Steve, known by most as TTF, is owner of TheSteelersFans and administrator of the best Steelers message board on the net. Big fan of strong coffee and hardcore Steelers fan from womb to tomb.
Cotez Allen had minor surgery on his right knee this morning, and will miss at least a couple weeks. In a release earlier today, Mike Tomlin also said:
“We wanted him to get the surgery done now so he can begin rehabilitating immediately. This surgery was a minor procedure and will have no long-term effects on his return to the field. We look forward to his rehabilitation process and having him back on the field in a couple of weeks.”
William Gay will cover the left corner spot until Allen is able to return. Curtis Brown says he looks forward to getting the extra reps while Allen is sidelined, and I’d wager Josh Victorian feels the same way.
The Steelers signed CB Buddy Jackson off the waiver wire yesterday, in an effort to add depth to the secondary.
The Steelers claimed CB Anthony “Buddy” Jackson off waivers, after being released earlier today by the Kansas City Chiefs. Jackson, a UDFA out of Pitt last year, was originally signed by the Colts and spent time on the Redskin’s Practice Squad last fall. He was waived by the Giants and Eagles this Spring before being picked up by the Chiefs. Jackson missed a couple days of practice last week with a hamstring injury. Long Snapper Luke Ingram was released to make space on the roster for his signing.
On a related note, the Broncos claimed CB Nigel Malone off waivers, who the Steelers released on Tuesday.
The Steelers concluded practice today with some new injuries to report. Offensive linemen Nik Embernate injured his knee during one on one drills. Coach Tomlin said in his meeting with the media that it was a significant knee injury. Embernate was carted off the field.
Jason Worilds had a toe injury of some kind. It could just be some minor discomfort and might just limit him for a day or two, according to Coach Tomlin.
Mark Kaboly reported that LaMaar Woodley limited with some calf discomfort.
Nik Embernate injured his right knee during one on one drills with Cordian Hagans.
The injury appeared to be serious, and he seemed to be in a lot of pain, and was ultimately carted off the field. Coach Tomlin says it appears to be a significant injury, but cannot give details until he undergoes medical evaluation. Embernate, an UDFA right guard out of San Diego State, was working with the second team today before injuring his knee.
No one can forget the infamous “Camp Cupcake”. The playful nickname given to the training camp of 2009 by a national sports columnist who stopped in to camp for a few hours one day. The name stuck, because well…who doesn’t like cupcakes? This article isn’t about that training camp though, it’s about this one, and you can rest assured that the camp of 2013 won’t be garnering any such nicknames. This year Coach Tomlin is setting a tone. A tone that implies, “The battle for the AFC North starts in July!”.
Wednesday’s practice featured a live, full contact 11 on 11 drill. “That’s the first time we ever did that.”, said Larry Foote when asked about it after practice. The drill featured several run plays, some of which showed off Le’Veon Bell’s talents. On one play, Bell took a handoff to the left, but cut back to the right and turned it into a 30 yard gain. At the end of the play, Bell bulled over Curtis Brown according to Mark Kaboly.
On top of adding contact into practice, Tomlin is reportedly no longer allowing players to take golf carts to and from the locker rooms- another sign of a change in atmosphere this year. Coach Tomlin is also making changes in an effort to prevent injury. This year, he’s mandating that offensive linemen wear knee braces throughout camp. Speaking of linemen, I continue to hear that Mike Adams is doing well. Jim Wexell reports that he drove Woodley to the ground twice on Monday, and pancaked Ziggy Hood during Wednesday’s practice.
During team drills, Ben was said to be ‘real crisp’, connecting on several of his passes. Gradkowski made a nice connection to Plaxico Burress on a 55 yard TD pass. Shamarko Thomas bit hard on a play action fake, which contributed to the success of the play.
On Steelers live, Bob Labriola was singing the praises of OLB Alan Baxter, the rookie from Northern Ill. Baxter has been making an impression the past few days, and if he continues to do so (and shows prowess during special teams play), he could very well be in surprise contention for a roster spot. Definitely someone to keep an eye on.
Coach Butler had the following to say about him on Tuesday:
“Alan’s a smart kid, and he’s been working hard. He obviously has some things to learn, but he’s made a few plays so far.”
On the injury front, DE Nick Williams sat out the end of practice with an unspecified knee injury. DeMarcus Van Dyke, Cortez Allen, and Terry Hawthorne did not participate.
Coach Tomlin addressed the media after practice today and had one new injury to report. Rookie DE Nick Williams couldn’t finish practice due to a knee injury of “some description”. DeMarcus Van Dyke’s hamstring injury was said to be “a significant one”, and Tomlin said he may be out for a while. This does not bode well for Van Dyke, who was on the bubble for a roster spot. The others previously injured were “status quo”, according to Coach Tomlin, and Cortez Allen is considered day to day. There were no updates given for the players on the PUP list.
Jim Wexell of pit.scout.com, reports that David Johnson had knee surgery last Friday. Wexell states that his projected recovery time is two weeks, which (if it holds true) would put him back in the mix for the first week of preseason, coincidentally almost exactly a year after tearing his ACL in the preseason game against the Eagles.
While the details are not yet known, the projected recovery time indicates a knee scope, which can carry a recovery time of as soon as two to three weeks. The Steelers signed TE John Rabe yesterday to add depth while Johnson is sidelined. David Paulson and Matt Spaeth are the likely 1 and 2 TE’s while Heath Miller recovers. This latest setback for Johnson definitely isn’t going to help his hopes of making the 53 man roster.
The Steelers wrapped up the first day of padded practice at St. Vincent Monday evening, one that drew large crowds and reporters from the NFL Network. Sadly, the network’s coverage left much to be desired. Below in the article, I’ve included some footage taken by an attendee at camp that blows away the brief warmups shown on the NFL broadcast yesterday, but I digress…
Terry Hawthorne was out with what’s rumored to be a sore knee, as he was seen favoring it after Special Teams drills on Sunday. Hawthrone missed spring activities due to knee surgery. Cortez Allen and DeMarcus Van Dyke were out again, as well. Mike Tomlin wasn’t concerned about depth at Cornerback, though, when asked after practice. “Not really concerned about the depth at this point. One man’s misfortune is an opportunity for others.” When asked if Hawthorne being out was just a precaution or necessary, he said, “No, it’s not good to give a guy who’s fighting for a job precautionary rest. It was necessary, but hopefully not long term.”
Reggie Dunn, J.D. Woods, McNeal, and Larod Stephens-Howling were fielding kicks towards the beginning of practice, and Wheaton, Gilreath, Dunn, J. Brown, Sanders, and A. Brown were fielding punts. J. Brown reportedly almost caught one while holding 5 balls.
In positional drills, the offensive line continued working on techniques for the Outside Zone Scheme. Le’Veon Bell said after practice that the line is getting used to the outside zone, and they’re getting better and better at it. During team drills, there were two variations of 2nd team offensive line units according to Ken Laird:
Kelvin Beachum – Chris Hubbard – John Malecki – Justin Cheadle – Guy Whimper
and-
Joe Long – John Malecki – Kelvin Beachum – Justin Cheadle – Guy Whimper
1st team was the expected cast of: Gilbert – Foster – Pouncey – DeCastro – Adams
Adams is said to be looking healthy and reportedly contained Woodley well during the Oline vs Dline session.
The highlight of the day of course was the Backs on Backers drill. The running backs spent some time preparing for the battle by going over technique with ‘Big Bertha’.
No one went airborne like Chris Rainey did last year. While the drill favors the backers by design, most of the backs held their own. Bell, who had the most match-ups at 11, preformed well for the most part. Clearly, the coaching staff wanted to put him to the test. Woodley dominated Bell a couple times, but that’s completely expected. The feature showing was Bell versus Jarvis Jones. After facing off four times, they were said to have split the battle evenly 2-2. After practice, Bell spoke of the contest. “It was 2-2. The first one I won. The next two Jarvis got me. He kept hitting me with that bull rush”. Bell added, “He got his hands on me. He’s thick. Don’t know how to explain it… he’s strong, knows how to use his hands”
Baron Batch was reported to have had a rough go of it. A few backers were said to have used their speed to edge around him. Marshall McFadden laid a mean hit on Batch. A frustrated #20 retaliated, and a scuffle ensued. Coach Wilson was quick to break it up, yelling- “We don’t fight here!”. In Backs on Backers, sometimes you’re the dog, and sometimes you’re the hydrant.
Here’s a great video account of the Backs on Backers drill taken by an onlooker in the crowd yesterday:
According to reports, Jarvis Jones was not only impressing with his rushing abilities, but in pass coverage as well.
New special teams coach Danny Smith, who was added this offseason, is said to be very loud, fiery, and animated in practice. Hopefully that fire is contagious, and carries over to the field this season.
The Steelers announced that the annual Friday Night Lights scrimmage that’s held at Latrobe High School, will be moved to St. Vincent College, and at a new time. Diseased field grass was given as the cause of the move, as the team did not want to jeopardize future high school games there. The event will now be free of charge and at 5:25, with autograph signings starting at 5:00. Fireworks will be held at St. Vincent campus at 9:15.
