FRIDAY EVENING PRACTICE
by Dale GrdnicThe Pittsburgh Steelers worked out for more than two hours at Latrobe Stadium in front of an estimated 12,000 fans Friday night, and coach Mike Tomlin did not believe it was their best practice during this first training camp week.
"No, it wasn't our sharpest performance tonight,'' Tomlin said afterward. "So, what I told the team was that we have to be our best under all circumstances, because there are very few 1 o'clock kickoffs for this football team this year.
"We'll get another night practice here in a few days (Tuesday at 5:30 at Saint Vincent College), and we'll have to be better from an execution standpoint and an attention to detail standpoint. I liked the energy, and I liked the way the guys competed. But it was not our best performance from a technique standpoint thus far here in camp.''
For the most part, the night practice was comprised of everything that takes place during the day workouts. There was some individual position work, 7-on-7 and team (11-on-11) drills, as well as a two-minute drill, but there was no spirited goal-line session to end the event that was a staple when Bill Cowher called the shots for the Steelers.
Tomlin already said that would take place Sunday afternoon during the 3-5 p.m. practice. That's also family day for the players, so it will be a highlight for them. The most exciting portion Friday night was the Backs-on-Backers drill where linebackers blitz a "quarterback,'' and the Steelers running backs and tight ends attempt to block them.
Second-year linebacker Lawrence Timmons starred for the defense with strong supporting roles from starting outside linebackers LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison. On offense, fullback Carey Davis and tailback Willie Parker were solid.
"That's one drill that has us moving in the right direction,'' Tomlin said. "Of course, that drill is geared toward the linebackers (success), but I thought the backs did a nice job stepping up and competing. We're challenging Lawrence to be the best he can be, and we expect a lot more out of him as a second-year player. And I believe he's embracing that challenge.''
Davis held his own against Woodley, but he was unable to stop a bull-rush by Timmons. Harrison beat up nearly everyone he went up against, including Davis. Mewelde Moore, signed to be the team's third-down back, had a poor blocking performance.
No. 1 pick Rashard Mendenhall had a rough night, getting blasted by Timmons and Woodley, last year's top two picks, and Bruce Davis. On one particularly stout performance by Parker, he got up under James Farrior's pads and eventually knocked his helmet off. He also had the best effort against Timmons.
"My coaches told me to just be the best player I can be out there,'' Timmons said, "so that's what I'm trying to do. As backers, we love that drill, but... we have some good blocking backs. We have a good group of guys. So, I'd have to give the nod to Willie tonight.''
When the players arrived at the stadium for the 15-minute autograph session, the loudest cheers were reserved for Parker, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, safety Troy Polamalu and wideout Hines Ward. However, every Steelers player in attendance signed as much as possible in the allotted time.
Joining Kevin Greene in a coaching internship with the Steelers at this practice was former outside linebacker Jason Gildon, the club's sack leader. Greene finished as the NFL's No. 3 sacker with 160 from 1985-97 behind Bruce Smith (200) and Reggie White (198). Gildon tallied 77 from 1994-2003.
Also in attendance was a pretty fair linebacker in his own right, former Pitt and Steelers player Jerry Olsavsky, an assistant coach at Youngstown State now.
The Tomlin family attended the practice, wife Kiya, their 6- and 7-year-old sons and 2-year-old daughter, who wore a No. 43 Polamalu jersey. Pittsburgh mayor Luke Ravenstahl also watched from the sideline.
An NFL Live crew with hosts Trey Wingo and Merrill Hoge broadcast from outside the stadium beginning at 7:30 on ESPN.Editor's note: My favourite picture of Jerry O; not doing what you might think. He's taking a drink during practice, Dublin 1997.
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