Reporting Day Blues … nothing happens
Reporting Day has just about all the ingredients of a full-blown sports holiday, except one:
Nothing happens.
Oh, they report all right. The Steelers reported Friday amid immense hype. They had to be there by 3 p.m., so to greet them the media was allowed to stand in front of the players无毛视频� dorm at 11 a.m.
That无毛视频檚 where all the pre-camp excitement comes to a boil. Except for me.
This is my 19th training camp, and in those 19 years I really don无毛视频檛 think I无毛视频檝e witnessed anything more important on this day than the annual parade of fancy cars, trucks, tractors and this time an off-road dump truck, courtesy of Brett Keisel.
On some Reporting Days you think you can tell a player无毛视频檚 fitness level, but I无毛视频檝e praised Casey Hampton when he无毛视频檚 been grossly overweight and I无毛视频檝e ripped him when he无毛视频檚 been at his most fit.
Casey used to laugh at my guesses, as did Levon Kirkland, so now I just wait to see them on the field.
But the players talk. Do they ever. Of course they don无毛视频檛 say anything, but would this year be different?
I hoped so, particularly when five steps after checking into media central I crossed paths with tight ends coach James Daniel. He never says much, but I felt a beam of karma coming my way, and this time I was going to get the scoop on Heath Miller无毛视频檚 recovery from his torn ACL.
How无毛视频檚 it going coach?
无毛视频淕辞辞诲.无毛视频�
How无毛视频檚 Heath doing?
无毛视频淕辞辞诲.无毛视频�
And James Daniel kept right on walking.
So, I did too, right up to Rooney Hall where Plaxico Burress had just stepped out of his car with a suitcase in one hand and a pillow in the other.
Plax, how was your speed, your explosiveness, your burst last spring?
I asked him this because I thought Burress appeared to be deep into the aging process this past spring. I thought he looked slow. He didn无毛视频檛 see it that way.
无毛视频淚 felt OK,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 was kind of taking it easy.无毛视频�
Hmmm.
Can you be anything more than a red-zone threat this season?
无毛视频淚 believe so,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 just here to compete.无毛视频�
But not answer questions.
Matt Spaeth arrived about that time, so I moved from the mob of reporters surrounding Burress to the mob surrounding Spaeth. He just might be able to provide some insight on Miller, who, like Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu, is way too smart and experienced to enter the front door on Reporting Day.
But Spaeth didn无毛视频檛 know anything about Miller, either.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 so professional that I don无毛视频檛 know his timeline,无毛视频� Spaeth said.
Maurkice Pouncey, of course, was another of the interesting topics on Reporting Day, but I had arrived too late. Pouncey was the first Steeler to arrive, and he told those most energetic reporters that 无毛视频渕anning up is always important.无毛视频�
But in 无毛视频渕anning up,无毛视频� about how he absurdly supported murder-suspect Aaron Hernandez, all Pouncey really said was 无毛视频淟et无毛视频檚 move off from that无毛视频� and 无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 want to get into that.无毛视频�
Ah, who could blame him? But one of these days, in a one-on-one moment, I无毛视频檓 going to ask him this question:
What in the world were you thinking?
But on this day, no information was passed. I mean I couldn无毛视频檛 even get Mike Adams to say whether he was ready to practice.
无毛视频淵ou无毛视频檒l have to ask coach,无毛视频� he said, and coach Mike Tomlin gladly offered up that Adams, who was stabbed in the abdomen six weeks ago, 无毛视频渉as full clearance无毛视频� to practice, and that he will.
See, even when they know something, players don无毛视频檛 want to give it up on Reporting Day, not in front of 20 TV cameras, 30 radio stations and 145 pod-phones, or whatever one calls the technology that relays the answers to all of my questions to everyone on the 无毛视频榥et before I can even sit down to write.
Not to be bitter.
But I did ask Kelvin Beachum if he无毛视频檚 learned all 12 positions on offense. He laughed, which might无毛视频檝e been the most honest moment of the day.
Speaking of honesty, there无毛视频檚 David DeCastro. His honesty isn无毛视频檛 so much in his words but on his face, as in, 无毛视频淚 hate the media.无毛视频�
But DeCastro seems to have made strides. In fact, I asked him about being overpowered by Geno Atkins late last season, and after ducking I heard DeCastro say, 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 a good player. Yeah. But this is a new year. I feel a lot better than I did then.无毛视频�
There even seemed to be a sparkle in DeCastro无毛视频檚 eyes, as if he really didn无毛视频檛 want to hop inside Keisel无毛视频檚 dump truck and run us all over. DeCastro actually didn无毛视频檛 mind talking.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e got a good group of guys,无毛视频� he said of the offensive line. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a young group of guys. We have a good time together. We all get along really well. We无毛视频檙e looking forward to working and grinding.无毛视频�
And, really, that无毛视频檚 all anyone really wants to know at this camp: Can an inexperienced group of linemen, who came to the team with high pedigrees, come together quickly and formidably?
无毛视频淗ey, we无毛视频檙e hoping to be getting back to having a great run game,无毛视频� said running back Isaac Redman. 无毛视频淎nd the offensive line has been doing a great job working out all off-season. They无毛视频檝e been in Pittsburgh, most of them, and I无毛视频檓 excited for this season.无毛视频�
Really?
无毛视频淵eah, absolutely I无毛视频檓 excited,无毛视频� Redman said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檝e got young guys who can move around.无毛视频�
Redman was so absolutely excited about the potential of this offensive line, and therefore this running game, that he came up with the money quote of the day:
无毛视频淥ur expectation is always Super Bowl or die,无毛视频� Redman said. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e not a team that无毛视频檚 looking to make the playoffs. We无毛视频檙e always a team looking to win the championship.无毛视频�
Yet I knew this coming into Reporting Day 无毛视频�13. We all knew this, just like we all knew what was talked about and not talked about. But you show up anyway and you hope.
Hey, the pads will be on soon enough.
Real information awaits.