Opening Statement: Good spirit at work today, infused the two-minute into our practice to just cover that scenario. Obviously we will work on it again before going to Canton. We are touching on all the bases of situational football to get prepared to set foot into a stadium. I liked the work and I liked the energy coming off of an off day. It wasn't perfect, never is, but they worked. We had one significant injury to speak of. You guys all saw Robert Golden go down at the end of the two-minute drill. He is being evaluated. I don't have anything of any substance for you in that regard. A lot of the other bumps and bruises that are associated with camp, nothing to speak of or any significance from that standpoint. Hopefully we can get some of these guys back as they get well.
Are you coaching the defense in the two-minute drill?
I coach them all, all 90, and I flop sides sometimes during the practice, sometimes during the drill and sometimes during the play. I have that latitude.
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Following a day off, the Steelers took to the Saint Vincent College practice field for another day in front of the fans.
How do you feel the defense did in the two-minute drill?**
Obviously it is the structure of the drill and I think that is something that we have explained to them all the time. There might be instances where there is pressure on the quarterback that could be viewed as a sack but we let the play develop and finish down the field. It's not perfect and it's not football but I structure it so that we work our way down the field and work our way through the scenarios involving the situations. There is know true winners and true losers because I doctor the drill to make sure we get what we are looking for.
Do you like the full contact running drills?
I like what we are doing in that area but we still have to continue to develop, and the only way to develop the tacklers and guys that avoid tackles is to introduce that element to the process.
Does it feel like a game week?
It will when we start preparing. We don't prepare a lot for the first game whether it's the Hall of Fame Game or our first preseason game. We kind of play rules football and don't spend a lot of time from a game standpoint because really the first time you step into a stadium it's about what it is you're doing and your level of preparedness. It feels normal from that standpoint. We don't spend a lot of time focusing on our opponents the first time out.
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This drill pits a wide receiver 1-on-1 against a defensive back within the red zone.
Bruce Gradkowski was throwing today. Is he getting closer?**
He is.
What's Richard Mann brought to your receiving corps?
30 years of experience. You don't get to do this thing for 30 years unless you know what you're doing and you're really good at it. But beyond that is his rapport with people. He's a relationship type of a guy. I have a great deal of respect for Richard. We worked together for over 10 years in two different cities.
