2012 Training Camp Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers

By The Sports Xchange | The SportsXchange – 9 hours ago

Steelers training camp preview


TRAINING CAMP GOALS

1. Pittsburgh turns another page in 2012, the largest since Mike Tomlin became coach in 2007 and they must adjust to changes quickly this summer. Tomlin changed a coordinator for the first time and a handful of iconic veterans either retired or were forced into it, including Hines Ward, James Farrior and Aaron Smith.

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley installed an entirely new system with new terminology the players struggled to learn in the spring. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] has one of his biggest challenges as he enters his 30s to operate an offense that will rely heavily on the high-percentage pass and lean more on the ground game than the deep passes and playground scrambles in which the quarterback had become comfortable.

The Steelers need to master Haley's offense more than anything else they do in Latrobe this summer. Roethlisberger and others noted how difficult it was to learn the terminology and the quarterback also talked about a new emphasis on the running game and check-down passes.

2. Pittsburgh is remaking the offensive line. Tackle Willie Colon moves to guard, they expect rookie David DeCastro to start at the other guard and hope rookie tackle Mike Adams wins the job at left tackle. After ignoring the line high in the draft for nearly a decade, the Steelers have poured four high draft picks there the past three seasons, starting with center Maurkice Pouncey (No. 1 pick) in 2010, followed by Marcus Gilbert (second) in 2011 and this year, DeCastro (first) and Adams (second). Last season, two undrafted players started most of the way at the two guards, Doug Legursky and Ramon Foster.



PLAYER TO WATCH

With Rashard Mendenhall opening the season on PUP after January ACL surgery, undrafted third-year pro Isaac Redman becomes the starting running back. He has shown himself to be a good power runner with good hands and has progressed steadily up the ranks from rookie practice squadder to where he earned the top backup role last season when he ran for 479 yards and a 4.4-yard average and caught 18 passes. With the increased emphasis on the running game and Mendenhall not likely to see action for at least the first half of the season and perhaps longer, Redman could double his career high of 110 carries from 2011. A handful of candidates will vie for pecking orders behind him in training camp.



ON THE HOT SEAT

Wide receiver Mike Wallace made his first Pro Bowl in his third season in 2011. As a restricted free agent, the Steelers issued him a first-round tender of $2.742 million. No other team made him an offer and Wallace has refused to sign with the Steelers. He skipped all of their spring activities and there's no telling if he'll show up on time at training camp -- or at all. He's already behind learning Haley's offense and team president Art Rooney said early in June that Wallace "should be here." The sides are nowhere close on a multiple-year contract and Wallace's absence has not helped his cause -- and neither did the second half of his 2011 season. He slumped, with only 393 of his 1,193 yards in the final eight games. He needs to have a good year as he heads into unrestricted free agency in 2013.



NOTES, QUOTES

Colbert said progress of offense is fine

--Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said the team is making expected progress after the installation of the offense by new coordinator Todd Haley.

Said Colbert, "I'm not listening to what's being said intimately after a play. There's not a lot of physical errors I guess is the best way to say it: new offense, people learning about the offense and coaches learning about people, I think there will be some mistakes. I think that's just part of the growing process. It's way too early to tell, but visibly I didn't see a lot of mistakes or corrections being made, no more than usual."

--Although three rookies had only two minicamp practices all spring after waiting for their schools' semesters to end, coach Mike Tomlin believes they will have ample time in the long run to get it. The three: Guard David DeCastro (Stanford), tackle Mike Adams (Ohio State) and nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu (Washington).

"Obviously, they're working on limited time and they need to hurry up and catch up," Tomlin said. "The big thing I want to keep in mind and want them to keep in mind is largely the big picture. When it's time to play a few months from now, this will be just a memory, some short-term discomfort."

--For the second straight year, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] wore Max Starks' old No. 78 at a practice. He did it in training camp last year after the Steelers cut Starks, and Pittsburgh re-signed him after the fourth game of the season, and put him at left tackle where he started the rest of the way for them.

Starks remains an unrestricted free agent as he rehabs from ACL surgery in January. Roethlisberger said he wore his jersey during one OTA practice to honor Starks. It's possible, though, it could forebode another re-signing of Starks.

"We've communicated with Max," said general manager Kevin Colbert, who has maintained for months that they could re-sign him. "He knows that it's a possibility that we could bring him back."

--Veteran nose tackle Casey Hampton continues to rehab from January ACL surgery. He attended all the spring OTAs and minicamp, running on the side but never practicing. He predicted he will open the season at nose tackled.

"I'm where I need to be," Hampton said during the team's minicamp last week. "I feel my goal is to be ready for the regular season."

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Mike's got pictures of me ... and there's some unknowns over in Indianapolis that I was concerned about a little bit." -- LB coach Keith Butler on why he turned down an offer to join the Colts as coordinator to stay on Mike Tomlin's staff.



STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

MEDICAL WATCH: No Updates.



UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACKS: Starter -- [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. Backups -- Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch, Jerrod Johnson.

Roethlisberger turns 30 with a new offense and a baby on the way at home. Steelers president Art Rooney said after the 2011 season that he needed to take fewer hits as he ages, and Haley's offense is designed in part to do that. While they do not want to eliminate his effective scrambles, they would like to see him make quicker decisions with snappier releases. Leftwich again is ticketed to be the No. 1 backup but injuries have hurt that the past two seasons. Batch will get another season at age 37.

RUNNING BACKS: Starter -- Isaac Redman. Backups -- Jonathan Dwyer, John Clay, Baron Batch, Chris Rainey, Rashard Mendenhall, FB David Johnson, FB Will Johnson.

Redman replaces Mendenhall, who will open the season on the PUP list after January ACL surgery. It also is Mendenhall's last season under contract and it's possible he will not play until the middle of the season. Redman has power and hands more typical of a Steelers prototype back. Both Dwyer and Clay have shown flashes in limited play. Batch had a good 10 days in his rookie training camp but then had ACL surgery last August. Rainey was the hit of the spring and looks like a lock to be used as both a receiver and spot runner. Johnson moves from tight end/H-back to fulltime fullback.

TIGHT ENDS: Starter -- Heath Miller. Backups -- Leonard Pope, Weslye Saunders, Jamie McCoy, David Paulson.

Miller remains one of the best blocking/receiving combinations in the conference and both Haley and Roethlisberger have said they need to use him more as a receiver. He was third on the team in 2011 with 51 receptions, down from his high of 76 two seasons earlier. Pope is a Haley favorite, having played for him in Arizona and Kansas City and at 6-8 should be a target near the goal line. Saunders is suspended the first four games by the league and there's a chance with David Johnson moving to fullback, they will go with just two tight ends.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters -- Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown. Backups -- Emmanuel Sanders, Jerricho Cotchery, Toney Clemons, Marquis Maze, Derrick Williams, Tyler Beiler, David Gilreath, Juamorris Stewart.

Wallace earned his first Pro-Bowl trip and 1,193-yard receiving season but as noted that second-half dropoff was worrisome. He's Bolt-fast but not accomplished underneath and he seemed to let his slump bother him. Brown, on the other hand, was voted the team MVP and nearly caught Wallace for the team lead with a dynamic second half. He has great hands and is outstanding underneath and after the catch. He had 1,108 yards. Injuries are the only thing holding back Sanders, who is Brown-like in his ability and came on in the second half of 2011. Cotchery replaces the departed Hines Ward as the veteran possession receiver. Maze, an undrafted rookie and just 5-8, is a playmaker who can make the team if he matches his outstanding spring.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- LT Mike Adams, LG Willie Colon, C Maurkice Pouncey, RG David DeCastro, RT Marcus Gilbert. Backups -- T Jonathan Scott, T/G Trai Essex, G/C Doug Legursky, G Ramon Foster, T Chris Scott, T Kyle Jolly, G John Malecki, G Kevin Beachum, C/G Ryan Lee.

Major changes here as the Steelers pour high picks into their line and make a major move as Colon, who missed virtually the entire two seasons, moves from tackle to guard. The plan is for Adams, their No. 2 pick, to start, but if he cannot grasp that position, Gilbert will move over there. DeCastro, their No. 1 pick, is a lock to open the season at right guard. Pouncey is now 2-for-2 in Pro Bowls and his presence signaled the beginning of a new era for this line, which could have two first-round picks and two seconds starting the season. Gilbert did a nice job in his rookie season when Colon was lost in the opener. The Steelers have won despite their line for several seasons and now it appears that line might catch up to the rest of the offense.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- LDE Ziggy Hood, RDE Brett Keisel, NT Casey Hampton. Backups -- DE Cameron Heyward, NT Alameda Ta'amu, DE Al Woods, NT Steve McLendon, DE Corbin Bryant, DE Jake Stoller, DE Ikponmwosa Igbinosun, DT Mike Blanc, DT Kade Weston.

Like its counterpart on offense, the defensive line is undergoing change. After a good long run with basically three starters and one outstanding backup, the Steelers lose both Aaron Smith and Chris Hoke. Casey Hampton, their most decorated linemen, had ACL surgery in January and may open on the PUP list; this also could be the final year for the 35 year old. Keisel remains a strong presence; he's quick and strong and versatile. It's possible Heyward could push Hood -- two former No. 1s -- for the starting job. Ta'amu was selected as Hampton's possible replacement, but McLendon has shown an ability to play the position and he could get the nod to open the season if Hampton is not yet ready. Woods is an intriguing end who could make it. While No. 1 on defense overall, the Steelers' rush defense fell off a bit in 2011.

LINEBACKERS: Starters -- LOLB LaMarr Woodley, LILB Larry Foote, RILB Lawrence Timmons, ROLB James Harrison. Backups -- OLB Jason Worilds, ILB Stevenson Sylvester, ILB Sean Spence, OLB Chris Carter, ILB Mortty Ivy, Brandon Hicks, Adrian Robinson, Brandon Johnson, Ryan Baker.

The pass rush fell off dramatically last season and there were two big reasons for it -- the lengthy absences of Woodley, who lost six full games to hamstring injuries, and Harrison, who lost five to an eye injury and a one-game suspension. They still tied for the team lead with nine sacks a piece -- Woodley had all nine at the halfway point when he was injured. The loss of Farrior should not be that noticeable because of Foote. Worilds is the top backup on the outside and did a good job subbing for Woodley last season. Timmons has moved to the outside to replace Harrison, but the Steelers would prefer not to move him. Spence had a wonderful spring and looks as though he could easily be the top backup inside with a future as a starter there. Injuries have curtailed Carter, who the Steelers really could use to back up Harrison, who is 34.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters -- LCB Ike Taylor, RCB Keenan Lewis, FS Ryan Clark, SS Troy Polamalu. Backups -- CB Curtis Brown, CB Cortez Allen, S Ryan Mundy, S Will Allen, S Myron Rolle, S Damon Cromartie-Smith, CB Terrence Frederick, S Robert Golden, CB Terry Carter, CB Andre Freeman, CB Walter McFadden.

Everything remains the same in the backfield except for left cornerback, where there will be a three-way competition to start among Lewis, Brown and Allen. Former starter William Gay joined the Cardinals and former starter Bryant McFadden was released. Coordinator Dick LeBeau has praised the potential of his young cornerbacks, especially Brown and Allen. Taylor had a good season, but was torched in the playoff loss to Denver and at 32 may be losing a step. Polamalu went to another Pro Bowl and brought Clark to his first along with him. LeBeau says the one thing this group must do is intercept the ball more often. They had only 11 in '11. Mundy and Allen are veteran backups who could be pushed by former Rhodes Scholar Rolle, who has committed himself to playing football.

SPECIAL TEAMS: K Shaun Suisham, K Daniel Hrapmann, P Jeremy Kapinos, P Drew Butler, LS Greg Warren, LS Matt Katula, PR Emmanuel Sanders, KOR Chris Rainey.

Suisham did not have a good 2012. He made only 23 of 31 field-goal tries. However, the Steelers did not sign a real challenger to him in training camp so it appears they will at least start the season with him. Kapinos finished the last two seasons with the Steelers even though he did not start either with them. Daniel Sepulveda had one too many knee injuries and the Steelers finally cut ties with him. Warren is an excellent long snapper entering his eighth season, all with Pittsburgh. Even though Antonio Brown made the Pro Bowl as a return man last season, he will start at wide receiver so the Steelers will make changes, going with Sanders at the beginning on punts and likely rookie Chris Rainey on kickoff returns, although that could easily change during the preseason.