Coach Bill Cowher had his long-awaited conversation Saturday night with rookie receiver Santonio Holmes, not all of it about football.

"We had a good talk," Cowher said yesterday. "He's got a lot of work to do but he's committed to getting caught up to where he will feel comfortable."

Holmes has to make up ground off and on the field because of two arrests in May and June, and after he missed most of the Steelers' spring drills because his Ohio State classes were still in session.

He took his first steps on the field yesterday when he practiced with his new teammates in pads for the first time and made a nice leaping catch of a deep pass from Charlie Batch.

"I saw him make a couple good catches," Cowher said. "He looked fine."

Holmes, though, was beset a little by cornerbacks bumping him off the line of scrimmage, a normal occurrence for a rookie receiver.

"He's going to learn certain things as a receiver as far as bump-and-run coverage," veteran cornerback Deshea Townsend said. "He's a great route runner but he has to learn those things in bump and guys are going to test him. It's his first day. He'll get a lot better."

Hines Ward predicted Holmes will do so off the field as well. The Super Bowl MVP spent the week leading to training camp with Holmes. They worked out together at the Steelers' UPMC complex and ate dinner together.

"I hung out with him," Ward said. "He's a good kid. The misconception of what's going on off the field, that's not really relevant to us. We understand the situation, we really know kind of what's going on with everything.

"He's eager to learn the game. He wanted to come out here and really... prove 'I am worthy of a first-round pick.' He's working hard and I'm just excited to work with him."

Rookies work

Ward has two valets who not only work for free but will buy him food and drink as well.

Receivers Holmes and Willie Reid, a third-round pick, share the traditional rookie duties of carrying veterans' pads and helmets up the hill and into the locker room after each practice.

"I had to do it, everybody else had to do it," Ward said, recalling his own days lugging veterans' pads in 1998. "We're going to treat [Holmes] like a rookie. He got a nice little signing bonus; we're going to get into that too. We're all going to eat good."

Bailey is back

You can find at least one player from the 2005 Seattle Seahawks who refuses to complain about the Super Bowl officiating and thinks the best team won. Rodney Bailey, a backup defensive end for the Seahawks last season, wears black and gold these days.

"I think the game was played out between two great teams," said Bailey, beginning his second tour of duty with the Steelers. "You had the two best teams left from the AFC and the NFC. It ended up the way it ended up and the Steelers definitely won that game.

"Like I told the guys immediately after the game, congratulations on a great season. Of course, when you go to the Super Bowl both teams definitely want to win. It didn't work out that way when I was with Seattle, but I was very happy for everyone over here."

Bailey returned to the Steelers this year as a free agent after leaving to sign with New England in 2004 as a restricted free agent (the Steelers received a sixth-round draft choice in return). He spent the entire season on the Patriots' injured reserve list, but that was still good enough for him to earn a Super Bowl ring. Cut by the Patriots last summer, Seattle signed him and he came close to making it two rings in two years.

Released by the Super Bowl runners-up, he signed with the Super Bowl champs and will try to win a roster spot as a backup to starting ends Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel. The competition is stiff because Travis Kirschke has been a good backup, the coaches like the potential of Shaun Nua, a seventh-round pick last season, and the Steelers drafted Orien Harris in the fourth round this year.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity," said Bailey, 26. "This is home for me. Coming back to St. Vincent, one of the most unique things about it, no matter how many years you are away from it, no matter the differences from the year before, when you come here it seems like you never left."

Short snaps

Undrafted rookie linebacker Mike Kudla will miss a few days of practices, according to Cowher, because of a hamstring muscle injury. ... Fullback Dan Kreider aggravated a previous foot injury and will be evaluated daily. ... The Steelers practice twice today; the second starting at 3 p.m. is open to fans.