Steelers football blog

Holmes adding bulk

His huskiness makes him more resemble a running back than the slim receiver who was selected No. 25 by the Steelers in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Santonio Holmes' physical remake, particularly around his neck and through his shoulders, is the next step in the development of the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII.

The increase in Holmes' upper body is becoming so pronounced that he's beginning to look like an entirely different player.

"I tipped the scales (Monday) at 201 (pounds),'' Holmes said proudly following his workout at Tom Shaw Performance at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex.

That's an all-time high for Holmes, who played in the 190s last season and joined the league weighing considerably less. Continue

OT Starks signs 4 year deal

The Steelers checked one contract off their to-do list and signed offensive tackle Max Starks to a four-year, $26.3 million contract yesterday with a signing bonus of about $10 million.

Starks, a six-year veteran, now is signed through 2012. It has long been a goal of the Steelers to sign Starks to a long-term contract.

He was the Steelers' second-highest paid player last season, even though he began the year as a reserve. But, for the past two years, the Steelers have prevented him from becoming an unrestricted free agent. He earned $6.9 million last season as the team's transition player and was labeled the franchise player in February, setting him up to earn $8,451,000 this season, the average salary of the NFL's top five offensive linemen. With the announcement of his new contract, Starks no longer carries the team's franchise tag and the team created about $2 million in salary-cap room for this year. Continue

Steelers sign TE David Johnson

The Steelers have signed rookie tight end David Johnson to a three-year contract.

Johnson, a seventh-round pick in April, was the final selection the Steelers made in the NFL draft.

Johnson caught 22 passes for 356 yards and five touchdowns during his senior season at Arkansas State.

Tomlin talks conditioning

As Steelers coach Mike Tomlin delivered a not-so-subtle conditioning message to his players at the end of voluntary practices last week, one of his intended targets was nose tackle Casey Hampton, who is entering the final year of his contract.

Perhaps it was no coincidence that Tomlin also praised defensive lineman Ziggy Hood, the team's first-round pick.

At the start of training camp last year, Tomlin held Hampton out for the first week, when he failed to complete a conditioning run. When asked if Hampton is in better shape this year, Tomlin didn't exactly give Hampton a ringing endorsement.

"I'm always in a wait-and-see position (with Hampton)," Tomlin said.

When it came to Hood, a 4-3 defensive tackle at Missouri who is learning to play 3-4 defensive end, Tomlin had plenty of good things to say. Continue

Steelers sign 3 draft picks

The Steelers signed one of their three third-round draft choices, cornerback Keenan Lewis of Oregon State, and their two fifth-round picks Friday.

Lewis is considered by the Steelers to be a physical cornerback who should complement starter Ike Taylor.

Also signed were cornerback Joe Burnett of Central Florida and running back Frank Summers of UNLV.

The team released punter Dirk Johnson, who signed May 1 after punter Daniel Sepulveda underwent knee surgery for the second time within a year.

Tomlin likes progress of young players

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin concluded Thursday's final offseason practice with optimism and the belief that several young players are on the road to emerging as standouts.

Tomlin said winning the Super Bowl was "great," but added that his only focus is preparing for the 2009 season, which enters the next phase with the start of training camp July 31 at St. Vincent College.

"I thought we had a very productive offseason from a teaching standpoint," Tomlin said. "My focus is on developing a world championship-caliber team for '09"

Part of that focus during offseason workouts has been the development of young players such as inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who will replace Larry Foote and be one of two new starters from last season (along with cornerback William Gay). Continue

Steelers get Super Bowl rings

Super Bowl XLIII Most Valuable Player Santonio Holmes proudly displayed his new ring following a much-anticipated ceremony Tuesday night at Heinz Field honoring the players, coaches and executives who made it possible.

"I'll probably wear it the whole night. I'll probably end up sleeping with it,'' said Holmes, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers' 27-23 victory against the Arizona Cardinals.

Holmes said his ring differs somewhat from his teammates' because "MVP'' is engraved inside.

"I've always wanted to be part of some championship team where I had a major role in it,'' Holmes said. "I played in two state championship games in high school. I won a national championship (at Ohio State). Winning the Super Bowl, this is the first time I actually had a chance to contribute, and I'm very proud of myself.'' Continue

CB Ratliff glad to be with Steelers

The Steelers got to know cornerback Keiwan Ratliff up-close-and-personal during the 2008 season when he was a member of the Indianapolis Colts.

Ratliff's interception of a Ben Roethlisberger pass set up a Colts' touchdown late in the second quarter of Indianapolis' 24-20 victory at Heinz Field.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin reminded Ratliff of that interception during practice this week.

"Coach Tomlin was teasing me," Ratliff said. "I dropped an interception in practice (Tuesday). He was saying if I dropped that one last year, the game could have gone the other way.''

An unrestricted free agent after last season, Ratliff believed the Colts would re-sign him. When they didn't, he signed a one-year deal with the Steelers. Continue

Big Ben returns to practice

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returned to practice today, wearing a wrap on his left knee, the only sign of the "injury" from Wednesday's practice.

And teammate Willie Parker revealed that it was a collision between the running back and quarterback that caused the temporary problem that led to Roethlisberger limping off the practice field Wednesday.

"Actually, me and him bumped knees on a certain play," Parker said.

Parker then laughed as he said, "But he's definitely all right and he's a competitor. I guess he just likes a lot of attention sometimes and he likes being the little baby, but Ben is definitely a warrior." Continue

Big Ben injures left knee

Wearing a golf shirt and shorts Wednesday as he left the Steelers' South Side facility, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looked like he was ready to play in an amateur challenge at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y., the site of this year's U.S. Open.

The demanding Open conditions -- the course is long and penal while the greens are faster than oil-slicked roads -- may not be the only challenge for Roethlisberger on June 12 when he plays in the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge.

Roethlisberger hurt his left knee yesterday and did not finish practice. While the injury does not appear to be serious -- Roethlisberger did not have the knee wrapped after practice -- he did limp as he walked from the Steelers' indoor field to their locker room and later as he left the facility.

Roethlisberger declined comment on how he hurt his knee or the severity of the injury.