May 21, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (43) participates in organized team activities at the UPMC Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The OTA’s have started!  Here is the latest news from around the internet about the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL.

The NFL announced the locations for Superbowl L and LI.  According to the Associated Press, the NFL owners voted to hold Superbowl L in the 49er’s new stadium in Santa Clara, near San Francisco.  Levi Stadium is still in the early stages of being built, but I guess if you build it, they will come.  The owners voted to hold Superbowl LI at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX.  I wonder if Jerry Jones cast a vote for or against that choice?

Ed Bouchette, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, discusses Troy Polamalu’s appearance at this first OTA and how Polamalu has tried to deal with his repeated injuries from a physical therapy standpoint so he can break through the scar tissue.  He’s hoping this has point him back to a capability closer to his pre-injury days, but he clearly understands that he must change how he approaches his training.  I think he was avoiding that before.  Mark Karboly provides a perspective on Polamalu’s status.   He noted that Polamalu snagged an interception from Roethlisberger on the first day.  Polamalu also answered reporters’ questions after the practice.

Mark Karboly and Alan Robinson, of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, put together notes from the first day of OTAs and noted that Tomlin’s theme this year is:  Less Talk, More Work.  AMEN!  Hallelujah! It’s time to shut up, put your heads down, and work to become a Championship team.

The Trib also has some quotes from Roethlisberger noting that he likes the revamped offense.  As of the time of posting this article, that link was not working.  Here is the footage from his on-the-field interview.  I’ll try to get the updated link in when the site gets it fixed.  Here’s what I think based off of the title and summary on the front of the sports page:  I don’t really care whether Roethlisberger likes or dislikes the offense.  I care that he finds a way to work with his coaches to maximize his strengths and talents.  I know he gets questions he must answer and I hope he says enough to shut up the reporters.  I want to see results on the field.  I’ll go back to Tomlin’s theme:  Less Talk, More Work.

Ike Taylor was asked what Tomlin said to his players and he paraphrased the Less Talk, More Work theme.  Taylor said there is an air of anticipation and the returning players have a sour taste left over from last year.

Tomlin held a brief session with reporters following the OTAs and was asked questions on the status of players like Jarvis Jones and Sean Spence.  Not surprisingly, Tomlin’s conference was positive but didn’t reveal anything.

The speculation over whether the Steelers will bring Max Starks back is over.  Starks signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Chargers.  At least we didn’t have another Steelers player sign within the AFC North, I was getting kind of tired of having to think about facing former Steelers twice a year.  Either way, I wish Starks the best of luck.

On a non-football note, Plaxico Burress is looking at life after football and for once, it seems positive.  He’s launching a men’s hosiery line.  Good for him.  I hope it works because I doubt he will spend the whole season with the Steelers based on the off-season signings.

That’s it for today Steeler nation!  Let us know what you think and if I missed anything.

Larry Foote needs to use last season’s (at times embarrassing) performance as his sole motivation for 2013. Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Motivation.  It’s the life blood for all that we do.  And for the Steelers’ Larry Foote, the lack luster 8-8 record from last season is his (and the team’s) motivation to do better in 2013.

We’re pissed off we didn’t make the playoffs.  On top of that, our rival won the Super Bowl. I know guys are taking it personally. It’s just a whole different mindset to the offseason. I know guys are ready to get back where we need to be.

My sincere hope is that Larry and his teammates look beyond just the 8-8 record of 2012 as their motivation for how they play next season.  Didn’t make the playoffs?  Darn right that should make you angry.  But do you know WHY you missed the playoffs?  I hope that a coach or other player on that roster who had a large chunk of playing time last season puts up these seven words on a big ol’ poster up in the locker room:

“Oakland, Tennessee, Dallas, San Diego, Cleveland”

Each and every practice.  Each and every Sunday just before the team takes the field.  The team should be forced to circle up, stare at those seven words, and reflect on why they lost each of those games.  Each of those games had pinnacle moments where the team – offense or defense – just crapped the bed and found an L in the column among the waste.  Of course poor play will help a team get to 8-8 or worse.  But, the problem with the Steelers was that each and every one of those games were either in hand or quickly became trap games.  I don’t really accept the fact that the Steelers were well within grasp of being a playoff time.  They were shaky all season.  And instead of doing things that pushed them into becoming a playoff team, they continued the roller coaster like play and never made it past eight wins.  It’s probably a good thing they didn’t make it into the playoffs else they would have suffered a more embarrassing loss than they had the year previous by getting ‘Tebow’d.’

I do admire that Foote is taking his frustrations beyond a personal level.  He is taking it from a team and teammate standpoint, and that shows maturity in that view point.  But, I wouldn’t be so concerned about their greatest rival winning the Super Bowl last season.  It’s not like they had an opportunity to prevent the Ravens from going and thus winning the Super Bowl.  The only motivation they need from the Ravens is to beat the damn Ravens.  We also have to keep in mind that with the loss of so many players from last season’s roster that the 8-8 record will not have as much affect on a good chunk of players than if most of the 2012 roster were still around.

So let’s just say this, Larry.  Train your butts off.  Study your brains out.  And put it all out on the field each and every game down to every single man on that sideline.  Do it all for one thing and one thing only – that Lombardi Trophy.

Dec 16, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heathe Miller (83) runs after a catch against Dallas Cowboys linebacker Dan Connor (52) at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

When Heath Miller tore all three ligaments in week 16 against the Bengals, the hearts in all of Steeler Nation came to a complete stop. Not only did the Steelers lose that game, in turn knocking them out of the playoffs, they also lost their 2012 team MVP to a terrible knee injury.

After catching 8 touchdown passes last season, Heath Miller was elected to his first pro bowl. As a big fan of Heath Miller, I knew the potential Miller had to catch a boatload of touchdowns, but never did I envision Heath Miller to be the Steelers offense last season.

When Todd Haley had his introductory press conference, he only mentioned one name specifically that he was thrilled to work with, and that name was Heath Miller. The moment I heard Haley talk about Miller, I knew we were going to see a big season out of Heath. Miller fit perfectly the supposed “dink and dunk” offense that Todd Haley runs. The short yardage game is perfect for Miller since he is so big and strong. 71 catches later, Heath Miller became a vital part of the offense, something that Bruce Arians failed to do. I think the funniest thing is, the Steelers offense was its best in 2011 when it ran a short passing offense against the Titans and Patriots. But for some reason, Arians just did not want to use Miller.

Many people will tell you “Steelers are in trouble without Wallace.” I can honestly tell you I am more scared of life without being able to yell “HEATH” every game. Not only was Heath Miller a favorite target for Roethlisberger, he was also a fantastic in line blocker and personal protector. When you loose an entire package like Heath Miller, it takes away a dimension of your offense.

Kevin Colbert has been quoted numerous times saying that there is no time able for Millers return. For a while, I felt like Heath Miller was destined for the PUP list. One small unnoticed thing changed my mind. No, I don’t the Steelers are lying that they don’t have a good time frame, but I believe they figure to have Miller back soon enough. I thought at first Miller’s chances of playing a lot this year were very small, but when the Steelers didn’t draft any tight ends, I knew the front office had to have some faith that Miller would not miss more than a couple of games at the most.

After Miller’s surgery in January on his knee, Miller has been said to be walking jut fine without crutches or any assistance. At the point of the reports that came out, it was also said he was working on lifting lighter weights. While Miller is not there quite yet physically, he is a lot closer than some would be at this point.

Now say in theory, Heath MIller is the starting tight end come week 1 against the Titans. As great as that would be, we couldn’t expect him to just continue on right away where he left off. Even the great Adrian Peterson was eased into his starting role for the first couple games. At the age of 31, Heath Miller also isn’t as able to return to form as say a 25-year-old. Who knows if Miller returns to form ever again. Most of us assume that after completely messing up his knee, that he will just hop back on the field and be Heath Miller again. There is a lot of guessing involved with this, but what I will say is don’t count Heath Miller out just yet. Ben Roethlisberger was quoted saying “if anyone could do it, it would be Heath.”

All we can do is plan for the worst and hope for the best, but we all know that to make a run at 7, we need Heath Miller on the field. A season after Adrian Peterson came back better than ever, myself, along with the rest of Steeler Nation hope that Heath can do the same.

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Dec 16, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery (L) and head coach Mike Tomlin (R) watch a play during the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys won 27-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

First and foremost, I have to send my thoughts and good wishes out to those affected by tornadoes in Texas and Oklahoma.  The terrible devastation is heartbreaking to see.

It’s time for Organized Training Activities (OTAs)!  I know we really aren’t going to be able to draw any conclusions that we can say will transfer to the regular season, but the team is back on the field!  Here’s the latest news from around the internet.

The Steelers signed Vince Williams, their sixth-round draft pick, who played linebacker at Florida State University, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  So much for not signing any other draft picks until early June.  I guess it doesn’t matter, but why bother to put a date out and then have no intention of sticking to it?  Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review also posted a short article about Williams.

Ed Bouchette also wrote about the Steelers starting their first OTA and sees the 8-8 record of the 2012 season as a rallying point for the Steelers.  Well, I hope so.  He quotes Larry Foote’s comments from his Q&A in Michigan as proof (both Kim Myers and I discussed Foote’s comments too).  Bouchette also quotes Art Rooney II about how the Steelers will be evaluating the players’ level of conditioning when they show up to camps.  Rooney is concerned about the high number of Steeler injuries during 2012:

In terms of things that are within our control, we have to look at those things and make sure we are doing the best we can,” Rooney said in January. “I think the other thing we have to do is to make sure our players are aware that under the rules we are all operating under now, it’s more on them to make sure they are performing and doing their offseason conditioning.

We only have access to them for nine weeks, which is not that many weeks in the overall scheme of things. I think it is incumbent on the individual players to be more aware of that. I think they are.”

This is the continuation of teams getting used to the requirements/rules of the latest Collective Bargaining Agreement.   The players wanted more control over their personal conditioning and less grueling practices.  It is a given that not everyone is going to put the same effort into the conditioning and the result is more strain-related injuries.  Some injuries have little to do with conditioning, such as broken bones, but I would be curious to see if there are any stats about ACL/MCL or hamstring injuries in relation to the CBA signing.

Alan Robinson looks at the pressure on Mike Tomlin as the OTA’s start.  He came up with a different list of concerns than Ed Bouchette listed in his article from two days ago.

Among them: LaMarr Woodley’s weight. Troy Polamalu’s overall health. Ben Roethlisberger’s receivers. Dick LeBeau’s always-aging defense. The relatively young offensive line. The who’s-on-first situation at running back. The who’s-going-to-replace James Harrison scenario at outside linebacker.”

Robinson also notes that Tomlin has three new assistant coaches.  That’s a good point.  Last year, there was a lot of concern about Todd Haley and how much he would change the offensive and would Ben Roethlisberger be able to deal with the changes.  This year, no one seems as concerned, but this many new assistant coaches could have an initial impact on unit training because of the time it takes to get everyone onto the same page.  I hope it happens quickly in the OTAs.  This is squarely on Tomlin to get his coaches lined up and all facing the same direction.

Ralph Paulk, of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, wrote a profile on Justin Brown, a wide receiver from Oklahoma University, who the Steelers drafted in the 6th round.  It’s notable that Brown was one of the players who left Penn State University in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.  However, I don’t think Brown should have to repeatedly explain himself.  He made the decision to transfer to another university based on his personal feelings.  Others made the decision to stay.  I don’t see how that affects how he plays football.  That environment was not going to work for everyone and I don’t think any less of Brown for moving to another university.  I certainly hope that questions will not continue to surface.  I know that if he produces on the field the questions will die off, but I can hope people will just respect his decision and let it go.  Brown will need to put some work in though:

Richard Mann, the Steelers’ first-year receivers coach, wants Brown to polish his fundamentals before training camp opens in late July.  He has few concerns about his willingness to compete and excel.

He is very productive, and that tells you something about the guy,” Mann said. “I think he has good toughness, and that’s part of being a good receiver. He’ll lock up downfield, and I think that is a part of it also.”

I will finish up today’s post with an article from Alan Robinson focusing on Charlie Batch’s preparations toward a post-Steelers career.  He notes that Batch attended a three-day, hands-on session to teach writing skills to current and former NFL players.  Batch has not officially retired and remains un-signed for 2013.  However he seems to be approaching things with his characteristic hard work and awesome attitude:

I’m not closing the door,” the former Steel Valley High star said. “I’m open to whatever is out there for me.”  In a year or so, he wouldn’t mind working in some football broadcasting role or, perhaps someday, in an NFL front office.  ”I’d definitely be open to (Steelers GM) Kevin Colbert teaching me his job,” Batch said.

I’d like to see Batch be with the Steelers in some capacity in the future.  I’m a softie for a family-oriented, loyal organization and the Steelers hit that mark fairly often.

Well, Steeler Nation – are you ready for OTA’s to start?  I am.  Let us know what you will be looking for from these sessions and if you think we missed anything!