Le’Veon Bell told media this morning that he will return to practice today. Bell, who missed practice yesterday, told reporters that his absence from Saturday’s practice was just “precautionary”. Bell was one of several players who missed part or all of yesterday’s practice.
Here is a breakdown of the injuries and players who didn’t participate during today’s practice. Coach Tomlin didn’t provide any details or list the players who missed practice today, but these are the players who were listed through various reports.
Le’Veon Bell, Matt Spaeth, Brett Keisel, Jarvis Jones, Adrian Robinson, and Jason Worilds all did not practice today.
Le’Veon Bell had a wrap on his left knee. He reportedly bruised it while running into another player at practice on Friday.
Matt Spaeth told reporters that he had his right knee drained on Friday, and said it was ‘no big deal’.
Brett Keisel said he was out on a vet vacation day. Jarvis Jones was out and the reason was undisclosed.
Adrian Robinson had his right knee wrapped. Jason Worilds was out again nursing his toe injury.
Ed Bouchette also mentioned Lawrence Timmons and Steve McLendon among the players who did not practice today.
In addition to those mentioned, Ben and Redman did not participate in the goal line drills today. Ben reportedly had his knee wrapped towards the latter part of practice.
CB Terry Hawthorne still out with his injured knee, but he was said to be able to jog around.
Nik Embernate, who was injured during yesterday’s practice, is reported to have torn his ACL and MCL. No surgery date has been given yet, but it’s safe to say that Embernate will not be playing this season. This is a very tough break for a kid who was getting second team reps at left Guard. Nicknamed “Embernasty” for his mean disposition, Nik was a fan favorite to make the squad.
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.
https://twitter.com/MarkKaboly_Trib/status/363053329963696129
Tomlin also said he had no new information on the guys who were out, and they will be looked at on a day to day basis.
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.
https://twitter.com/MikeTanier/status/362682289852911616
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.