5 takeaways from the first week of Steelers training camp
With the Steelers heading into their first off day on the 2017 training camp schedule, it’s time to look back on the first four days of camp and what stood out.
Often it’s difficult, and sometimes futile, to point out highlights during camp. Some drills are intentionally set for a specific result, and while that might excite fans, it’s not something to report on (outside of the occasional 140 character tweet).
Therefore, use these first five Steelers takeaways as you will. Two days of practice were in shorts while the other two are in pads.
Pittsburgh Steelers Antonio Brown beats Artie Burns. #Steelers #SteelersTrainingCamp pic.twitter.com/f9MFiFZBBF
— Peter Diana (@peterdianapghpg) July 31, 2017
Antonio Brown vs. Artie Burns
A lot has been made of Artie Burns intentionally placed to cover Antonio Brown during specific drills. I didn’t see much to take away from it except the obvious: you want your young blue chippers learning from your stars. It’s another example of “iron sharpening iron” as head coach Mike Tomlin stated:
I think it creates a good environment. I always try to work for matchups like that because I think others feed off it.
It’s interesting to be here long enough and watch roles evolve within those relationships. A few years ago, a number of you guys remember the matchup used to be Ike Taylor vs. Antonio (Brown). And Antonio was the young guy in the relationship.
Now, Antonio is the vet guy in the relationship and he’s teaching Artie (Burns) how to compete and do it in a professional manner and others get an opportunity to feed off of it.
It’s just what this process is about, but it’s larger than just Antonio and Artie. There’s some history there. Antonio was taught the ways to practice and be professional and compete by guys like Ike Taylor, and he’s in turn handing it off to young guys like Artie Burns.
Indeed, the relationship has been “spirited” as Tomlin would also say, with Burns getting a shot in on Brown one day, and AB returning the favor with a push off to open the following practice.
Whether this continues in much the same way will be seen later this week, but it appears Burns is learning from the best and even getting a few pass break ups in to his credit.
The running back situation
It’s funny hearing Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley make the same exact observation of Fitzgerald Toussaint as myself and Brian Roach made: who is that guy?
In fact, Brian looked over at me during the weekend and asked: “Who is 33?”
Fitz has been sitting behind Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams for the better part of two seasons, but with Bell holding out of camp and Williams unsigned, he’s making the most of his opportunity. Toussaint has been running with the first-team offense, sharing some carries with Knile Davis, but looks like a completely different player. His burst at the line has been very obvious and Wolfley is quoted as saying the running back has dropped 20 lbs. this offseason.
Honestly, folks, you’d have to see it to believe, but Toussaint looks great thus far.
Davis looks a little less polished, but in his defense, he hasn’t had as much time with the offense and the playbook as Toussaint has. He hasn’t looked bad by any means but hasn’t stood out.
James Conner steadily ran with the “twos” but saw some more time at the end of workouts with a few other substitutions which tip the Steelers cap toward their “starters” for the first preseason game on August 11th. Conner looked fantastic with whichever group he worked with. However, he left Sunday’s practice with a shoulder injury and was shipped back to the city for further evaluation. He did not practice on Monday which doesn’t bode well for him moving into the backup spot behind Bell (at least right away).
When the second series of practices begin, it will be interesting to see how the load is shared. If Conner isn’t healthy, it’s possible Toussaint gets a greater share of the carries with the first team.
https://twitter.com/WillGravesAP/status/891387211463184385
Justin Hunter‘s opportunity
Like Toussaint, the new number 11 will make fans do a double take.
Justin Hunter, previously of the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills (and yes, the Dolphins for a few games too) now dons the former number Markus Wheaton wore. Hunter, unlike Wheaton, really stands out in more ways than one. He is a tall, lean receiver who appears to tower over most of his peers. (Especially true with Martavis Bryant unable to practice.)
Hunter was the star of several drills, making acrobatic catches while keeping his feet inbounds for touchdowns. It’s clear he already has a rapport with Ben Roethlisberger and he didn’t appear to skip a beat with Landry Jones throwing passes either.
In fact, one play that went largely unreported by beat writers saw Hunter beat Steelers CB Ross Cockrell on a deep pass. Cockrell held Hunter and the ball dropped a foot within the receiver’s reach. If Ross doesn’t commit a pass interference Hunter is gone for six.
In another play that didn’t get much press, Hunter also dropped a pass from Landry Jones, which caused Coach Tomlin to stop and give a lesson on “what a catch is”:
Wideouts, you understand that you gotta maintain control of the ball to the ground? You gotta get up showing the ball.
With Bryant, as well as Sammie Coates, out of practice for the moment, Hunter is clearly making the most of his opportunity running with the first team. I don’t see a situation where he beats out Bryant (should he be permitted to practice by the league) but Hunter could very well leapfrog Coates in short time, should Sammie sit out too long.
Punt returns
The yearly saga of whether Antonio Brown returns punts continues. Last year’s first returner, Eli Rogers, along with Demarcus Ayers, a new face, third round pick Cameron Sutton, were all spotted in the rotation over the course of the four days.
Many felt Ayers was intentionally selected in the seventh round of last year’s draft due to his college return experience, but he never saw an opportunity during the regular season, mainly due to an ankle injury which limited him through last year’s camp and preseason.
Eli Rogers had won the job but ended up in a walking boot a few weeks into the 2016 season, where Brown once again resumed the punt duties. In all, Rogers would have seven returns with a 6.4 average while AB brought 15 back with a 9.3 average.
Cam Sutton earned several All-American nods in college due to his return skills. It will be interesting to see if Mike Tomlin allows a defensive back to return punts, as he hasn’t been known to use his DBs in that capacity often. (Sans Justin Gilbert a handful of times last year.)
“Injuries”
There’s a laundry list of players who sat out practice with injuries or as a veteran courtesy throughout the four days.
39-year-old linebacker James Harrison continued to work out in sweats with a trainer personally attending to him for the entirety of nearly each session. Ben Roethlisberger and Ramon Foster were also given personal days off for various reasons.
Several players experienced “dings and dents” associated with the game, according to Tomlin. A few of those were related to working with pads for the first time while others weren’t properly hydrated and were pulled as a safety precaution due to the heat.
The two injuries that raised eyebrows this weekend occurred to RB James Conner and CB Senquez Golson. Both returned to the city (Pittsburgh) for further evaluation, missing Monday’s practice. No further news has surfaced on their condition. Conner was being evaluated for his shoulder, while Golson was described as having a “lower body” injury which appeared to be a hamstring pull as he limped off of the field.
Injuries have become a yearly tradition for Golson who is in a dogfight for his job as the Steelers brought in three corners his offseason (Sutton, Brian Allen, and Coty Sensabaugh). If he’s going to be in Pittsburgh’s plans, he’s going to need to get on the field and soon.
