Early news out of Mini-icamp

[hawaiiansteel]

no surprise, Mike Wallace was a no-show.

and here's some news regarding our OL and in particular about Mike Adams...

Mark Kaboly ‏@MarkKaboly_Trib via twitter:

Trai Essex (from his mouth) that he started with first team OL at RT with Foster at RG. We know Pouncey, Colon and Gilbert on left side

Essex on Mike Adams after Kugler got on him for quitting on a play: "A little thing like effort doesn't take a lot of talent to fix."

"Mike Adams learned that's not how we do things here."
[URL="https://twitter.com/#!/search/from:ScottBrown_Trib OR from:MarkKaboly_Trib OR from:RalphPaulk_Trib?q=from%3AScottBrown_Trib+OR+f rom%3AMarkKaboly_Trib+OR+from%3ARalphPaulk_Trib"]
[/URL][URL]https://twitter.com/#!/search/from:ScottBrown_Trib[/URL] OR from:MarkKaboly_Trib OR from:RalphPaulk_Trib?q=from%3AScottBrown_Trib+OR+f rom%3AMarkKaboly_Trib+OR+from%3ARalphPaulk_Trib

[Crash]

Yeah Trai because it's not like you haven't had issues with weight and effort over the years.

You'll be sitting the bench, Adams will be starting.

Cam Heyward gave both DD and Adams a positive review today after going up against them.

[hawaiiansteel]

some more news tidbits from the first day of mini-camp:


Mark Kaboly ‏@MarkKaboly_Trib via twitter:

"Baron Batch's blue don't-touch-me No. 20 jersey has been removed from action.

No James Harrison and Curtis Brown practicing during AM session of minicamp

7th rounder Kelvin Beachum moved to guard.

Steelers last 15 mins of practice moved inside because of rain."
[URL="https://twitter.com/#!/search/from:ScottBrown_Trib OR from:MarkKaboly_Trib OR from:RalphPaulk_Trib?q=from%3AScottBrown_Trib+OR+f rom%3AMarkKaboly_Trib+OR+from%3ARalphPaulk_Trib"]
[/URL][URL]https://twitter.com/#!/search/from:ScottBrown_Trib[/URL] OR from:MarkKaboly_Trib OR from:RalphPaulk_Trib?q=from%3AScottBrown_Trib+OR+f rom%3AMarkKaboly_Trib+OR+from%3ARalphPaulk_Trib

[hawaiiansteel]

Cam Heyward gave both DD and Adams a positive review today after going up against them.

Rookies DeCastro, Adams busy as minicamp begins

UPDATED JUN 12, 2012
Associated Press

Willie Colon couldn't help himself. When rookies David DeCastro and Mike Adams walk into the offensive huddle during the opening practice of minicamp on Tuesday, the veteran left guard decided to have a little fun at the expense of the new kids.

''It smells like baby milk and pampers in here,'' Colon said just before quarterback Ben Roethlisberger called out a play.

Hopefully, not for long.

The Steelers wasted little time putting their top two draft picks to work during their first drills with the veterans. Both players split time with the first team after missing three weeks of organized team activities while finishing their studies.

Offensive line coach Sean Kugler did his best to keep his two new projects up to speed, calling them daily to go through reps and relay questions that came up during meetings.

Adams - taken in the second round out of Ohio State - would often bring his playbook and his iPad wherever he went during his final days on campus to help fight off boredom.

''To be honest, I'd be in class watching film and stuff like that,'' he said. ''I kind of checked out of school a while ago, just wanting to be here, getting back with my team.''

While allowing he's never ''satisfied,'' coach Mike Tomlin wasn't displeased with what he saw from either player.

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

At least they're here. The same can't be said for wide receiver Mike Wallace, who has remained in Louisiana during the offseason. The restricted free agent has yet to sign his first-round tender though Tomlin remains optimistic Wallace will be in the fold when camp starts in late July.

''It's probably short-term misery,'' Tomlin said. ''Hopefully there will be closure at some point and this will be in our rearview mirror.''

Tomlin won't have to push Adams to put his college career behind him while he tries to shed the reputation he received during a bumpy four years with the Buckeyes. The massive 6-foot-7, 323 pound Adams was an All-Big Ten selection in 2010 and made the second team last year despite being limited to eight games because of his role in the scandal that eventually led to coach Jim Tressel's dismissal.

Throw in his failed drug test just before the NFL combine and Adams arrives in Pittsburgh with plenty of baggage to go with his potential.

''I think some people question my ability (as a person) and as a football player,'' Adams said. ''As long as I do what I'm told and do what I'm taught I'll be alright.''

He won't have to look far for guidance. The locker room is littered with leaders, Colon among them.

The affable 29-year-old is now the elder statesmen among the linemen and is moving from right tackle to left guard. If Adams and DeCastro both do enough during training camp to be starters, Colon will have as much experience as the other four starters combined.

Asked if that makes him feel like a grandfather, Colon smiled and said, ''I don't know about grandpa. Maybe like an uncle.''

One who - much like Adams and DeCastro - is finding himself thrust into a new role. Colon appeared to have a lengthy future at right tackle after signing a five-year extension last summer.

The elation lasted all of one game. Colon tore his right triceps in the season-opener against Baltimore and underwent season-ending surgery. Rookie Marcus Gilbert eventually found a home at the spot, playing so well he'll likely be the starter there when the Steelers open the 2012 season at Denver on Sept. 9.

Gilbert's quick maturation gave the Steelers the freedom to move Colon to left guard. It's unfamiliar territory, but one Colon will gladly explore.

''I'm comfortable because I have no choice but to be comfortable,'' Colon said. ''Besides, I get to play next to (center Maurkice Pouncey). I'm excited. We're like two nasty dogs. Hopefully DeCastro can jump along and we can be three nasty dogs in the middle.''

DeCastro, the 24th overall pick out of Stanford, saves his nasty streak for the field. The soft-spoken 22-year-old spent his final month in college completing his degree in management, science and engineering. His final exams consisted of two projects and a test in his class on linear optimization.

Math, really hard math, in case you're wondering.

DeCastro talked about the exam with a shoulder shrug, saying simply ''it wasn't too bad.'' Maybe, but like Adams, DeCastro is eager to get started on his first real job.

The two rookies do have at least one thing going for them, they don't have to unlearn the system used by former Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. They come to the team as blank slates and their responsibilities really haven't changed despite the jump from college to one of the NFL's top teams.

''The playcalls are different, but the schemes are the same,'' DeCastro said.

It's the stakes that are higher. DeCastro and Adams are part of a young nucleus that will likely protect Roethlisberger for the remainder of his career. Gilbert is entering his second season, Pouncey his third.

They will be given time to grow and the team has never hesitated to thrust young players into tough spots and let them learn on the fly.

It's what happened to Colon, who started 16 games in his third season while helping the Steelers to the Super Bowl.

''With the Super Bowls we won in the past, it wasn't on the strength of the receivers, it was the on the offensive line,'' he said. ''If we can stack some championships up, that will be a testament to the offensive line coach and the guys in that room. Hopefully we do well.''

[URL]http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/rookies_decastro_adams_busy_as_minicamp_begins/10996490[/URL]

[hawaiiansteel]

The quote of the day came from Willie Colon while in the huddle with the two rookies Mike Adams and David DeCastro:

"It smells like baby milk and pampers in here."

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers' top picks join team at minicamp

June 12, 2012
By Gerry Dulac / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



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

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."

[URL]http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-top-picks-join-640066/#ixzz1xcep3jJk[/URL]

[squidkid]

The quote of the day came from Willie Colon while in the huddle with the two rookies Mike Adams and David DeCastro:

"It smells like baby milk and pampers in here."

this coming from some soft arse turd that has stolen money the last 2 seasons.........please

[fordfixer]

Columnist likes the arm, field presence of Steelers' 'new' QB

[url]http://www.heraldstandard.com/sports/columnists/jim_wexell/columnist-likes-the-arm-field-presence-of-steelers-new-qb/article_6f8993af-b280-5424-ad76-1a362cd81eb2.html[/url]

Jim Wexell, publisher of SteelCityInsider.net

Posted: Saturday, June 9, 2012 12:00 am | Updated: 8:28 pm, Fri Jun 8, 2012.

By Jim Wexell For HeraldStandard.com | 0 comments

Posted on June 9, 2012

jwdzeus

by jwdzeus

From the notebook of a sportswriter who likes the arm -- and, really, the field presence -- of the Steelers’ new quarterback:

-- But he must be nothing more than a camp arm, what with that No. 78 jersey they gave him.

-- Seriously, one rookie reporter raced off to his veteran mentor Thursday at Heinz Field to inform said mentor of his “scoop” about a No. 78 playing quarterback.

-- And more seriously, I loved Ben Roethlisberger wearing No. 78 in smirking defiance of the Steelers not having re-signed left tackle Max Starks yet.

-- The word I wanted to use was impudent. That word hit me after I saw rookie punter Drew Butler wearing the No. 9 of his idol Jim McMahon.

-- McMahon would’ve never complained about the new playbook, nor would he have praised the new draft picks throughout spring drills. He would’ve assured all that the new offense is a snap (even if it wasn’t, or even if he had no intention of learning it) and he would’ve ripped any rookie trying to replace one of his long and trusted bodyguards.

-- That’s what Roethlisberger did Thursday. Call him impudent if you must, but I love that he’s sticking up for one of his boys and that in chatting up the new offense in a positive manner he provided everyone around the team with more confidence.

-- Maybe some of the quarterback’s confidence has to do with the practice surge this past week of wide receiver Antonio Brown. Up until the last few practices, the star wide receiver had been Emmanuel Sanders -- by a long shot.

-- Brown made several acrobatic catches Thursday, but he had to laugh at one that was sheer luck. In a red-zone drill, Brown ran a corner route to the 3-yard line and didn’t turn in time for the ball. But the ball hit him in the head and he pinned it there and held on as he did two seasons ago against the Ravens. Brown also managed to keep his feet inbounds to move the chains. After practice I asked him about not getting his head around in time to find the ball. “Yeah,” he said with a big smile, “the ball found my head instead.”

-- After Thursday’s practice at Heinz Field, Brown and Sanders were off to the side taking their pads off, stretching out, cooling off, both beaming more confidently than ever with their standing on the team.

-- Sean Spence wasn’t so much a star yesterday, but his interception of Byron Leftwich over the middle brought out some of the news Spence had been making off the field.

-- The Steelers have already reversed their draft-day decree that Spence is a mack linebacker. The week-long absence of Stevenson Sylvester gave Spence an opportunity to play the buck position, and he’s opened plenty of eyes.

-- And most of those good impressions were made in the classroom. “He asks all the right questions,” said one coach.

-- But I wouldn’t write Larry Foote off just yet. He lined up to race Chris Carter and another linebacker in a 10-yard dash. Foote won by a step because he came off the snap more quickly, more instinctively.

-- Remember, with the disappearing of the fullback, buck backers -- or playcallers in the Steelers’ scheme -- don’t have to weigh 240 pounds anymore. Spence is listed at 231, but looks smaller.

-- I asked someone who watches practice tape if he’s been impressed by any of the young unknowns. He said that seventh-round pick Kelvin Beachum is “one who makes me say ‘wow.’”

-- After relaying this to another writer on the sideline, the writer -- who was watching practice and listening to me at the same time -- said, “As in, ‘Wow, look how fast Chris Carter just ran by Beachum.’”

-- Sure, rookies will have bad moments, but since hearing that tip I’ve been impressed by Beachum’s mobility, solid base, and versatility.

-- The other “wow guy” mentioned was seventh-round pick Toney Clemons. The WR who was great the first week and bad the second week bounced back impressively this third week.

-- As for the other seventh-round picks, another source told me TE David Paulson is “coach’s guy” and CB Terrence Frederick had been slowed by a hamstring problem “but he just made a play.”

-- Since I shared Mike Tomlin’s affinity for Paulson before the draft, I’ve been keeping an eye on him, and Paulson finally made his breakthrough this week. He had his best day Thursday. He even caught a pass over the middle and turned it up for a touchdown. He’s not flashy, but is plucky.

-- As for Frederick, all I can say is that he and undrafted rookie Terry Carter play as a CB tandem way down on the depth chart and Frederick is smaller but more polished, and, frankly, better.

-- A scout asked about my 12-year-old daughter’s athletic progress. She’s the goalie for a soccer team that just won the State Cup, and like everyone else has her flaws. After giving me some drills for her, the scout said, “Tell her to make her weakness her strength. That’s what the great ones do.”

-- Thinking it was wisdom passed down from the mountaintop, I repeated this to my daughter, who said, “Duh.”

-- Justin Kapinos is not letting Butler, the highly touted rookie, pull away in the punting derby. And undrafted rookie WR Marquis Maze had a two-“my bad” day with his coaches. So I’m moving safety Robert Golden to the top of the odds board for the roster chances of the undrafted rookies.

-- If the 202-pound Golden is the No. 1 undrafted rookie at this point, OLB Adrian Robinson is No. 1-A. The difference being the amount of talent in front of Robinson.

-- Robinson himself isn’t sure what running past tackles Marcus Gilbert and Trai Essex means in the spring without pads, but he’s as hopeful as the rest of the “tape-watchers” in the Steelers’ organization.

-- Andre Freeman, the undrafted rookie cornerback from Slippery Rock, made a stunning interception in the corner of the end zone Thursday. That kid’s not going away anytime soon, either.

-- Have to love Wes Lyons’s receiving potential as a tight end, but if you watch him hit a sled you want to yell “Stop ducking your head! You’re making my spine hurt!”

-- Tight end coach James Daniel came through with this comment to Lyons: “One thing we say in football is don’t duck your head, so don’t duck your head. You get hurt when you duck your head.”

-- He sounded like the commercial that ends with “so don’t end up in a ditch by the side of the road.”

-- FB/TE Jamie McCoy did the best job with the sled. Leonard Pope -- who’s probably heard about “pad level” ever since he was 10 years old -- adjusted best to Daniel’s instructions.

-- Cortez Allen is holding off Curtis Brown for the No. 3 CB job, but a scout told me Brown is probably the second quickest player on the team -- behind rookie RB Chris Rainey.

-- Rainey was born in prison but was standing there next to me, just off the field, at the pinnacle of his profession. I asked him if he could explain that gigantic chasm in a few sentences, but he could only laugh. One source told me that Rainey’s “smart, very smart, gym-rat smart.”

-- Rainey was wide open in the flat, but dropped the pass while no doubt salivating over the open grass in front of him. Tomlin went from saying “Get some!” to “Awww.” Ziggy Hood, who was hustling out into the flat, said to Rainey, “You dropped that. Time to die!”

-- Yep, Ziggy’s growing into a leader, and reading the papers, too.

-- And a few plays later Rainey made one of the sickest 360 spin moves of the spring.

-- If it’s not Spence, it’s Rainey who’s the most impressive rookie here.

-- Scout.com sent a survey to we team publishers, and one question was “Worst Draft Pick.” I honestly couldn’t think of one, so -- and this was two weeks ago -- I wrote, “Kelvin Beachum (?)” Well, after watching nine workouts, I e-mailed Scout to ask if they could change that to “None.”

-- At least the lower echelon -- picks 3 through 7D -- have shown great value. Next week we’ll have the opportunity to gauge the top picks, and no one expects to be disappointed.

[hawaiiansteel]

great article, thanks for posting ff...

[Snatch98]

Rainey was wide open in the flat, but dropped the pass while no doubt salivating over the open grass in front of him. Tomlin went from saying “Get some!” to “Awww.” Ziggy Hood, who was hustling out into the flat, said to Rainey, “You dropped that. Time to die!”

LMAO.

Love this.