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Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Wednesday news and notes

It was an interesting morning with LaMarr Woodley saying the Steelers have opened negotiations with him on a new deal and then saying that the date for the league year to begin could be moved to next Tuesday.

That would mean a bunch of players would be unable to practice tomorrow as planned. They have unable to practice, waiting for a new CBA to be ratified. That has obviously not happened.

© Ryan Clark explained that the Steelers won't OK a deal that doesn't take the fining and suspension powers away from Roger Goodell.

A majority vote on the new CBA, however, is all that is needed.

© The Steelers on Wednesday worked extensively with their tight ends catching passes. Tuesday was a big day for those guys in terms of blocking.

The team is looking hard at who is going to be Heath Miller's backup.

© Somehow a rumor surfaced that the Steelers were making some kind of moves at quarterback.

Byron Leftwich, however, continues to get the second-team snaps. Charlie Batch has gotten precious little work.

That's not uncommon for Batch, but with Dennis Dixon set to return – either Thursday or next Tuesday – I have to believe he bumps Batch.

© Emmanuel Sanders was still in a walking boot, but was off the crutches today.

© Keenan Lewis was back at practice today after sitting out with hamstring issues.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did Ryan Clark really get into it with Joe Bendel? It sounded awesome, is there video?

Anonymous said...

I believe the P-G might be the source of the qb rumor. One reporter opined the team would keep Batch over Dixon.

Anonymous said...

Dennis Dixon is not an NFL caliber QB. He sucks! Period!

I'd be suprised if he could complete 50% of his passes if there wasn't a defense on the field covering any of his receivers.

Superfan99 said...

Hmm...considering that Dennis Dixon has completed 59% of his passes throughout his career, including 68% in his two starts last year, I have to seriously doubt your talent evaluation skills.

Anonymous said...

Stats are for losers, Dixon is aweful and that is why he is at the bottom of our depth chart...

I'm very curious about Keenan Lewis, how did he look in practice yesterday?

Anonymous said...

dale,
this morning i read how lewis matched wallace stride for stride on a long pass play. that is the second time i have heard a DB matching wallace so far (macfadden the other time).

this actually concerns me a bit. i didn't think our DB's were that fast. is wallace having any struggles in camp that you can see?

thanks.

Mark said...

Yeah, don't let stats or logic get in the way of a well thought out argument.

Dale, Can they really play a preseason game next Friday if the cba isn't ratified until Tuesday?

Anonymous said...

Marc, nothing official coming from me, but everything I've heard about Wallace is he's having his best camp yet

He is entering that 3rd year after all

Probably just means Keenan's actually improved. Lucky for us!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Ultraview, your data sucks. It's out of date (doesn't reflect cuts, like Max Starks) and omits key players (ever heard of James Harrison?).

Anonymous said...

How's Sweed looking?

Dale Lolley said...

Remember that these corners work with Walllace all the time. They know how fast he can get on them if they don't give proper cushion.
And Lewis has worked out with him since they were kids.

Sweed has been up and down.

Anonymous said...

Up and down doesn't sound good for someone who's on his last straw

drop wise? Because that was his main issue

Anonymous said...

dale,
lots of speculation out there that woodley wants big money and the steelers won't go that high.

your thoughts.

PSUnGA said...

I Hope Woodley doesnt demand a huge pay day. I know he wants to be paid, and the steelers front office wants to pay him fair. I just hope it works out for both parties involved. Woodley is a great a player and i would love for him to retire as a steeler.

Dale Lolley said...

They're negotiating. There's no pressure on Woodley to settle on, say, a 4-year, $20-million deal when he's going to make $10 million this season.
But, the Steelers have to be careful that they don't upset the apple cart with Woodley considering they have deals with Polamalu and Timmons to work on as well.
Woodley can't make more than Polamalu. You could argue that he shouldn't make more than Timmons. And they're not going to give him a better long-term deal than the one Harrison has now.
But, the negotiations haven't even been ongoing for a week. Something will get done at some point because the Steelers need to lower his cap nnumber so they can start working on Polamalu/Timmons.