SteelerWatch

Okay, it's been a hard week on the personal front for SteelerWatch, but I'm back at the keys.  So, here's what you need to know going into Sunday's Hall of Fame game.

 - Fast Willie Parker will not play due to swelling in his knee.  He hasn't practiced for four days, but coach Tomlin says the injury is minor and the extended break is just a precautionary measure.

- James Harrison will not play.  Clark Haggans will start in his place on the right side but will be pulled along with the majority of the other starters early in the game.  Second-round pick (and new defensive uberstud) LaMarr Woodley will start on the left side.

- First-round draft pick Lawrence Timmons is still working the bench and will not dress.  His injury has sidelined him for all but one day and a few snaps of another day so far in training camp. 

 - Surprisingly, strong safety Anthony Smith has not yet caused any injuries to the first-team wide receivers.

There you have it.  The offensive and defensive lines are both healthy and apparently playing extremely well.  All receivers are still intact, and the inside linebackers are none the worse for wear.  And coach Tomlin has not yet suffered heat stroke from dressing entirely in black, including long sleeve shirts.

Ladies and gentlemen, football is upon us. 

While he's been the target of a few verbal shots this week for the brutal hits he has delivered in training camp, it sounds as if second-year free safety Anthony Smith is growing up and accepting his role in the defense.

As free safety, the NFL equivalent to baseball's center fielder, Smith has a lot on his shoulders.  He's got the most ground to cover on any given play, he has to read receivers carefully and commit to a coverage judiciously and, as the last person between the offense and the end zone, he needs to know when to give up a few yards rather than risking a big play by trying to knock someone's head off.  It sounds like, after the first week of practice and being called out by offensive leader Hines Ward, Smith is grasping the bigger picture.  According to the Post-Gazette:

"The only problem with me and [Troy Polamalu] being in there at the same time is we're both risk-takers," Smith said. "Troy can take a few more [risks]. I take my shots. I have to be smart about it, though."

Asked if it's hard for him to curtail his style, Smith said, "It's not tough at all. You just can't make a big play every time. I try to make as many as I can."

 Smith has become one of SteelerWatch's favorite players because of his big hits and his natural knack for finding the ball.  If he can back that up with his intelligence, it will give the Steelers the best one-two punch at safety in the NFL.

Read the entire article here. 

Right about the time free agency started, a lot of us were concerned about player buy-in to Mike Tomlin, particularly in the older group of guys who have spent most or all of their careers doing things the Cowher way. Hines Ward headed that list as he regularly made comments that, while not taking potshots at his new coach, appeared to lean heavily in favor of his old coach.

Well, it appears those days are long gone. Training camp has begun and, in a single practice, Coach has proven to his players that he is for real, is not to be taken lightly, and will do whatever is necessary (and, hopefully, ethical) to win in this league.  One day in, and the Steelers have already held what the Post-Gazette’s Ed Bouchette called “the most physical practice session at Saint Vincent College since the days of Chuck Noll.”

His hardest sell would have been to Alan Faneca, but he’s playing this season with one foot out the door anyway. Next hardest? Ward, himself.

Sold.

In an article published this morning by the Post-Gazette, Ward put his new-and-improved feelings out there very matter-of-factly.

“Coach Cowher’s not here anymore. We’re doing it the way coach Tomlin’s doing it,” Hines Ward said. “He wants to prove to everybody he can be a great coach and he has a set way with the team. If you don’t like it, get off the ship.”

I don’t think anyone could have said it better.

About 45 minutes ago, players were scheduled to report to Latrobe for the annual migration of successful sports (read this carefully, Pirates management) back to the city of Pittsburgh. With hockey in the middle of its off-season, the Passion now off on their National Women’s Football Association Championship honeymoon, and the Pirates longing for the early 1990s when they actually managed a winning record, the city is in urgent need of more quality sports. And tomorrow morning, it begins. Coach Tomlin’s “Give me victory, or give me death!” schedule that includes 15 two-a-day practices starts Tuesday and continues for 11 straight days before the players are given a day off — the day before the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.

After the Passion’s 32-0 thrashing of the Columbus Comets last week, the magnifying glass will be on the Steelers to see if they can continue the city’s football winning streak in the neighboring state that now stands at 12 games since a 2001 loss in Cincinnati in week 17 (@Cleveland 5 times, @Cincy 6 times including 2005 playoffs, @Columbus by the Passion).

Get out and support your team!

Troy “Taz” Polamalu and the Steelers agreed today to a contract extension that will keep him in Black ‘n Gold for another five years.  The contract makes him (rightfully) the highest-paid safety in the league at $33 million over the duration of the contract.  As reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he will receive more than $15 million in signing and roster bonuses.

With all current contract negotiations complete, coach Mike Tomlin is free to focus solely on football in his first training camp, as disgruntled guard Alan Faneca has vowed to participate in all camp activities and should not become a distraction for a team that is looking to return to their 2005 form.

New coach Mike Tomlin has very quickly earned the respect of a lot of people in Pittsburgh — from the Steelers; front office, to players, to the notoriously hard-to-please Steeler fans.  It’s going to be a lot of tough love, though, if he follows through on his promise of a grueling training camp.

The Post-Gazette is reporting that Tomlin has scheduled up to 15 two-a-day sessions, dramatically more than players from nearly any NFL team are accustom to.  A heavy emphasis in the morning session of those practices is being placed on special teams, where it was either feast or famine for the Steelers during the Cowher era.

Tomlin has said numerous times since being named head coach that he doesn’t care what his players think of him.  Well, Mike, we as fans love to see that you’re working them hard, especially after last year’s dismal performance (you know you’re a Steeler fan when 8-8 isn’t just an off year, it’s a “dismal performance”) .  Just don’t expect to be too popular with the players on opening day.

Not that we care, though, as long as you win.

The Post-Gazette has posted the just-released training camp schedule.  There’s nothing out of the ordinary, with two night practices two closed practices.  Everything else is wide open , with all daytime practices running from 2:55 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Training camp  begins July 23, with the first practice July 24.

Training camp is just around the corner — less than three weeks away now. Will you be one of the fans to make the pilgrimage to St. Vincent College? Place your vote!

Information for your Steelers’ 2007 Training Camp has been posted on the team’s official site, including practice schedules.  The players report to camp in just 24 days on July 23!

Find the info here.