DIESELMAN
07-28-2007, 10:08 PM
The Steelers found Willie Parker after the 2004 draft, and Nate Washington after the 2005 draft. Did they find another gem after this year's draft?
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LATROBE – On the first snap, he blocked Brett Keisel. On the second, he stopped James Harrison. On the third, he did the same to Travis Kirschke.
That’s some fine NFL talent that Steelers undrafted rookie left tackle Jason Capizzi kept out of the backfield during the hottest part of Friday night’s practice under the lights at Latrobe Stadium.
Capizzi knew he had done well.
“I actually thought (Friday) night was probably my best practice of all,” he said.
At 6-feet-9, 315 pounds, Capizzi is massive and he’s obviously strong. He also showed the quick feet, swivel hips and flat back necessary to play tackle in the NFL. The Steelers may have found themselves another post-draft gem this offseason.
“I still have some things to improve on,” Capizzi said. “There are days when I think I do real well, and I go in and (line coach Larry Zierlein) will say, ‘This, this, this and this you could do better on.’ Then there are days when I’m down on myself and I’m thinking I played horrible, and I’ll go in and he’ll say, ‘You didn’t do that bad.’ It’s just hard, and I’m hard on myself too.”
Capizzi was an All-WPIAL player at Pine-Richland High School. He matriculated to Pitt and eventually moved into the starting lineup, but lost his spot after an arrest for underage drinking. He eventually transferred to Indiana University of Pa. and became a Division II All-America. With his size and athleticism, there’s no apparent reason why Capizzi went undrafted.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I got my shot, and I think I’ve got a pretty good shot of making this team.
“Maybe it was that one little incident when I got in trouble at Pitt, with all the conduct stuff going on. I don’t know. I’m not questioning the past. I just look towards the future and trying to make the best out of it.”
HOLMES TO RETURN
Santonio Holmes has missed the first week of practice with a non-specified, “non-football issue” that’s been deemed “embarrassing” by a team source. But Holmes is expected to return to the practice field Sunday after participating in wide receiver drills on Saturday.
“I just went through most of the offensive drills, the wide receiver drills, just to get a feel for it, catch a couple passes from the quarterbacks, and run a couple routes to see how it felt out here,” he said. “I probably wouldn’t say I’m 100 percent, but I still have a lot of work just to get back into football shape right now.”
He was asked if he will wear shorts or football pants.
“I’m not sure about that right now,” he said. “We’ll see how it feels (Sunday). The doctors will let me know if I should wear shorts or not.”
Holmes, of course, caught a 67-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the 2006 season. It beat the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime and served as a springboard for Holmes into 2007.
This spring, he said his goal was to double his receptions from last season (49), but he’s worried he’s fallen behind because of the injury.
“I’m probably far behind in football speed, but as far as knowing my assignments and knowing what to do on the field, I think I’m still up to par,” he said.
“I kind of feel like a rookie coming in all over again because I didn’t get an opportunity to start fresh with these guys. Even though I went through a lot of drills during the offseason and learned all the plays, it’s still going to feel a lot different playing at the game speed these guys are playing at right now.”
INJURY REPORT
RB Verron Haynes (knee) increased his workload Saturday and reported no soreness. ... LB Lawrence Timmons (groin) remains day-to-day. ... TE Matt Spaeth, the third-round draft pick, injured his shoulder and is also day-to-day.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s hurt,” Tomlin said of Spaeth. “He’s dealing with something. We’ll look at it tonight and see if he can go tomorrow.”
X’s AND O’s
During the two-minute drill, Nate Washington converted a fourth-and-10 by catching a Ben Roethlisberger pass. A few plays later, Willie Parker took a swing pass into the end zone. As the defensive players argued the call with Washington, Tyrone Carter took a shot at Washington and the two started to fight. Hines Ward broke it up. ... Heath Miller made the catch of the day, going up over Arnold Harrison for a 30-yard gain. ... After a most physical week of practice was punctuated by a particularly physical and fast-paced practice on Saturday, Tomlin was asked by a TV reporter whether he was going to “turn up the tempo next week.” Tomlin just stared in disbelief.
Jim Wexell
SteelCityInsider.com
Posted Jul 28, 2007
More news and notes. I like the fight part, shows we got some intensity goin on out there. Hopefully Cappizzi keeps his level of play up and either becomes a starter or gets these other guys to get their heads outta their asses.
http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/44/440777.jpg
LATROBE – On the first snap, he blocked Brett Keisel. On the second, he stopped James Harrison. On the third, he did the same to Travis Kirschke.
That’s some fine NFL talent that Steelers undrafted rookie left tackle Jason Capizzi kept out of the backfield during the hottest part of Friday night’s practice under the lights at Latrobe Stadium.
Capizzi knew he had done well.
“I actually thought (Friday) night was probably my best practice of all,” he said.
At 6-feet-9, 315 pounds, Capizzi is massive and he’s obviously strong. He also showed the quick feet, swivel hips and flat back necessary to play tackle in the NFL. The Steelers may have found themselves another post-draft gem this offseason.
“I still have some things to improve on,” Capizzi said. “There are days when I think I do real well, and I go in and (line coach Larry Zierlein) will say, ‘This, this, this and this you could do better on.’ Then there are days when I’m down on myself and I’m thinking I played horrible, and I’ll go in and he’ll say, ‘You didn’t do that bad.’ It’s just hard, and I’m hard on myself too.”
Capizzi was an All-WPIAL player at Pine-Richland High School. He matriculated to Pitt and eventually moved into the starting lineup, but lost his spot after an arrest for underage drinking. He eventually transferred to Indiana University of Pa. and became a Division II All-America. With his size and athleticism, there’s no apparent reason why Capizzi went undrafted.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I got my shot, and I think I’ve got a pretty good shot of making this team.
“Maybe it was that one little incident when I got in trouble at Pitt, with all the conduct stuff going on. I don’t know. I’m not questioning the past. I just look towards the future and trying to make the best out of it.”
HOLMES TO RETURN
Santonio Holmes has missed the first week of practice with a non-specified, “non-football issue” that’s been deemed “embarrassing” by a team source. But Holmes is expected to return to the practice field Sunday after participating in wide receiver drills on Saturday.
“I just went through most of the offensive drills, the wide receiver drills, just to get a feel for it, catch a couple passes from the quarterbacks, and run a couple routes to see how it felt out here,” he said. “I probably wouldn’t say I’m 100 percent, but I still have a lot of work just to get back into football shape right now.”
He was asked if he will wear shorts or football pants.
“I’m not sure about that right now,” he said. “We’ll see how it feels (Sunday). The doctors will let me know if I should wear shorts or not.”
Holmes, of course, caught a 67-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the 2006 season. It beat the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime and served as a springboard for Holmes into 2007.
This spring, he said his goal was to double his receptions from last season (49), but he’s worried he’s fallen behind because of the injury.
“I’m probably far behind in football speed, but as far as knowing my assignments and knowing what to do on the field, I think I’m still up to par,” he said.
“I kind of feel like a rookie coming in all over again because I didn’t get an opportunity to start fresh with these guys. Even though I went through a lot of drills during the offseason and learned all the plays, it’s still going to feel a lot different playing at the game speed these guys are playing at right now.”
INJURY REPORT
RB Verron Haynes (knee) increased his workload Saturday and reported no soreness. ... LB Lawrence Timmons (groin) remains day-to-day. ... TE Matt Spaeth, the third-round draft pick, injured his shoulder and is also day-to-day.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s hurt,” Tomlin said of Spaeth. “He’s dealing with something. We’ll look at it tonight and see if he can go tomorrow.”
X’s AND O’s
During the two-minute drill, Nate Washington converted a fourth-and-10 by catching a Ben Roethlisberger pass. A few plays later, Willie Parker took a swing pass into the end zone. As the defensive players argued the call with Washington, Tyrone Carter took a shot at Washington and the two started to fight. Hines Ward broke it up. ... Heath Miller made the catch of the day, going up over Arnold Harrison for a 30-yard gain. ... After a most physical week of practice was punctuated by a particularly physical and fast-paced practice on Saturday, Tomlin was asked by a TV reporter whether he was going to “turn up the tempo next week.” Tomlin just stared in disbelief.
Jim Wexell
SteelCityInsider.com
Posted Jul 28, 2007
More news and notes. I like the fight part, shows we got some intensity goin on out there. Hopefully Cappizzi keeps his level of play up and either becomes a starter or gets these other guys to get their heads outta their asses.