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No Mularkey As usual, emphasis on offense as Steelers' camp opens
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Heat. Humidity. Endless drills that go on for endless days. Dirt and drudgery. To the words long associated with training camp, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher offered another Tuesday: patience. With a new offensive coordinator -- their fifth since quarterback Kordell Stewart joined them in 1995 -- the Steelers are putting a renewed emphasis on simplicity and repetition to achieve the offensive balance they have longed lacked. Rather than constantly trying to fool defenses, the Steelers will try under coordinator Mike Mularkey to be more consistent and efficient, reducing the playbook, but getting much better at the plays they run. Mularkey has eliminated some of the option routes and reads former coordinator Kevin Gilbride required from his quarterback and receivers, who sometimes seemed to be running completely different plays. Still, as the Steelers prepare to open camp Thursday at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Cowher knows changing coordinators and systems doesn't mean the offense will run smoothly and efficiently from the start of camp.
"A lot of little things we're doing differently are going to require a discipline, a focus," Cowher said. "How quickly we can become that kind of disciplined, focused team? It's going to be an ongoing process; it's going to require everybody to be on top of everything we do in practice every day. "That's going to be the thing to watch as we go along. There are going to be some ups and downs, and that's one thing we're going to monitor very closely." Unlike a year ago, when Stewart and Kent Graham came to camp competing to be the starter, Stewart is locked in after leading the Steelers (9-7) to their first winning season in three years. This summer, the question is who will back up Stewart: Graham, who barely played past midseason; second-year quarterback Tee Martin, who didn't play last season; or Tommy Maddox, the MVP of the late and not-lamented XFL. "It's wide open," Cowher said. It's also wide open at wide receiver, where first-round draft picks Plaxico Burress and Troy Edwards began the season as starters. After failing to catch a single touchdown between them, they gave way to Hines Ward and Bobby Shaw. The Steelers have too much money and time invested in Burress and Edwards to give up on them so soon. But, Cowher warned, "It's a big camp for Plax, it's a big camp for Troy.
"The onus is going to be on the quarterbacks and the receivers. There shouldn't be any miscommunication that's taking place," he said. "We'll have some good days and bad days but, hopefully, we can work through that with repetition." This will be the Steelers' first camp since 1989 without perennial All-Pro center Dermontti Dawson, and since 1992 without linebacker Levon Kirkland, their former defensive captain. Both were let go in offseason salary cap moves. One thing Cowher doesn't have to do in camp, unlike a year ago, is convince his players they can win. A year ago, they were coming off a 6-10 season and five consecutive season-ending losses, a dismal finish that led to an 0-3 start in 2000. Last season, the Steelers won nine of their last 13 and had a strong December, so much so that Cowher said, "I can't wait to see them on the field again. "We've got to recapture that feeling," he said. They also need to sign first-round draft pick Casey Hampton, who has been their only unsigned pick for several weeks. Cowher is hopeful the deal will be done before camp opens.
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