8/7 Steelers Practice Report

[Lukin83]

8/7 Steelers Practice Report
Luke Nicholson
8/7/2006




A brief rain almost canceled today?s afternoon practice, but the sun quickly returned and practice continued unimpeded. The offense arrived on the field first and began with walkthroughs. The defense joined them on the field after about 15 minutes and special teams practice commenced. You can view my pictures from the afternoon practice HERE.

Quarterbacks

Charlie Batch fumbled a snap and both Ben Roethlisberger and Shane Boyd tossed interceptions. Roethlisberger wore a yellow cap on his helmet during practice to make him stand out; likely as a precautionary measure. Charlie Batch was right on target with his passes in the one-minute drill, which is covered in detail below. Shane Boyd also looked impressive in the second installment.

Runningbacks

Willie Parker and Duce Staley continue to share first team repetitions with Verron Haynes stealing a handful of touches. Staley was stuffed by Brett Keisel on his first carry of practice, but was solid afterward. He rattled off several impressive runs through traffic and was utilized multiple times as a receiver out of the backfield. Willie Parker showcased his speed, consistently getting to the second level before the defenders had a chance to get off their blocks. He was the best back on the field today. He and Staley worked on their hands during special teams drills. Verron Haynes also looked good hitting his lanes and cutting upfield, but dropped an easy catch over the middle during 11-on-11 drills. Cedric Humes met the wrath of Bill Cowher this afternoon. Cowher was furious at Humes? seeming dedication to take every run off tackle and let the spit fly at the rookie back.

Wide Receivers

Hines Ward did not practice again. Nate Washington once again ran with the first team. He was early to practice, working with the JUGS machine. After his JUGS workout, he went over and caught some balls from Roethlisberger, as the two talked. He had another solid practice today, but did drop a Charlie Batch pass across the middle; however, on the next play, Batch came right back to him and he secured the ball for the reception. Willie Reid made the catch of the day, coming back for a low off-target pass that he grabbed with only one hand. He also lined up in the backfield for several plays, but only received touches as a receiver. Santonio Holmes and Sean Morey also had solid practices, although neither stood out. Lee Mays had a terrible practice, dropping balls left and right. There is more information about the wide outs participation in the one-minute drill below.

Tight Ends

Jerame Tuman and Jonathan Dekker continued to impress as receivers today. Heath Miller was surprisingly quiet on the field.

Offensive Line

The right side of the line once again was the weakness, as Aaron Smith and Rodney Bailey made their way to the quarterback on nearly every play. Alan Faneca was one of the first players on the field and worked on coming out of his stance prior to practice. Chris Kemoeatu had a hand injury and did not participate in drills.

Defensive Line

As mentioned above, Aaron Smith and Rodney Bailey had field days from their defensive end position. Bailey was particularly effective, beating his man consistently. Brett Keisel and Casey Hampton also managed to penetrate the line on more than one occasion. Keisel also assisted James Harrison?s interception, tipping the pass at the line.

Linebackers

James Harrison and Richard Seigler led the backers in turnovers, each recording an interception. Seigler has really come on in the past couple practices and is a likely practice squad candidate if he doesn?t work his way on to the active roster. James Farrior also seemed to be around the ball often and Clark Haggans recorded a sack.

Defensive Backs

Tyrone Carter started opposite Troy Polamalu once again. Ryan Clark played both safety positions, as practice progressed. Ricardo Colclough made an impressive knockdown on a pass just a couple plays after Tyrone Carter batted down a ball that Bryant McFadden would have likely intercepted behind him.

Special Teams

Anthony Madison, Cedrick Wilson, Santonio Holmes, and Quincy Morgan took repetitions as kick returners. I found it odd that Willie Reid was not on the field with the return team, as he has excelled in that role thus far.

One-Minute Drill

The first installment of the two-minute drill had the Charlie Batch led offense needing to score a touchdown. The first series began with a pass to Duce Staley in the flat for a minimal gain. Clark Haggans recorded a sack on second down. Cowher quickly called for a timeout. Nate Washington made a leaping grab on the next play for a first down and managed to get out of bounds near the offense?s 50 yard line. Santonio Holmes hauled in the next pass, stepping out of bounds for another first down near midfield. Troy Polamalu tipped the next Charlie Batch pass, resulting in second down. Willie Reid then made a diving grab around the 30 yard line, drawing a round of applause from the crowd. Bryant McFadden broke up the next pass, but Nate Washington grabbed a sideline pass on second down and stepped out of bounds near the five yard line. Duce Staley took a pitch to the left on first down, but was quickly wrapped up for a short loss. Batch immediately came back to the line and spiked the ball. With time for one more play, Batch dropped back and hurled a strike to the back of the endzone for Nate Washington; which was tipped away by Tyrone Carter, ending the drive.

The second installment had the offense, led by Shane Boyd, needing only a field goal.
The drive began with consecutive drops by Lee Mays. Sean Morey made a stellar grab over the middle on third down, gaining enough yardage to move the chains with a first down near the offense?s 40. Ricardo Colclough deflected the next pass intended for Walter Young. Sean Morey caught the next pass, taking it just shy of midfield before trotting out of bounds. Morey failed to haul in the third down pass, bringing up a short fourth down. On fourth down, Boyd dropped back and tossed a screen to Cedric Humes, who burst past the defenders down the left sideline. The gain to about the 20 was bittersweet, as the ball leapt from Humes arms and rolled out of bounds. With the offense in secure field goal range, the drill ended.

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
OT3 Trai Essex
OT4 Willie Colon
OG1 Alan Faneca
OG2 Kendall Simmons
OG3 Chris Kemoeatu
C1 Jeff Hartings
C2 Chukky Okobi
C3 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

http://www.fflivewire.com/article.as...cw3733ubi9634h

[RushHard34]

tyrone carter over ryan clark? i dont see it...

[TasmanianTroy271]

It'll be interesting to see what happens with the Defensive End position this year, because we have so many good ends, but not enough roster spots. Smith, Kiesel, Kirschke, Bailey, Nua, Harris, and Vickers all have experiance or great potential, but we can probably only keep 5 at most, including PS.

[lilyoder6]

tyrone is a good player.. they will push each other to the limit..

[steelcity984]

Is James Harrison going for a camp record for interceptions?:)

[Atlanta Dan]

Originally Posted by St33lers

tyrone carter over ryan clark? i dont see it...

Carter may be the starter in September, but as Clark learns the system he hopefully moves into the starter's role no later than after the bye week in late September. I do not see Carter as the starter if this year's team is to have a Super Bowl quality defense

Both Carter and Clark will have the difficult assignement of learning how to give Troy the comfort to free lance that he had with Chris Hope as his running mate at safety; Clark has some background in that role as he played with Sean Taylor for the Redskins.