More's needed from James Daniels.
Check that: More's being sought.
The people running the Steelers like their right guard. If they didn't, they wouldn't have signed him to that three-year, $26.5 million contract out of free agency from the Bears, never mind starting on the offensive line from the opening snap of OTAs. He might've been their most pivotal signing of the summer and, according to the eggheads at Pro Football Focus, he also was their smartest.
But ... as engaging and energetic as he's been off the field -- and I've certainly enjoyed every encounter -- I'm told by multiple sources that the internal expectations for Daniels' fire on the field are much higher than what's been seen so far. They want to see more fight. More pushback. More of the snarl the franchise had come to appreciate from David DeCastro at the same spot.
I won't make more of this than it is. Daniels hasn't been terrible, at least not since the preseason debacle in Jacksonville, Fla., when he was embarrassingly shoved into the backfield play after play. He hasn't even been the worst of the group on most snaps. But that, I'm told from within, has infinitely more to do with natural talent and sound technique, than with the aforementioned fire. And they don't sound as if they're prepared to settle.
Again, they like him. Nobody's burying him. But they also seem bound and determined to bring out some more ... Steelers-like qualities from his play.
For better or worse in terms of performance, the rest of the line's gradually progressing. Mike Tomlin confirmed that for me this week when he replied that he welcomed seeing a lot more "hat-on-hat" in the approach in Cincinnati. He didn't single out anyone in any direction, but I took that for myself as affirmation of a lot else I'd been hearing about what this line, in general, was lacking.
Against the Bengals, based on my in-person viewing and a follow-up video review, Dan Moore was far more involved with his hands and aggressive, Chuks Okorafor was equally dogged at the opposite tackle, Mason Cole battled through a badly sprained ankle to hold his own, and Kevin Dotson -- in the most pleasant surprise -- looked like a brute at times, in particular in pass protection when he was swallowing guys up. And Daniels was ... just kinda there.
That apparently isn't enough on the inside.
MORE STEELERS
2. DeMarvin Leal told me didn’t know he was getting a helmet against the Bengals until he showed up Sunday morning in Cincinnati. He and Isaiahh Loudermilk are both listed as second-string defensive tackles on the Steelers’ depth chart, and Tomlin obviously opted to go with the rookie out of Texas A&M.
"I was like, 'Let’s roll,'" Leal told me. "With that being a question mark before your first game, I tried to not think about that as much. I had a conversation with my mom, and she said, 'Don’t even worry about it. Things are going to work out the way they’re supposed to.'" -- Chris Halicke on the South Side
3. Leal earning a helmet within this deep of a group at defensive line was no easy feat. He definitely made a good impression on Tomlin with his play during training camp and the preseason. The one thing Leal focused on more than anything? "Coming in (training camp) in great condition," Leal told me. "Being conditioned to where I can just go, go, go." Not unlike any rookie ever has, picking the brains of veteran players was another key part of his early success, but his main focus was being able to have the conditioning to perform at a high level in as many reps as possible. -- Halicke
4. As a former member of the Bills, Levi Wallace has some familiarity with playing the Patriots. Like many of the Steelers players were stressing in the locker room Thursday, Wallace really stressed to me how important it will be to stop New England’s running game. The secondary will need to be involved in stopping the run, and they take pride in their ability to do so, even after intercepting Joe Burrow four times. Tackling was a huge emphasis for defensive backs during training camp, and they’re committed to being active in run defense. "This is going to test our ability to stop the run, and what we practiced in training camp," Wallace told me. "These guys are real. Their run attack is real." -- Halicke
5. Given Wallace’s familiarity with the Patriots, I asked him if how often coaches will approach players for insight when they play teams they’ve previously played for. It sounds like a question where the answer would be an obvious and resounding, "yes," but schemes and tendencies change as coordinators come and go, such as what’s happened in New England. However, Wallace gave me an interesting answer about Tomlin’s approach to this type of situation: "Coach T does a great job in saying he doesn’t care where good ideas come from," he told me. "Everybody knows I’ve played the Patriots a lot. [Brian] Flores was with them. There’s a lot of experience with guys who played the Patriots. (We’ll use) all of that collectively, plus what’s on tape as well." -- Halicke
6. Five takeaways is impossible to repeat week in and week out. However, that won’t stop this defense from trying. The Patriots obviously bring a very different challenge than what the Bengals presented. The Steelers knew they’d have to cover an elite receiving corps in Cincinnati. As previously stated, they’ll have to commit more to stopping the run against New England. But that won’t stop the defense from trying to force turnovers. "They don’t spread you out (like Cincinnati)," Wallace told me. "They limit (turnovers). It’s hard to take the ball away from them. We’ll be focusing on new challenges, like punching the ball out." -- Halicke
7. Cole was able to return in Sunday’s win over the Bengals after injuring his ankle, and he’s been a limited participant in practice this week. Both of those factors generally favor towards the player being able to dress for the upcoming game, and that will also depend on his availability in Friday’s practice. He was walking around in the locker room after Thursday's practice with that left ankle very heavily wrapped, but all signs point toward him being able to go, barring any setbacks, even if he is listed as questionable. -- Halicke
PIRATES
8. The usually soft-spoken Cal Mitchell grabbed a headline in Cincinnati when asked by Halicke about the challenges of this season, saying, "battling some of the front office decisions is new. Something that I’ve had to adjust to."
I asked him about that Thursday, where he clarified the challenge was bouncing between Class AAA Indianapolis and the majors. Mitchell has had three extended stints in the minors this year after being optioned twice, and those trips certainly are taxing on players. He said he chose his words poorly and that he doesn't hold a grudge against Ben Cherington or the front-office staff. -- Alex Stumpf in New York
9. On Wednesday, minor league players officially joined the Major League Baseball Players Association, a potentially paradigm-shifting development to ensure minor-leaguers have better living and playing conditions guaranteed. When I asked Wil Crowe if any minor-leaguers had reached out to him about the MLBPA, he said Henry Davis did.
"I care about the game," Davis told me. "I love our game, and I care about my teammates. I just want to educate myself as possible so I can answer questions and have conversations with guys about what's best for the game and what's best for them." -- Stumpf
10. Crowe is, as expected, fielding a lot of the duties for a MLBPA player rep, even though an official vote for the position won't take place until spring training. David Bednar is also in the text message chain with MLBPA representatives and officials, so he could also be a candidate for the position come spring. -- Stumpf in New York
11. Wow, was Altoona abuzz about Luis Ortiz. I sent Chris the best quotes from manager Kieran Mattison on the day of his start, but if you want to talk about an organizational win, that young man is one. And yeah, they think he's a future starter. -- Stumpf
12. I also caught up with Endy Rodriguez in Altoona too (that story's to come). When he came into the Curve's dugout for the interview, he asked for a favor. He wanted to do the interview in English. He was terrific, as you'll see soon. -- Stumpf
13. Rodriguez had a unique challenge that night I caught up in Altoona: He was going to catch Matt Eckelman, who has become a knuckleballer very recently (to actually potentially intriguing results, as he has allowed three runs in 11 innings this month while throwing it). Catching a knuckleballer is the stuff of baseball legend, and catching a new knuckleballer...
"It's hard," Rodriguez joked. "I'm just trying to catch the ball. Not frame it. Just catch it." -- Stumpf
14. When Don Kelly came on board as bench coach in 2020, he made a promise that if the Pirates won five games in a row, he would shave his head. They reached four games with the Reds sweep this week, but alas, Kelly is still yet to get shaved, three years on the job. -- Stumpf
PENGUINS
15. It's surprising to see how many players are in town this early before training camp. As of Thursday, the only NHL-contracted players who have yet to join the informal skates are Kris Letang, Jason Zucker and third goaltender Dustin Tokarski. Everyone else from the main roster, as well as all of the depth signings, are already here. Letang is continuing to train in Montreal. Zucker just recently returned to Minnesota after a trip to California with his family. It isn't a concern that they're continuing to work at home, nobody is required to be in Pittsburgh yet. Both Zucker and Letang are among those whose families aren't in Pittsburgh year-round, so it's understandable that neither were among the first players in town. -- Taylor Haase in Cranberry, Pa.
16. To Taylor's point, it's also surprising to not only see Evgeni Malkin in town multiple weeks ahead of the start of training camp, but also the frequency at which he's been out on the ice for these informal skates. To my knowledge, Malkin has missed only two of the Penguins' informal skates since he arrived in town, both of which were due to a trip he took with his wife Anna and son Nikita to the US Open Tennis Championships in New York. A team representative shared my surprise, and said some seasons "you just never know" as to when Malkin would show up. More often than not, it would be right at the start of training camp, which is fine. Players aren't obligated to be there until they are. The skates are informal for a reason. But, I do think this shows just how committed Malkin is to keeping his game at a high level heading into this season. -- Danny Shirey in Cranberry, Pa.
17. At the end of practice on the first day of rookie camp on Thursday, I noticed Sam Poulin chatting with director of player development, Tom Kostopoulos. I asked Poulin about their chat during our one-on-one. “Nothing really related with my game,” he chuckled, “it was mostly about sticks. We were talking about my stick’s pattern, so nothing too crazy there.” When I pushed for details, Poulin said he has been using Filip Hallander’s stick model since the end of last season. “I’ve been playing with his stick since the end of last year, so that’s what I ordered for this year. I like its feel, I like the way the stick is made.” The stick is a CCM Super Tacks AS4 model with a P90 curve on the blade. The P90 curve is a bit of a hybrid that is ideal for faceoffs, stickhandling and tipping pucks. -- Shirey
18. Of the Penguins' restricted free agent prospects who didn't receive qualifying offers and thus become unrestricted free agents, only three have yet to sign with a new team for next season: Forwards Jan Drozg and Justin Almeida, and defenseman Will Reilly. The Penguins spoke with Drozg -- their 2017 fifth-round pick -- this week about an offer for an AHL tryout deal, but Drozg declined in order to seek out better opportunities in Europe. -- Haase
19. Amanda Kessel, the inaugural member of the Penguins' executive management program, is also back in town after winning a silver medal in the Women's World Championship in Denmark earlier this month. Her role allows her to rotate among different departments in the organization, and she was with the PR staff on Thursday. -- Haase
20. The management box above the rink at the Lemieux Complex was as full as I've ever seen it on Day 1 of rookie camp. Taking in the session were Ron Hextall, Brian Burke, assistant GM Chris Pryor, director of amateur scouting Nick Pryor, hockey operations analyst Andy Saucier, video coach Madison Nikkel, assistant video coach CJ D'Alimonte, hockey operations advisor Trevor Daley, as well as Mike Sullivan, Todd Reirden, Mike Vellucci and Andy Chiodo. Rookie camp, unlike development camp, is more geared toward the prospects who have the potential for NHL time in the coming years. The Penguins' management and coaching staff is watching more closely as a result. -- Haase
21. Kasperi Kapanen’s performance hasn’t led to great macro level results during his time with the Penguins, but taking a look under the hood at a micro level in terms of zone entries, chances, chance assists and various other key performance indicators, Kapanen grades out pretty well. Because of this, Kapanen is projected to rank just outside the top quarter of league forwards in the rate at which he scores and produces primary assists at 5-on-5 next season, according to the projection model of JFreshHockey. While that might be a pretty optimistic projection, if Kapanen is able to get anywhere close to that level, it would go a long way toward justifying the two-year, $6.4 million contract he signed this summer. -- Shirey