A Renaissance Man from Washington

Saturday - Steelers Training Camp Report

To be honest, there's not that much to report today. As the team moves into the second week of training camp, the practices are going to get easier for the players, and coaches are going to get more cautious with injuries. Coach Tomlin showed this by holding a number of players out of practice, including rookie wideout Mike Wallace. Even with some guys being held out, both Troy Polamolu and Hines Ward were in pads this afternoon.

Coming off their night practice at Latrobe High School on Friday night, Tomlin wanted to make sure Saturday morning was not wasted by sharing so choice words with the team before the practice got under way. According to some who heard the speech, the words weren't very flattering. But he was adamant that he felt the morning practice was good, giving a lot of the younger guys some reps.

One interesting story from the morning is the story of Roy Lewis. Lewis, a second year man out of Washington, is listed as a right cornerback. But today he played strong safety, and he maintains the versatility to play the other safety and cornerback position. Talk about being able to do it all, we have football's renaissance man. Even though he admitted that he is just now getting a full understanding of Dick Lebeau's defense, Lewis has the ability to play all four positions in the defense. When I asked him if it's frustrating not being able to concentrate on one single position, he said it's not because through his versatility he's able to gain a perspective from every position in the secondary. On the human side, Lewis is a very upstanding guy, nice, well-spoken, and definitely has a chance to possibly make a name for himself on this team.

The afternoon held nothing out of the ordinary. It does seem like the team is itching to play Thursday. With practice after practice of no contact, you can tell in the stands that the guys are ready to hit somebody. And for the guys who are on the bubble for a roster spot, it's a chance to show the coaches what they can do.

Other than that, nothing earth shattering. With only one practice tomorrow, it seems the trend will continue, but regardless, I'll be there.