Same goal as Steelers enter camp
Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward will look to be bring a veteran presence to a defense that ranked 18th in the NFL in yards and points allowed last season.
The Steelers agreed to a contract extension with head coach Mike Tomlin Thursday that will keep him with the team through 2018.
LATROBE – In each of the previous 49 years, the Steelers have made the trip to Saint Vincent College with hopes that the season will end with a Super Bowl victory.
Six times in that span, they’ve been successful in that endeavor.
When the Steelers report for the 50th year at Saint Vincent College, they’ll be hoping it ends with a seventh NFL championship.
To do that, they’ll have to find answers to a number of questions between now and the end of camp Aug. 22, which is prior to their third preseason game at Heinz Field against the Green Bay Packers.
That’s right, thanks to their participation in the Hall of Fame Game Aug. 9 against Minnesota to help celebrate former Steelers’ running back Jerome Bettis’ induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Pittsburgh will spend nearly a month at training camp.
“I love it. I love camp,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “I love the environment where you get the opportunity to just focus on football and live together, dine together and be secluded, if you will. It’s just a good environment for team building.”
While the offense returns virtually intact from a year ago – it ranked second in total offense and seventh in scoring – the defense will be another matter.
Three starters – safety Troy Polamalu, cornerback Ike Taylor and outside linebacker Jason Worilds – retired. Important contributors such as defensive end Brett Keisel and cornerback Brice McCain also are gone from a defense that ranked 18th in yards and points allowed.
Improving on that has been tasked to new defensive coordinator Keith Butler, a longtime linebackers coach who was elevated to the position when Dick LeBeau resigned.
“Everybody looks good in shorts. Everybody has heard that phrase,” Butler said. “Until you start playing games, you really don’t know how good of a team you have. How good is the secondary? What can you do with your secondary? Everybody is going to have weaknesses on defense. The best thing for us right now is that we are practicing against one of the premiere offenses in the league. Going against them every day is only going to make us better. If I can see us getting better against those guys, then I feel pretty good about where we could be as a defense.”
As has been the case, the Steelers largely stayed out of the free agency market, with the biggest acquisition being veteran running back DeAngelo Williams.
The Steelers will focus on keeping some of their own players before the season begins. They agreed to a six-year, $59.25 million deal with defensive end Cameron Heyward earlier this month and would like to extend the contract of left tackle Kelvin Beachum before he becomes a restricted free agent.
The 32-year-old Williams is the Carolina Panthers’ all-time leading rusher and the Steelers hope he will help ease the loss of star running back Le’Veon Bell to open the season.
Bell, who set a team record with 2,215 total yards from scrimmage last season, must serve a three-game suspension to start the season stemming because of a traffic stop last August in which he was cited for marijuana possession and driving under the influence.
“After being in this league as long as I’ve been and being around some of the great guys I have, it’s easy to blend,” said Williams. “I just adopt and adapt.”
That is the mantra the team’s rookies must adopt as well.
The Steelers expect first-round draft pick Bud Dupree to split time at outside linebacker with veteran Arthur Moats, while cornerbacks Senquez Golson and Doran Grant, the team’s second- and fourth-round picks, will add some much-needed youth to the secondary.
One plus for the younger players hoping to catch the eyes of the coaching staff is that there is an extra preseason game. Because the Steelers play in the Hall of Fame Game, they have five, rather than the usual four. It will mean extra game time for those hoping to earn a roster spot, either with the Steelers or somewhere else.
“That’s going to be a blessing,” said undrafted rookie running back Cameron Stingily, a former Northern Illinois star. “Every extra opportunity you get to show what you can do in a game is another chance to prove yourself.”
As part of the celebration of their 50th anniversary at Saint Vincent College, the Steelers will hold some special activities Sunday starting at noon. Prizes will be awarded and there will be a special on-field ceremony prior to the start of the first practice at 2:55 p.m. … The Steelers will hold their conditioning run this afternoon after all players report by 4 p.m. … The team’s only off day this week is Tuesday. The annual night practice is at 7 p.m. Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.