August 4th from Dale Grdnic
Latrobe PennsylvaniaTUESDAY AM:
When one things about the great kickoff return men in the NFL speedy wideouts, defensive backs and running backs come to mind.
The Steelers used power runners Najeh Davenport and Gary Russell in recent years, which is why they've been ranked among the worst in the league, but that could change this season. The Steelers have numerous candidates for both return spots, on punts and kickoffs, and nearly all are new players.
The most intriguing might be diminutive speedster Stefan Logan, a first-year player who dominated as a running back at North Dakota State and in the Canadian Football League. There was a five-year break between high school and college for the 5-foot-6, 180-pounder, who got a late start with the Steelers in camp due to a mid-foot sprain.
"A weight fell on my foot back home while I was training,'' the 28-year-old Logan said. "It still hurts pretty bad, at times, but I'm going to play through it. I won't make the team watching from the sidelines. It's all about being physically and mentally tough, and I'm all about that. You just can't let it get in the way.
"The first thing the coaches want to see is if we can catch the ball. Then, you have to get up field as quickly as possible. It's all about getting vertical and getting positive yardage for the offense. And I play on offense, so I'm all about that, too. So, I'm going to try to get us as close as I can or go all the way.''
Steelers special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky's eyes are a little wider this year when he talks about his returns guys like Logan, cornerback Joe Burnett, wideouts Mike Wallace and Brandon Williams and running back Justin Vincent. Second-year player Rashard Mendenhall also could get a look as a kick returner.
Santonio Holmes, Shaun McDonald, Logan, Burnett and Mewelde Moore are the primary punt-returners so far.
"We've been working with different groups to get different guys some reps,'' Ligashesky said. "A guy like Burnett, he's going to be a gunner for us on punt coverage. So, when we're doing that, he's on our coverage team.
"When we work on returns, he does that. The same with Logan, and he can go from 0-60 as quick as anyone. So, we want to take advantage of that.''
Logan was called "Joy Stick'' in his CFL days for running around the field like he was controlled by a joy stick in a video game. But his friend and roommate, second-year cornerback Roy Lewis, just calls him "Half-Pint.''
"I might be small in stature, but I have a big heart,'' Logan said. "I don't want people to think I can't handle something because of my size, so I'm going to go hard on every play. I've played with the big guys in college, and there were some players in the CFL. I know this is another level, but if I couldn't do it I wouldn't be out here.''
This, Too Shall Pass
Quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon were joined by wideout Hines Ward tossing passes into a netting with three pockets while special teams players worked on the adjacent field Tuesday morning.
A toss into each would score points for the passer, and the top one was worth the most. Steelers quarterback coach Ken Anderson, among the NFL's all-time completion-percentage leaders, monitored the competition.
Ward won the early going with two scores, but he was the only one to get a ball into the top pocket. Roethlisberger started slowly, but finished strong to win. Batch and Dixon were consistent and solid from the outset.
When the passers moved back to 25-30 yards, Ward struggled and Troy Polamalu entered the fray. The only thing was that Polamalu drove a soccer ball into the netting. He missed badly more times than not and eventually quit.
Be the Best, Learn from the Best
Former Steelers All-Pro center Dermontti Dawson, a Hall of Fame finalist last year, has been working individually with the club's snappers: rookie A.Q. Shipley, first-year player Doug Legursky and veteran Justin Hartwig.
John Calipari, now the Kentucky men's basketball coach, is expected to visit Saint Vincent College this week to see Kentucky alum Dawson.