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2012 Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp – Day Two Recap

By Dave Bryan

Posted on July 26, 2012 at 8:23 pm

The Pittsburgh Steelers have now wrapped up day two of training camp in Latrobe and here is your daily recap of the day.

The morning featured a walk-thru practice that was closed to both the media and the public. In regard to the morning session, left guard Willie Colon said, “The morning session is good for us, slowing it down and getting the install,” said Colon. “It slows everything down. We walk-thru, see schemes. We are playing a lot of 4-3 defenses this year so it gives us a chance to see how they operate.”

“It’s a good time for guys like me learning a new position. It’s going to help us.”

The first real news of the day from the interview that General Manager Kevin Colbert gave where he mostly talked about restricted free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace, who has still yet to report and sign his tender. Colbert was pretty blunt and to the point in saying that as right now all negotuions have stopped with Wallace and his agent Bus Cook and that all offers are currently off the table until Wallace reports and signs his tender. Basically, the Steelers are doing business the way they have always done in regard to hold out type situations. I would not expect to hear too much more about this from the players or coaches until Wallace does report.

Colbert also announced today that the team will indeed using the three $500,000 veteran salary cap credits that they have at their disposal this year. That will clear another $1.5 million in cap space.

Also in regard to Wallace, Ed Bouchette wrote that he has been told that Wallace is calling all the shots on his side and not Cook. So for all the people that jumped to conclusions that Wallace was getting bad advice from Cook, you could very well be wrong.

James Harrison, who started camp on the Active PUP list, was asked about the recent report that stated former Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler, who is leading the charge of the former NFL players that are suing the league, is asking that Harrison be thrown out of the league because he is a recidivist violator when it comes to illegal hits. Harrison\’s classic reply when asked about Stabler\’s comments was, “Who is — Ken who?”

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Harrison has reportedly scaled back his tough offseason workouts in an effort to ease his back problems and said that it seems to have worked.

In the middle of the day it was announced that coaching and scouting interns on the Steelers staff this year at camp are: Chidi Iwuoma, Oliver Gibson, Brentson Buckner and Tyrone Carter. All former Steelers.

Running backs coach, Kirby Wilson talked to the media on Thursday about his recovery, return to camp, and the heated competition at the running back position.

Not surprisingly, the Steelers reportedly won’t negotiate a deal with running back Rashard Mendenhall before the start of the season because of the uncertainty of his health.

The Steelers took the field in the late afternoon and it was reported that the starting offensive line left to right was Trai Essex, Willie Colon, Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster and Marcus Gilbert. Rookies Mike Adams and David DeCastro rotated in with the first team at left tackle and right guard respectively. Keenan Lewis opened at the outside corner spot opposite Ike Taylor with Cortez Allen serving as the nickelback. Chris Carter was the starting right outside linebacker with both Harrison and Jason Worilds sidelined. Heath Miller left practice with an ankle injury, but it is not deemed serious in nature. Rookie Alameda Ta\’amu also missed practice due to a foot injury that he reportedly suffered on Wednesday during the conditioning run test. The injury was not deemed serious by head coach Mike Tomlin during his post practice press conference.