Ryan Clark wearing #21 in honor of Sean Taylor (Photo Credit: vader29)
– Two injuries to pass along in Mile Tomlin’s press conference after practice. Cortez Allen was held out with “discomfort” in his knee and cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke hurt his left hamstring late in practice. Tomlin did not have a timetable for either injury.
– Special teams notes.
Drew Butler kind of kicking Brian Moorman butt right now during special teams period.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) July 28, 2013
Although Jim Wexell said a few moments later…
Drew Butler looks like typical decent self but Brian Moorman hitting thing to the moon, Alice.
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) July 28, 2013
Howlings, Woods, Moore, McNeil, Gilreath catching punts. #Steelers
— David Todd (@DavidMTodd) July 28, 2013
Mike Pruista reported Brown, Sanders, Wheaton, Dunn, and Gilreath all caught punts off an actual punter and not a machine. Zero drops. Tomlin put Gilreath in the pressure cooker standing next to him while he caught one.
Pruista went on to call new special teams coach Danny Smith a “vocal guy” and “high energy, high volume”.
– He also sung the praises of WRs coach Richard Mann. Said he was an “old school coach” who will have his receivers focus on the basics and fundamentals, such as hitting the blocking sleds. Mann thinks too many young coaches prefer scheme to technique.
Tomlin was asked about Mann after practice.
“Richard and I worked together in Tampa over a decade ago. Unique opportunity. He as a WR coach, me as a DB coach. He’s a great teacher.”
– Pruista said that rookie Markus Wheaton looked like a guy who missed minicamps and OTAs, noting the “timing wasn’t there.”
– Curtis Brown was the first to step into nickel duties with Allen held out of practice.
Curtis Brown 1, Emmanuel Sanders 1. Brown cuts off route and steps on front of a bomb. Not back to gunner just yet
— Will Graves (@WillGravesAP) July 28, 2013
– Other injury update we missed yesterday. David Johnson told Mike Pruista that he expects to be ready for the start of the year though does not know when he will come off the PUP.
– Ike Taylor covered Sanders today after shadowing Brown yesterday. Plan is to switch off so other corners get experience lining up on each side.
– Tomorrow is the first day the Steelers will be in pads. Tomlin, as he usually does, knew the best way to phrase it.
“It’s lke the first day of school. Getting on the grass is one thing but football is a game played in pads. Tomorrow really is the first day of school.”
QUOTES TO NOTE
Steve McClendon
On his approach entering camp as the starting NT: “Just trying to approach things like I have every other year. To prepare as a starter, to get better every day. The biggest thing right now I just want to take it one day at a time, one practice at a time, one play at a time. ”
On his offseason prepartion: “I went back to my original training routine. I ran a lot. I made sure I was going to be in shape. That was my biggest thing, my biggest concern. Making sure I was in shape. I lifted, I ran, I did drills. Most of all, being able to run, being able to condition, because Coach Tomlin says all the time, ‘If you condition better, you’ll be able to play better.”
Ziggy Hood
On the competition in camp: “Competition brings out the best in everybody. If you push each other, everyone will be great. To be great, you have to stop the run, get to the QB, make our offense look good. ”
The importance of this season: “Every year is important. It’s always going to be important. All the hard work I did during the offseason, hopefully it pays off during the regular season. ”
Cortez Allen
Playiing without Keenan Lewis: “I’m a Pittsburgh Steeler. I can’t control anything Keenan does. I can only focus on what I can control.And that’s my effort and preparation to get ready for the season. “
