2015 Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp: Observations from Monday's Practice

Under the scorching sun, the Pittsburgh Steelers stepped onto the practice fields at Saint Vincent College for their second practice of the summer.

Despite the temperature, head coach Mike Tomlin told the media after practice that he was pleased with his team’s effort and was happy with how it performed in the adverse conditions, per Steelers.com:

“Another good day for us,” said Tomlin. “Heat was a factor today, but that’s just an awesome part of team development.”

Although the hot weather provided adverse conditions for football practice, it was just another step in the developmental process.

With another day of training camp in the books, the Steelers are one step closer to the start of the regular season. How did they progress on their second day of camp? Here are my latest observations.

Developing Playmakers on Defense

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Another day, another practice with multiple turnovers forced by the defense. Is this the same defensive unit that we’ve seen for the past few seasons?

A lack of playmakers prevented the Steelers from playing their usual brand of aggressive defense in recent years, but that is on the verge of coming to an end. New defensive coordinator Keith Butler has an athletic group of individuals that is slowly molding into a unit.

By no means is the defense anywhere near dominant. Rather, several players are showing positive signs, and it all starts by forcing turnovers.

After picking up two interceptions from the 2-yard line on Sunday, the defense added two more on Monday. Cortez Allen stepped in front of Martavis Bryant to make an impressive interception against Ben Roethlisberger. Later in the drill, Doran Grant jumped a route and returned it for a score.

This is an encouraging sign for a defense that had 31 interceptions over the past three seasons. These plays aren’t just coming from its cornerbacks either.

Safety Alden Darby added an interception on Sunday, and Ross Ventrone had one Monday before dropping it when he suffered a leg injury. Outside linebacker Howard Jones had a chance at another but batted the ball down instead.

For the Steelers defense to become more consistent at generating turnovers, it must apply pressure. Jones—who has improved from his rookie year—got in against the quarterback once, and Bud Dupree showed his best burst of the summer.

Right off the snap, Dupree exploded through two offensive linemen, resulting in one reaching out to hold the rookie linebacker. Although he didn’t pick up a sack, the play would have drawn a flag.

Of course, making plays against teammates without pads isn’t the same as it is in a game setting, but it is a start. Although it is early, the defense is moving in a right direction, and it should continue to improve as camp progresses.

Backup Quarterbacks Get Opportunity

Credit: Chris Gazze

The pads come out on Wednesday, but before that happens, let’s get a read on the early training camp battles.

Tajh Boyd has the lead for the No. 3 quarterback job over Landry Jones—not so much for what he has done, but rather what Jones hasn’t.

Given an opportunity with the first-team offense on Monday, Jones struggled to find receivers in a timely manner and relied on his checkdown options. Even when given time, Jones does not take chances downfield.

As noted earlier, Jones also threw a pick-six to Grant when the offense was working just outside of the goal line. However, he did have a couple of nice throws, including one to Shakim Phillips in which he took advantage of blown coverage by Kevin Fogg and another deep to Darrius Heyward-Bey in front of Antwon Blake and Shamarko Thomas.

Boyd takes a more aggressive approach, and when the play breaks down, he will use his legs to get outside of the pocket. However, he has made several nice throws, including a long pass to C.J. Goodwin, who made an impressive grab over Fogg.

Camp-Battle Update

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Training camp is underway, but the real camp gets started on Wednesday when the Steelers break out the pads for the first time. Once the hitting starts, the competition for roster spots is truly underway. As the team heads into its first off day, here is an early look at the roster battles.

Josh Harris has the edge at running back over Ross Scheuerman. Harris can carry the load if needed given his powerful running style. At 204 pounds, Scheuerman is undersized compared to the other running backs, but he has good speed (4.62 40-yard dash) and soft hands.

Darrius Heyward-Bey is not known for his hands but has impressed through two days in both the mid-range and deep passing game. He has the edge over Sammie Coates, who has yet to display his deep speed.

Howard Jones is taking advantage of his opportunity with James Harrison and Shawn Lemon not practicing. Working with the second-team defense at right outside linebacker, Jones continues to flash the ability to rush the quarterback and has improved dropping into coverage.

Cortez Allen has issues when defending Antonio Brown—but so does every defensive back in the league—but he has the edge over Antwon Blake. Allen improved in the second day of practice with an interception in the red zone and no big plays given up.

The punters took the field for drills for the first time on Monday, and while Jordan Berry had the edge in hang time, Brad Wing consistently had greater distance.

Camp Notes

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

The heat was intense on Monday—so intense that Mike Tomlin ditched his traditional long-sleeved black shirt for a white one.

Cameron Clear left practice and was treated for a heat-related illness, and Ross Ventrone was carted off the field because of a lower leg injury, per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

At first glance, Ventrone’s injury looked scary. He stepped up to make an interception on an overthrown ball, but Eli Rogers tried to make a play and dove into Ventrone’s leg. Trainers initially assisted Ventrone to the sidelines before carting him off.

Besides carrying the ball, DeAngelo Williams will need to contribute in pass protection. William Gay beat him for what would have been a sack during 11-on-11 drills.

Antonio Brown had the best reception of training camp. Roethlisberger appeared to have led him too much on an out route, but Brown reached out with one hand to make the reception while still keeping his feet in bounds.

Roethlisberger had a light practice and only participated in some drills. One drill that he did partake in—sort of—was as a blocker alongside the long snapper during a drill for the holders.

Though Roethlisberger had some fun during practice, he also demonstrated his leadership skills by providing specific feedback to the young tight ends during position drills. He also took a timeout to have Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant run routes again after each player dropped a pass.

Roethlisberger wasn’t the only player to step in on special teams drills. Landry Jones fielded a punt and actually looked good doing it.

After fielding punts on Sunday, Sammie Coates did not participate on Monday. Devin Gardner took reps for the first time.

The first padded practice of the summer is on Wednesday.

Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com, and roster information is courtesy of Steelers.com. Camp observations obtained firsthand.

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