Training camp report: Pittsburgh Steelers

I hit the road for my final stop on this ultra-aggressive run of six training camp sites in six days. I was on the way to Latrobe, Pa., and the gorgeous campus of St. Vincent College.

When I arrived, my eyes naturally turned to the early drills being run by the wide receivers and the speed of Emmanuel Sanders. His stutter-step and quickness into his breaks left me uttering a "wow" under my breath. Sanders also reached out to snag the ball out of the air instead of waiting for it to get into his pads. That’s not something you’re accustomed to seeing out of a first-year receiver.

I’ll be curious to see how the third slot in the receiving corps works out, as Sanders is part of a crowd behind Hines Ward and Mike Wallace, including the return of Antwaan Randle El.

We spent considerable time watching Sean Kugler work with his offensive line. I loved watching Kugler get into it with his players and take a full hands-on approach with each drill. "Rip here and pull violently!" he barked during one exercise. The sound of the pads crunching just got the blood boiling.

Of course, the eyes of the thousands of fans in attendance were on the every movement of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He threw the ball well in his reps, demonstrating good velocity and touch to the outside. Roethlisberger spent ample time during the workout talking to Ward and Wallace, particularly during 11-on-11 drills. He finished the workout by throwing a few more passes before heading to the fence to sign for the adoring crowd.

Roethlisberger’s backups, Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch, took the bulk of the snaps during this workout in anticipation of the first month of action.

I mentioned Ward before, and I would be remiss if I failed to talk about the veteran receiver and his "lead by example" mentality.

Ward routinely hit the turf to catch passes and absorbed more than a few blows. On one possession during timed drills, he caught several straight passes from Leftwich, including a quick slant for a touchdown. Ward also led the receivers back to the Jugs gun for more "hands" work post-practice.

Following practice, I had the good fortune of catching up with No. 2 receiver and fantasy hero Wallace. He told me that much of his off-season was spent cleaning up routes and attending to the details in his breaks. I asked about his relationship with Ward and what type of questions he asks the veteran receiver. He laughed and said, "Hines will tell you. You don’t need to ask."

One other player to watch on this offense is Heath Miller, who posted a tremendous 2009 season. Miller looked sharp in practice and stands to take on a huge role in this offense, particularly during the early part of the season while Roethlisberger is on suspension.

Finally, one of the things I love most about watching a Pittsburgh workout is the involvement of Tomlin and his staff in drills. I saw it with the offensive line, and I saw it with Tomlin’s hands-on approach to the 11-on-11 drills and the two-minute drills, shouting encouragement and instruction with each play. He reminded the players about the positioning of the referees, and where spotting the ball and timing could come into play in critical situations.

I believe the following quote from Tomlin says it all.

Coach Tomlin was asked whether he was looking forward to the Friday night practice in front of a huge crowd.

"I’m looking forward to all practices. Any time that we’ve got an opportunity to come together and get better, whether it’s at night, in the morning or at lunchtime, I’m all for it."

Thus ends a long and winding road through six camps. Thanks for coming along for the ride.