Archer And Worilds Absent From OTA’s Today, Others Sidelined

RB/WR Dri Archer and LB Jason Worilds were absent from practice today. Counting Ike Taylor, Troy Polamalu, and Jordan Zumwalt, that makes five players missing from today’s voluntary practice.

Archer was sent home sick yesterday morning according to Scout reporter Jim Wexell. Hopefully his illness isn’t serious. Tomorrow is the last practice of the week before the team adjourns until next Tuesday.

Jason Worilds reportedly left practice early yesterday with his left thigh wrapped. While the team hasn’t made any official statements about it, Worilds told some reporters it was cramping. Mark Kaboly of the Trib painted a different picture this morning on the radio.

According to Kaboly, Jason Worilds got his foot caught up as he was running in and went down in the heap of players. While Worilds later said it was cramps, Kaboly says it was his hamstring. Hopefully it was the former and not the latter.

DE Nick Williams, OG Nik Embernate, and TE Matt Spaeth did not participate, but were all in attendance rehabilitating today at the South Side. Williams, who is recovering from surgery to repair a knee subluxation, said last month that he was hoping to be able to do some type of work in OTA’s. Embernate is also rehabbing his knee. “Embernasty” tore his ACL and MCL last August. Neither were expected to be full participants at the start of OTAs. The nature of Spaeth’s rehab is unknown at this time.

RB Miquel Maysonet and WR Jasper Collins were sidelined today according to Wexell. Hopefully just minor issues are keeping them out. Every minute counts when you are a youngster hoping to beat the odds and crack a roster spot, or perhaps even a practice squad spot down the road.

Coaches Do The Right Thing, Ryan Shazier Starter Out Of The Gate

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In what you might call a step away from the norm for the Steelers coaching staff, Ryan Shazier started OTA’s lined up with the first team defense. While it’s only “football in shorts”, you have to applaud this move. It’s refreshing to see the team commit to a defensive rookie in this way, one who needs every rep he can get next to Lawrence Timmons, if he’s going to live up to his full potential this year.

Shazier lined up extensively at the Mack ILB position next to Timmons yesterday, but he knows the starting position won’t be handed to him. “You have to work for everything you have,” Shazier told reporters Tuesday. “I am just going to go out there, just like everyone else, go day-to-day and try to earn my job, and try to make sure I can do everything I can to help this team. I just have to keep showing the coaches that I know what I am doing to help this defense, and go out there and play.”

The former Ohio State linebacker said he’s trying to learn as much as he can from Timmons, who’s lining up at Buck during OTA’s.

“He’s one of the better linebackers in this game right now,” he said. “I’m trying to learn a few things from him. To learn from someone like that is amazing.”

Timmons said the rookie speedster can run down anyone. “4.4. What can you say? That’s enough said, right? The guy can run down anyone. [He’s an] amazing athlete. Once he puts it together he’s going to be a problem,” Timmons went on to say that he’s going to do all he can to help Shazier. “I’m going to try to help him out the best I can. Anything I see that he might need to know and it’s before the snap, I’ll give it to him. I want him to be a sponge, just react. If something’s too much, tell me and I’ve got his back.”

I fully expect Ryan Shazier to break the long running streak of Steelers rookies who don’t start on the Steelers defense during the season opener. The last Steelers defensive rookie to do so was Kendrell Bell, who started at the Mack LB position in 2001.

Pouncey Was “Full Go” For Day One Of OTAs

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Veteran Center Maurkice Pouncey told reporters that he had no restrictions during his first full practice back with the team since having surgery on his ACL and MCL last September. “I am out here, full go,” Pouncey said after practice concluded Tuesday. “It was pretty neat man, to go out there and drive block guys and finish on some plays. Man, it was pretty awesome. ”

While it wasn’t a full speed, full contact practice in pads, for Pouncey and his teammates, his return was meaningful. “It was a big step,” said Pouncey. “For the coaches to see it, for my teammates to see it, and for me myself to see it, it was pretty cool.”

“It’s comfortable. He’s a comfort blanket. He’s a leader of this team, a leader of the offensive line, and it’s just good to see him out there,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told media after practice.

“I thought he could have played at the end of last year. That’s how hard he worked. I really believe he could have played last year, because that’s the type of competitor and athlete that he is.”

Ramon Foster echoed the sentiments. “It was good. I shook his hand like we were business partners today. It was good to have him out there, and he was ecstatic about it too. It was a good vibe for him and for us also.”

Foster also said he was surprised at how ahead of schedule Pouncey is. “I think he’s ahead of schedule…as far as his movement and what he was doing, I was shocked.”

When asked when he started feeling pretty good, Poucney said, “A month and a half, two months ago, I started feeling really great, especially in the weight room.”

https://twitter.com/BCTBradford/status/471326568888143873

Steelers Sign Wesley Johnson And Jordan Zumwalt

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The Steelers have signed two more of their rookies to contracts today. Offensive lineman Wesley Johnson, who the team selected with their 5th round compensatory pick, and linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, who was picked in the 6th round.

Here are my estimates for their contract values from a couple weeks ago: http://thesteelersfans.com/2599/breaking-rookie-salaries-cap-implications/

As you can see, neither player’s 2014 cap hit will crack the top 51 right now. Johnson’s 2014 cap number will almost certainly be $456,140, and Zumwalt’s will be very close to $446,213. Johnson’s guaranteed signing bonus will be for $144,560, and Zumwalt’s will be very close to $104,852. Those signing bonuses are prorated over the life of their contracts. All rookie players are signed to four year deals.

The team can “afford” to sign more of their picks right now from a cap standpoint, but they may wait to do so until after June 1st. After Woodley’s $8 Mil drops off the books, expect the team to sign any remaining draft picks in short order.

Polamalu, Taylor, And Zumwalt Absent From Steelers OTAs

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As the first day of Steelers OTA’s began today, only 3 players were reportedly absent from the voluntary practice. Ike Taylor, Troy Polamalu, and Jordan Zumwalt.

It’s not uncommon for Taylor to miss OTA’s, though he has been know to show up after they’ve gotten underway. Troy is usually absent from the practices, though he did attend most of them in 2012 and 2013. Zumwalt is not allowed to attend due to league rules.

UCLA runs on quarterly sessions as opposed to semesters. Players from such schools may not participate in team activities outside of rookie minicamp, until after their final day of exams if they haven’t graduated. UCLA’s finals are June 9th-13th.

Zumwalt will almost certainly be in attendance when the Steelers meet for minicamp on June 17th.

Steelers Begin Final Phase Of Offseason Workouts Today

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The Steelers begin phase three of their offseason workouts today. This final phase will consist of ten organized team practice activities (OTA’s), and will run for four weeks. The ten practice sessions will run over the course of three weeks, followed by a mandatory three day mini-camp on the fourth week. The weekly breakdown of the practices looks like this:

May 27th, May 28th, May 29th

June 3rd, June 4th, June 5th

June 9th, June 10th, June 11th, and June 12th

Mini-camp: June 17th, June 18th, June 19th.

The structure of the OTA’s is mandated by the collective bargaining agreement. Teams are only allowed a maximum of six hours for each of the ten practices. Only three six hour practices may be held each week for the first two weeks. Like the first two phases of the program, helmets are permitted, but pads are not, except for protective knee and elbow pads.

While no “live” contact is permitted, this is the first chance the team has to run offense vs. defense drills such as 7 on 7’s, 9 on 7’s, and 11 on 11’s during the offseason.

Ray Rice And Ravens Attempts To Clean PR Mess Makes Internet Angry

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The Ravens held a press conference for Ray Rice and his wife Friday at the Ravens practice facility in Owens Mills, MD. It is the first time the Ravens running back has spoken publicly since being arrested for knocking his then fiancée out cold in February. Before I get into the debacle that was the Ravens press conference today, I should give a little refresher on the matter.

Rice was videotaped dragging his future wife’s unconscious body out of an Atlantic City casino elevator. Police also reportedly had video evidence of Rice punching her in the casino.

Ray Rice — Dragging Unconscious Fiancee … After Alleged Mutual Attack

The Ravens organization publicly stood behind their troubled running back leading up to the trial. While many people said they should just outright cut him, they expressed their support, and said they were going to let the legal process run its course. And why wouldn’t they? Sure, that sounds reasonable, but cutting ties with him would have left them on the hook for $14 Mil. That probably had something to do with their decision making process.

Rice was indicted for felony aggravated assault, a more serious charge than he was originally charged with. In the end though, he avoided jail time by entering a pre-trial intervention program. Being a first time offender, he was eligible for that arrangement, and after successful completion, the assault charge will be dropped after one year.

Now that we’re all caught up, let’s examine Friday’s events. The Ravens hosted a televised press conference for Ray Rice and his wife Friday afternoon. During which time, the Ravens were live tweeting the event on Twitter. Rice apologized to the Ravens GM and coaching staff, as well as the fanbase, but never to his wife. Throughout the press conference, Rice read from notes on his phone, which may have made him seem somewhat disingenuous. At one point, he made a rather bad analogy that didn’t sit well with much of the internet using world.

“I won’t call myself a failure. Failure is not getting knocked down. It’s not getting up.”

The Ravens Twitter account echoed the statement. (The tweet was deleted by the Ravens twitter manager overnight, but I grabbed a screenshot).

Probably not the best choice of words after getting indicted for knocking your wife out in public. The tweet drew an outpouring of angry responses.

https://twitter.com/JoshYohe_Trib/status/469929209746718721

https://twitter.com/dianagram/status/469927129019596800

https://twitter.com/OldHossRadbourn/status/469931629449052161

https://twitter.com/HowardShatsky/status/469980588490121216

His wife, who sat stoically next to him at the press conference, apologized for her involvement.

https://twitter.com/Ravens/statuses/469918292061061120

A tweet which also created a firestorm on Twitter, as well as ire from some journalists.

https://twitter.com/TheTomasRios/status/470194699827826688

https://twitter.com/MarkEnnis/status/469929072777506816

https://twitter.com/natbaker/status/470220788964929536

https://twitter.com/EdgeofSports/status/469925336314937344

https://twitter.com/HotelFoxtrot/status/469921555674181632

https://twitter.com/1LonelyCoyote/status/470205860825006081

You get the idea. There are several hundred, if not, thousands of similar comments. Many of which are not safe for work, so I avoided including them. Here is the press conference if you are interested in watching it for yourself.

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

Ravens team president Dick Cass said that he expects Rice to meet with Roger Goodell sometime in the very near future. On NFL Insiders yesterday, Chris Mortensen said that the team is preparing for their running back to be suspended for at least 3 games. Personally, I believe the league- the PR machine that it is- is easily swayed by public opinion. Yesterday’s overwhelming negative response would surely make their ruling harsher if that is indeed the case.

Adam Schein Thinks David DeCastro Played Poorly in 2013

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In an article cleverly titled “The Schein Nine” on NFL.com, Adam Schein lists 9 guys who he thinks need to “put up or shut up” this year. The list goes as follows: 1) Robert Griffin III, 2) Mike Wallace, 3) Trent Richardson, 4) Sam Bradford, 5) Matthew Stafford, 6) Jay Cutler, 7) Morris Claiborne, 8) Dom Capers, and 9) David DeCastro.

Here’s what Schein had to say about DeCastro:

“Everyone once called DeCastro — a steady, sturdy offensive guard from Stanford — one of the safest picks of the 2012 NFL Draft. Well, a knee injury claimed his first season and poor play marred 2013.

Pittsburgh hired O-line guru Mike Munchak this offseason. DeCastro must live up to the billing.”

Poor play marred 2013? Subtract a poorly placed cut block that arguably shouldn’t have been in the playbook on week 1, and DeCastro played like an All Pro for much of the season.

Of the guards who played all their games at right guard last season, ProFootballFocus had David DeCastro ranked 5th. Not that PFF is the end all be all, but it’s not without merit. Aside from that, I don’t know how anyone who was paying close attention last year could suggest that DeCastro “underachieved”. The second year right guard lived up to his reputation of being a technician. Putting DeCastro on the same list as Mike Wallace just adds insult to injury. Mike Wallace- the former Steelers wide receiver who the Dolphins signed to a $60 Mil contract last year, who was hardly a factor for them.

I have to be honest, I struggled with the title of this article. Alternate headlines I considered were “Adam Schein Doesn’t Watch Football- Proof Inside” and “Adam Schein Knows That Schein Rhymes With Nine”. In the end, I figured it best to keep it professional.

Dan Rooney Receives SBJ Lifetime Achievement Award

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Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney Sr. was honored with the Sports Business Journal Lifetime Achievement Award last night at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square.

NFL commisioner Roger Goodell presented the award to Mr. Rooney, while the audience of over 800 gave a standing ovation.
https://twitter.com/sbjsbd/status/469288653223919616

“I salute the Sports Business Journal for their wisdom in selecting Dan Rooney. He is one of the greatest men I know,” Goodell told those in attendance.
https://twitter.com/sbjsbd/status/469295055157858304

Rooney is the 5th person to receive the award. The previous winners were Peter Ueberroth, Billie Jean King, Paul Tagliabue, and Jerry Reinsdorf. “This is really something special,” Rooney said while accepting the award. His son John read some of his father’s statement saying, “The greatest team ever was the 1970’s Steelers.” The Chief appointed Dan Rooney team president in 1975, a position he would maintain for nearly three decades.

Aside from his many years of operating the greatest team in sports, he was deeply involved in core NFL decision making such as expansion, realignment, commissioner hires, rules, new stadiums and other important league matters. Dan Rooney co-chaired the committee that selected Roger Goodell in 2006.

Ben Roethlisberger Blows Off Steam In Georgia With His Line

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Ben Roethlisberger is working on some male bonding with his starting offensive linemen in Georgia this week. Ben, Maurkice Pouncey, Marcus Gilbert, Kelvin Beachum, Mike Adams, Ramon Foster, and David DeCastro flew down in a private jet yesterday. While the exact location wasn’t disclosed, I can only presume that they are visiting Lake Oconee, GA, where the quarterback owns a lake home.

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Thanks to Ramon Foster via Twitter, we get to have a personal look at their excursion.

https://twitter.com/RamonFoster/status/468758129753092096
https://twitter.com/RamonFoster/status/468758407495696385
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https://twitter.com/TheSteelersFans/status/469138235562942464

The team will reconvene on Tuesday, May 27th for OTA’s, so this week is the last hurrah to get some R&R and bonding in before workouts get more serious.