Cortez Allen contract

Steelers Sign K Shaun Suisham To 4 Year Contract Extension

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The Steelers announced this morning that Kicker Shaun Suisham has been signed to a contract extension. The extension will keep Suisham under contract through the 2018 season.

Suisham was originally signed to a 4 year contract by the Steelers in 2011. Last year, the 32 year old kicker made 30 of 32 attempts, and was 8 for 8 from beyond the 40 yard mark.

Art Rooney II recently said that the team wanted to extend some players whose contracts were expiring soon, and Suisham would have been a free agent after this season. Other players who are potential extension candidates are CB Cortez Allen, RT Marcus Gilbert, LB Jason Worilds, and perhaps even Cam Heyward. Suisham’s contract details aren’t immediately available, but I’ll update when I know the specifics.

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TE Eric Waters And WR Darrius Heyward-Bey Injured During Practice

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Tight End Eric Waters and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey were both taken to the locker room today during practice. Waters was hurt during drills against outside linebackers. After being attended to by trainers, he was taken to the locker rooms. No formal word yet of course, but initial reports are that he injured his left shoulder.

There were conflicting accounts of Heyward-Bey’s injury, but the consensus seems to be that he took a knee to the head. One reporter said that he believed he was taken off for concussion like symptoms. That was just one reporters speculation. DHB was able to walk to the locker areas. Hopefully, Coach Tomlin’s update will shed a little more light on their situations.

Le'Veon Bell

Le’Veon Bell Returns To Practice And Other Participation News

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Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell has returned to practice today.

https://twitter.com/DVEMike/status/494928273013342209

Bell missed the last two practices due to what coaches described as “hamstring tightness”.

LB Jordan Zumwalt is still out with a groin injury, and TE Rob Blanchflower of course is out with a high ankle sprain.

TE Michael Palmer isn’t practicing today. TE Matt Spaeth and RB LeGarrette Blount are also sitting out. It wasn’t immediately known why those three were sidelined today.

WR CJ Goodwin has returned to practice today for the first time since injuring his shoulder on the 27th. S Mike Mitchell was doing zig-zag sprints with trainers earlier. It certainly looks like he’ll be making his return soon if he doesn’t have a set back. Stay tuned for more injury updates later today.

steelers training camp

Steelers Training Camp: Day 4 Recap

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The Steelers were back to work today after having yesterday off. The weather was cool, which probably helped keep the fighting drought alive. After today’s practice, one reporter asked Mike Tomlin if he wished it were hotter, to which Tomlin replied, “I do, but I don’t have control over that, so I’m not losing a whole lot of sleep.” The reporter went on to ask if there was anything he could do to compensate for that, proving that sometimes reporters ask some really dumb questions.

Tight End Rob Blanchflower was sidelined with what Coach Tomlin labelled as a high ankle sprain. According to Tomlin, he’ll be out for at least a week. While the severity of his sprain isn’t public knowledge, I’ve never heard of someone returning to activity in anywhere near that short of an amount of time.

Ramon Foster was at practice today, the first time since training camp got underway. Coach Tomlin had the following to say about Foster’s return: “Glad to have Ramon back, not only is he a solid player, great person and leader, (he) does a good job within his group and outside his group. You just live day by day, and we’ll surround him with the brotherly love we have for him and move forward.”

Troy Polamalu sat out for the 11 on 11 live drills, but later he had the crowd cheering when he intercepted a pass from Landry Jones. Jones was running with the number 2 team, ahead of Gradkowski, and was doing well at first today according to reporters. The second year quarterback was looking comfortable in the pocket, and was avoiding pressure with a simple sidestep. Things apparently went downhill quickly though, as pocket presence and completions were followed by a sack and an interception.

Safety Jordan Dangerfield has been turning heads with his hitting ferocity. He also drew the ire of Dick LeBeau today after he intercepted the ball during 7 on 7 drills. After the interception, Dangerfield lateraled the ball to Isaiah Green, which had LeBeau yelling about jeopardizing a turnover.

During OL/DL drills, Steve McLendon laid out backup center Cody Wallace with a mean bull rush. During the same drills, Mike Adams got ran over. To the defense of Adams, it was the 6’7, 350 lbs NT Daniel McCullers who got the best of him. At least it wasn’t Shamarko Thomas. McCullers reportedly looked good all around today, and was repeatedly collapsing the pocket or getting pressure.

In the linebacker group, Shazier continued to impress with his speed and awareness. He is going to be a problem for opposing offenses this year, both at the LOS and in coverage. Shazier did have a bad moment today, when RB LeGarrette Blount laid a mean stiff arm on him that put him to the ground. Blount had a nice gain on the play. You might consider it retribution of sorts for backs on backers. Sean Spence’s knee seems to be responding well to full contact practices. So far, so good. Vince Williams is quietly having a good camp. Terence Garvin is getting a lot of buzz. Today he had multiple stops at or just beyond the line of scrimmage. He’s also been “flying around the field” according to some reporters, and laying some heavy hits. ILB has some solid depth this year.

During end of line drills, TE Eric Waters put his blocking ability on display again. Jarvis Jones put on a good show during his sessions against Matt Spaeth, enough so to draw shouts from Tomlin, “I like it 95!” Jarvis Jones, Chris Carter, and Howard Jones all stayed after practice to work on pass rushing technique with Joey Porter.

Here’s Porter working with LB’s during individual drills earlier in the day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WTJ3Jwhh-c

That’s all for today. The team will hit the practice fields again tomorrow at St. Vincent.

 

Rob Blanchflower

Rob Blanchflower Has Foot In Boot And Other Injury Notes

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Rookie Tight End Rob Blanchflower is sidelined today. He has his left foot in a walking boot.

https://twitter.com/MarkKaboly_Trib/status/494568019020877826

RB Le’Veon Bell is still recovering from his hamstring “tightness”. He was warming up with the running backs at the beginning of practice, but was not in pads and is not participating today. WR CJ Goodwin is not participating due to his shoulder injury.

LB Jordan Zumwalt is also out due to his groin injury. Ramon Foster has returned from bereavement leave, but Punter Adam Podlesh is still out. His wife is expecting a baby.

I’m sure we’ll get some updates on the injuries from Coach Tomlin later this afternoon. Stay tuned.

Joe Greene

Steelers To Retire Mean Joe Greene’s Jersey Number

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The Steelers annouced today that the team will retire Joe Greene’s number 75 this year. During a press conference in Latrobe this afternoon, Dan Rooney and Art Rooney II told the crowded room of reporters that the hall of famer’s number will be retired in a ceremony on November 2nd. The Steelers host the Ravens on primetime that night, and Joe Greene picked the date personally. About choosing that date Greene said, “Probably because they have emerged as the No. 1 antagonist,” Greene said, laughing. “During my days it was Cleveland and then it was Cincinnati and then Houston. It’s been the Ravens for a while. I did it knowing that it’s going to be a hotly contested game.”

[xyz-ihs snippet=”MeanJoeGreene”]

Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney said that Greene was the cornerstone of the Steel Curtain. “Joe was the cornerstone of the Steel Curtain. He was the first (player) that we drafted (with) our first pick after Chuck Noll was there so it was Chuck Noll’s first pick. He made it what it meant to be a Steeler. He made sure as he got older that people stayed in line (and) that they weren’t going to cause trouble, and he took care of that. When we went to the first Super Bowl in 1975, he just made sure everybody did what they were supposed to do.”

The last and only time the Steelers retired a jersey was in 1964 when they retired number 70- Ernie Stautner. Just over 50 years later, they’ll be honoring one of the greatest Steelers of all time in front of a sold out audience. The Steelers have so many players who are deserving of a number retiring, that it can become tricky business. Art Rooney II addressed that notion during the press conference. “The question of retiring a number, we’ve talked about for a number of years. I think we always had the feeling that, well it would be nice but where do you draw the line, and are there too many guys that you would wind up having too many numbers retired.

“Really coming into this year with Joe retiring and coming up on the 40th anniversary of the first Super Bowl (victory), we felt it was a perfect time. We talked about it and came to the decision that it was the right thing to do (and) the right time to do it. When you look at the 1970s there are a lot of different words that have been used to describe what Joe meant to that team – cornerstone, heart of the team. It just really got to the point where it was the right time to do it and Joe obviously is the right, first person from that team to have his number retired.”

Steelers news

Ramon Foster Is Back With The Team Today

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Steelers left guard Ramon Foster has returned to team activities today after missing the start of training camp due to the loss of his mother. Foster’s mother, Wyvonia “Jeanell” Foster-Morgan, passed away unexpectedly last Tuesday. She was only 49.

Foster told media members today that he appreciates the support of the organization, coaches, teammates, and fans on social media. He said the supports has helped him a lot, and that he’s excited to return. With his return, Chris Hubbard and Cody Wallace will return to their back up spots on the line.

David-Snow

Steelers Waive C David Snow, Sign RB Josh Harris

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The Steelers have waived offensive lineman David Snow injured today. Snow fractured his foot in practice on Saturday, which will require corrective surgery. The way that the waived/injured list works is that the player will go on waivers. If no team claims him in 24 hours, he will either go on injured reserve or the team will reach an injury settlement with him, leaving him free to find a landing spot with another team. The injury settlement is the more likely scenario for Snow in my opinion.

To fill the available roster spot, the Steelers have signed former Wake Forest running back Josh Harris. Harris is listed at 5’11, 210 lbs in the Wake Forest media guide. He was with the Wake Forest track and field team for 3 years. According to Harris, there was some confusion about his 4o time at the Wake Forest Pro Day. “Several scouts had me running the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds, but the NFL Network reported me at a 4.46. So I was upset about that.” He did the bench press 28 times, had a broad jump of 9’11”, a 35.5″ vertical, and a 1.57 10 yard split.

Harris finished his college career with 489 carries, 2,230 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. He also has some very limited experience with kick returns. While not really the best way to evaluate a player, here is a highlight reel to see him in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo7Df2HuY9U

le'veon Bell

Woman Sues Cam Thomas And 10 Others, Claims He Gave Her Herpes

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Steelers defensive lineman Cam Thomas is being sued by a woman who claims to be his former girlfriend. The woman, known only as Adrienne E., filed the lawsuit in Sand Diego and is suing for sexual battery, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, fraud through intentional concealment, and negligence. The lawsuit also lists 10 other defendants, though, their names were unknown to the plaintiff at the time of the filing.

The gist of the lawsuit is that the woman Thomas used to date is suing him because she believes she contracted genital herpes from him, and that he knowingly concealed the STD. She also alleges that he assaulted her on multiple occasions. Some of the allegations include choking her until she passed out, hitting her, burning her with a flat iron, setting fire to her bed while she was in it, banging her head against a car window and dashboard, and attempting to throw her out a moving vehicle at 70 mph. Some pretty wild stuff.

Adam Kenner, a defense attorney for Thomas, says the accusations are false. “She’s angry, vindictive and mean because he has another woman, and a baby in his life.” Kenner went on to say that the assault allegations are baseless. “This guy is like a gentle giant. He would never lay a hand on her.” Another attorney for Thomas, Chris Morris elaborated. “She went out and had herself tested for herpes about a year into the relationship…and they maintained a sexual relationship for the next year. When they broke up she doesn’t end up testing positive for herpes till five months after they’d been apart,” said Morris. “He’s confident that it wasn’t him,” he added.

We can only wait and see what comes of these allegations, but one has to wonder why the police were never involved when the accusations are so serious. Here are the court documents. They are very…thorough.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”CamThomasScribd”]

steelers training camp

Steelers Training Camp: Day 3 Recap [Videos]

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Today pads and helmets were popping as the team engaged in their first live contact practice of the 2014 training camp. The highlights being the team drill and Backs on Backers. Joey Porter played quarterback as he encouraged, shouted, and cursed the linebackers as they attempted to get the better of the running backs in protection. Like last year, someone managed to grab some video footage of the drills. While not very long, you get an idea of the intensity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwNGKt2mrDk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tanq1DxBpF8

Ryan Shazier had people talking with that renowned lighting fast speed. In one set, he blew by rookie running back Jordan Hall. In another, he got the best of LeGarrette Blount in the first two of their three matchups. In the first two, he was bull rushing and swimming to get through Blount while Joey Porter was yelling, “Speed is your asset! Speed is your asset!”  During the third and final contest, Blount got the better of Shazier with a quick hit to the helmet. Both appeard visibly dazed according to onlookers.

When it was over, Blount said, “I like him. He’s fast. He can run….He’s a big hitter. When they put a young guy in against a vet you know he’s pretty good. He got my attention.” About the last battle, Shazier said, “It was a hit. We’re going to lay some to each other. He’s going to give me some; I’m going to give him some.” He ended with, “I knew he was going to bring a punch on the last one… he’s a power guy” Not sure if the humor was intentional, but it wasn’t lost on me.

Shazier also went up against tight end Eric Waters, but with slightly less success. The first go Shazier had Waters beat, but the tight end recovered to keep him off the quarterback. During the rematch, Waters grabbed a bunch of jersey to keep Shazier at bay, which resulted in the linebacker pulling his own helmet off in anger. Waters would also get the best of Howard Jones later, drawing ire from Joey Porter. “That sh*t ain’t violent at all. You’re creeping up on him!”

Other notes from the backs on backers drill- Vince Williams got the better of Rob Blanchflower for the most part, who reportedly struggled overall in the drill. Arthur Moats did well throughout practice, and got the better of David Paulson. These drills favor the linebackers by design, so one would hope he could best David Paulson. 5’9″ RB Jordan Hall leveled LB Terence Garvin.

Not long into 11 on 11 team drills, RB Dri Archer got creamed by Lawrence Timmons. The play of the day involved Dri Archer, but Jason Worilds was the playmaker. Worilds followed Archer on a wheel route and made an impressive leap on the sideline to intercept Ben Roethlisberger. Later Coach Tomin said, “That’s the first time Jason Worilds has caught a ball in any fashion out here in practice, in a walk-through,” Tomlin said. “I call him the defensive end from Blacksburg. I’m going to paint that ball and give it to him.”

During one set, backup NT Daniel McCullers got pancaked by David DeCastro. McCullers later redeemed himself by blowing up a run play through a double team. CB Shaq Richardson had the crowd cheering as he made a diving interception from an errant pass by Bruce Gradkowski. Not long after, the rookie cornerback successfully battled Martavis Bryant for a high pass. On one play, Shamarko Thomas bull rushed Mike Adams and knocked him to the ground. Justin Brown reportedly had another solid day.

During one on one drills, Chris Elkins was a quiet star. He won battles against two rushers before keeping Cam Hewyard subdued twice in a row. Another winner in one on one drills was Jarvis Jones. He got the better of Kelvin Beachum 3 times in a row. The first two times with speed and jukes, and the third time with a powerful punch move.

Here’s a couple random videos. The first is Ben working with the receivers and the second is coach Mitchell working with the defensive linemen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkvMhOK7OiU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXepsqp_bcw

The Steelers have tomorrow off, but resume practice on Wednesday.