It wouldn’t be a Pittsburgh Steelers’ Organized Team Activity without someone dealing with contractual issues, someone not participating and of course the usual scuttlebutt that wraps itself around the team.
There’s no question that the two biggest issues contractually speaking are Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey. Ben’s contract expires at the end of next season while Pouncey’s will expire at the end of this year. Ask ten hardcore Steelers’ fans what they think will happen with these two and you’ll likely get ten different answers.
As far as the no-shows go, we know that rookie linebacker Jordan Zumwalt can’t be here according to NFL rules. Ike Taylor not being here isn’t a huge deal because he often skips these things. The somewhat questionable one is Troy Polamalu who has rarely attended these things anyway so maybe it isn’t such an issue.
Personally, it doesn’t bother me too much that Polamalu is absent other than the fact he’ll have a new secondary partner in Mike Mitchell. I’d like to see the future hall of famer getting acclimated to Mitchell but I also realize there is a lot of time left for that to happen.
Other Bits From Day Two of OTAs
-My favorite line yesterday comes from the Trib’s Dejan Kovacevic who wrote, “Ryan Clark had the biggest mouth, but he was tuned out by pretty much everyone except ESPN.”
-Ramon Foster talked about new offensive line coach Mike Munchak. “He’s really big on technique,” Foster said. “He keeps saying, ‘Technique is what’s going to get you there.’ Sometimes as pros, coaches may not do the small things, like working on feet separation or the hands, but he’s big on that.”
-The Trib’s Mark Kaboly Tweeted, According to NFL transactions, #Steelers were awarded CB Deion Belue off waivers from the Dolphins and released rookie tackle Kaycee Ike.
-Dri Archer missed the second straight day of OTAs due to illness.
Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @steeldad and follow the website at @SCBlitz. He can be heard weekly on Trib-Live Radio talking Steelers and is a blogger for ESPN 970 in Pittsburgh.
