Steelers Morning Huddle 6/4/13

May 21, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers offensive linemen Mike Adams (76) and David DeCastro (66) and Maurkice Pouncey (53) participate in organized team activities at the UPMC Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Hey there Steeler Nation!  Ready for a round up of the news with a side of opinion?  There is lots to talk about, so let’s get started.

The Steelers did some team building exercises at a local Dave & Buster’s during Monday’s OTA and some of the Steelers put out some good-natured ribbing via Twitter.

Steelers.com even posted a video of some of the happenings.   Some people might think that Monday’s team-building exercise was a waste of time.  However, I would have to disagree.  First of all, it’s June.  Relax.  Second, the players naturally have to be upset about what happened to Mike Adams.  This gets them into a community setting and lets them have some time as people, yet as a team.  Third, there was clearly something missing in the chemistry among the players last year, regardless of the vehement denials from certain veterans.  To me, those veterans were obviously nudged by the Steelers organization to squash the media discussion on the subject.  I don’t blame the Steelers for trying to deflect the discussion; it can be terribly distracting.  However, the morning at Dave & Busters shows me that the Steelers organization recognized it and aren’t acting like it didn’t happen at all.  I applaud them for doing this during an OTA and it shows an ability to adapt to the mood of the team.  I’m not saying this is going to make the season and drive them to a championship, but I think it was a good step to build camaraderie.

We are starting to see some possible injuries crop up due to OTAs.  I couldn’t find a lot of details about this, but the Steelers released a tweet and listed on their transactions that they put TE Zack Pianalto on the Waived/Injured List and signed TE Peter Tuitupou.  When the Steelers signed Pianalto, I was initially surprised, but then remembered Heath Miller’s unknown time table for a return.  It made sense they would look to add some depth at tight end.   Tuitupou is an undrafted free agent out of San Jose State, who had transferred from Utah State the year before.   Even though Miller is making progress in his recovery, the Steelers still need to be prepared for Miller to not be ready to start at the beginning of the season or possibly suffer a setback (hopefully not).

The Steelers have also announced that they have made progress on signing more of their draft picks.  According to Steelers.com, Jarvis Jones, the Steelers first-round pick was signed to a four-year deal and the financial terms were undisclosed.  Ed Bouchette, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, writes that Jones signed a deal worth $8.5M with a $4.7M signing bonus and an option for a fifth year.

Also according to Steelers.com, the Steelers and their second-round pick, Le’Veon Bell came to terms on a four-year deal.  Bouchette states that Bell got the same deal as Jones.  Their seventh-round pick Nicholas Williams was signed to an undisclosed deal as well.   If I remember correctly, they have yet to sign Landry Jones, but I can’t imagine that will be a problem.  The CBA certainly changed just how much the rookies can bargain with a team.  No more monster deals for rookie based on their college performance only to hold you breath until they proved themselves in the very different venue of the NFL.  However, $8.5M with a signing bonus seems pretty monster compared to my meager bank account.

Mike Adams’ prognosis is good and one of the three suspects has been arrested, according to several articles.  The photo that accompanies the Pittsburgh Tribune Review article by Michael Hasch suggests the suspect is a little worse for the wear, but it is not clear if this is a current picture.   Personally, I hope that Mike got a few licks in, but I’m just happy he will make a full recovery.  He will likely lose time on the season, but he has a good chance to get back in the game with the high rate of injury the Steeler’s offensive line seems to have every year.  Keep positive thoughts Mike, Steeler Nation is behind you!

That’s it for today.  Sound off and let me know what I got wrong, if I missed anything, or give your spin on how the Steelers are doing!