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8/8/2009 3:30 AM
Camp is a kick for Sepulveda
[url="http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/08-08-Steelers2009-08-08T00-30-16"]http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Sto ... 8T00-30-16[/url]
By F. Dale Lolley, Staff writer
[email="dlolley@observer-reporter.com"]dlolley@observer-reporter.com[/email]
LATROBE - You won't hear any complaints about two-a-day practices or heavy workloads from Dan Sepulveda.
Punters don't have a lot to complain about, but Sepulveda is enjoying the Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College like few others.
It's a far cry from a year ago, when he learned a nagging soreness in his right, non-kicking knee that bothered him since his senior season at Baylor was actually a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Sepulveda had surgery and was lost for the season.
The surgery was the second performed on his right ACL. The first was prior to his senior season in college.
"I think the hardest part of the whole process was in the preseason," said Sepulveda. "I remember being the most down when they were playing the Bills and I was back in Pittsburgh watching with my brother. We were watching the game on TV ... and I was like, 'Wow, I've got another six months of this? I don't want to be watching them on TV. This is not cool.' It took me a couple of weeks until after camp was over to really accept that this was reality for me that year."
It was a tough loss for the Steelers, who were so confident in Sepulveda's skills they did not have another punter in training camp and scrambled to find a replacement.
By season's end, they had used Mitch Berger and Paul Ernster and the duo combined to average just 39.8 yards per punt, well below the 42.4 yards Sepulveda averaged as a rookie.
"I'll be the first to say that I put the team in a bind and I felt bad about that. We were a week away from the first game and the punter goes down," said Sepulveda. "Mitch and Paul came in and they got the job done. You can say what you want, but we ended up winning the Super Bowl. They did what I couldn't do."
If the early returns show anything, it's that Sepulveda is back and as strong as ever. He has consistently boomed the ball and is now the way the Steelers felt he would be when they selected him in the fourth round of the 2007 draft.
"I was looking forward to last season so much," said Sepulveda. "I was settled in, I knew Pittsburgh. I knew the guys on the team, what to expect from the schedule. That's why you see rookies struggle and sophomores in the league do so much better. Essentially, this is my sophomore season.
"And really, it's a chance for me to make a second first impression because it's been so long since I kicked. I'm really looking forward to it."
In other news Friday, head coach Mike Tomlin said guard Darnell Stapleton's knee surgery went well and Stapleton will be out at least two weeks.
"The surgery was exploratory and they liked what they looked at," Tomlin said. "We'll give him a couple of weeks and see how his body responds to it."
Odds and end zones
Safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Deshea Townsend both returned to practice Friday night. Polamalu celebrated his return by intercepting the first pass of team drills. Neither had practiced since Monday. ... The Steelers worked out a pair of centers on Friday: Alex Stepanovich, a six-year veteran who played for the Atlanta Falcons last season; and rookie Alex Derenthal of Temple. In addition to Stapleton, center Justin Hartwig has been out with a toe injury. ... Linebacker LaMarr Woodley missed his second consecutive day of practice because of swelling in his knee, as did tight end Sean McHugh. Also missing practice were running back Mewelde Moore and wide receiver Martin Nance. ... Wide receiver Brandon Williams suffered an injury to his side in the morning practice. Defensive tackle Scott Paxson had a minor knee injury in the night practice.
Camp is a kick for Sepulveda
[url="http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/08-08-Steelers2009-08-08T00-30-16"]http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Sto ... 8T00-30-16[/url]
By F. Dale Lolley, Staff writer
[email="dlolley@observer-reporter.com"]dlolley@observer-reporter.com[/email]
LATROBE - You won't hear any complaints about two-a-day practices or heavy workloads from Dan Sepulveda.
Punters don't have a lot to complain about, but Sepulveda is enjoying the Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College like few others.
It's a far cry from a year ago, when he learned a nagging soreness in his right, non-kicking knee that bothered him since his senior season at Baylor was actually a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Sepulveda had surgery and was lost for the season.
The surgery was the second performed on his right ACL. The first was prior to his senior season in college.
"I think the hardest part of the whole process was in the preseason," said Sepulveda. "I remember being the most down when they were playing the Bills and I was back in Pittsburgh watching with my brother. We were watching the game on TV ... and I was like, 'Wow, I've got another six months of this? I don't want to be watching them on TV. This is not cool.' It took me a couple of weeks until after camp was over to really accept that this was reality for me that year."
It was a tough loss for the Steelers, who were so confident in Sepulveda's skills they did not have another punter in training camp and scrambled to find a replacement.
By season's end, they had used Mitch Berger and Paul Ernster and the duo combined to average just 39.8 yards per punt, well below the 42.4 yards Sepulveda averaged as a rookie.
"I'll be the first to say that I put the team in a bind and I felt bad about that. We were a week away from the first game and the punter goes down," said Sepulveda. "Mitch and Paul came in and they got the job done. You can say what you want, but we ended up winning the Super Bowl. They did what I couldn't do."
If the early returns show anything, it's that Sepulveda is back and as strong as ever. He has consistently boomed the ball and is now the way the Steelers felt he would be when they selected him in the fourth round of the 2007 draft.
"I was looking forward to last season so much," said Sepulveda. "I was settled in, I knew Pittsburgh. I knew the guys on the team, what to expect from the schedule. That's why you see rookies struggle and sophomores in the league do so much better. Essentially, this is my sophomore season.
"And really, it's a chance for me to make a second first impression because it's been so long since I kicked. I'm really looking forward to it."
In other news Friday, head coach Mike Tomlin said guard Darnell Stapleton's knee surgery went well and Stapleton will be out at least two weeks.
"The surgery was exploratory and they liked what they looked at," Tomlin said. "We'll give him a couple of weeks and see how his body responds to it."
Odds and end zones
Safety Troy Polamalu and cornerback Deshea Townsend both returned to practice Friday night. Polamalu celebrated his return by intercepting the first pass of team drills. Neither had practiced since Monday. ... The Steelers worked out a pair of centers on Friday: Alex Stepanovich, a six-year veteran who played for the Atlanta Falcons last season; and rookie Alex Derenthal of Temple. In addition to Stapleton, center Justin Hartwig has been out with a toe injury. ... Linebacker LaMarr Woodley missed his second consecutive day of practice because of swelling in his knee, as did tight end Sean McHugh. Also missing practice were running back Mewelde Moore and wide receiver Martin Nance. ... Wide receiver Brandon Williams suffered an injury to his side in the morning practice. Defensive tackle Scott Paxson had a minor knee injury in the night practice.
