Training Camp 2019

[K_C_]

Any news on our kicking front? There's competition for both positions so wondering if anything has been seen or reported yet. I know it's early, but those guys have to practice too, right?

Boswell's regression AS SOON AS HE GOT PAID makes me never want to see or hear his name anywhere.

Ever again.

The cunt.

[stillthere]

Any news on our kicking front? There's competition for both positions so wondering if anything has been seen or reported yet. I know it's early, but those guys have to practice too, right?

Boswell's regression AS SOON AS HE GOT PAID makes me never want to see or hear his name anywhere.

Ever again.

The c*nt.

dude had a torn groin last year. Also from camp reports I don't think he has missed a kick yet in camp.

[stillthere]

https://www.steelers.com/news/thomas-signed-as-roster-moves-continue

Thursday, Aug 01, 2019 07:30 PM

Thomas signed as roster moves continue

Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

As is often the norm during training camp the Steelers roster changed once again on Thursday.

The team signed rookie cornerback Derrek Thomas to a one-year contract.

Thomas originally signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted rookie free agent following the 2019 NFL Draft, but was released on July 24 prior to the start of training camp.

Thomas played at Temple (2014-17), but transferred the Baylor in 2018, following his former coach, Matt Rhule. He started 11 of 13 games for Baylor, finishing the season with 21 tackles, an interception and seven passes broken up.

To make room for Thomas, the team waived/injured cornerback Herb Waters.

On Wednesday the Steelers were awarded receiver Brandon Reilly off waivers and released Alexander Myres.

[Legacy User]

Any news on our kicking front? There's competition for both positions so wondering if anything has been seen or reported yet. I know it's early, but those guys have to practice too, right?

Boswell's regression AS SOON AS HE GOT PAID makes me never want to see or hear his name anywhere.

Ever again.

The c*nt.

dude had a torn groin last year. Also from camp reports I don't think he has missed a kick yet in camp.

If he had a torn groin why in the fizuck did Tombert not sign another kicker?! Or did that happen and I don’t remember?

[Jobu]

Training camp stuff from july 31

Linebackers

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64POEQRRKzk[/youtube]

Where’s Wolf?

[Thrillsseeker]

Any news on our kicking front? There's competition for both positions so wondering if anything has been seen or reported yet. I know it's early, but those guys have to practice too, right?

Boswell's regression AS SOON AS HE GOT PAID makes me never want to see or hear his name anywhere.

Ever again.

The c*nt.

dude had a torn groin last year. Also from camp reports I don't think he has missed a kick yet in camp.

He did?

[benstunner]

dude had a torn groin last year. Also from camp reports I don't think he has missed a kick yet in camp.

He did?

Per his brother it happened pre-game in his final game of the season against the Saints, oddly enough he made all of his kicks that game.

[Steelafan77]

Now, on to some more camp discussion...

Another player who was perceived to have an uphill fight on his hands to win a roster spot is Artie Burns. Today he is unquestionably one of the 53 best players on campus, and it isn’t that difficult to make the case that he’s the third-best cornerback in a Steelers helmet.

One example was his performance in the Aug. 1 practice. When Burns came to the NFL he was labeled as a guy not real interested in run support, but he has improved significantly in that aspect of cornerback play. During a two-play sequence of an 11-on-11 period that contained live tackling, Burns came off a block to stone Benny Snell for no gain on a sweep to his side, and then he also weaved through the trash to dump Diontae Johnson for no gain on a quick sideline screen.

Burns hasn’t been perfect in coverage, but he has won more than he has lost, and later in the same practice he cleanly defended a pass at the goal line for JuJu Smith-Schuster with an official standing by and watching closely.

It’s not exactly breaking news that the Steelers are emphasizing taking the ball away more often this upcoming season, and in addition to talking about that and making it a point of emphasis both in meetings and during practices, there also is a regular gathering of defensive backs at the Jugs machine before and after every practice. Because after all, catching the ball is an integral element of the whole process.

Kameron Kelly, signed by the Steelers after the AAF folded, has been getting a lot of time at free safety with Sean Davis out with a dislocated finger. Kelly has had his moments, both positively and negatively, roaming the middle of the field so far, but his best play was one he didn’t try to make.

On a deep pass to JuJu Smith Schuster, who had half-a-step on Burns, Kelly came ranging over from the middle and arrived just a little late to make a play on the ball. But rather than take out his frustration by lowering the boom on a teammate who happens to be the Steelers’ No. 1 receiver, Kelly chose not to, and in fact took himself away from a big-time collision.

Mike Tomlin calls that professional etiquette, and Kelly made a positive impression handling the situation the way he did.

https://www.steelers.com/news/labriola- ... er-s-coach

I'm liking this news a lot. The more Burns digs out of his rut the better the secondary is. This Kam Kelly is really intriguing. The more reports I read about him the better he sounds. Does he make the roster? Safety is a black hole where depth is concerned. I like his chances making a back up spot. I think the secondary needs the biggest improvement on the team. Seeming like they're well on their way to accomplishing that.

Berry and Berryman each showed off their legs during special teams drills, booming punts of more than 60 yards. Berryman appears to have NFL-caliber leg strength, though he has lacked consistency.

Though Berry was re-signed in the spring, his signing bonus was manageable enough that the Steelers would save salary-cap space by going with Berryman this year.

So far, Boswell has not missed a placekick during practice. On Thursday, he made at least eight kicks, all but one from between 32-40 yards. Boswell, who always worked with Berry as his holder, also made a 52-yarder that was during a “mayday” in which special teams coach Danny Smith counted down to simulate the pressure of a game-winner.

https://triblive.com/sports/steelers-in ... on-notice/

This I'm thinking is just what the doctor ordered. This has the beginnings of a very productive camp with all the new blood/competitions in every facet of the team. New Coaches, new talented players pushing for roster spots. I love it. Couldn't be more exciting, IMO.

[alancac98]

Now, on to some more camp discussion...

Another player who was perceived to have an uphill fight on his hands to win a roster spot is Artie Burns. Today he is unquestionably one of the 53 best players on campus, and it isn’t that difficult to make the case that he’s the third-best cornerback in a Steelers helmet.

One example was his performance in the Aug. 1 practice. When Burns came to the NFL he was labeled as a guy not real interested in run support, but he has improved significantly in that aspect of cornerback play. During a two-play sequence of an 11-on-11 period that contained live tackling, Burns came off a block to stone Benny Snell for no gain on a sweep to his side, and then he also weaved through the trash to dump Diontae Johnson for no gain on a quick sideline screen.

Burns hasn’t been perfect in coverage, but he has won more than he has lost, and later in the same practice he cleanly defended a pass at the goal line for JuJu Smith-Schuster with an official standing by and watching closely.

It’s not exactly breaking news that the Steelers are emphasizing taking the ball away more often this upcoming season, and in addition to talking about that and making it a point of emphasis both in meetings and during practices, there also is a regular gathering of defensive backs at the Jugs machine before and after every practice. Because after all, catching the ball is an integral element of the whole process.

Kameron Kelly, signed by the Steelers after the AAF folded, has been getting a lot of time at free safety with Sean Davis out with a dislocated finger. Kelly has had his moments, both positively and negatively, roaming the middle of the field so far, but his best play was one he didn’t try to make.

On a deep pass to JuJu Smith Schuster, who had half-a-step on Burns, Kelly came ranging over from the middle and arrived just a little late to make a play on the ball. But rather than take out his frustration by lowering the boom on a teammate who happens to be the Steelers’ No. 1 receiver, Kelly chose not to, and in fact took himself away from a big-time collision.

Mike Tomlin calls that professional etiquette, and Kelly made a positive impression handling the situation the way he did.

https://www.steelers.com/news/labriola- ... er-s-coach

I'm liking this news a lot. The more Burns digs out of his rut the better the secondary is. This Kam Kelly is really intriguing. The more reports I read about him the better he sounds. Does he make the roster? Safety is a black hole where depth is concerned. I like his chances making a back up spot. I think the secondary needs the biggest improvement on the team. Seeming like they're well on their way to accomplishing that.

Berry and Berryman each showed off their legs during special teams drills, booming punts of more than 60 yards. Berryman appears to have NFL-caliber leg strength, though he has lacked consistency.

Though Berry was re-signed in the spring, his signing bonus was manageable enough that the Steelers would save salary-cap space by going with Berryman this year.

So far, Boswell has not missed a placekick during practice. On Thursday, he made at least eight kicks, all but one from between 32-40 yards. Boswell, who always worked with Berry as his holder, also made a 52-yarder that was during a “mayday” in which special teams coach Danny Smith counted down to simulate the pressure of a game-winner.

https://triblive.com/sports/steelers-in ... on-notice/

This I'm thinking is just what the doctor ordered. This has the beginnings of a very productive camp with all the new blood/competitions in every facet of the team. New Coaches, new talented players pushing for roster spots. I love it. Couldn't be more exciting, IMO.

This made me laugh hysterically. Do they not realize that Berry is grossly inconsistent, coming up with shitting punts when the team really needed a good one? Love the competition, just hope the better man is given the job this year, unlike last year and the years past. This coaching staff is too loyal to guys that have already been on the roster, instead of upgrading! It's good to see Boswell is making his kicks - the team needs him back to form.

[Orangesteel]

^

That’s where I am at. Camp “competition” only means something if the better player gets the spot. Tomlin et. al. have been notoriously bad at some aspects of this in the past.

Are the two punters right now Berry and Berryman? Is that a joke?

[Donnie Brasco]

If he had a torn groin why in the fizuck did Tombert not sign another kicker?! Or did that happen and I don’t remember?

They did
The very last game of the season

[rooneytunes]

Made it to camp yesterday. What a great place St. Vincent's is. You sit in the bleachers and see all four fields in front of you and it is just perfect.

The punters were booming them bigtime. I hope they keep Berryman. He was booming perfect high spirals for like 60 yards each time.

The trash can drill is pretty cool. They stack two rubber trash cans on top of each other on the sideline and then all the qbs try like a 20 yard sideline out and try to drop it in the top trash can. None of them made it in. Dobbs missed bigtime once but then rimmed the next one. Ben was consistently close . He rimmed his last one and his reaction was really funny.

The punt returners were practicing catching multiple balls at once. No one could get past 4 at a time. Then at the end of the drill Heyward came up to try it. He actually waa able to catch three but he couldnt do four.

Burns in my opinion looked very fiesty. Would be a great comeback story if he had a good year.

At the end the last player left on the field was Ju Ju practicing forever with the Juggs machine. There were a million people still waiting to try to get his autograph. I think he may be the most popular Steeler at this moment.

Got Tre Edmunds, Brian Allen, and Tyson Alou's autograph. My daughter also got James Washington and Mason Rudolph.

Topped the day off with dinner at Sharky's Cafe and there were Steeler fans everywhere. Even met the leader of a Steeler fan group called Steeler Gang. Also saw a lady there who had her whole body tatted up with Steeler tattoos. She had Polamalu, Lombardies, everything. Even had one that said Dilly Dilly and one that said F__k Tom Brady. Lolol. She was awesome.

Overall a great day.

[Kodiak]

The trash can drill is pretty cool. They stack two rubber trash cans on top of each other on the sideline and then all the qbs try like a 20 yard sideline out and try to drop it in the top trash can. None of them made it in. Dobbs missed bigtime once but then rimmed the next one. Ben was consistently close . He rimmed his last one and his reaction was really funny.

That doesn't sound like much, but that reminds me of the Ben that was about 6 inches off on a lot of his passes the first 3-4 games last year. Hopefully that means he's on track to get dialed in over the next 4-5 weeks before the season starts.

[stillthere]

Practice Report: Training Camp - Day 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7Q_gShsS9w[/youtube]

[steelclan]

Before anyone gets to excited by Burns, he has always been pretty good in camp. I flat don't trust him.

[K_C_]

Before anyone gets to excited by Burns, he has always been pretty good in camp. I flat don't trust him.

Dude bites on EVERY double move.

Not sure that can be ever be corrected.

[Lynch]

Before anyone gets to excited by Burns, he has always been pretty good in camp. I flat don't trust him.

Dude bites on EVERY double move.

Not sure that can be ever be corrected.

We'd need to put a shock collar on him and hit em with tha juice every time he bites to correct it.

[Donnie Brasco]

Before anyone gets to excited by Burns, he has always been pretty good in camp. I flat don't trust him.

Yea I'm very shocked that a guy who hates contact shines when there is no tackling involved

[Steelafan77]

@GZSports_ZM: https://twitter.com/CarterCritiques
Okorafor and Chickillo get another go at it. This time, Okorafor's patience allows him to see where Chick's leverage is and promptly uses it against him to bury him into the ground once he dips. Okorafor having a quietly solid camp in his 2nd year.https://twitter.com/GZSports_ZM/status/ ... 70/video/1

@Alex_Kozora
Coaches asking OL Fred Johnson to go rep after rep in OL/DL. Doing well. Look well conditioned. Maintaining physicality.
https://twitter.com/Alex_Kozora/statuse ... 8929724416

@CarterCritiques
Zach Banner looking good too. Gets a solo rep against Ola and the combination of good feet and hands wins the battle. Banner has been fighting tough for one of the reserve tackle spots. https://twitter.com/CarterCritiques/sta ... 7511792640

@CarterCritiques
Jerald Hawkins with some solid reps. Beats Mondreaux twice then stands up to Tuitt twice. He has to show them something after the camp he’s had so far https://twitter.com/CarterCritiques/sta ... 9212960768

@CarterCritiques
Fred Johnson getting all the work tonight at guard. Gets Chickillo then Hargrave after Tuitt https://twitter.com/CarterCritiques/sta ... 6675751936

@CarterCritiques
Tuitt vs. Fred Johnson. Tuitt completely overpowers Johnson the first time because he stopped his feet. Tomlin says, “gotta follow through Fred!” Next rep Johnson does just that and wins. I like Johnson this camp. https://twitter.com/CarterCritiques/sta ... 4436375552

@CarterCritiques
Okorafor shows great feet at LT. Stops Chickillo on a spin move then pushes him down the second time. He was switched to that side this week and looks at home. https://twitter.com/CarterCritiques/sta ... 6555407360

@CarterCritiques
Ulysses Gilbert with a PD on Switzer from Rudolph. Gets an “alright ULY!” From Tomlin. https://twitter.com/CarterCritiques/sta ... 9099773953

[Ice]

God damn, the good news on the young OL continues. Gonna be some tough cuts in a few weeks.

[Steelafan77]

It’s a daily ritual, one instituted by Teryl Austin, the team’s new senior defensive assistant/secondary coach. Austin has made it mandatory for the defensive backs to work on the machine, catching 15-20 footballs a day. https://www.steelers.com/news/breaking- ... -secondary

Can it be this fucking simple? Can all the other position coaching blunders be this retarded? Why is this not been a daily routine before? Why hasn't some simple minded player invoked this type of routine? At CB this was always in the routine for me. Of course didn't have access to a jugs machine but still, playing catching, running improvised routes catching passes. Come on. So it took Austin to come in fresh as a position coach to implement this type of practicing routine? Un-fucking-believable!


Kozora's day seven break down: https://steelersdepot.com/2019/08/2019- ... day-seven/

[Scunge]

Sadly, Steelafan77, I do think it is that simple. What we have had in terms of secondary coaching, defensive line coaching, etc, has been below the line for quite some time.

I keep harping back to Cam Heyward when he went to Tomlin and got his blessing to get additional pass rush coaching outside the organization. Sorry, but that is why you have a defensive line coach, he is supposed to know how to teach that, yet Cam felt he had to look elsewhere. Then this past year the Steelers have John Mitchell replaced by Karl Dunbar.

We had Lake for so long and then they brought on Tom Bradley and then hired Austin this year. To me the secondary should always have two coaches. They have what, 10-11 defensive backs to coach?? And then on top of that they will tutor the LBers in coverage as well. That was always too much for one coach to handle.

I am not surprised that the JUGs machines were not being fully utilized by the defense. I wonder what other things this 3-4 defense hasn't done over the years?? My desire for us to play more 4-3 stems from my perception that those defenses seem more suited to come up with turnovers, INTs, fumbles. Do those defenses do different things in practice? In the offseason, drills, skill development to enable players to become ballhawks?? I think the answer is yes, those 4-3 teams do that and it is something that our 3-4 defense does not to a much lesser extent.

At every stop of Austin's career, it would appear that they played 4-3 defenses. And he had many, many CBs and Ss that he coached make Pro Bowls and have 5, 6, 7, 8 INT seasons. Trufant, Hamlin, Rogers-Cromartie, Wilson, Antrell Rolle, Glover Quinn, Darius Slay, all players that he coached and developed that made Pro Bowls. Is that just a coincidence? Happenstance?? Austin just got lucky??

I think Austin is the perfect candidate to be made the DC for the 2020 season. He can spend this season developing the secondary, get familiar with the other position groups and players and then be able to step in and change this defense into something different, beyond the 3-4 Lebeau defense.

[Ice]

It's not like Ike Taylor was a bad player, per se, and he had a couple of seasons where he absolutely shut down a whole schedule's worth of very good receivers, but causing turnovers was not his forte. That's our high water mark at CB during the bulk of the Cowher/Tomlin era.

Troy was a special, generational, HOF player, but other than him, the safety position hasn't done much in that regard either.

Between picking, signing and coaching players, it's pretty easy to see it hasn't been a point of emphasis.

[Steelafan77]

What blew me away was the fact that this is big news in Pittsburgh! I think this has not been a staple for the Steeler secondary.., if ever by any DB coach. That's at least how it appears to me. I'm definitely happy they brought in a competent DB coach. I think this practice routine alone can pay huge dividends throughout the season. The other way I was blown back was I was under the impression that type of practice for secondary players was a given. I would have never believed they weren't using the jugs machines to practice INT's.

My definition of "Luck" is not random happenstance. To me, Luck is a developed plan maturing for you to reap the benefits. In other words you generate your own Luck. I suppose that once in a blue moon on the second Saturday of Never Luck just unfolds. That said, I'm not waiting around for that 'luck' to knock on my door.

I agree Scunge. I think that's the underlying plan. Butler failed to substantiate his abilities to remain defensive coordinator. Austin is gonna be the next Steeler DC.

[Ice]

The plan with the 34 was to stop the run, limit RAC (tackle the catch), intimidate little WRs into drops and force teams into 3rd and long sacks and incompletions.

Not sure why you couldn't have added some work on DBs catching the ball into the mix, but it hasn't been the primary philosophy, for sure.

[Scunge]

Which is why I love that they signed Steven Nelson. Even if he is nothing more than a good #2 CB, if he can continue to make plays on the ball, make INTs, 4 INTs that he had last year may not sound like much but I think you have to go back all the way to Deshea Townsend in 2004 to find a starting Steeler CB who had at least 4 INTs.

I don't know, I do think there is something to 4-3 defenses being better at generating turnovers. I look at Chicago last year, they have many players that I admire, like S Eddie Jackson, CB Kyle Fuller. Those two players had 6 and 7 INTs respectively but would they be able to do that in our 3-4 defense? I doubt it.

And the thing is many may argue that the Bears run a 3-4, that is what they are listed at on many sites, but come on, they have two strong DTs in Eddie Goldman and Hicks and they use Mack as a DE, it is for all intents and purposes a 4-3 in all but name only.

My hope is that Austin is the secret sauce this year to finally move in the right direction again defensively. We need to get our swagger back, or a new type of swagger, and sorry, but I would rather have my players make INTs and force and recover fumbles than passively think too much and tackle the catch and hope for the offense to make a mistake.

[Ice]

You would have to go exactly back to Deshea Townsend.

And I agree about signing Nelson.

[FC]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1157544322071453696

[COR-TEN]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1157544322071453696

Fuck me, you know way more about this than I, but snell was on his heals, with bad fucking form. Didn't set right to defend. No wonder he got steamrolled. I could have done that after a hangover.

[jebrick]

Backs vs backers favors the defense.