Steelers sign DeCastro

[hawaiiansteel]

Sounds like DD got shafted in that case.

smart move by the Steelers though...

[flippy]

smart move by the Steelers though...

agreed. i'm surprised he did it. the steelers get the extra year for peanuts given the expectations of DD and DD should have probably been a top 10 pick and got even better.

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers’ Inside The Ropes

By Mark Kaboly
Published: Sunday, July 29, 2012

• The much-anticipated one-on-one live linemen drills took place for the first time Sunday with mixed results from rookies David DeCastro and Mike Adams, who stood up fellow Ohio State alum Cameron Heyward on his first attempt, with Heyward getting even the next time through. Meanwhile, DeCastro didn’t fare as well; Corbin Bryant pushed right through him and to the quarterback on his first attempt.

• A day after “backs on ‘backers,” the Steelers’ competitive session was tight ends on linebackers, with the objective of the tight end setting the edge. While Leonard Pope looked good against backup Brandon Hicks, it was second-year tight end Weslye Saunders who stole the show. Saunders capped his performance by dominating 6-foot-5, 245-pound linebacker Brandon Johnson.

• Tempers continued to flare. Rookie offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum got into a pair of shoving matches, first with Heyward then with Ikponmwosa Igbinosun. After the latter fight was broken up, defensive line coach John Mitchell grabbed Igbinosun and said, “Get back here and shut your mouth; you are getting your butt beat anyway.”

• Isaac Redman is the clear leader of a young running back crew, and he reinforced that when he made rookie Chris Rainey do a drill over because he wasn’t hustling.

• Although their chances of making the team are slim, rookie receivers Jimmy Young and David Gilreath made impressive catches during 11-on-11 drills. Gilreath made a leaping, sprawling catch on a pass over the middle from Charlie Batch before getting hit by Curtis Brown. Later, Young hauled in a long Byron Leftwich pass down the near sideline over Ike Taylor. Young’s helmet came off after impact, but he was able to hold on to the ball.

• Todd Haley’s offense continues to evolve. The Steelers ran a handful of “Tornado” plays, in which they rush to the line of scrimmage without a huddle after a short gain on first down to run another play. The quarterback has the liberty to call “Tornado,” but the play has been scripted into the offense since minicamp.

• Special teams prowess could be the difference between making the team or not. Practicing kickoffs for the first time, the Steelers lined up, from left to right, Andre Freeman, Rainey, Stevenson Sylvester, Will Allen, Sean Spence, Jonathan Dwyer, Ryan Mundy, Chris Carter, Cortez Allen, Curtis Brown and Shaun Suisham.

[URL]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/2288303-85/getting-heyward-rookie-tight-steelers-attempt-brandon-david-decastro-drills[/URL]

[RuthlessBurgher]

Special teams prowess could be the difference between making the team or not. Practicing kickoffs for the first time, the Steelers lined up, from left to right, Andre Freeman, Rainey, Stevenson Sylvester, Will Allen, Sean Spence, Jonathan Dwyer, Ryan Mundy, Chris Carter, Cortez Allen, Curtis Brown and Shaun Suisham.

I'm no Captain Kangaroo or anything, but I'd say that the kicker is supposed to be in the middle of the formation when kicking off, not as a gunner on the far right of the kickoff formation. Maybe Dwyer has a better leg than Suisham, and Suisham is a better tackler than Dwyer, though.