Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp: Opening Weekend Camp Report

A hot July afternoon driving down Route 30 toward Latrobe can mean only one thing: Pittsburgh Steelers training camp.

It is a journey that thousands of Steelers fans from around the country make each summer. Some, in fact, plan their vacations around training camp.

And there were many people who took trips to Latrobe.

Walking through the cornfields on the way to practice, license plates from Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, and Florida were all seen as well as one from Ontario. Of course, this does not include the hundreds of other cars with Pennsylvania plates.

What approximately 20,000 fans got to see over the weekend was a very veteran-laden Steelers team looking to make its return back to the playoffs as well as the ever so important Ben Roethlisberger story unfolds.

After walking to the field with a warm welcome of cheers, and a few quiet boos, life at training camp became about football, as it should.

Roethlisberger came to camp with Willie Colon in the passenger seat in a parade of MINI Coopers driven by the rest of the Steelers linemen.

Once Roethlisberger stepped on the field, he looked very comfortable, but more importantly, in the best shape that he has been in years.

Roethlisberger’s physical condition has been very evident with his play on the field. He is very quick moving around in the pocket and rolling out, and has easily been the sharpest quarterback in camp.

Splitting time with Roethlisberger with the first unit is Byron Leftwich.

Leftwich has fared alright so far, demonstrating his quick release and willingness to go downfield. His accuracy has been less than stellar, though, and had an interception dropped by Larry Foote in Sunday’s hurry-up offense, where his unit failed to score a touchdown.

Roethlisberger guided his unit downfield to a score, connecting with tight end Heath Miller over the middle who had inside linebacker James Farrior beaten by two or three steps. Roethlisberger had the additional challenge of battling some crowd noise as Troy Polamalu raised his arms to get the crowd to cheer for the defense.

Dennis Dixon, a favorite amongst many fans, looks more comfortable than the past two seasons. He's throwing crisp passes, but has played it safe, looking for the short dump off significantly more than going downfield, possibly because he has had some miscommunication with the receivers on routes when throwing mid-range passes.

And it is not like the Steelers are not without downfield options.

Mike Wallace has seemed to be a focal point so far, getting many of the passes going his way. He is getting open and making the catches.

Antwaan Randle El has also looked very comfortable in the Steelers offense, almost like he has never left.

Rookie receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown have also flashed potential.

Sanders is consistently getting open, but the quarterback has not looked his way nearly enough. Brown, however, has gotten open but has dropped at least one pass.

Camp underdog, Tyler Grisham, is having his typical performance. He will make a couple of nice catches and then have a couple of easy drops. Brandon London has been the best of the rest.

Along the offensive line, the blocking up front has a good chance of being improved this year with the addition of Flozell Adams.

Adams has come in and learned the right tackle position quickly. If Maurkice Pouncey can win the starting right guard job as a rookie, the right side of the line has the potential to be very good.

Pouncey suffered a setback though, injuring his hamstring Sunday morning. This could be significant because not only will he lose time learning both guard and center, but he still has to overcome Trai Essex and Ramon Foster, both experienced guards.

Another lineman fighting for a spot is Tony Hills. The only difference is he is fighting for a roster position.

Hills has yet to establish himself, but seems to be getting plenty of attention from offensive line coach Sean Kugler.

Kugler has a different approach to coaching the line, separating the left and right sides of the line while working on position drills. As a result, the linemen are getting plenty of individualized attention.

The line could use this if they want to contribute to improving the ground game.

Rashard Mendenhall looks to have a good burst of speed and will be depended upon this season. He will also get a lot of receptions this year, as the quarterbacks have been using the running backs a lot as receivers in practice.

Behind Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore is established as a firm No. 2 back, with Isaac Redman, Justin Vincent, and Jonathan Dwyer behind him.

Thus far, none of the backs have established themselves, although Redman is showing to be more than just a straight-line runner. Considering this, and that Dwyer sat out the second day of camp with an injury, Redman is an early favorite to make the roster.

Neither Frank Summers nor Demetrius Taylor has fully embraced the position of fullback. Summers is significantly ahead of Taylor, who has struggled in the backs on backers drills.

Rookie outside linebacker Thaddeus Gibson, however, was the star of that drill. He demonstrated both speed and power to win his matchup six of seven times.

Fellow rookie, Jason Worilds, has not yet demonstrated his quick first step when rushing the passer, but he still has plenty of time to show this.

While the rookies will provide depth on the outside, it will be veterans on the inside.

Larry Foote should see significant playing time this year with Farrior still looking a step slow. He dropped an interception on a pass thrown by Leftwich on Sunday.

There was a rookie that stood out. After making a couple of plays, I actually had to check my roster to see who number 47 was, and much to my excitement, it was Stevenson Sylvester, one of my camp sleepers.

Lawrence Timmons has also stood out as a pass rusher. His speed is unbelievable and he could be in for a big season when it comes to sacks.

Ziggy Hood could also make an impact rushing the passer. He beat Adams with a beautiful swim move and would have had a sack if he were permitted to hit the quarterback.

I also came away impressed with the size of Doug Worthington. While he may not make the team this year, he has the look of a perfect 3-4 defensive end.

With the potential pass rush, it will be something if the opposing quarterback can get the ball out to go downfield. But that may not be a problem this year either.

Ike Taylor ran right in step with Wallace on a streak pattern which was incomplete.

Polamalu made a great defensive play, deflecting the ball near the line of scrimmage on a seven-on-seven drill as well.

The young trio of Keenan Lewis, Joe Burnett, and Crezdon Butler have had mixed results.

Lewis has performed so far, having good coverage against his receivers. Several passes have been completed on Burnett and while Butler has looked better than him so far, it is not by much.

On special teams, the Steelers have had a number of players return punts.

Stefan Logan has been the first returner, followed by Randle El. They have also had Brown, Burnett, and Butler receiving punts.

Overall, the opening weekend was a great success for the Steelers with two solid days of practice with only minor injuries to speak of so far. The intensity should pick up as the August heat is turned on this week and as the position battles become more intense.

---------------------------------------------------

CAMP NOTES :

Injuries :

• Casey Hampton has yet to practice. Chris Hoke has replaced him on the starting defense.
• Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster, and Jonathan Dwyer all sat out of practice on Sunday.

Special Teams :

• James Harrison took snaps as the backup long snapper. One snap nearly bounced before reaching punter Daniel Sepulveda.
• Following practice on Sunday, Dennis Dixon and Antwaan Randle El both took snaps as holder for place kicks.

Roethlisberger Update :

• Ben Roethlisberger is still popular at camp, surrounded by children and adults for autographs and pictures after practice. He has been very accommodating and has shown a very positive demeanor so far.
• Several fans vocally supported Roethlisberger.
• Roger Goodell will attend Steelers training camp on Thursday and the word from camp is that news of Roethlisberger’s suspension being reduced could come as early as next week.

Follow me on Twitter for updates: http://twitter.com/ChrisG_FC