Multimedia presentation by Peter Diana
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Counting down the days till the first pre-season game Saturday against the Cardinals, the competition for positions is still on.

Rookie safety Anthony Smith may not be lining up this year but has shown enough to the coaches to put him in place for the year to come.

"He's ahead of the curve right now. I think the coaching sessions helped all those guys in terms of running our defense and making the calls," said defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

Other players are changing positions while some are returning to the practice field after time on the sidelines.

Joey Porter, who has not practiced since having surgery on his right knee in May, likely will resume practicing today.

Wide receiver Hines Ward, who felt tightness in his injured hamstring, sat out the remainder of the yesterday's session and now says he may not start this Saturday in Arizona.

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Multimedia Index

First published on August 9, 2006 at 12:00 am

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This presentation was produced by Peter Diana.
Peter Diana can be reached at pdiana@post-gazette.com.