Lukin83
08-08-2006, 11:39 PM
8/8 Steelers Practice Report
Luke Nicholson
8/8/2006
It was a beautiful afternoon in Latrobe, as the Steelers continued their second week of training camp. Another massive crowd made its way to the bowl shaped practice field and the defense opted to make good use of them later in practice. My pictures from this afternoon, although limited, can be viewed HERE (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lukin83/album?.dir=19b4re2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lukin83/my_photos).
Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger once again practiced in his fluorescent cap, which he first donned yesterday. Roethlisberger elected to wear the cap as a gag after Chris Hoke inadvertently hit Charlie Batch in practice. After a successful outing yesterday, Roethlisberger decided to continue wearing his new moniker. His luck would not continue, however, as Roethlisberger overthrew multiple receivers, skipped a couple passes in low,and was intercepted deep by Troy Polamalu. Ben?s best pass of the day was a strike to Heath Miller down the seam, but was quickly followed by a near interception by Larry Foote. Batch had another good practice, but drew little attention. Omar Jacobs and Shane Boyd each received a shot at the one-minute drill. Boyd started out with a couple short passes before hitting Nate Washington across the middle for about 10 yards, just over the outstretched hands of Mike Logan. On the next play Logan read Boyd?s eyes once again and this time arrived in time to pick off the pass. Jacobs moved his drive along into enemy territory before the defensive players began to simulate crowd noise, encouraging the spectators to join in. Jacobs ensuing fourth down pass fell incomplete. Jacobs also tossed an interception in an earlier drill. In addition, Jacobs and Boyd worked with Jeff Hartings and Kyle Andrews on the center-quarterback exchange. Boyd caught my eye with his confidence in Santanio Holmes, tossing a pass into double coverage for the receiver to go after.
Runningbacks
Willie Parker worked on his hands during special teams drills. John Kuhn saw a good deal of halfback repetitions today and Cedric Humes made sure to keep his runs up the gut. After one repetition in walkthroughs, Verron Haynes could be heard telling Charlie Batch to toss him the ball the next time through. Instead, Haynes took a handoff.
Wide Receivers
Nate Washington and Santonio Holmes stood out today. Washington once again started opposite Cedrick Wilson, as Hines Ward remained in street clothes. Washington seemed to be Roethlisberger?s go to receiver, as he plucked pass after pass out of the air. Holmes seemed to get most of the second team catches, making several on the far field that had the crowd applauding. Willie Reid and Quincy Morgan also made some pretty receptions. Morgan came out as the fourth wide receiver today.
Tight Ends
Heath Miller looked like a stud pass catching tight end today. Jerame Tuman had another solid practice, as well. Jonathan Dekker, who has been quietly impressing, had an off day; he dropped entirely too many balls.
Offensive Line
Alan Faneca and Marvel Smith both worked on coming out of their stance prior to practice. Chris Kemoeatu rejoined the offensive line today, but did not participate in any drills that involved use of his hands. Trai Essex sat out practice. Barrett Brooks had a terrible practice, inconsistently staying low and showing only mediocre footwork. Max Starks looked particularly sharp and Russ Grimm let him know it. The linebackers and defensive linemen participated in a drill where they squared off with the offensive linemen, attempting to get to the quarterback. Grayling Love halted both Rodney Bailey and Orien Harris, while Barrett Brooks was beaten twice by Clark Haggans. Brandon Torrey succeeded in impressively stopping both Shaun Nua and Lee Vickers, but Kendall Simmons failed to control Rodney Bailey. Tim Brown really struggled and seemed to be giving up early. It is also worth noting that Ulish Booker halted Aaron Smith. Chukky Okobi did no practice and Cowher said his neck injury could potentially keep him out for the season or longer.
Defensive Line
Scott Paxson blew through Tim Brown twice in the pass rush drill. Lee Vickers and Shaun Nua were the biggest disappointments. Vickers failed to penetrate Brandon Torrey on two separate occasions, while Nua could not bypass Torrey or Barrett Brooks.
Linebackers
Larry Foote knocked down a pass in 11-on-11 drills, but the linebackers, as a whole, were relatively quiet today. Clark Haggans beat Barrett Brooks twice in the pass rushing drill, while James Harrison was thwarted by Willie Colon. Arnold Harrison was called for encroachment during the one-minute drill at the end of practice.
Defensive Backs
Ryan Clark started opposite Troy Polamalu at safety. Tyrone Carter participated at both safety positions. He intercepted Omar Jacobs from the strong safety spot. Both Polamalu and Anthony Smith smacked into receivers as they caught passes, dropping both to the ground. Polamalu also picked off Roethlisberger deep in 11-on-11 drills. Ike Taylor dropped an easy Shane Boyd interception early in practice, but atoned for it with a stellar, leaping knockdown on a deep pass later in practice. Ricardo Colclough also had an impressive play where he met Willie Reid just as he caught the ball. Colclough held up, but the pass would have likely fell incomplete with his impeccable timing.
Special Teams
Ricardo Colclough, Santonio Holmes, and Willie Reid fielded punts. Both Jeff Reed and Mark Brubaker connected on 50 yard field goals, kicking them into the sea of fans decorating the hillside.
Luke?s Updated Projected 53-Man Roster
QB1 Ben Roethlisberger
QB2 Charlie Batch
QB3 Omar Jacobs
RB1 Willie Parker
RB2 Duce Staley
RB3 Verron Haynes
FB1 Dan Kreider
WR1 Hines Ward
WR2 Cedrick Wilson
WR3 Santonio Holmes
WR4 Nate Washington
WR5 Willie Reid
WR6 Sean Morey
TE1 Heath Miller
TE2 Jerame Tuman
TE3 Charles Davis
OT1 Marvel Smith
OT2 Max Starks
OT3Trai Essex
OT4 Willie Colon
OG1 Alan Faneca
OG2 Kendall Simmons
OG3 Chris Kemoeatu
OG4 Grayling Love
C1 Jeff Hartings
C2 Marvin Philip
DE1 Aaron Smith
DE2 Brett Keisel
DE3 Travis Kirschke
DE4 Rodney Bailey
DT1 Casey Hampton
DT2 Chris Hoke
OLB1 Joey Porter
OLB2 Clark Haggans
OLB3 James Harrison
OLB4 Andre Frazier
ILB1 James Farrior
ILB2 Larry Foote
ILB3 Clint Kriewaldt
ILB4 Rian Wallace
CB1 Ike Taylor
CB2 Bryant McFadden
CB3 DeShea Townsend
CB4 Ricardo Colclough
CB5 Chidi Iwuoma
FS1 Tyrone Carter
FS2 Ryan Clark
FS3 Anthony Smith
SS1 Troy Polamalu
SS2 Mike Logan
K1 Jeff Reed
P1 Chris Gardocki
LS1 Greg Warren
Luke Nicholson
8/8/2006
It was a beautiful afternoon in Latrobe, as the Steelers continued their second week of training camp. Another massive crowd made its way to the bowl shaped practice field and the defense opted to make good use of them later in practice. My pictures from this afternoon, although limited, can be viewed HERE (http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lukin83/album?.dir=19b4re2&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lukin83/my_photos).
Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger once again practiced in his fluorescent cap, which he first donned yesterday. Roethlisberger elected to wear the cap as a gag after Chris Hoke inadvertently hit Charlie Batch in practice. After a successful outing yesterday, Roethlisberger decided to continue wearing his new moniker. His luck would not continue, however, as Roethlisberger overthrew multiple receivers, skipped a couple passes in low,and was intercepted deep by Troy Polamalu. Ben?s best pass of the day was a strike to Heath Miller down the seam, but was quickly followed by a near interception by Larry Foote. Batch had another good practice, but drew little attention. Omar Jacobs and Shane Boyd each received a shot at the one-minute drill. Boyd started out with a couple short passes before hitting Nate Washington across the middle for about 10 yards, just over the outstretched hands of Mike Logan. On the next play Logan read Boyd?s eyes once again and this time arrived in time to pick off the pass. Jacobs moved his drive along into enemy territory before the defensive players began to simulate crowd noise, encouraging the spectators to join in. Jacobs ensuing fourth down pass fell incomplete. Jacobs also tossed an interception in an earlier drill. In addition, Jacobs and Boyd worked with Jeff Hartings and Kyle Andrews on the center-quarterback exchange. Boyd caught my eye with his confidence in Santanio Holmes, tossing a pass into double coverage for the receiver to go after.
Runningbacks
Willie Parker worked on his hands during special teams drills. John Kuhn saw a good deal of halfback repetitions today and Cedric Humes made sure to keep his runs up the gut. After one repetition in walkthroughs, Verron Haynes could be heard telling Charlie Batch to toss him the ball the next time through. Instead, Haynes took a handoff.
Wide Receivers
Nate Washington and Santonio Holmes stood out today. Washington once again started opposite Cedrick Wilson, as Hines Ward remained in street clothes. Washington seemed to be Roethlisberger?s go to receiver, as he plucked pass after pass out of the air. Holmes seemed to get most of the second team catches, making several on the far field that had the crowd applauding. Willie Reid and Quincy Morgan also made some pretty receptions. Morgan came out as the fourth wide receiver today.
Tight Ends
Heath Miller looked like a stud pass catching tight end today. Jerame Tuman had another solid practice, as well. Jonathan Dekker, who has been quietly impressing, had an off day; he dropped entirely too many balls.
Offensive Line
Alan Faneca and Marvel Smith both worked on coming out of their stance prior to practice. Chris Kemoeatu rejoined the offensive line today, but did not participate in any drills that involved use of his hands. Trai Essex sat out practice. Barrett Brooks had a terrible practice, inconsistently staying low and showing only mediocre footwork. Max Starks looked particularly sharp and Russ Grimm let him know it. The linebackers and defensive linemen participated in a drill where they squared off with the offensive linemen, attempting to get to the quarterback. Grayling Love halted both Rodney Bailey and Orien Harris, while Barrett Brooks was beaten twice by Clark Haggans. Brandon Torrey succeeded in impressively stopping both Shaun Nua and Lee Vickers, but Kendall Simmons failed to control Rodney Bailey. Tim Brown really struggled and seemed to be giving up early. It is also worth noting that Ulish Booker halted Aaron Smith. Chukky Okobi did no practice and Cowher said his neck injury could potentially keep him out for the season or longer.
Defensive Line
Scott Paxson blew through Tim Brown twice in the pass rush drill. Lee Vickers and Shaun Nua were the biggest disappointments. Vickers failed to penetrate Brandon Torrey on two separate occasions, while Nua could not bypass Torrey or Barrett Brooks.
Linebackers
Larry Foote knocked down a pass in 11-on-11 drills, but the linebackers, as a whole, were relatively quiet today. Clark Haggans beat Barrett Brooks twice in the pass rushing drill, while James Harrison was thwarted by Willie Colon. Arnold Harrison was called for encroachment during the one-minute drill at the end of practice.
Defensive Backs
Ryan Clark started opposite Troy Polamalu at safety. Tyrone Carter participated at both safety positions. He intercepted Omar Jacobs from the strong safety spot. Both Polamalu and Anthony Smith smacked into receivers as they caught passes, dropping both to the ground. Polamalu also picked off Roethlisberger deep in 11-on-11 drills. Ike Taylor dropped an easy Shane Boyd interception early in practice, but atoned for it with a stellar, leaping knockdown on a deep pass later in practice. Ricardo Colclough also had an impressive play where he met Willie Reid just as he caught the ball. Colclough held up, but the pass would have likely fell incomplete with his impeccable timing.
Special Teams
Ricardo Colclough, Santonio Holmes, and Willie Reid fielded punts. Both Jeff Reed and Mark Brubaker connected on 50 yard field goals, kicking them into the sea of fans decorating the hillside.
Luke?s Updated Projected 53-Man Roster
QB1 Ben Roethlisberger
QB2 Charlie Batch
QB3 Omar Jacobs
RB1 Willie Parker
RB2 Duce Staley
RB3 Verron Haynes
FB1 Dan Kreider
WR1 Hines Ward
WR2 Cedrick Wilson
WR3 Santonio Holmes
WR4 Nate Washington
WR5 Willie Reid
WR6 Sean Morey
TE1 Heath Miller
TE2 Jerame Tuman
TE3 Charles Davis
OT1 Marvel Smith
OT2 Max Starks
OT3Trai Essex
OT4 Willie Colon
OG1 Alan Faneca
OG2 Kendall Simmons
OG3 Chris Kemoeatu
OG4 Grayling Love
C1 Jeff Hartings
C2 Marvin Philip
DE1 Aaron Smith
DE2 Brett Keisel
DE3 Travis Kirschke
DE4 Rodney Bailey
DT1 Casey Hampton
DT2 Chris Hoke
OLB1 Joey Porter
OLB2 Clark Haggans
OLB3 James Harrison
OLB4 Andre Frazier
ILB1 James Farrior
ILB2 Larry Foote
ILB3 Clint Kriewaldt
ILB4 Rian Wallace
CB1 Ike Taylor
CB2 Bryant McFadden
CB3 DeShea Townsend
CB4 Ricardo Colclough
CB5 Chidi Iwuoma
FS1 Tyrone Carter
FS2 Ryan Clark
FS3 Anthony Smith
SS1 Troy Polamalu
SS2 Mike Logan
K1 Jeff Reed
P1 Chris Gardocki
LS1 Greg Warren