Steelers OTA’s are over. Minicamp has opened and closed. As Steelers Nation endures the only “true” NFL off season, the Watch Tower focuses its lights on Steelers press coverage of spring practices, the mystery that is Shamarko Thomas, Ben Roethlisberger and Todd Haley’s relationship, and the comings and goings of Charlie Batch.
Pete Rozelle Award for Steelers PR Staff Highlights Coverage Questions
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Mark Kaboly reports that the Pittsburgh Steelers PR staff has received the 2015 Rozelle Award which is presented “to the NFL club public relations staff that consistently strives for excellence in its dealings and relationships with the media.”
The Steelers, according to Kaboly, last won the award in 1991, and this year’s announcement brings into focus a question the Watch Tower has been seeking to answer for quite some time, namely:
- How much are Steelers beat writers allowed to report on what they see in practice?
The Steelers Media Guide lays out strict instructions on where reporters can watch in practice, where and when they can approach players, and where and when video and still photos can be taken. Sometimes information slips out – such as Limas Sweed’s chronic drops in practice – but most of the time reporters remain tight lipped.
- Yet, last season the Watch Tower noted that Steelers beat writers were reporting important details from Steelers practice, such as Brice McCain’s practice interceptions.
This followed Steelers 2014 OTA’s, where any Steelers fan who registered a pulse knew that Ryan Shazier was starting and Mark Kaboly even published video of Sean Spence hitting the tackling dummy. The Steelers PR staff was loosening practice reporting restrictions, or so it seemed.
- Which makes what happened during Steelers 2015 OTA’s all the more surprising.
When Steelers OTA’s opened, Steel Curtain Rising asked a Steelers beat writer via Twitter whether Shamarko Thomas was running with the Steelers first team defense, and that reporter explained – in private – that he could not share that information publicly….
…So reporters cannot comment on whether Shamarko Thomas is starting – during OTA’s – but the Steelers PR staff wins awards for excellence in dealing with the press. Somehow 1+1 isn’t equaling 2 for the Watch Tower here.
Dejan Kovacevic Does Offer Interesting, If Disturbing Insight on Shamarko
The biggest forward looking story line of the Steelers 2015 offseason has been the development of Shamarko Thomas. (Dick LeBeau’s ”resignation” and Troy Polamalu’s retirement were bigger but backward looking stories.)
- With two full seasons under his belt, Shamarko Thomas remains a mystery.
In the 2013 NFL Draft, the Steelers did the unheard of – they traded a 2014 pick to move up to draft Shamarko Thomas in the 4th. The Pittsburgh Steelers simply don’t trade future draft picks – it is akin to the American Cancer Society’s president lighting a cigarette while sitting in a hospital waiting room.
Yet the Steelers did it to get Shamarko Thomas. True to their actions, the Steelers played Shamarko Thomas early in 2013. His injury led to Will Allen’s return, but Shamarko still saw sometime time in the secondary until the disastrous loss vs. the Patriots.
Since then, Shamarko Thomas has excelled on special teams, but has been unable to get snaps with the defense. Yes, Shamarko’s injuries haven’t helped, but even after he returned to full health and Troy Polamalu was held out of the final games of 2014, Shamarko still couldn’t get snaps with the secondary.
- And no one knows why.
However, independent Pittsburgh journalist Dejan Kovacevic offers some interesting insights on why. Steel Curtain Rising’s editorial policy is not to steal the thunder of another writer in these circumstances, but we strongly encourage you to review Kovacevic’s story on Shamarko.
He doesn’t cite any sources either on the record nor does Kovacevic make references to “Steelers personnel” or “league sources.” He might have talked to someone on background or he might simply be following his journalistic intuition.
Either way, Kovacevic’s explanation of why the Steelers haven’t played Shamarko Thomas is as reasonable as one can find. And for that Kovacevic wins Watch Tower kudos.
Haley’s Influence on Ben Roethlisberger
How times change. Just two years ago, the Watch Tower was praising Steelers Digest Bob Labriola for “outing” the tense relationship between Ben Roethlisberger and Todd Haley. This wasn’t “news” of course, as it had been covered extensively and denied just as vehemently by both Haley and Roethlisberger.
- But Labriola, as an employee of the Pittsburgh Steelers, made it official as only he could.
Since then there have been attempts to report flair ups, but those stories never really found their legs. And in the process, the Steelers offense has gotten really, really efficient.
- Yet little has been written about how Roethlisberger and Haley have “gotten on” as the British say.
That changed thanks to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review’s Joe Starkey. While Starkey doesn’t get Ben on the record talking about Haley (Roethlisberger only credited Steelers quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner) he does chart Roethlisberger’s transformation from “a quarterback who has morphed from freelance gunslinger to pocket marksman” and in the process perhaps penned one of the better stories written about the Steelers this off season.
Bostic on Batch on BTSC
The Watch Tower devoted extensive coverage to Neal Coolong’s departure from Behind the Steel Curtain to USA Today’s The Steelers Wire earlier this spring, and it is only fair that it shift some attention back to BTSC (full disclosure, yours truly was (is?) a part time, non-paid, contributor to BTSC.)
Coolong’s departure lead to Jeff Hartman’s promotion to BTSC’s editor, and in the process, Hartman has added several new writers. Among them is Dani Bostic, who treated Steelers Nation to an excellent series of stories on the life and times of former Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch.
In three part series, Bostic chronicled Charlie Batch’s NFL career, his transition to post-NFL life, and perhaps most importantly, his work and tireless dedication helping underserved populations in his hometown neighborhood of Homestead. Bostic wins Watch Tower kudos for both writing an excellent series of stories, but also for reaching out and getting interviews with Batch.
For more of The Watch Tower’s analysis of Pittsburgh Steelers press coverage, click here.
