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Thread: Top 2 draft picks start 'process' at last

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    Top 2 draft picks start 'process' at last

    Steelers' top 2 draft picks start 'process' at last
    June 13, 2012 12:08 am

    [url]http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-top-2-draft-picks-start-process-at-last-640102/[/url]

    Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

    Steelers No. 1 pick David DeCastro works on his first day in uniform.


    By Gerry Dulac / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

    The Steelers saw the future of their offensive line on the football field for the first time Tuesday, even if it was a little disjointed. That might soon change.

    Their top two draft choices -- guard David DeCastro and tackle Michael Adams -- finally got to join their new teammates after being forced to miss all offseason training activities. They will spend the next two days of the three-day minicamp getting to know the veteran players in the locker room and hoping to make a bigger impression on the coaching staff.

    "I'm so happy to get here with these guys," said Adams, a second-round choice from Ohio State. "I kind of checked out of school a while ago. I just wanted to be here, be back with my team."

    DeCastro, their No. 1 pick from Stanford, and Adams might be future starters on the offensive line, perhaps as early as training camp. But they began minicamp with the second team.
    PG VIDEO

    DeCastro lined up at right guard -- the position he likely will man with the first team when the regular season begins Sept. 9 in Denver. Adams lined up at left tackle -- a position currently manned by Marcus Gilbert, the Steelers' No. 2 draft choice last year who started 15 games at right tackle as a rookie.

    "That's why you play the game," DeCastro said about being a starter. "I don't think anyone in this room wants to be a bench-warmer."

    Neither could participate in the voluntary OTAs because NFL rules prohibit attendance from players whose college classes haven't graduated. But DeCastro and Adams were given a playbook and video of the new offense under Todd Haley to better prepare them for minicamp.

    "I was as well prepared as I could have been," DeCastro said.

    The Steelers opened minicamp with Gilbert at left tackle, Willie Colon at left guard, Maurkice Pouncey at center, Ramon Foster at right guard and veteran Trai Essex at tackle. But coach Mike Tomlin could change the rotation today on the second day of minicamp, hinting that he could move up DeCastro and/or Adams to work with the first team.

    "It will be a process," Tomlin said. "We're going to do things to put them in situations to see how they respond. I wouldn't read into it, particularly football in shorts. We're going to put them in situations against good people just for exposure and learn more about them. That's down the line when you start reading into what group they're taking snaps with. That's going to be more of a Latrobe type of thing."

    Then Tomlin added, "I'm comfortable with where they are and what they were able to display today. They're working on limited time. They need to hurry up to catch up."

    The Steelers admittedly are taking a chance on Adams, who grew up in Farrell but attended high school in Dublin, Ohio. His draft stock dropped after he tested positive for marijuana at the scouting combine and subsequently lied about it to NFL coaches and general managers.

    But the Steelers took him in the second round after he met with Tomlin, president Art Rooney II and general manager Kevin Colbert in March -- a meeting at which he bared his soul and promised to do whatever necessary to convince them he is not an at-risk pick.

    "I take things one day at a time," he said between two-a-day practices on the South Side. "If I do the right things, day in and day out, I think I will be in the right place."

    And what is the right place?

    "For me, win Super Bowls with this team," Adams said. "The personal goal I have is to be All-Pro a few times before I retire."

    Last year, Gilbert started 15 games at right tackle after Colon tore his tricep tendon in the opener in Baltimore, ending his season. Gilbert, though, got off to a slow start in training camp because he reported overweight and didn't have the benefit of OTAs and minicamp because of the lockout.

    "I didn't know anything," Gilbert said. "I came into training camp not knowing what's going on. I had a little help from Maurkice [Pouncey] because he was my friend, but I didn't get the whole understanding of the offense. I didn't get a playbook, I didn't get to work with the weight staff, I didn't get the feel of being around the guys till training camp. I didn't know who was willing to work with me."

    Gilbert said he already could tell the difference in DeCastro and Adams.

    "Coach was giving out a verbal test in meetings, and they were shooting out all the right answers. You could tell they were doing their studying. You could tell these guys wanted to come in and work and try to compete for a job."

    First Published June 13, 2012 12:00 am

    Read more: [url]http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-top-2-draft-picks-start-process-at-last-640102/#ixzz1xe0gHhs7[/url]

    Molon labe

    People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. George Orwell

    ?We're not going to apologize for winning.?
    Mike Tomlin

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    Awesome .. thats what I like to hear. I can't wait until training camp.
    Tomlin: Let's unleash hell and "mop the floor" with the competition.

  3. #3
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    Steelers' top picks join team at minicamp
    June 12, 2012 6:06 pm
    [url]http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-top-picks-join-640066/[/url]

    Peter Diana / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette




    David DeCastro gets instruction from Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler.

    David DeCastro (right) blocks offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert during the first of three Steelers mini camp workouts on the South Side.

    Mike Adams.


    Gerry Dulac talks about minicamp

    By Gerry Dulac / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

    The Steelers began their three-day minicamp today with three of their top four draft choice finally joining them on the field.

    But, unless someone thought the Steelers were just going to hand starting jobs to guard David DeCastro and tackle Michael Adams, the two rookies worked with the second-team offensive line during the morning session.


    DeCastro, the No. 1 pick, lined at right guard -- the position where he will likely begin the season with the first team. Adams, the No. 2 pick, lined at left tackle, but it remains to be seen if he is ready to be a starter.

    DeCastro and Adams could not participate in the voluntary OTAs because of NFL rules that prohibit players whose college classes haven't graduated from attending.

    Marcus Gilbert was at left tackle and Willie Colon was at left guard with the first team. Veteran Trai Essex lined at right tackle with the first-team offensive line.

    But DeCastro and Adams weren't the only highly regarded rookies to finally get on the field.

    Nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu, their fourth-round pick from Washington, also made his first appearance with his new team. Ta'amu is a thick 350-pound nose tackle from Samoa who will likely be the long-term replacement for Pro Bowl NT Casey Hampton. Like DeCastro and Adams, he could not attend OTAs.

    "I'm happy to be here," Ta'amu said with a smile. "I'm a Steeler, man."
    Gerry Dulac: [EMAIL="gdulac@post-gazette.com"]gdulac@post-gazette.com[/EMAIL]; twitter: @gerrydulac
    First Published June 12, 2012 2:03 pm

    Read more: [URL]http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-top-picks-join-640066/#ixzz1xe2DdrFm[/URL]

    Molon labe

    People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. George Orwell

    ?We're not going to apologize for winning.?
    Mike Tomlin

    American metal pimped by asiansteel
    Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you 1. Jesus Christ, 2.The American G.I., One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

  4. #4
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    Mike Adams making up for lost time this offseason
    Posted by Josh Alper on July 3, 2012, 10:29 AM EDT

    The Steelers have given rookie tackle Mike Adams a clear path to the starting left tackle job, but he’s still going to have to prove he can handle the role this summer.

    Adams had to navigate his first stumbling blocks this spring thanks to the NFL’s rule barring players from joining their drafted teams until after their schools have finished up their semester. Ohio State’s schedule left Adams, a second-round pick in April, stuck in Columbus during OTAs, meaning he had just the rookie and mandatory minicamps to work with the team before training camp starts at the end of the month.

    “My coaches did a great job keeping us up with everything,” Adams said to Zac Jackson of FOXSportsOhio.com. “I had playbook the whole time, I had the film. I feel like I stayed up with things as best I could. As a rookie you’re always learning, so I definitely have work to do.”

    The Steelers have enough confidence in Adams to avoid bringing back veteran tackle Max Starks this spring. It helps that Starks has been rehabbing a torn ACL, but the only current insurance policy on the roster is Jonathan Scott. Scott isn’t a particularly appealing choice, though, so Starks will likely remain a talking point until Adams proves he has the job locked down.

    Guard David DeCastro, the team’s first-round pick, is also positioned for a starting job and he also missed OTAs because of the semester rule. That means there will be a lot of attention paid to how quickly the Steelers rookies are catching up this summer.
    [URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/03/mike-adams-making-up-for-lost-time-this-offseason/[/URL]
    Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.

    Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.

    We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.

    We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.

  5. #5
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    I totally believe in DeCastro. He will be better than Foster and Legursky on Day 1 and our Guards will no longer be weak links unable to generate and push inside.

    Adams though has to show me. I still hope Starks is brought in to tutor him and push him.
    "My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"

  6. #6
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    Adams Still Playing Catch-Up After Missing OTA’s

    July 3rd, 2012 by Matt Loede



    Offensive tackle Mike Adams, the Steelers’ second-round pick in April, was still at Ohio State for most of the Steelers’ organized team activity (OTA) practice sessions in May and June due to an NFL rule that keeps rookies away until their schools have completed classes. With Ohio State on the quarter system, Adams was in Columbus and trying to keep up with what was happening in Pittsburgh, Zac Jackson of FOXSports Ohio reports.

    “As a rookie you’re always learning, so I definitely have work to do.”

    Adams was suspended for the first five games of his final college season for his role in the memorabilia scandal that led to the ouster of Jim Tressel at Ohio State. He returned and started at left tackle, then performed well at the Senior Bowl. Despite a positive marijuana test at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, the Steelers selected Adams in the second round. And despite missing all 10 OTA practices, he lined up with the first-team offense at the all-important left tackle position in the Steelers’ June full-squad minicamp.

    “To start right away is definitely a goal, but I’m trying to just learn and be ready to contribute, help this team any way I can,” Adams said. “We have one goal in Pittsburgh and that’s to win a Super Bowl, so it’s my job to just do whatever I have to do to help that.”

    “First and foremost, from what I’ve seen so far it’s an organization committed to excellence,” Adams said. “There are a lot of great people from the players in the locker room to the people upstairs. It’s a good fit for me.”

    [URL]http://www.steelersgab.com/2012/07/03/adams-still-playing-catch-up-after-missing-otas/[/URL]
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  7. #7
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    If the Steelers are smart, they will keep Gilbert in the mix. I think he has above average talent to play tackle. He did very well for himself last season.

    The Steelers took a risk with Adams, knowing the guy got by on his athletic talent rather than pure drive and hard work. How will Adams hold up when faced with equal talent on the other side of the ball? Without the right mental approach, I could see a level of frustration happen. I want to see how Adams handles the pressure of being a starting tackle in the NFL.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by NorthCoast View Post
    If the Steelers are smart, they will keep Gilbert in the mix. I think he has above average talent to play tackle. He did very well for himself last season.

    The Steelers took a risk with Adams, knowing the guy got by on his athletic talent rather than pure drive and hard work. How will Adams hold up when faced with equal talent on the other side of the ball? Without the right mental approach, I could see a level of frustration happen. I want to see how Adams handles the pressure of being a starting tackle in the NFL.
    I'd prefer to keep Gilbert at RT, where I think he could be very good.

    Once/if he is healthy, I'd prefer to see Max Starks brought back into the fold to push Adams and serve as veteran depth.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by phillyesq View Post
    I'd prefer to keep Gilbert at RT, where I think he could be very good.

    Once/if he is healthy, I'd prefer to see Max Starks brought back into the fold to push Adams and serve as veteran depth.
    Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.

    Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.

    We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.

    We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.

  10. #10
    Legend

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    Max Starks isn't the guy I want as a "mentor" to anyone. If anything, since Tomlin's been here? Starks has done the exact same things people FEAR that Adams might.

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