Here’s a situation that bears watching during training camp, as Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin has put Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton on the PUP list after Hampton failed a conditioning test to start camp.
The test is this: Each player must complete eight 100-yard sprints, with the players then coming back by jogging 50 yards and then walking 50 yards with a continuous running clock. Hampton couldn’t do it.
“He wasn’t able to finish the test,” said Tomlin. “He’s overweight and not conditioned enough to participate at this point.
“Hopefully it doesn’t (take a long time), but he’s not going to wake up tomorrow and be ready to go. He’s got to go through a process, and we’ve got to take him through that process. We’ll just live day-to-day with it until he’s at an acceptable level of conditioning and weight.”
Tomlin did not specify what Hampton will have to do, or what he might have to show, before being removed from PUP and added to the active roster.
“He’s got to exhibit that he’s in good enough condition to participate,” said Tomlin, “and I’ll determine that.”
Hampton missed the team’s OTAs this offseason because he was taking care of family business. He completed only five of the runs and was the only player who didn’t finish.
“I wasn’t trying to make any statement,” Hampton said of missing OTAs.
Some players who attended a certain number of voluntary team workouts were allowed to skip the tests as a reward for their attendance.
“It’s not about (missing the voluntary practices),” Tomlin said of Hampton. “It’s about coming to camp ready to play football.”
Hampton, who is entering his eighth NFL season, is listed at 325 pounds but is well over that mark. The reason Tomlin dropped the hammer on him is that Hampton has had an ongoing battle with his weight since being a first-round draft pick in 2001. His ability to stop the run is one of the keys to the Steelers’ 3-4 defense.
This may be no big deal if it motivates Hampton and gets him in shape, but if he pouts and is out a while, it’s things like this that can divide a team. But Hampton sounds like a good soldier so far.
“I know I need to be in better shape. I know what I have to do. Bottom line, come Sept. 7, I’ll be ready to play,” Hampton said.
This move did do one thing – it left no doubt that Tomlin is in charge.
“Doing this to a player of Casey’s stature sends a message to everyone else – nobody is safe,” defensive captain James Farrior said.
Must have been eating too many of these in the offseason – http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n265/toddablaze/primanti.jpg