Pittsburgh Steelers

Ike Taylor interview after Day 1 of OTAs about the sour taste of an 8-8 season, his thoughts on Cortez Allen, and seeing all of the new faces in the locker room.

The San Diego Chargers needed an offensive tackle. Max Starks needed a job. It just made sense for them to get together. So it’s no surprise that Starks agreed to terms with the Chargers today. Starks told Josina Anderson of ESPN that he has accepted a one-year contract offer. The 31-year-old Starks has played in… Source: ProFootballTalk » Pittsburgh Steelers The post Chargers, Max Starks agree to one-year deal appeared first on Pittsburgh Steelers Blog - NFL - PlanetSteelers.com.

On Monday, I posted a few things that I was hoping we would learn from the Pittsburgh Steelers first OTA session of the 2013 season that got underway on Tuesday and one of those items concerned rookie undrafted free agent wide receiver Reggie Dunn, and more specifically, his ability to return punts. It just so happens that Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette posted about Dunn in his Tuesday online chat and apparently the Utah kickoff return extraordinaire has yet to master the skill of catching punts. "I'm told Dunn, while a great kick returner, has not mastered the job of catching Read more [...]

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin interview after day 1 of OTAs about the excitement of seeing the players on the field and feeling energized by some of the new faces.... Source: Pittsburgh Steelers : Videos The post Coach Tomlin – OTAs appeared first on Pittsburgh Steelers Blog - NFL - PlanetSteelers.com.

The heat and humidity on Tuesday made it feel like the first day of training camp, but on this spring day it was the beginning of OTAs (organized team activities) that had the Steelers sweating it ...

... Source: Behind the Steel Curtain - All Posts The post Le’Veon Bell says he has seven percent body fat appeared first on Pittsburgh Steelers Blog - NFL - PlanetSteelers.com.

USA Today Sports With a two major phases of the offseason in the books, we’re starting to get an idea of what each team’s finalized 2013 product will look like. The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that had a rough start to the offseason in free agency, but then followed it up with a very solid draft, and now they’re in the process of ‘retooling.’ Because of this, many people are already questioning if there’s enough talent on the roster for this team to compete for the AFC North crown. I don’t really know how, this is even a question? The Steelers aren’t the favorites to win the division by any means, but at the same time, there isn’t a powerhouse team in the North, either. The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals will be good, but head and shoulders above the Steelers? No way. Pittsburgh plays a proven brand of football under Mike Tomlin and long-time defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau, and as long as Ben Roethlisberger is still under center, they’re going to be just fine. Maybe they’re not a top-tier AFC team, but they’ll be in contention for the division title and a playoff spot. While the team has experienced a couple of blows this offseason, the nucleus of the club is still intact. That starts with Big Ben, and now it’s expanding out to new key rookies like linebacker Jarvis Jones and running back Le’Veon Bell. This team is not in great shape by any means, but there’s no good reason to think they won’t give the Bengals and Ravens a run for their money in 2013. The champion will likely be determined by the the winner of the head-to-head divisional matchups, and all of those games are rivalry games. Anything can happen in rivalry games. Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter

If one was to purchase a pound of hamburger down at the local Giant Eagle, the "lean" variety would contain seven percent fat. So would Le'Veon Bell, according to Dan Geiger of the Post-Gazette. Today on BTSC: 'Football in shorts' Starks Bolts The 'Other' Safety 2008 a bad draft Jones doesn't test well Polamalu 'best shape since college He quoted Bell in his blog Tuesday evening saying "A lot of people look at me like a big heavy guy but a lot of people forget I'm a 6-foot-2 guy and at the Combine I measured in at 230 [and] I was like 7 percent body fat. I'm not an out of shape guy. I'm a pretty lean guy." Tomlin not impressed with 'football in shorts' You best be hitting people and wearing long pants if you want to impress Steelers coach Mike Tomlin That isn't much fat for a 230 pound guy, so yes, like the hamburger, lean would be an appropriate adjective. However, the Center for Disease Control would list Bell, at his admitted height and weight of 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, with a Body Mass Index of 29.5, or, well within the confines of "Overweight," and just one shade below "Obese." Apparently, the CDC feels he should be that super, ultra, hyper lean ground beef. Something doesn't add up here. Bell continues to get accolades from the media - if not from Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who wasn't at all impressed with the display of football in shorts that took place Tuesday. Assuming Tomlin wouldn't want to be fined $10,000 from the league, the shorts will be on display again Wednesday and Thursday before the Steelers wrap up the first session of OTAs. Follow @NealCoolong

... Source: Behind the Steel Curtain - All Posts The post Steelers coach Mike Tomlin not impressed with ‘football in shorts’ appeared first on Pittsburgh Steelers Blog - NFL - PlanetSteelers.com.

It must take a lot to actually impress Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Unfazed in answering media questions after Tuesday's first practice of the first session of Organized Training Activities (OTAs), the Post Gazette's Dan Gigler's Blog 'n Gold wrote about Tomlin's reaction to a question asked regarding any player impressing during practice. "Not at all. Football in shorts." Today on BTSC: Bell at 7 percent body fat Starks Bolts The 'Other' Safety 2008 a bad draft Jones doesn't test well Polamalu 'best shape since college Yeah, so shut up, Mr. Or Mrs. Question Asker. Football isn't a game to be played in shorts. Not to put words into Tomlin's mouth, but one has to wonder if the football in shorts reference is a quiet jab at the lack of contact in these practices, and how that might not translate well into playing the actual game - where players hit each other (until the league says they cannot hit each other). Not much to be impressed with, says Tomlin, but to turn a neutral into a positive, it doesn't appear anyone was injured. Follow @NealCoolong