Jul 30, 2017 3 min read

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The first day of padded practice is one that players, coaches and, yes, even the media can’t wait for. We’ve all seen enough of football in shorts.

The backs-on-backers drill Sunday didn’t disappoint.

And you didn’t want to be young tight end Phazahn Odom.

Odom got trucked by Bud Dupree, causing head coach Mike Tomlin to say, “I don’t mind you losing but you have to show me something.”

Later, T.J. Watt hit Odom so hard that he flew through the air long enough to possibly be picked up on the radar at Arnold Palmer Airport next door.

Odom, however, might have had the last laugh of the day. Fellow tight ends Scott Orndoff and Xavier Grimble both had to leave practice early, Orndoff with what looked to be a left hamstring injury and Grimble with heat-related illness.

Orndoff was more game than Odom in the backs-on-backers drill but was still beaten by Arthur Moats and Farrington Huguenin (twice). After Moats beat him, Tomlin yelled, “C’mon Scott, that’s soft.”

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley was equally as blount. “You’ve waited your whole life for this moment, Scott. Gotta do better than that.”

Fitzgerald Toussaint, David Johnson, James Conner and Terrell Watson were the stars of the drill on the offensive side.

Toussaint got things started early by stuffing Ryan Shazier. “That’s what I want to see,” yelled Tomlin.

Conner, who later left with a shoulder injury, showed he knows how to plant his feet and absorb a blow. Tomlin continually challenged the young back with pass rushers and after he stuffed Tyler Matakevich on back-to-back plays, he hollered at the defense, “Gotta let me know who wants some of 3-0.”

On the defensive side of things, Dupree, Watt and linebacker Keion Adams all looked good.

@ Watson, a 6-1, 240-pound monster running back from Azusa Pacific, has been tapped with the nickname “Nightmare” by Tomlin.

I can only assume that is because Watson broke all of Christian Okoye’s rushing records in college. Okoye was known as the Nigerian Nightmare.

@ Conner hit a stiff-arm on a would-be tackler and then a spin move that caught the attention of Antonio Brown.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Brown yelled.

When the running back went back to the pack of players behind the line of scrimmage, Brown made a point to go over and compliment him on the move.

Conner also had a tough day, however, leaving with a shoulder injury.

@ Mike Mitchell left practice early after being hurt in the seven shots drill to open practice. He stayed on the sideline, however.

Senquez Golson, who has looked good, also left early with what Tomlin said was a “soft tissue” injury.

@ Young offensive lineman Ethan Cooper of IUP is light on his feet for a player listed at 6-2, 322 pounds.

He’s also very strong, as he showed when he tossed 6-7, 352-pound Daniel McCullers to the ground.