Tomlin dials up a heavy dose of Mendenhall
LATROBE 鈥� Mike Tomlin dialed up a heavy dose of Rashard Mendenhall yesterday, and Mendenhall responded like a healthy back in the prime of his career should.
鈥淗e鈥檚 done a super job preparing himself and I expect him to have a tremendous year,鈥� said running backs coach Kirby Wilson.
Wilson calls Mendenhall 鈥渁 four-phase, all-phase running back.鈥�
And Wilson went on. 鈥淭his guy鈥檚 an outstanding blitz-pickup player. He鈥檚 outstanding as a route runner. He鈥檚 got very, very good hands as a receiver. His knowledge of the game and of this offense is superior. He鈥檚 a really focused football player, and obviously what he does for us from tackle to tackle, he鈥檚 a dynamic finisher. He is a complete football player and this guy鈥檚 got a bright, bright future ahead of him as long as he stays focused and as long as he continues to work hard the sky鈥檚 the limit for him. There鈥檚 nothing he can鈥檛 do.鈥�
While Mendenhall rushed for a career-high 1,273 yards last season, on his last carry 鈥� on 2nd-and-2 at the Green Bay 33, to start the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl 鈥� he fumbled. Might there be any type of carryover?
鈥淚t鈥檚 gone. It鈥檚 over,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淵ou can never change it. And it鈥檚 still one mistake.
鈥淵ou just always try to improve your game every week, every year, and I think he鈥檚 done that. He鈥檚 come in camp in great shape with a great attitude. Like any competitor, you don鈥檛 like to make mistakes but you try to learn from them, and he has. He鈥檚 done a super job preparing himself and I expect him to have a tremendous year this year.鈥�
EASING INTO LEADERSHIP: Ben Roethlisberger picked apart the first-team defense in three easy pieces yesterday for a touchdown in the highlighted 2-minute drill.
Roethlisberger hit Tyler Grisham with a bomb down the left sideline on the third snap, the third straight completion.
The Steelers鈥� quarterback is looking sharp and feeling easy, a maturity befitting the team鈥檚 second-oldest offensive starter. Roethlisberger even spoke as if he were part of the staff when the topic turned to speedy receiver Mike Wallace.
鈥淚t鈥檚 gotten to the point where with him we can start working on other routes,鈥� Roethlisberger said of Wallace鈥檚 progression.
鈥淪ay the first year he had 3 routes. Last year he had maybe 8 routes. This year we鈥檝e got him on 10 to 12, you know what I鈥檓 saying? Every year we get him more involved and to do more things.鈥�
Can Wallace reach his stated goal of 2,000 receiving yards?
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to hear him talk to me about that stuff,鈥� Roethlisberger said.
INJURY REPORT; Missing practice with minor injuries Tuesday were Wallace, Curtis Brown, Weslye Saunders, Emmanuel Sanders, Mario Harvey, Adam Mims, Bryant McFadden, Ramon Foster and Limas Sweed.
QUOTABLE MIKE: Tomlin on whether he鈥檚 where he would be in another year.
鈥淚鈥檓 not concerned about it based on where I would normally be at this time of year. I鈥檓 concerned about it relative to the people we鈥檙e competing against. We鈥檙e all faced with the same obstacles, so it makes it fair. That鈥檚 what we need to deal with. If we focused on how we felt this time of year, this time of year and past years, all of us would be extremely frustrated. That鈥檇 be na茂ve.鈥�