Steelers' Saturday Pool Report

Mike Reiss served as the pool reporter at the Steelers' Saturday practice, the final practice before Super Bowl XLIII. We present the report in its entirety, as provided by the NFL (with small formatting changes). Not much news, but a glimpse into the hearts of Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert.

TAMPA – With approximately 250 family members and friends watching from the end zone, and Rev. Jesse Jackson invited as a special guest of head coach Mike Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers held a 38-minute walkthrough at the University of South Florida on Saturday morning, their final on-field practice before Super Bowl XLIII.

The Steelers did not have family members and friends at their final walkthrough practice prior to Super Bowl XL, under former coach Bill Cowher.

“We had some people who have been special to us come to practice today – family members and high school coaches,” Tomlin said. “It’s not a big deal to us, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them. We wanted to show our appreciation for what they’ve done for us by allowing them to be a part of it.”

Of Jackson’s presence, Tomlin said: “I got to know him recently. He’s a fan of football, a supporter of us, and we appreciate it.”

Other guests at practice included Florida State safety and Rhodes Scholar Myron Rolle, and Mike Utley, the paralyzed former Detroit Lions offensive lineman. Utley, who took a picture with Tomlin after practice, was a guest of Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert.

“I had the good fortune of working for the Detroit Lions when Mike Utley was one of our players, and it was real special to have him be able to share this with us,” Colbert said.

At the end of the practice, Tomlin called all family members and friends to the middle of one of the two practice fields at the University of South Florida, shouting out instructions as a team photographer – standing high on a ladder – snapped a large group picture. Tomlin then stayed on the field for 37 minutes signing autographs and taking individual pictures with players’ families. Many players brought their own cameras and video recorders to the practice.

Asked if he was pleased with the health-related progress of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and receiver Hines Ward, Tomlin said “both guys are fine.” Roethlisberger took a shot to the kidney area in the AFC championship game Jan. 18, and receiver Hines Ward strained his right knee in that game.

With Saturday’s walkthrough practice being held at half speed, Ward did not wear a brace over his injured right knee as he did earlier in the week. He walked through drills at a normal pace.

Summing up the week, Tomlin said: “It’s been good. Ultimately, though, it will be judged by how we perform tomorrow. We understand that.”

Tomlin also thanked the University of South Florida for the hospitality shown to the Steelers.

“We appreciate them opening up their facility to us,” he said. “We felt more than welcome.”

Cardinals' Saturday Pool Report

Mike Sando served as the pool reporter at the Arizona practice on Saturday. We present the report in its entirety, as provided by the NFL (with small formatting changes).

TAMPA, Fla. -- The NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals completed their final preparations for Super Bowl XLIII with a walk-through practice under clear skies Saturday at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' facility.

"I think we had a good week of work," coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

The Cardinals kept the atmosphere relaxed as the team completed brief sessions for offense, defense and special teams. About 300 friends and family members watched most of the roughly 35-minute session. They mingled on the field after practice. Some posed for pictures with Whisenhunt and other members of the organization.

"There are so many sacrifices made by families to allow our players and our team to get here," Whisenhunt said. "This is something that is special and I think it's important that you enjoy that together."

Some players traded jerseys as is sometimes customary for these walk-through practices. Kicker Neil Rackers wore the No. 90 assigned to defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, for example.

The Cardinals reported no new injuries. All players participated in the walk-through.

"Everybody looks pretty good as far as getting through," Whisenhunt said. "I know there were a couple of guys listed on the report as questionable, but barring something else coming up, which today nothing came up, I don't anticipate that they will not play."

Steelers' Friday Pool Report

Peter King of Sports Illustrated served as the pool reporter at the Steelers' Friday practice. We present the report in its entirety, as provided by the NFL (with small formatting changes). We enjoy Mr. King's work immensely, but this may be one of the least informative news reports ever (then again, if there is no news . . .)

TAMPA--The Pittsburgh Steelers, appearing loose and relaxed for the third straight day, hustled through their final major practice prior to Super Bowl XLIII Friday at the University of South Florida, and coach Mike Tomlin said his team was completely healthy heading into the Sunday night game against the Arizona Cardinals at Raymond James Stadium. All 53 players, including wide receiver Hines Ward (right knee strain), practiced without restriction in unseasonably chilly conditions for an hour and 50 minutes.

Ward and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, speared in the kidney area during the AFC Championship Game 12 days ago, looked sharp. Roethlisberger executed several efficient red zone and goal-line plays, finding tight end Heath Miller for a couple of scores.

The Steelers will conclude their practice week with a short walk-through session on USF's two football practice fields Saturday at 10 a.m. before the club changes lodging Saturday afternoon from their Tampa hotel to a private location in the Tampa Bay area to ensure privacy and a good night's sleep before Sunday's game.

"I feel great about our preparation,'' coach Mike Tomlin said at the close of practice. "Of course, you evaluate your preparation by your performanc e in the game, but I think the guys understand everything they have to do entering the game.''

The Steelers implemented the gameplan for the Super Bowl last week at their Pittsburgh practice facility. The Wednesday, Thursday and Friday practices in Tampa were mirror workout of what the team did last week.

"This week was a re-do,'' he said. "We didn't have the sense of urgency we might normally have in a practice week, but that's because the guys have seen it all once.''

Tomlin said he thinks his team is ready to play, and isn't worried about the condition of any his players. He said Ward's status for the game "never was a question.'' It's now clear Ward will be in Sunday's starting lineup.

Practice began at 11 in a light rain with a temperature of 55 degrees, a drop of 22 degrees from Wednesday's week-opening practice. Working with piped-in crowd noise at the snap of the ball, the Pittsburgh first-team offense and defense worked on third-and-short, goal-line, red-zone and nickel situations. As he has done all week, backup quarterback Byron Leftwich, playing the scout team, gave an effective look of Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner, putting air under his deep balls the way Warner does.

Cardinals' Friday Pool Report

John Czarnecki served as the pool reporter at the Arizona practice on Friday. We present the report in its entirety, as provided by the NFL (with small formatting changes). Of note is the fact that the Cardinals know how to travel, Kurt Warner looked especially sharp, and Neil Rackers tried to bust some windows.

The sun came out for the final 45 minutes of practice as the Arizona Cardinals wrapped up their last major day of work in preparation for Super Bowl XLIII. The team plans a final walk-through Saturday morning for about 30 minutes at the Tampa Bay Bucs’ facility. They will not be visiting Raymond James Stadium prior to the game.

“I thought it was a good week of work,” Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said after practice. “You always wonder when you go on the road and your team is practicing in another facility if your team is going to have the consistency that you’ve had. No question that it helped us that we’ve already done this once this season.”

Whisenhunt was referring to the week-long stay the Cardinals made in the Washington, D.C. area between the Sept. 21 game against the Redskins and the following Sunday’s a game in the Meadowlands against the New York Jets.

“I think it got us used to staying in a hotel, practicing on someone else’s field while also having to bus around all week,” he said. “These were very similar conditions this week.”

Starting quarterback Kurt Warner may have had his best throwing day of the week on Friday, misfiring on only three passes during the two hour and 20-minute practice.

“Kurt looked like he’s been looking,” Whisenhunt said. “He was consistent and made some good throws. He looked sharp.”

The Cardinals spent a concentrated period of time in the middle of practice working on punt protection, but the highlight of special team drills was when kicker Neil Rackers bounced three consecutive 20-yard field goals off the second-floor windows of the Bucs’ facility.”

“It seemed like it fired up a lot of the guys,” Whisenhunt said. “I think some of them wanted to see (a window go).”

Whisenhunt declined to reveal what he said to his players in a three-minute huddle at the end of the day. And also whatever plans he has for the weekend. His team will have a curfew tonight and Saturday night. The last no-curfew night for the players was Tuesday.

Steelers' Thursday Pool Report

Peter King of Sports Illustrated served as the pool reporter at the Steelers' Thursday practice. We present the report in its entirety, as provided by the NFL (with small formatting changes). In today's edition questions are asked regarding Ben Roethlisberger's health, Mike Tomlin's ability to predict the weather, and Byron Leftwich's resemblance to Kurt Warner.

TAMPA--Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger practiced effectively but at times appeared to be trying to stretch his mid-torso region during the team's second full Super Bowl week practice session, held mostly in the rain at the University of South Florida Thursday afternoon.

Access to players is restricted to the Pro Football Writers of America's pool reporter at pre-Super Bowl practice sessions, but coach MIke Tomlin denied a Profootballtalk.com report that Roethlisberger has undergone X-rays on his back this week. "Not that I heard,'' said Tomlin, who then asked Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett if he knew of any X-rays on Roethlisberger. Lockett said no. Then Tomlin said: "Ben's health is often the subject of inaccurate reports. He's fine.''

Roethlisberger, 26, was speared in the rib/back area during the AFC Championship Game against Baltimore 11 days ago and did not come out of the game, but backup Byron Leftwich hurriedly warmed up in case he was needed. He said after the championship game he was fine, and nothing had surfaced about his mid-torso till Thursday's report. He threw the ball well on short and deep routes in Thursday's practice--including a 40-yard bullet up the20right seam to wide receiver Santonio Holmes, and several sharp throws to rehabbing receiver Hines Ward--even during steady rain.

Ward, who suffered a strained right knee ligament in the title game, practiced for the first time since the knee was wrenched on a first-quarter tackle against Baltimore. Although he ran at perhaps three-quarters speed, he worked with the regular offense and blocked and caught the ball in midseason form. Tomlin said Ward looked "awesome'' and reiterated what he has been saying for the past week: Ward will certainly play Sunday against the Cardinals. "He is where I thought he would be today,'' Tomlin said.

The Steelers practiced for one hour and 55 minutes on USF's two football practice field north of downtown Tampa. The practice began at 1:30 p.m., under threatening skies, and at 2:07, with skies nearly blackened, the rain began. It was a deluge for about 20 minutes and continued for 45 minutes, stopped for a short time, then resumed lightly for about the last 20 minutes of practice. Tomlin said at the start of practice it would not rain, and when it was coming down in buckets, Holmes and Ward chided Tomlin, who lived in Tampa for five years while as assistant coach with the Buccaneers, about being unable to predict the weather in his former neighborhood.

"Much like a lot of our games,'' Tomlin said, "we had adversity today. Things very rarely go smoothly for 60 minutes in a game, and they didn't go smoothly today with the rain. But we got our work done. This is a mentally tough group that smiles in the face of adversity.''

Despite the rain, the Steelers went through their normal Thursday routine, which is heavy on the starting offense and defense working against the scout teams and on red-zone work. Roethlisberger moved the offense well, finding Holmes and Ward consistently. And on defense, Pittsburgh got a heavy dose of backup quarterback Byron Leftwich imitating Kurt Warner, with practice-squad receiver Dallas Baker playing Larry Fitzgerald. Baker, a seventh-round pick of the Steelers from Florida in 2007, is 6-3, as is Fitzgerald, but at 206 pounds is 20 pounds lighter than the Cardinals' receiver he was imitating. Leftwich threw three interceptions--two to cornerback Ike Taylor--while the Steeler defense was on the field, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Tomlin thought his defense practiced well.

"We're getting a great look from our scout teams, and we have all year,'' said Tomlin. "I can't say enough about the quality of work we're getting from Byron Leftwich, who has been fantastic all season imitating the other quarterback. He's giving our defense a good look at how Kurt Warner plays.''

The Steelers will resume practice with a normal Friday session at USF at 11 a.m., and close out preparations for Sunday's game with a short walk-through practice Saturday, also at USF, at 10 a.m.

Cardinals' Thursday Pool Report

John Czarnecki served as the pool reporter at the Arizona practice on Thursday. We present the report in its entirety, as provided by the NFL (with small formatting changes). Of note is the fact that some Cardinals' scout teams players are dressing up as Steelers, players who are on the injury report as having limited participation in practice may have been a bit more active than one might believe, and Neil Rackers had an iffy day.

Well, the rains came about an hour into practice, but the Arizona Cardinals continued to work through a steady drizzle before completing a 2-hour and 15-minute practice at the Tampa Bay Bucs’ practice facility. Coach Ken Whisenhunt kept most of the work on the center field of the three-field complex.

“I think it helped us because it didn’t bother us,” Whisenhunt said of the conditions. “We focused on what we were doing and I think we had really good work again today. Who knows? It’s not supposed to be like this on game day, but if it does rain at least we got a lot of work in with wet balls and operating on a field that is a little bit wet. The thing I was most pleased with was that we were able to continue our work and perform without letting it distract us.”

This was the team’s first practice rain since the memorable rainstorm last Christmas Day in Tempe, Az.

“But it was about 40 degrees that day and it rained a lot harder than this,” Whisenhunt said. “It was a constant rain. We had puddles on the field and that’s something you never see in Arizona. It was miserable.”

Arizona’s injured defensive players Travis LaBoy and Antonio Smith both worked extensively while running back J.J. Arrington did some offensive reps, but was held out of special teams’ work at the end of practice.

“We were worried about him slipping and doing something to his knee,” Whisenhunt said of Arrington.

For the two major practices here, the Cardinals have had scout defensive players wear the jersey numbers for Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley and Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu.

“It helps our receivers and Kurt (Warner) in order to identify defenses,” Whisenhunt said of the common practice method. “Where a certain defensive player shows up, you may have plays predicated off of that. Now, this is something we do all year on a weekly basis. I saw one thing this year before Tennessee played Pittsburgh they had a player running around on the field with a big long wig hanging out of his helmet to impersonate Troy (Polamalu).”

Cardinals field goal kicker Neil Rackers had one close call with the left upright in special team drills. He bounced a 37-yarder off the upright that went through for a good kick and later barely snuck another kick through from the same distance before drilling his last kick, a 42-yarder deep solid perfect.

Steelers Wednesday's Pool Report

Peter King of Sports Illustrated served as the pool reporter at the Steelers' Wednesday practice. We present the report in its entirety, as provided by the NFL (with small formatting changes):

TAMPA—Hines Ward, the leading receiver in Steelers history, was the only one of the 53 active Pittsburgh players to be limited due to injury as the five-time Super Bowl champions began their practice week for Super Bowl 43 on the two football practice fields at the University of South Florida Wednesday afternoon.

The team worked without pads on a beautiful Florida afternoon—77 degrees, sunny skies, with 15-mph winds from the south—on the USF campus north of downtown Tampa. Second-year coach Mike Tomlin began the one-hour, 58-minute session with a shout of “Let’s go to work, men,’’ and pronounced himself satisfied with the work on what Steeler observers said was the nicest outdoor practice day the team has had since October.

“It was a good start to our week,’’ Tomlin said after practice. “We practiced fas t, and I thought we practiced aggressively. But it’s like I say to the team after every Wednesday practice: It’s a good start, but we’ve got to be better tomorrow.’’

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has intermittent shoulder problems during the season, looked sharp and threw several tight long spirals, including one bullet to Santonio Holmes through the wind. Running back Willie Parker, after battling shoulder and knee problems during the season, ran fast and confidently. Other than Ward, the 32-year old inspirational lead of the Pittsburgh offense, the Steelers have no health issues on either side of the ball, Tomlin said. But the coach was dismissive when asked if he was concerned about Ward’s status for Sunday’s game. Here’s the evidence that Tomlin is not fretting about Ward: He didn’t watch his star receiver running and cutting on the side field during the hour that Ward worked out away from the team.

Ward is expected to practice with the regular offense more on Thursday.

“Hines is playing,” Tomlin said. “I’m not worried about him.’’

Ward strained a knee ligament in the first quarter of the AFC Championship Game victory over Baltimore 10 days ago. Wearing a small black knee brace this afternoon, Ward walked onto the practice field shortly after 1 p.m. and walked through some plays with the first-team offense just before practice began at 1:30. Then, at the start of practice, he jogged through a few pass-routes with the regular offense before working out on his own for the next 55 minutes. Ward caught balls from the Juggs machine. Then four cones were laid out in a 10-yard square, and Ward ran 10-yard-incut pass-routes at about half-speed and caught passes. Then he ran sideline-to-sideline at slightly better than half-speed before encasing the knee in ice for about a half-hour. From the looks of how he ran Wednesday, Ward won’t be 100 percent Sunday against Arizona, but there’s little doubt he’ll be in the starting lineup.

Tomlin said he was pleased with the condition of the practice fields at USF, though the freshly installed Bermuda sod was damaged by two days of sub-freezing temperatures at night last week. NFL turf guru George Toma, in charge of the Steelers fields, said the turf turned brown due to the frigid weather but three coats of field paint had them looking fresh. “The freeze turned the fields brown,’’ said the 79-year-old Toma, who has worked every Super Bowl. “But it didn’t hurt the fields at all.’’ There were no complaints from the players or Steeler staff about the field, and the players seemed very happy to be working in warm weather on grass that held firm.

“George is awesome,’’ said Tomlin. “We’re not finicky. The fields are fine.’’

The NBC crew televising Sunday’s game was present at practice, as was former Steeler quarterback Mark Malone, part of the national radio crew for the game.

The Steelers will practice on their regular schedule this week, with Thursday and Friday workouts at USF, then a short walk-through practice Saturday.