LATROBE, Pa. -- The Steelers have had a group of NFL officials in camp the past couple of days and it was interesting because the first day was a flagfest.
Defensive backs, who had gotten accustomed to being able to get grabby, were suddenly finding themselves getting reeled back in by the NFL officials on-site.
"We talked to them after the practice to explain what they could and couldn't get away with," one official told me Thursday. "Lo and behold, you see what they're doing today."
What they were doing Thursday was grabbing passes instead of offensive players. The Steelers defensive backs got their hands on a number of passes, including interceptions by Jordan Dangerfield and Brian Allen in the final competitive period of the day, which was working in the red zone.
They were moving their feet and tracking the ball instead of trying to get by with using their hands.
"They made some plays," said Mike Tomlin. "They gave up a few. Such is life on a day like today."
But the defensive backs were more on point Thursday. They weren't drawing the penalties. In fact, the offense got called for a couple of pass interference penalties, with JuJu Smith-Schuster getting a pass interference penalty on the seven shots drill to negate a touchdown, and Darrius Heyward-Bey getting called for one while breaking up a sure interception by Artie Burns.
Of course, it didn't hurt that Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown weren't practicing.
"I would just say each day is different," Joe Haden told me. "Going against 7, they're going to catch the ball. And no AB out there helps. I like going against them all the time because we have to do a good job of using our feet. It was the red zone, so you know in the red zone, things happen a lot quicker and things go down."
Still, Tomlin has emphasized taking the ball away with his secondary. The Steelers haven't had a defensive back record more than three interceptions in a season since Troy Polamalu had seven in 2010. Without Ryan Shazier in 2018, the team needs to do something other than just break up passes. It needs to turn the instances when the defensive backs get their hands on the ball into turnovers.
But the Steelers have a lot of talented young players in their secondary.
"We've got a lot of guys to sort through," Tomlin said.
MORE STEELERS
• The Antonio Brown injury is minor. So minor, in fact, he was running around on the sideline Wednesday when he was held out of practice. So why did the team send him to Pittsburgh, as Tomlin said, for evaluation? Because he was running around on the sideline, signing autographs Wednesday and they want him taking it easy. If Brown is anywhere near a practice field, he's going to do football-type things. Also, he was constantly being asked for autographs by fans along the sideline, which he happily signed. He then signed for a good amount of time after practice, as well. So the team felt the best thing for Brown was to get him out of Latrobe for a day or two while he rests what is being called a strained quad. -- Lolley
• The Steelers are taking a long look at Mike Hilton not only at slot cornerback but as a deep safety, as well. Why? It goes back to that ability to turn the ball over. Hilton has good hands and a nose for the football. "He's a good tackler," Tomlin also added. This is a team with all kinds of options now in the secondary. -- Lolley
• Expect the Steelers to be in the market for veteran offensive tackle help. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if they dealt from an area where they seem to have an excess of players -- the secondary -- to perhaps get a guy as they did last year with Vance McDonald and J.J. Wilcox. Coty Sensabaugh wouldn't seem to necessarily have a spot on this roster and there might be some teams out there that could use a corner with some starting experience. The problem is that there aren't any teams out there with extra offensive tackles. -- Lolley
• It seems the team is settling on what we thought they might at inside linebacker with Jon Bostic beginning to take snaps away from Tyler Matakevich. Interestingly enough, in addition to unveiling a quarter defense late this week, the team also showed a dime that included Vince Williams on the field. It wouldn't surprise me to see that be Bostic, as well, at some point in the future. -- Lolley
• One note about new tight end Bucky Hodges, who was signed Thursday. Hodges was highly thought of in some scouting circles as a receiving tight end when he came out in 2017. But I spoke with former Pitt tight end Scott Orndoff after the NFL Scouting Combine that spring and Orndoff told me Hodges had to be taught at the combine how to line up in a three-point stance because he had never done so at Virginia Tech. He was a sixth-round pick of the Vikings last season but was waived injured last September and then given his outright release. It looks like the 6-foot-6, 257-pound Hodges has been working on his blocking, however. He did just fine with it in one-on-one drills Thursday. -- Lolley
PIRATES
• Tyler Glasnow was revered in the Pirates' clubhouse. So, the term "bittersweet" was used by several players when describing the Chris Archer trade. It's not that Austin Meadows wasn't liked, but most of the Pirates' current core came up through the minor leagues with Glasnow.
The Pirates' pitching staff was texting Glasnow following Tuesday night's win, peppering him with questions about what the Rays planned for him to do and finally offering congratulations when he was told he'd start the following night. "It's obvious how close we all are," Steven Brault told me. "This group is so close, we've been playing together so long." -- Lance Lysowski at PNC Park
• That said, the trade has energized the clubhouse. There was a palpable energy in there as players followed the Archer rumors on Twitter. And yes, there is an overwhelming sense of relief that Neal Huntington didn't trade away any of those veterans, including David Freese. -- Lysowski
• I'm told the player to be named later heading to the Rangers is a lower-tier prospect, while the one going to Tampa is of a much higher pedigree. Although some are speculating a major-league player is headed to the Rays, I've heard that's not the case. Instead, the Pirates will indeed part with one of their top prospects, although it's not Mitch Keller or Ke'Bryan Hayes -- Lysowski
HOUNDS
• Bob Lilley stopped through the DKPittsburghSports.com offices once his players had gone home after Wednesday’s 3-0 win over the Richmond Kickers, and he shared a little extra insight on one of the areas where his team hasn’t been stellar — defending set pieces. Doing so against Richmond was an additional challenge with 6-foot-6 Joe Greenspan getting a night off, which left Hugh Roberts, Thomas Vancaeyezeele and Andrew Lubahn as the players in zone defense in front of the goal. Lilley said the Hounds then had to be careful with their matchups, as players such as Neco Brett, Ben Zemanski and Jordan Dover — all shorter than 6 feet — were taking man-to-man responsibilities against players much taller or more athletic than themselves. While the team got away with it against Richmond, Lilley said that will be an ongoing concern against top teams like FC Cincinnati, which continues to sign tall, athletic players in advance of their departure to MLS. — Matt Grubba
PITT
• The Panthers get into full swing with football camp starting Friday, and the team will have five straight days of practice (Sunday’s session will be closed to the media) before getting their first off-day Wednesday. Coinciding with that off-day will be the Media Day for the Panthers’ other fall sports teams — men’s soccer, women’s soccer, volleyball and cross country — at Petersen Events Center, while the football team will have its own media day after returning to practice Thursday. — Grubba
DUQUESNE
• On the heels of being named as one of 25 players on the watch list for the Walter Payton Award, expectations are high for Duquesne running back A.J. Hines. Because of that, coach Jerry Schmitt is being cautious with his star running back, holding the junior out of practice with a hamstring injury when I visited the team Monday. Hines missed spring with an unrelated shoulder injury, but neither is expected to jeopardize his chances of facing UMass on Aug. 25. — Grubba
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