LATROBE, Pa. -- As happened the day before, the Steelers' practice Friday at Saint Vincent College ended with a skirmish.
Only this time around, it definitely became much more hostile.
Jake Dixon, Carlos Davis, Khalil Davis, Tuzar Skipper and others were in the midst of the scrap, which resulted in at least one punch thrown. It started with some jawing between Dixon and at least one member of the defensive line after the play. But, as the players began to go their separate ways, Carlos Davis ran into the fray at Dixon with a full head of steam, turning the skirmish into a full-blown melee.
Once cooler heads prevailed, Mike Tomlin talked to the team on the field before practice was officially over. Tomlin would not, however, make a big deal of it later.
“You guys have been around me long enough to know I’m not going to answer questions about every skirmish that breaks out,” Tomlin said. “We’re working hard. We’re competing our tails off. An environment like this is an opportunity to teach and learn not only from a competitive standpoint, but a professional standpoint; working to keep it professional. From time to time, it happens. None of us like it, but it’s a teaching opportunity.”
Friday's practice was definitely more intense than the first two days. Kendrick Green and Carlos Davis got into a small tussle earlier in the day. Later on, Kazee hit Calvin Austin III on a pass over the middle, even though live tackling in pads won't start until Monday. The intensity built up throughout practice and boiled over at the last moment.
"You have to play through the whistle and sometimes things like that happen," Dixon said coming off the field. "It’s camp. Everybody is competing. They’re trying to get better, but it is us trying to better ourselves.”
But, everything's good, right?
"Yeah," Dixon said. "We're all brothers walking off this field."
• George Pickens really stood out Friday. Didn't matter whether it was individual or team drills, his athleticism, quickness, speed and ability to catch the football were on full display. The catch where he took the ball away from Ahkello Witherspoon was all hands. It takes a special talent to use only hands to wrestle the ball away from a defender jumping the route. It's only been three days, but man, this guy looks the part so far.
• Defense definitely prevailed far more often than the offense Friday. The defense set the tone in seven shots, then there were multiple miscommunications on offense. One of Pickett's reps was thrown out because the offense broke the huddle with less than 11 players. Even with Mason Rudolph's consistency and a good showing from Pickens, there wasn't too much more to be excited about from the offense.
• Kevin Dotson worked at left guard with the first team once again. So, it appears he and Green are in a 50/50 battle for the position.
• Chase Claypool was unable to finish practice due to a shoulder injury. He is being evaluated, but Tomlin characterized his injury as "probably not serious."
• Pat Freiermuth is considered day-to-day with a hamstring injury after missing the last couple team sessions in Thursday's practice. He was on the field Friday, but without a helmet and did not participate in any drills.
• Levi Wallace did not practice due to illness, and is considered day-to-day.
• As for the rest of Steelers injuries (Minkah Fitzpatrick, Tyson Alualu, Miles Killebrew), Tomlin described them as "status quo." Fitzpatrick was, however, catching footballs instead of tennis balls during some hand-eye drills off to the side. So, that appears to be a positive sign moving forward.