Mendenhall Returns to Practice

[phillyesq]

A few other interesting notes in the article. Mahan not at practice for personal reasons, and McBean not practicing. I'd really love to see McBean take a roster spot from Nick Eason and start to contribute a bit. As for Mahan, it must be a compelling reason for him to miss practice. Even though it's voluntary, he has to know that he's on the bubble.

Per the Trib:

Mendenhall practices with Steelers
By Scott Brown
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, May 22, 2008

Rashard Mendenhall practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, marking the first time the Steelers' first-round pick has taken part in drills since straining his hamstring during minicamp at the beginning of May.

"I feel pretty good," the rookie running back said after the practice.

The Steelers will monitor Mendenhall closely throughout organized team activities, which run through next month, and will likely restrict how much he does.

The last thing they want is for the injury to turn into a lingering one and something that hampers Mendenhall during training camp, which starts in late July.

"You want to practice, and you want to prove to your teammates and coaches what you can do," Mendenhall said, "but at the same time it don't always work like that, so you've got to play things smart."

Mendenhall, the 23rd overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft, said the practices will be beneficial even if he is not allowed to participate in all of the drills. They will give him time to learn the offense in advance of training camp.

"You want to play instinctive," said Mendenhall, who is expected to complement Pro Bowl running back Willie Parker this season, "and that's knowing the playbook and being confident in what you're doing."

Waiting game

The current practices are voluntary, but Marvel Smith would have a good excuse not to attend even if they were mandatory.

Smith and his wife are expecting their first child any day now, and he is in California with her.

Also missing practice for personal reasons Wednesday were wide receiver Santonio Holmes and center Sean Mahan.

Injury report

Among those who didn't practice yesterday because of injuries were defensive ends Aaron Smith (arm) and Ryan McBean (foot) and guards Kendall Simmons (shoulder) and Chris Kemoeatu (hamstring).

Kemoeatu appears to be the frontrunner to take over at left guard for Alan Faneca, who signed with the Jets as a free agent.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, however, said the team won't rush any of the players who are dealing with injuries, especially since the start of the regular season is still more than three months away.

"He's not going to be what we need him to be today," Tomlin said of Kemoeatu.

Black and gold fan

Bryant McFadden, like many of his teammates, has gotten caught up in the excitement of the Penguins' postseason run.

The fourth-year cornerback, however, said he was a fan of the team long before it made the Stanley Cup final.

"I used to like the Penguins back in the day when they had (Mario) Lemieux and (Jaromir) Jagr," McFadden said. "I had the video game, so I always used to pick the Penguins because I like the colors."

Practice schedule

The Steelers will hold their final practice of the week today. They will have nine more practices before training camp, with the next three scheduled for May 27-29.

[rpmpit]

I can't wait to see this kid play.

[Les 74]

I can't wait to see this kid play.

You and me both.Lets just hope that the OL play has gotten better,then again,it couldn't be much worse.

[MeetJoeGreene]

I too am disappointed McBean isn't able to play.

I was hoping to hear how he made great strides and was looking like a beast.

That would make me feel better about not taking a DL in the draft.

Now, I still feel bad.

[rpmpit]

I can't wait to see this kid play.

You and me both.Lets just hope that the OL play has gotten better,then again,it couldn't be much worse.

So true. But what gets me psyched is the great seasons both Ben and FWP had with our horrible line. If they improve, even just slightly (which I'm expecting with Hartwig in there for Mahan) this could turn into a VERY good year for us.

[Les 74]

I can't wait to see this kid play.

You and me both.Lets just hope that the OL play has gotten better,then again,it couldn't be much worse.

So true. But what gets me psyched is the great seasons both Ben and FWP had with our horrible line. If they improve, even just slightly (which I'm expecting with Hartwig in there for Mahan) this could turn into a VERY good year for us.

No kidding.The play of Ben and FWP plus the additions of Mendy,Sweed,Baker(hopefully,)or O could be very lethal.

[steeld95]

[quote]Mendenhall practices with Steelers


"You want to play instinctive," said Mendenhall, who is expected to complement Pro Bowl running back Willie Parker this season, "and that's knowing the playbook and being confident in what you're doing."[quote]

I love this quote from Mendenhall. He already has all the size he needs, now it is him just getting comfortable in the offense. Can't wait to see another big bruising fast running back in the black and gold!

[Oviedo]

No kidding.The play of Ben and FWP plus the additions of Mendy,Sweed,Baker(hopefully,)or O could be very lethal.

Our offense could be crushing. I just hope Ben learned enough lasyt year that he needs to get rid of the ball sooner and use his TEs even more than he did last year.

I keep pointing to the first half of the Jacksonville play off game where he was killing them by working short, quick routes. He forced the LBs to back off and they couldn't be part of the pass rush. He didn't get touched. If Ben would always do this the defense would be so preoccupied trying to stop the short passes the deep ones for Holmes and Sweed wpould open up.

[Shawn]

Philly I can't remember if I welcomed ya...but it's really good to have ya.

And I also am excited to see Mendy play.

[RuthlessBurgher]

I too am disappointed McBean isn't able to play.

I was hoping to hear how he made great strides and was looking like a beast.

That would make me feel better about not taking a DL in the draft.

Now, I still feel bad.

McBean just recently had a cast taken off his foot. He should be able to practice lightly in some of these OTA's, and should be fine by the time training camp rolls around.