defensive coaches hope to get him involved wherever they can. I didn't catch what he did the play before, but Lake did pull him aside at one point to give some individual coaching during 11-on-11. It was only for one play. For reference, I saw Montell Garner with Lake at least two times.
The battle at linebacker should be pretty good. Johnson dropped an interception in deep coverage, Fort had the first interception of camp and the veterans altogether had a solid showing with the defense creating some good pressure, particularly in the seven shots drill. I'm a bit unsure with Zumwalt at outside linebacker--Feeney as well. Neither seems to have the bulk to play the position, but we shall see. Unfortunately, with the nature of practice on Friday, there wasn't a real chance for Feeney to flash any speed.
As far as some other notes, Warren had on a Suisham jersey. It's nice to see guys showing respect to their former teammates. Roethlisberger played a quick game of catch with a serviceman on the sidelines. He was definitely pumped as was the rest of the group he was with. Antonio Brown had a Hulk Hogan-esque act to fire up the crowd, challenging the fans in bleachers against those in the end zone who could be louder. Pretty much anything he does on the field gets a huge reaction--especially his long receptions. Heyward-Bey left the field at one point, but returned to practice. Finally, if you have not had the opportunity to go to camp, get there. It is truly Steeler Nation. There were cars from at least 16 states (including as far away as Florida, Texas and Wisconsin), two Canadian territories/provinces and fans from Mexico.
It's suppose to rain tomorrow and I don't feel like sitting in that, but I do hope to make the first padded practice on Sunday and additional ones next week.
