It’s as much a part of a Mike Tomlin training camp as training backs-on-backs in the first day in full pads. It is often given the title, “emphasis on young boy”, and it implies that you have a full exercise and use the session to achieve the twin goals of repetitions and the on-field experience that comes out for the young players , while the bodies are not stressed by the older veterans.
“We turned out a few veteran players today,” Tomlin said. “We will do that throughout this camp, and we will spread it among the veteran group. It’s not just about keeping the veteran player. It’s probably more important about the faster maturation of the younger boys. If you give Eric Ebron a day off, you will be able to see more of some of the younger boys, for example at the tight end position.If you give Al Villanueva a day, you will get the chance to see more of the young tackles. “We will continue to do so. It serves a dual purpose. It is good for all parties involved and it helps in the evaluation process for us.”
Besides Ebron and Villanueva, the other veteran who got one day for free was David DeCastro. James Washington sat in shorts and grabbed passes, but did not participate in team drills. But one veteran who apparently saw no reduction in his workload was Ben Roethlisberger.
“I have very little reservation about the approach (with Ben),” Tomlin said when asked about managing his veteran quarterback. “He has received full approval from the medical experts, so I do not look to him and spread reps based on the fact that he is recovering from an injury. Truly, we take the same rhythm in terms of preserving his arm as we always have sitting in a training camp in terms of the amount of work he gets. There has actually not been much work for me to make a significant impression. I love his speed. I admit that I have seen his spiral tighter , but I also recognize that it is August and that we have roughly a month before we have to step into a stadium. ”
Some of the highlights from the second of the Steelers’ 14 practices in full pads:
• Roethlisberger and WR JuJu Smith-Schuster have recreated their report, linked multiple times during live team periods.
• Tomlin continued to show particular interest in the ability of his tight ends to be physical with their block at the point of attack. He closely monitored her sleigh work and then became particularly vocal during an OLB-TE man-on-man blocking drill.
• Alex Highsmith, who was assigned multiple reps in Monday’s back-on-back drill, showed well on Tuesday, and he deserved praise from Tomlin – and some extra learning in his footwork from teammate TJ Watt.
• Watt energized his teammates with a particularly fast and powerful approach from RB Anthony McFarland behind the line of scrimmage in an early live period.
• During the 7-shot drill, the offense recorded four scoring plays with Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback, one of whom drew a quarterback. Mason Rudolph completed passes on two of his three plays at quarterback with Anthony McFarland breaking through the line of scrimmage.
• The Steelers worked to set the edge with the tight ends under Tomlin’s waiting eye. Zach Banner lined up for all his snaps in the drill as an extra tight end, and he treated Bud Dupree on two occasions. Banner then switched to the one-on-one linemen drills and voiced DE Henry Mondeaux and DT Carlos Davis. In the same drill, Highsmith got the better of tight end Dax Raymond.
• McFarland was again highly visible, again showing burst through holes along the line of scrimmage and then once again found more running room when he did so.
• In a team period, Roethlisberger and WR Chase Claypool connected on a long pass below the left sideline in a team period. In another instance, Claypool then made a spinning catch on a fade from behind-shoulder, but he could not get his second foot down on the receiving end of another pass from Roethlisberger.
• Diontae Johnson, Ryan Switzer, and CB James Pierre felt points. WR Saeed Blacknall created an impressive special team that will stop this exciting Tomlin.
• Terrell Edmunds followed up the fun day on Monday in the preliminary game with two big hits on running backs during the second round of practice. When asked about the importance of this season for Edmunds, Tomlin said: “It’s a collective effort for us at the back end, just as offensive line play is a collection of individuals. (Edmunds) is “It’s an important part of that. We collectively have a lid on it, and that unity should just work: a unity. It’s good that he’s making some plays, but from a unity standpoint we’re challenging the secondary collective.”
A YOUNG ILB MAKES A GAME
After the practice, Ulysees Gilbert was asked about a play he made against Kerrith Whyte when he wrestled the ball from the running back for a take away.
“It’s patient, watching his hands, trying to break the ball,” Gilbert said in explaining what happened. “It’s a drill that focuses more on the running edges. Any type of drill like that helps us have patience, helps us with our feet, with our hands, and also our vision for what we need to watch. Sometimes in a game situation “you will never know what you will get. I feel it is a great drill, and what I want to continue working on.”
On Gilbert’s day, Tomlin said, “I would not necessarily characterize him as a sophomore because he missed so much time in year one. Hopefully because he has been a part of the program and has been in the building, “As far as injury or exposure to play is concerned, he has almost not experienced as much injury as some of the others in his class due to an injury.”
A FREE JOB DESCRIPTION
Mostly it’s the offensive lineman’s job to be there for his quarterback, but when goalkeeper Kevin Dotson injured quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was there for him. Roethlisberger and one of the team’s athletic trainers helped Dotson get off the playing surface after the rookie injured a knee.
“He’s a teammate,” Tomlin said when asked what it meant for Roethlisberger to react that way. “Ben’s been there. He’s been on the pitch before and knows the fear of it. Dotson is a young man trying to make this football team, and often the fear of injury is worse than the injury itself. Ben is just doing what thoughtful, considerate leaders are doing in terms of helping him work through this. The medical experts will treat the injury themselves, but a man in his position may relate to some of the things that emotionally bother Dotson. feels like he’s confronting what he met with today. ”
TUMLIN’S PROTECTED UPDATE
“There were a few injuries for us today: Both boys are being evaluated and I don’t know the extent of both. Kevin Dotson had a knee injury that is being evaluated. He could leave, but he is being evaluated. And Dax Raymond saw there out that he rolled his ankle at the end of a league period.He is also evaluated.Hopefully we will get these guys back sooner rather than later but we recognize that bumps and blisters are unfortunately part of this process.We have to trim our tails and try to be as professional as we can in an effort to minimize as much as possible. “
