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Steelers OTAs – Sutton continues to impress

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Week two of the Steelers’ OTAs is now in the books and things are starting to settle in.

The young and new players are starting to get the idea of what is being asked of them from their new coaches. And they also are learning about each other, as well.

That goes for the media, as well.

I’m really liking what I’m seeing from rookie cornerback Cameron Sutton.

He had a nice interception this week, leaping high to come down with a pass. The young corner has shown good aggression in jumping routes and making plays on the football. He gets his hands on the ball – a lot.

I think Steelers fans are going to be very happy with him, as well. He looks like a player.

@ Speaking of Sutton, we also heard from fellow cornerback Artie Burns this week.

Burns has added five pounds of muscle this offseason to help him better hold up – no pun intended – when the Steelers play more man-to-man defense.

That might be music to the ears of some fans, but know that the Steelers aren’t going to switch from being a team that plays primarily zone to one that exclusively plays man.

“We want to become more man,” said Burns. “That is what it takes to win a Super Bowl. Every team that has won a Super Bowl the last couple of years has been able to play man. There is always some opening in the zone defense. There is always some loop in the zone defense.

“We want to be a team that can play man, get pressure on the quarterback and outside coverage down the field.”

The idea is to be a team capable of playing man or zone – depending on what is needed.

That could be bad news for William Gay.

The veteran slot corner isn’t at his best playing man – as was shown against New England in the AFC Championship last season.

When the Steelers did play man against New England, the Patriots picked on Gay, who was never the fastest corner and is slowing down at this point.

@ While Burns and several other teammates have worked hard to gain weight, tight end Jesse James said he has worked hard to both get stronger and leaner.

James came to the Steelers at 265 pounds. He said Thursday that he’s down to 250 pounds, though he certainly looks stronger, as well.

Don’t be surprised if that more streamlined look leads to more downfield action for James this season.

@ While we’re on the subject of tight ends, the last player off the field thus far has consistently been Xavier Grimble.

Grimble is another player to keep an eye on this season. The injury issues had by Ladarius Green last season were a blessing for Grimble, who likely wouldn’t have made the team without them.

He got a chance to contribute and got better every time he stepped on the field.

That could pay dividends this season.

@ Javon Hargrave tweaked a shoulder Thursday and had to shut things down early. But it doesn’t look to be anything serious.

Still, with Stephon Tuitt out with a hand injury, Cam Heyward still working his way back after his pectoral injury and free agent signee Tyson Alualu unable to practice after suffering a calf injury while working out on his own, that has meant a lot of reps for young players.

And that’s never a bad thing.

@ I keep seeing other web sites making a big deal out of Le’Veon Bell not being in Pittsburgh to “show support” for his teammates.

That’s ridiculous.

Bell is rehabbing after having surgery to repair his groin. And people want him to stand around and watch a couple of hours of practice each day?

Why?

You’d better believe the Steelers’ training staff is in constant contact with Bell’s people as he continues the process. And he’ll be here in another week for mandatory minicamp.

In the meantime, a roster full of backups who have little experience in this offense are getting all of the running back reps.

Again, that’s never a bad thing.

@ I saw another post this week on a fan web site that said teams should make OTAs mandatory.

Guess what? They pretty much are for about 70 players – if they want a chance to make the team.

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