BC has heart to heart meeting during practice

**BlitzburghRockCity** · 08-23-2006, 06:39 PM

http://news.steelers.com/article/68146/

Not much to smile about
By BOB LABRIOLA
Steelers.com

LATROBE, Pa. – The Steelers had just completed the seven-on-seven portion of the penultimate practice of this training camp, and Coach Bill Cowher thought it was time.

Cowher gathered the team around, and he talked to the assembled players and coaches for a few minutes. If he was angry, the people watching from the sideline couldn't tell, but those who have watched him coach this team know he didn't stop practice to start throwing platitudes around.

"We had a little heart-to-heart talk," said Cowher. "I wasn't looking for an immediate effect. It was more of putting things in their proper perspective."

And then he did just that for the media.

"We're 16 days away from our first game, and it's important to understand that," said Cowher. "When we come out here, we have to get things done. There have been high standards set around here, and I have to let them know where I think they are."

Watching from the sideline, it was obvious this wasn't one of the best practices of camp. There wasn't a lot of consistency in the performances, and there were times when it wasn't very crisp either.

A receiver would make a great catch of a ball thrown a bit off target, and then a few snaps later the same guy would drop one that hit him right in the chest. It was that kind of a day, the kind of day when even Hines Ward couldn't find a reason to crack a smile.

Its the dog days of training camp thats for sure. BC usually needs to have a couple of these talks per camp with the guys and make sure they stay focused. If we still look sloppy by the 4th preseason game then I may get alittle concerned but we still have over 2 weeks left to get things together.

**Koopa** · 08-23-2006, 06:49 PM

i'm not worried about sloppiness in the preseason our starters have barely played and i can give a rats *** about the players that are gonna get cut. i think we've played decent. the d still sucks *** on 3rd downs nothing new there. so nothing to be worried about imo

**BlitzburghRockCity** · 08-23-2006, 06:52 PM

So long as it stays status quo with other camps where the starters show some life and do some good things then yeah we'll be fine. I'd like to see the backups execute alittle better though and step up some. The last thing we need is to have players getting backup jobs on the team because they were the lesser of 2 evils...

**AZ_Steeler** · 08-23-2006, 06:59 PM

Same situation just a new year! The Steelers looked awful last year during this time as well and the season didn't turn out all that bad

Cowher will get the attention of the players and if he doesn't do it then maybe a wake up call from the Dolphins or another team early in the season will definitely get their attention.

I just think a lot fo the people don't really take the camp time to seriously, or they are jsut so tired from the past month that mentally they aren't really there and just going through the motions.

They will be fine though once the season starts... I'm not to concerned yet.