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The Steelers hit the ground running today. There was significantly more energy before the guys started hitting each other, so you knew it was going to be a good day.
A few notes before we get to practice. Dana Holgorsen and John Calipari were both in attendance along with some coaches from a small college.
During the stretches, Heyward, Moats and some others kept yelling "Happy Birthday D Will," who was having none of it (since it wasn't his birthday). Eventually some woman caught on the started a boiterous rendition of "Happy Birthday" from the crowd. Needless to say, the players got a kick out of it. Williams was also having a field day with Greg Warren and at one point said "All you do is snap balls."
Offense Notes
When you see Ben Roethlisberger in a long-sleeve shirt and shorts, you know it's going to be a long day from the quarterback position. That's pretty much what we got as he sat out practice. Landry Jones is once again being given every opportunity to prove himself. We already know what we are getting from these guys, but in case you forgot or are unsure: Jones gets caught up with slow decision making and caves under pressure. He has slightly more poise than last year, but he is what he is. Gradkowski can avoid the rush, but has some happy feet and his accuracy is mediocre. Vaughan looks the part, but can't hit the broadside of a barn on some passes.
Not much from the running backs today. Bell and Williams didn't get as much action with the first day of hitting, but I will note that Williams had several drops. Of course that isn't much of a concern given his proven track record. No one stood out in terms of running the ball and while I saw some positive reports on Twitter from the backs-on-backers drill (I find it to be overrated), I have to say I didn't hear as many collisions as I was used to and figured that was a sign of linebackers blowing by the running backs, but I can't say for sure.
It's easy to get enamored with the receivers during this time of year. The nature of practice sets these guys up to succeed and there were some standouts. Ayers showed some quickness on his cuts, but his catch of the day was just behind Davis where he adjusted to a ball thrown to the outside shoulder on a route down the sideline and made the reception in bounds. Norwood beat his man on a deep route and made a nice one-handed cradling catch and had another impressive grab before the session ended. I once again came away impressed with Blakeney, who at 6'6" does not have a lot of quickness, but is pretty smooth and does a great job extended the catch radius. However, going against the bottom of the depth chart corners, it is hard to evaluate him. Rogers made a catch on a deep cross in open field and had a chance to showcase his burst, which isn't even in the same league as Brown. That is not to knock Rogers, but rather to state how good Brown is. By the way, Brown never misses and opportunity to get the crowd going. Every deep catch he makes, he is sure to egg on the crowd the give some loud cheers.
I know it's early, but I think the offensive line is set. Villanueva doesn't have the look of a dominate force at left tackle, but he also is progressing. He will have his problems against the top speed rushers, which isn't exactly a surprise. I like what I've seen from him in team and individual drills. By no means does Harris look terrible, but unless he proves to be pretty far ahead of Villanueva, I don't see the benefit of starting him. On the inside, DeCastro demonstrated his strength in a one-on-one against Tuitt. Tuitt came in on a bull rush, but DeCastro held him very well. Hawkins showed some signs of having a future at tackle and held his own during drills. He did seem to give a little too much respect to the speed rushers and will get destroyed if they make an inside move, but you can see there is potential.
Defense Notes
The first-team defensive line with McCullers in the middle was a big reason why the defense was so dominant against the run. Hargrave should get plenty of snaps before the end of the season as he is already flashing that quick first step. He had some success during the individual drills with this and he will be one to watch in game action. I also believe the Steelers will be better off with Mathews and a more experienced Walton at defensive end.
Fort is making a nice push to make the roster after he nearly had his second interception in three days. He is around the ball a lot and if he can show on special teams, may be worth a roster spot. At this point, it'll probably come down to him or Johnson, who is having a nice camp so far. Matakevich hasn't had many impact play, if any, but you can tell he is a smart player and knows how to find the ball when you watch him. He worked at both inside linebacker spots. Shazier is beginning to take over and was flying all over the field and delivering some big hits. While it's great to see, you can't help but watch him and worry that he's going to get dinged up. Besides becoming the potential impact defender the Steelers drafted him for, he's also masked Timmons' weaknesses--particularly in coverage. Last year, Timmons got schooled down the middle of the field and has not been used in that area so far this year.
Many may not like this, but I actually would be fine with the Steelers starting Dupree and Jones, leaving Harrison to come off the bench. At some point you have to accept that Jones isn't going to be a dynamic pass rusher and take what you get from him. What you do get is a guy you can occasionally get to the quarterback, but consistently perform well against the run and in coverage. He made back-to-back plays in the backfield. I still have my doubts about Feeney in the base defense, yet feel like he can one day contribute in a specialty package. The key is to let him use his speed, which he had a chance to do during an individual drill. He beat the lineman on an inside swim move. No power, just speed and quickness.
Golson was solid in coverage today and I believe had at least one pass broken up. Burns had an up and down day. His first shot against Brown left him on the ground trying to cover a curl route (one of several times he was on the ground for the day). His second attempt he blanketed Brown, though did have safety help. Maybe it's just me, but I think Montell Garner is their worst cover guy in camp. I also thought Golden struggled in today in individual coverage drills, though was much better in team drills. If the Steelers had a bonafide stud rookie to plug in at safety, I think they'd have a legit chance to start. Nothing I've seen from Davis indicates he is ready for that role quite yet, which is to be expected (for all of you Davis haters out there).
Other Notes:
Quote of the Day:
"Don't be a groundhog." - Richard Mann after Marcus Tucker fell to the ground on a route
A few notes before we get to practice. Dana Holgorsen and John Calipari were both in attendance along with some coaches from a small college.
During the stretches, Heyward, Moats and some others kept yelling "Happy Birthday D Will," who was having none of it (since it wasn't his birthday). Eventually some woman caught on the started a boiterous rendition of "Happy Birthday" from the crowd. Needless to say, the players got a kick out of it. Williams was also having a field day with Greg Warren and at one point said "All you do is snap balls."
Offense Notes
When you see Ben Roethlisberger in a long-sleeve shirt and shorts, you know it's going to be a long day from the quarterback position. That's pretty much what we got as he sat out practice. Landry Jones is once again being given every opportunity to prove himself. We already know what we are getting from these guys, but in case you forgot or are unsure: Jones gets caught up with slow decision making and caves under pressure. He has slightly more poise than last year, but he is what he is. Gradkowski can avoid the rush, but has some happy feet and his accuracy is mediocre. Vaughan looks the part, but can't hit the broadside of a barn on some passes.
Not much from the running backs today. Bell and Williams didn't get as much action with the first day of hitting, but I will note that Williams had several drops. Of course that isn't much of a concern given his proven track record. No one stood out in terms of running the ball and while I saw some positive reports on Twitter from the backs-on-backers drill (I find it to be overrated), I have to say I didn't hear as many collisions as I was used to and figured that was a sign of linebackers blowing by the running backs, but I can't say for sure.
It's easy to get enamored with the receivers during this time of year. The nature of practice sets these guys up to succeed and there were some standouts. Ayers showed some quickness on his cuts, but his catch of the day was just behind Davis where he adjusted to a ball thrown to the outside shoulder on a route down the sideline and made the reception in bounds. Norwood beat his man on a deep route and made a nice one-handed cradling catch and had another impressive grab before the session ended. I once again came away impressed with Blakeney, who at 6'6" does not have a lot of quickness, but is pretty smooth and does a great job extended the catch radius. However, going against the bottom of the depth chart corners, it is hard to evaluate him. Rogers made a catch on a deep cross in open field and had a chance to showcase his burst, which isn't even in the same league as Brown. That is not to knock Rogers, but rather to state how good Brown is. By the way, Brown never misses and opportunity to get the crowd going. Every deep catch he makes, he is sure to egg on the crowd the give some loud cheers.
I know it's early, but I think the offensive line is set. Villanueva doesn't have the look of a dominate force at left tackle, but he also is progressing. He will have his problems against the top speed rushers, which isn't exactly a surprise. I like what I've seen from him in team and individual drills. By no means does Harris look terrible, but unless he proves to be pretty far ahead of Villanueva, I don't see the benefit of starting him. On the inside, DeCastro demonstrated his strength in a one-on-one against Tuitt. Tuitt came in on a bull rush, but DeCastro held him very well. Hawkins showed some signs of having a future at tackle and held his own during drills. He did seem to give a little too much respect to the speed rushers and will get destroyed if they make an inside move, but you can see there is potential.
Defense Notes
The first-team defensive line with McCullers in the middle was a big reason why the defense was so dominant against the run. Hargrave should get plenty of snaps before the end of the season as he is already flashing that quick first step. He had some success during the individual drills with this and he will be one to watch in game action. I also believe the Steelers will be better off with Mathews and a more experienced Walton at defensive end.
Fort is making a nice push to make the roster after he nearly had his second interception in three days. He is around the ball a lot and if he can show on special teams, may be worth a roster spot. At this point, it'll probably come down to him or Johnson, who is having a nice camp so far. Matakevich hasn't had many impact play, if any, but you can tell he is a smart player and knows how to find the ball when you watch him. He worked at both inside linebacker spots. Shazier is beginning to take over and was flying all over the field and delivering some big hits. While it's great to see, you can't help but watch him and worry that he's going to get dinged up. Besides becoming the potential impact defender the Steelers drafted him for, he's also masked Timmons' weaknesses--particularly in coverage. Last year, Timmons got schooled down the middle of the field and has not been used in that area so far this year.
Many may not like this, but I actually would be fine with the Steelers starting Dupree and Jones, leaving Harrison to come off the bench. At some point you have to accept that Jones isn't going to be a dynamic pass rusher and take what you get from him. What you do get is a guy you can occasionally get to the quarterback, but consistently perform well against the run and in coverage. He made back-to-back plays in the backfield. I still have my doubts about Feeney in the base defense, yet feel like he can one day contribute in a specialty package. The key is to let him use his speed, which he had a chance to do during an individual drill. He beat the lineman on an inside swim move. No power, just speed and quickness.
Golson was solid in coverage today and I believe had at least one pass broken up. Burns had an up and down day. His first shot against Brown left him on the ground trying to cover a curl route (one of several times he was on the ground for the day). His second attempt he blanketed Brown, though did have safety help. Maybe it's just me, but I think Montell Garner is their worst cover guy in camp. I also thought Golden struggled in today in individual coverage drills, though was much better in team drills. If the Steelers had a bonafide stud rookie to plug in at safety, I think they'd have a legit chance to start. Nothing I've seen from Davis indicates he is ready for that role quite yet, which is to be expected (for all of you Davis haters out there).
Other Notes:
- Jones and Dupree flipped sides at one point during practice.
- I noted Brown to a reverse during walkthroughs on Day 1, today it was Heyward-Bey during team drills--he went no where.
- Xavier Grimble left practice for the second time in three days due to heat issues.
- Nix left practice early with an injury.
- The Steelers are given extra attention to Coates, whether it is coaching or opportunities. He had two drops on the day, with one after he fell before the ball came his way and other after he had possession, but had it knocked away (NFL reception rules).
Quote of the Day:
"Don't be a groundhog." - Richard Mann after Marcus Tucker fell to the ground on a route
