View topic - Fight break out at Steelers OTA

[thesteelhammer Profile]

Finally got something entertaining going on at OTA's. I think this fiesty attitude might be a good thing for this team.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08156/887292-66.stm?cmpid=steelers.xml

Steelers battle like hockey players at spring practice
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Perhaps watching the Penguins and Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals rubbed off on the Steelers today because they held a practice and a hockey game broke out.

It's not normal, although not rare either, that football teammates fight during voluntary spring practices, yet the Steelers had two brief ones yesterday, each involving an offensive tackle.

Willie Colon, the team's starting right tackle, went to the ground at their indoor practice facility while wrestling with second-year linebacker Lawrence Timmons. Not long after, veteran backup tackle Trai Essex and linebacker Arnold Harrison went at it.

"It was humid in here,'' fellow tackle Max Starks gave as a possible reason for the two scuffles. "I don't know, maybe they've been watching Georges Laraque,'' the Penguins enforcer.

Neither scuffle lasted long, but coach Mike Tomlin brought his players together after practice to lecture them about it.

"Practice broke out into a fight,'' Tomlin explained. "You know, the competition is good, but the level of intensity has to be there if we want to get better.

"You have to understand professional etiquette; that's what we talked about after practice. These kinds of things have to happen as we develop our football team because it gives us a venue to address them, and why we do what it is that we do and how we approach what it is that we do.

"You don't like to see it happen but it's a necessary evil. I'm glad that it happened; we addressed it and move on."

The Steelers have four more spring practices --- one tomorrow and three more next week -- before they break until training camp at St. Vincent College July 27.

[trenches Profile]

Good to hear because there's been too much blah, blah, blah rhetoric about things this offseason. It's good to hear the competition level is there during OTA's.

[The Fan Of STEEL Profile]

I hope this attitude keeps up through the season. I want these guys to be fighting for not only their jobs, but to get to the playoffs. I like the attitude and the way it was handled. Go STEELERS!

[steelerette Profile]

I agree, FOS. As long as nobody gets hurt, let them fight for their positions.