Edmunds in line to make instant impact
LATROBE 无毛视频� Terrell Edmunds was talking to a reporter after yet another day of practicing with the Steelers无毛视频� first-team defense at strong safety, the position Troy Polamalu played, the position this year无毛视频檚 first-round draft pick appears to have no problem holding down.
That could make him different from Polamalu right away. Polamalu didn无毛视频檛 start a game as a rookie.
But here无毛视频檚 young Edmunds making it look easy with three interceptions, maybe a touchdown, and some brutish run forces on outside plays.
Edmunds is having a bit of a camp thus far.
无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 a guy we无毛视频檙e really going to count on,无毛视频� said nickel cornerback Mike Hilton. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 going to make a lot of plays for us.无毛视频�
Edmunds is also humbled, no, embarassed at the invocation of the guy无毛视频檚 name who wore No. 43.
无毛视频淭roy, he无毛视频檚 a great player,无毛视频� said Edmunds. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 just trying to step in and try to do my own thing, try to make my own legacy, try to play my game.无毛视频�
Does he hear that name, from coaches, teammates?
无毛视频淣o, and I don无毛视频檛 want to hear anything,无毛视频� Edmunds said. 无毛视频淓verybody无毛视频檚 just trying to get better out here.无毛视频�
Edmunds does wear 34, so that无毛视频檚 a bit different. But the hair does flow from the helmet and plays are being made.
Someone approached for 34无毛视频檚 helmet and gear. It was a rookie paying his respects to Edmunds and hauling it up the hill as Edmunds continued his interview. He was asked about the first few practices, when he didn无毛视频檛 make any plays.
无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 make a play?无毛视频� Edmunds asked, as another player, 10 yards away, overhead and hooted at the reporter.
Edmunds was again embarrassed.
无毛视频淣o, I made a play,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚t just probably wasn无毛视频檛 no big-time, pop-out play. I was still making plays.无毛视频�
And then he cut in front of Vance McDonald the other day to intercept Ben Roethlisberger and run with it down the sideline, and everyone noticed. It was one of those big-time, pop-out plays that Pro Bowl Steelers strong safeties have made on the way to every Super Bowl appearance.
无毛视频淚 feel as if I无毛视频檓 learning everything,无毛视频� Edmunds said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 coming together. Playing team ball.无毛视频�
He would have to be. Veterans laughing at reporters on his behalf. Rookies carrying his gear. Edmunds is a rookie for crying out loud.
无毛视频淚 show respect to other guys, too,无毛视频� he explained. 无毛视频淚f they need me to take their stuff from them, I take it from them. It无毛视频檚 not like I无毛视频檓 trying to be that top-tier guy who thinks people should take their stuff. I show respect to other people, so they show respect to me. I无毛视频檓 just trying to be that guy in the locker room.无毛视频�
It无毛视频檚 being noticed.
无毛视频淢an, he无毛视频檚 a really good player,无毛视频� said cornerback Joe Haden. 无毛视频淚 think that real ballplayers get better when they put the pads on, and he无毛视频檚 one of those dudes. He无毛视频檚 physical. I love the way he does it. He doesn无毛视频檛 say too much. He just learns and tries to go hard and whatever coaches say, he doesn无毛视频檛 give feedback he无毛视频檚 just really trying to get it. He无毛视频檚 doing a really good job now with the ones. He无毛视频檚 usually back there with me. We have really good communication. He无毛视频檚 been making plays on the ball. He just has to keep his nose and keep grinding, and he无毛视频檚 going to be good.无毛视频�
They came right at Edmunds on Thursday. He无毛视频檚 replaced free-agent acquisition Morgan Burnett (hamstring) since early in camp, and it appeared Mike Tomlin wanted to find out whether to begin thinking seriously about Edmunds winning that job. Three of the first four plays of the Seven Shots series from the 2-yard line went at Edmunds. He held his own.
To wit:
1. Jesse James beat both starting safeties, more so Nat Berhe, for a touchdown from Roethlisberger.
2. Darrius Heyward-Bey was the bottom of a two-WR crossing pattern and he beat Edmunds for a score.
3. Edmunds batted away a quick slant to Jaylen Samuels.
Edmunds was frustrated by the second score because he无毛视频檚 been working on his inside coverage. 无毛视频淚f they beat me outside, I无毛视频檓 just going to have to use my speed and go get it,无毛视频� was his reasoning.
And he has that kind of speed. The 6-1, 217-pounder uses it to come up hard and stretch running plays wide before blowing up the back.
无毛视频淚 have my own little mentality from my brothers,无毛视频� he said of his practice philosophy. 无毛视频淲e call it two percent. Just get a little bit better at something each and every day, that the small percentage of work is eventually going to add up to the bigger picture.无毛视频�
Edmunds thought of it because it was half of his No. 22 in college, 无毛视频渂ecause you couldn无毛视频檛 do 22 percent, that无毛视频檚 just unrealistic,无毛视频� he said in all earnestness.
His older brother Trey plays fullback for the New Orleans Saints. His younger brother Tremaine plays linebacker for the Buffalo Bills. His father Percy was a Pro Bowl tight end for the Miami Dolphins.
Hilton, a physical presense in the secondary himself, pointed at them in praising Edmunds无毛视频� innate savvy.
无毛视频淚 think that just comes from him being a football family and being around it,无毛视频� Hilton said. 无毛视频淚t shows in the way he studies and the way he plays. He无毛视频檚 going to have a huge impact.无毛视频�
无毛视频淥h, definitely, said Haden. 无毛视频淭he ridiculous thing is, he无毛视频檚 a good football player, he understands ball. He无毛视频檚 a smart football player. He knows the checks, he knows the defenses. Now he无毛视频檚 just trying to get comfortable.
无毛视频淗e had OTAs and rookie minicamp, so he无毛视频檚 been out there just being able to get the calls, and now I can see he无毛视频檚 finally getting a little more comfortable. He无毛视频檚 not trying to figure out what to do, he无毛视频檚 figuring out his reads and his progressions. He无毛视频檚 moving on to the next step. The more he无毛视频檚 out there the more he无毛视频檚 able to make these mistakes, but he doesn无毛视频檛 make the same mistakes twice.无毛视频�
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 getting everything down,无毛视频� said Edmunds. 无毛视频淓verything is coming well.无毛视频�
NOTES 无毛视频� Tomlin said WR Antonio Brown is being evaluated in Pittsburgh for what he called 无毛视频渁 day-to-day type (injury) deal,无毛视频� the same as LT Alejandro Villanueva (shoulder) 无毛视频� Burnett and FS Sean Davis are working off muscle pulls. 无毛视频� CB Artie Burns and WR James Washington returned. Both players had impressive Thursday practices 无毛视频� WR Marcus Tucker limped off the field after scoring and having his ankle rolled on. 无毛视频� LT replacement Chuks Okorafor struggled. 无毛视频� Hilton took several reps at safety with the third team to add to his versatility. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 a good tackler,无毛视频� Tomlin said.