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Gay has worked hard in offseason
LATROBE - Most players tell you they prepare the same way for a training camp no matter if they're a starter, backup or someone just hoping to win a roster spot.
Not William Gay.
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"I am bigger," said Gay, who is expected to replace Bryant McFadden at cornerback opposite Ike Taylor in the Steelers' starting lineup.
"Ike told me it would happen as I got older. I'd start putting on more natural weight. But I've been working out, eating right. I guess I'm not eating McDonald's and stuff like that any more. I'm actually watching what I put in my body and I'm eating good food. I'd never done that before."
Gay hopes his extra 15 pounds - up from 183 - will help him hold up against some of the bigger receivers he'll defend.
"I don't want to put on the wrong kind of weight," Gay said. "And if it slowed me down at all, I'd drop back down. There are too many fast receivers in this league. But it doesn't seem to be slowing me down."
He'll get a chance to find out soon enough. The Steelers report to training camp at Saint Vincent College today and will hold their first practice Saturday.
Gay believes he can hold up as an NFL starter. The 2007 fifth-round draft pick out of Louisville started four games in 2008, when McFadden suffered a broken arm midway through the season.
When McFadden returned, he and Gay shared the starting job and Gay finished with 41 tackles and an interception. Even so, Gay admits to feeling some pressure starting on a defense that statistically was one of the greatest in NFL history.
"Yeah, there's some," Gay said. "But having played a lot last season gave me so much confidence. I know I can play at a high level."
The Steelers have confidence in Gay.
"This may only be his third year, but it's like he's a fifth-year guy already," said defensive backs coach Ray Horton.
His teammates also feel that way. Gay's nickname is "Old Man," thanks to his voice that makes him sound older.
That voice wasn't apparent, however, during the Steelers' post-Super Bowl parade in February. Gay took the microphone during the celebration and put on a show for several minutes before giving it up.
"I was just so excited. I'd never won anything, even in pee-wee football," Gay said. "I'd never won a championship before. So when I got up there and they gave me the mic, it just all came out.
"I was just so happy to be part of something like that. Like I said, I'd never won any kind of championship before. It was a great feeling."
Odds and end zones
Players must report by 4 p.m. today. ... The Steelers will hold two practices Saturday, the second (3 p.m.) is open to the public. ... Because of construction on campus, fans attending practice are asked to turn left off Route 30 onto Beatty County Road. Follow Beatty County Road to Brouwers Drive. Turn right on Brouwers Drive and follow the road to on-campus parking lots.
