LATROBE, Pa. -- When the Steelers selected Mason Rudolph in the third round of this year's NFL Draft, many wondered what that meant for last year's fourth-round pick at quarterback, Josh Dobbs.
In fact, many thought it spelled the end of Dobbs' time with the team.
Because of that, you'd think Dobbs would be angry another player was selected at his position just one year after he was taken. Instead, Dobbs was happy the Steelers selected Rudolph to join he, Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones as the four quarterbacks in camp this year.
Turns out, Dobbs and Rudolph have known each other for a while.
"We kind of came up through college together," Dobbs told me Thursday as the Steelers practiced for the first time at Saint Vincent College. "We spent time together at the Peyton Manning (quarterback) camp. I know him, any time he was in Pittsburgh, I would say, ‘What’s up?’ So I was happy for him."
Even if that means Dobbs won't be here? Well, players don't typically think that way.
Dobbs, a former starter at Tennessee, doesn't care about the numbers, even though the Steelers have rarely kept four quarterbacks -- a notable exception coming in 1995 when they selected Kordell Stewart in the second round when they already had Neil O'Donnell, Jim Miller and Mike Tomczak on the roster.
"You can’t get into the counting numbers business," Dobbs told me. "If people are counting numbers, they’re cutting themselves. You’ve just got to approach each day and play each rep. My goal is to dominate each time I step on the field. That’s always been my mindset. That’s my goal. I’ll let them worry about the numbers, and I’ll play my game on the field."
Besides, Dobbs feels like he has an advantage over Rudolph. He's been here for a year, knows the offense and, just as importantly, the players and coaches around him. He knows where to go when he needs something at the team facility or training camp. He doesn't need to concern himself about the big picture. He can just focus on playing football.
"I was comfortable coming in. I had the general layout of the land," Dobbs told me of his rookie season. "Now, it’s kind of night and day. Last year, you’re in the huddle and you hear the play call and you just want to spit it out as fast as possible so you don’t forget it. So the guys are, ‘OK, he knows what he’s saying.’ Now, you see the play in your head. You can visually put guys in the right position. You don’t need Randy (Fichtner) to repeat it twice because you know it. It’s definitely a big step from last year.
"You come in the first day and you feel at home. The offense didn’t change at all. Of course there will be different play calling and different situational stuff. But the offense is the same."
MORE STEELERS
• I'll find out more about this as camp goes on, but I'm hearing the Steelers might shift to more 4-3 looks, something they have done on occasion the past couple of seasons. That was partially behind the idea of moving Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt. Dupree could wind up playing more of a traditional 4-3 end position, with Watt stacking behind the line of scrimmage. -- Lolley
• Sean Davis opened training camp as the free safety and Morgan Burnett was the strong, not that it should be a surprise to anyone. That was the assumed alignment most had when the Steelers signed Burnett in free agency, even if Mike Tomlin wouldn't admit it. "They're both interchangeable," Tomlin said Thursday. That might be the case, but the Steelers would prefer Davis to be the deep guy. -- Lolley
• Roethlisberger has cut some weight by cutting carbs and sugars out of his diet. And he's noticeably lighter. One bonus? At practice Thursday, Roethlisberger wasn't wearing any kind of brace or sleeve on his knees. He did have some of that medical taping that is all the rage, but no braces, something that would have been unheard of in previous years. He also displayed some of the old scrambling ability early in practice. Having less weight on his 36-year-old knees isn't a bad thing. "As we get older, all of us, including everybody out here, we need to get healthier and I think we need to be healthier as a society, so why not push for better health for everybody?" -- Lolley
PIRATES
Gregory Polanco doesn’t typically spend the All-Star break on a baseball field. That’s not unusual. Most players try to completely unplug. However, he was invited to take batting practice at a field owned by Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, who is currently serving an 80-game suspension.
Polanco, along with Mariners shortstop Jean Segura, Cardinals outfielder Marcell Ozuna, Red Sox third baseman Eduardo Nunez and Phillies first baseman Carlos Santana, made the trip to San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, which is only an hour east of Polanco's hometown. Polanco accepted immediately, both to see old friends and to stay fresh after a fine final month to the first half. -- Lance Lysowski
• With the Rangers reportedly doing background work on Pirates prospects, it’s important to note Triple-A Indianapolis has received an increasing amount of attention from scouts across the league, per a source. — Lysowski
• Along with Rangers closer Keone Kela, I'm told the Pirates have expressed interest in a number of relief pitchers available on the trade market. However, they aren't interested in adding a starting pitcher, given the acquisition cost and confidence in their young staff. -- Lysowski
• Following a terrible stretch last month, Edgar Santana moved to the middle of the rubber to give opponents less time to pick up the movement of his slider. The result: 9 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings. -- Lysowski
• Don't expect Jordy Mercer to be traded at the deadline. Aside from the Pirates' recent success, Kevin Newman was batting just .186 over his previous 10 games entering Thursday. -- Lysowski
• Felipe Vazquez gave Francisco Cervelli a piece of his All-Star experience. In what's become an All-Star tradition, each National League All-Star had two of their jerseys signed by each player on the roster. Although Vazquez kept one, he gave the other to Cervelli.-- Lysowski
PENGUINS
Tristan Jarry's new contract, signed Thursday night, comes with an interesting twist. It's a two-year deal but will be a two-way deal only in 2018-19 and then a one-way in 2019-20. It will pay $675,000 at the NHL level. So it would seem the Penguins have set their goaltending duo for next season. Matt Murray will be the starter and Casey DeSmith -- as he was at the tail end of last season -- will be the backup. Though the organization is still high on Jarry, it feels he'll be better served playing regularly in the AHL instead of getting the odd start in the NHL. But it also says a lot about what the Penguins think of DeSmith, who went 6-4-1 with a fine 2.40 goals-against average and .921 save percentage last season. DeSmith doesn't have Jarry's pedigree but he is solid and has been comfortable coming in off the bench. -- Chris Bradford
PITT
• With the quality of recruits he has brought in, no one will fault Jeff Capel for missing on a target, which is the case with four-star Aundre Hyatt. The small forward is a New York native who played at the Miller School (Va.), graduated in June and was scheduled to make an official visit to Pitt next week. The trip was called off, and Tuesday, Hyatt tweeted he would commit to either LSU, Seton Hall or Rutgers Aug. 10. In the end, the move might be best for both sides. Pitt’s roster is crowded with talent on the wing, including leading scorer Jared Wilson-Frame, Malik Ellison coming off sitting out a transfer year and incoming freshman Au’Diese Toney, so playing time might come easier for Hyatt elsewhere. Likewise, Pitt now has an extra official visit and still a scholarship available to look for a late-committing big man or other player who could help immediately. — Matt Grubba
• I had a chance to visit with some of the members of the Pitt volleyball team for an upcoming feature about entering the season as the defending ACC co-champions. However, one key player — all-ACC junior outside hitter Stephanie Williams — was not available and for good reason. Williams is in São Paolo, Brazil, where she played this week for the United States at the International University Sports Federation’s FISU America Games. The U.S. reached the semifinals at the event before losing Wednesday to Argentina. — Grubba
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