Steeler WRs tearing it up
Associated Press
The Steelers鈥� Antonio Brown leads the wide receivers during minicamp on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
Associated Press
Steelers wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey makes a reception during the first day of minicamp Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Minicamp鈥檚 continuing along like the rest of the spring for the Pittsburgh Steelers鈥� wide receivers, who keep making one big catch after another.
That goes for the entire depth chart.
鈥淎ll the way down,鈥� said cornerback Artie Burns. 鈥淎nd I do mean all the way down. Justin Hunter was a starter on the teams he played for and he made plays. Even the guys who just came into the league are pretty good, too.鈥�
Hunter made a big catch of a deep Ben Roethlisberger pass on Tuesday. So did Canaan Severin. And Sammie Coates may never have held on to as many passes as he has this month.
Richard Mann said earlier this spring that he came back for one final year to coach the wide receivers because they provide him the opportunity for another ring. Mann won one as the Tampa Bay receivers coach in 2002, but he called his group in Cleveland from 1986-91 the best he鈥檚 had. Until maybe now.
鈥淭hat was a good crew,鈥� Mann said of Webster Slaughter, Reggie Langhorne and Brian Brennan. 鈥淭his group I think is a little deeper, but, again, we haven鈥檛 seen some of the guys play real football yet.鈥�
The trio of Slaughter-Langhorne-Brennan averaged a combined 136 receptions, 1,938 yards and 10 touchdowns per season 鈥� or nearly identical to the numbers Antonio Brown put up in 2015: 136-1,834-10.
Brown lined up opposite Martavis Bryant most of that season, but was without him last season as Brown鈥檚 numbers slipped to 106-1,284-12.
The star receivers obviously complement each other, and Bryant is back from suspension bigger, stronger and faster than at any point in his life. Mann has noticed.
鈥淗e鈥檚 picking up right where he left off,鈥� Mann said. 鈥淲e just have to get him back in the groove of everything. I think he鈥檚 kind of fit back in real nicely. Hasn鈥檛 lost a lot when it comes to the system. He still knows it, so that鈥檚 a good thing. He didn鈥檛 lose any of that. And there are a couple of things we had to pick up on, but I鈥檝e been very pleased so far.鈥�
Mann said off the field, Bryant has 鈥渕atured a lot, a little different personality-wise, which is a good thing.鈥� And Mann鈥檚 goal in the next two days is to give Bryant a workload for the ensuing five weeks leading up to training camp.
Coates represents another noticeable change in the front-line receiving group. The third-year receiver played with a broken index finger last season and caught only four passes for 48 yards in the final 12 games, counting the playoffs. But he鈥檚 been catching just about everything this spring.
鈥淵eah, a lot better,鈥� Mann said. 鈥淚 think his finger鈥檚 healed. It鈥檚 crooked, but it don鈥檛 hurt.鈥�
Coates earlier that day had reeled in a deep ball from Roethlisberger that put a charge in the offense.
鈥淗e dropped one he should鈥檝e had, right here, and he came back and made a great catch down there,鈥� Mann said as he pointed to the end zone. 鈥淎 good football player always bounces back. That鈥檚 what I try to instill in him, and I鈥檓 starting to see some of that in him.鈥�
OFFENSIVE ONLY LACKS BELL
Offensive coordinator Todd Haley has that dangerous pack of receivers to go along with Pro Bowlers at quarterback, running back and two spots on an intact offensive line. Does he lack for anything on this offense?
鈥淣o, I鈥檓 really excited about this group,鈥� Haley said. 鈥淭he only thing is we have a long way to go. We have to get to Latrobe, get the pads on, make it through that healthy and having developed some physicality, and then we can talk more.鈥�
Of course, the Steelers are currently without Le鈥橵eon Bell, who has yet to sign his franchise tender and stayed home to recover from offseason groin surgery.
Does Haley have any doubt that Bell will report for training camp?
鈥淚鈥檓 not worried about it. I鈥檓 really not,鈥� Haley said. 鈥淗e was in the other day (and) I got to talk to him a little bit. He鈥檚 a great kid and I think he鈥檒l be ready to go.鈥�
The other potential holdout is left tackle Alejandro Villanueva.
鈥淗e鈥檚 out here so we鈥檙e coaching the heck out of him,鈥� Haley said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not in that position any more where I have to worry about that contract stuff. I just coach the heck out of the guys who are here and try to get better.鈥�
VILLANUEVA ON NEGOTIATIONS
Villanueva has yet to sign his exclusive rights tender, but did sign a waiver to practice this spring. He was asked if he has 鈥渁 number in mind鈥� for his ongoing negotiation.
鈥淣o, I don鈥檛 have anything,鈥� Villanueva said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know anything about this. I really don鈥檛 focus about contracts. I come from very little money. I spent most of my time in the military so I鈥檓 very institutionalized about the way I spend money. My agent will make a decision and he鈥檒l let me know. He鈥檚 a very smart guy and I trust him. He鈥檚 the guy that I trusted when I got cut from Philly and he taught me the steps of how to get back on my feet.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not a fun process. It鈥檚 not something that I like to go through. I hate being the center of attention on such a stupid topic, but at the end of the day there鈥檚 not a lot of things that are very exciting going on in OTAs and you guys have to write about something. But, I don鈥檛 think about this at all. I鈥檓 a very small part of this team. Everybody else in this building needs as much attention because they contribute to the team鈥檚 effort just as much. The team is very successful and will make whatever decision they have to make.
鈥淔rom my end, I鈥檝e been extremely fortunate to be where I鈥檓 at. I鈥檝e been to Afghanistan three times and a lot of service members have died next to me protecting my life, and so for me to be here is a blessing. I鈥檝e won 10 lotteries already. If I get a percentage of a lottery on top, it is what it is. And if not, then it鈥檚 something that I can live with.
鈥淎gain, I鈥檓 not the best at making decisions, but I feel very comfortable making decisions. It鈥檚 a process. I am very thankful for the Steelers and everything they鈥檝e done for me. I鈥檝e been very thankful of their treatment. They鈥檝e always been extremely respectful. The only thing I can do is show them respect back by trying to be here and contribute the best I can.鈥�
VILLANUEVA ON WATT
Third-round draft pick Cameron Sutton agreed to a four-year deal Tuesday and left first-round pick T.J. Watt as the Steelers鈥� last unsigned rookie.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not a problem at all with me,鈥� said Watt. 鈥淩ight now I鈥檓 just playing football and doing the best that I can on the field.鈥�
How exactly has he been doing?
Left tackle Villanueva, who鈥檚 blocked Watt 鈥� the first-team right outside linebacker 鈥� at every spring practice, provided a rave review.
鈥淚n terms of going against first-year players 鈥� like going against guys from the Browns and first-round picks from other teams 鈥� he doesn鈥檛 make mistakes. That鈥檚 rare and very impressive,鈥� Villanueva said. 鈥淗e knows how to disguise the plays. He knows his responsibilities. Then the second thing is he plays with a lot of confidence. And he plays very well with his hands. He understands protections and the offensive line so he shows a lot of maturity that you don鈥檛 usually see. He鈥檚 also a guy who鈥檚 using moves. He鈥檚 not just relying on athleticism. He鈥檚 a very athletic kid, but he鈥檚 not relying on it. He鈥檚 really putting thought into the game, so I鈥檝e had a lot of fun going against him for the past month.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy coming in and not knowing what to expect, but he鈥檚 just come in here and worked really hard. He doesn鈥檛 take a play off. It鈥檚 annoying to go against a guy like that, but he knows that it鈥檚 one of his strengths, like his brother, relentless. He鈥檚 got high expectations and works really hard. Because of that I predict that he鈥檚 going to be a very, very successful player in the NFL.鈥�