Observations of what Tomlin has this spring
无毛视频淗ey, Wex!无毛视频� Mike Tomlin shouted as he charged down the sideline toward me with that big smile of his.
无毛视频淒id you see what I did today?!无毛视频�
Yes, on this day Tomlin had moved rookie running back Dri Archer over to work with the wide receivers.
I noticed it. I passed Tomlin无毛视频檚 test. I usually do.
The Steelers无毛视频� coach has fun with me. And I really think he无毛视频檚 jaggin无毛视频� me because of my insatiable curiosity about his team, even in the spring time. This amuses him, but I would like to think he has a modicum of respect for my dedication. After all, he did say, with a twinkle in his eye, 无毛视频淵ou ARE the Answer Man.无毛视频�
Anyway, here is what my four weeks of daily, horn-to-horn sideline dedication taught me about what Tomlin had on his plate this spring:
QUARTERBACKS 无毛视频� Ben Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 leadership is no act. Yes, of course he spent extra time working with newcomer Lance Moore, but he also spent quality time with age-old pals such as Matt Spaeth, working on the little things. Roethlisberger really, really wants it this year. Tomlin told me I could make myself believe whatever I want to believe, that 无毛视频渨e无毛视频檙e all on a mission,无毛视频� but there无毛视频檚 no doubt in my mind that Roethlisberger has taken a big step forward this year as a leader. Maybe it无毛视频檚 the upcoming contract negotiations. Maybe it无毛视频檚 the 32nd birthday. Maybe it无毛视频檚 the back-to-back 8-8 records. But, Roethlisberger is very hungry, and when he eats, they无毛视频檒l all eat. As for the backups, Landry Jones was given the bulk of the second-team snaps. He got rid of the ball much more quickly than in his rookie year. It was a sign he knows where to go with it, but he无毛视频檚 still throwing too many interceptions.
RUNNING BACKS 无毛视频� Le无毛视频橵eon Bell无毛视频檚 positioning as a receiver shouldn无毛视频檛 have been as newsworthy as it was this spring. He无毛视频檚 6-1, lost 10 pounds at a speed-and-explosiveness winter camp, and can catch. So of course he无毛视频檚 going to line up wide on occasion, and with that LeGarrette Blount can also get on the field with his power running skills. Archer has blinding speed but is lacking 无毛视频� in my opinion 无毛视频� as a receiver. He无毛视频檚 too small, and one day Tomlin complained to WR coach Richard Mann about Archer无毛视频檚 无毛视频済o routes.无毛视频� Mann was supposed to hold class with Archer on that topic, but Archer had to miss because of a knee issue that kept him out of workouts in the second half of the spring. (Word is the trainer was being overly cautious with minor injuries this spring and the coach wasn无毛视频檛 fighting him on any of it.) At fullback, Will Johnson showed outstanding hands and speed. He无毛视频檒l be very effective in spots in his third season.
WIDE RECEIVERS 无毛视频� Moore was the most overhyped player of the spring. Of course, he can catch and run clever routes over the middle. That无毛视频檚 what he does, and it wasn无毛视频檛 going to change. But, it was Markus Wheaton who impressed all of the people who matter with his spring. He and rookie fourth-round pick Martavis Bryant are the guys to watch at training camp. Bryant has a very similar mentality to that of Plaxico Burress, which is something that caused the quick-twitched 6-4 receiver with 4.4 speed to slip to the fourth round. There are questions about his attitude. But the Steelers came down hard on him early. And since Bryant wasn无毛视频檛 a top-10 pick as Burress was, he knows he had better take that hard coaching. And he did. He said he loves it and needs it. This is no Fred Gibson. No, Martavis Bryant can become a superstar if he continues to take this hard coaching the way he did this spring. As for the next tier, Justin Brown had a strong spring, but really so did Darrius Heyward-Bey. He无毛视频檚 a classy veteran to whom Tomlin showed great respect and appreciation. DHB, as he无毛视频檚 called, won无毛视频檛 be outworked, nor for the most part will he be outrun. He无毛视频檒l drop a few, but I wouldn无毛视频檛 say he has bad hands. He无毛视频檚 a helpful vet who knows how to play special teams. He could make it. Derek Moye and Danny Coale add to the reason OC Todd Haley called this the deepest group he无毛视频檚 ever seen. Coale might have the softest hands on the team, and the former 2012 fifth-round pick by the Cowboys is 1陆 years removed from an ACL injury which hasn无毛视频檛 appeared to have hurt his 4.37 pro day speed. Kashif Moore is small but catches everything, and C.J. Goodwin, the Mel Blount discovery with minimal D-II college experience, looks like he could become a player down the road.
TIGHT ENDS 无毛视频� Heath Miller looks as good as ever and Spaeth, a very good blocker, is working hard to offer more help in the red zone. David Paulson is battling Michael Palmer and seventh-round pick Rob Blanchflower for the third spot. Blanchflower at times showed soft hands but at other times looked spastic. New UMass coach Mark Whipple returned to the South Side one day and explained that Blanchflower might still be feeling the effects of his hernia problem from last season. Whipple added, 无毛视频淚 said, 无毛视频楧o what 83 does and you无毛视频檒l be all right.'无毛视频� Right now Blanchflower appears destined for the practice squad.
OFFENSIVE LINE 无毛视频� Mike Munchak is a former head coach who knows how to deal with the media, so he was spilling all of his cliches for the mob and cameras on the one day assistants were allowed to talk. I waited, because I wanted at least a few nuggets of truth. When the cameras clicked off and the mob turned away, I stepped up. But, I opened my mouth and they call came right back. So, Munchak gave me more cliches when I asked him if a new O-line coach really could be a team无毛视频檚 most valuable off-season addition, and if he can salvage Mike Adams. With the cameras back up, no information was provided to either question. But all of the linemen rave about Munchak无毛视频檚 无毛视频渄umbing down无毛视频� of the rules, calls and terminology. He无毛视频檚 made it simpler, and vets like David DeCastro said five guys being on the same page is more important than any complex techniques Munchak can teach them. The other difference on the OL this spring is depth. They are five legit tackles deep (counting rookie T-C Wesley Johnson) and they have three veteran centers. The second-team guards this spring were street free-agent Bryant Browning and practice-squadder Chris Hubbard, along with third center David Snow. The exciting part, though, will be watching DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey perform side-by-side (and of course down the field) for Munchak.
Tomorrow: The defense.