Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Alan Faneca is not yet required by contract to show up for minicamp because it is voluntary. Click photo for larger image.

Mike Tomlin conducts his first minicamp this weekend, starting today, and he could be confronted with his first real issue as Steelers coach:

Will Alan Faneca show up?

Neither Faneca nor his agent, Rick Smith, returned phone calls to answer that question. But there are indications the All-Pro guard will not be in Pittsburgh this weekend.

He has attended none of the voluntary workouts with his teammates that began March 19. He is known to be unhappy with his contract that has one year remaining and with the pace of talks toward a new one. Smith said last month that he would no longer talk publicly about Faneca and that any comments about the player would have to come from "Rooney or Kevin Colbert."

Faneca is not yet required by contract to show up, even for this minicamp because it is voluntary. The first time Faneca or any other Steelers player must report is the weekend of May 11, when Tomlin continues his predecessor's practice of holding a required minicamp over Mother's Day Weekend. That's when a player can be fined for not showing.

Until then, the Faneca issue will fester. The Steelers have paid him a $1 million roster bonus that came due early in March.

There could be other Steelers who do not show today other than Faneca, but the turnout for their workouts the previous month generally has been good.

Tomlin will put his new team through two workouts on the field today, two more tomorrow and one on Sunday. No pads can be worn and, supposedly, there is to be no contact during the drills.

This will be the first time the team gets a chance to run its new offense under coordinator Bruce Arians, who was promoted from wide receivers coach to replace Ken Whisenhunt. Arians has streamlined the playbook but at the same time changed its language. He also said he wants to use four wide receivers at times on first down with the quarterback under center, not in the shotgun, and that he will put more responsibility on Ben Roethlisberger's shoulders. Roethlisberger, for instance, will call the pass protections this year instead of a lineman doing it.

Roethlisberger's been busy studying that new playbook.

"I've been looking over stuff. I take it on the road with me," he said. "I sit on the airplane and read over our no-huddle stuff and read over our cadence stuff.

"It's going to be difficult, there's no lying about it. But I think as we progress in it, I think we can be really good in it. I wish this were my same offense I've had for the whole time, the way Bruce talks about it and the things we're going to be able to do.

"I think it's something that's going to be a lot of fun and, once we get the hang of it, we can really be successful with it."

The biggest change expected when Tomlin was hired was supposed to come on defense because of his background in the 4-3 cover-2. Instead, Tomlin kept coordinator Dick LeBeau and most of his defensive staff and said he will stick with the 3-4, the defense the Steelers have run for a quarter of a century.

"We have the best 3-4 people in the world, I think," Tomlin said. "That's what we're going to do."

NOTES -- Four college prospects paid a visit to the Steelers yesterday, including punter Daniel Sepulveda of Baylor. The others were Miami linebacker Jon Beason, projected to go in the first round; tight end Cody Boyd of Washington State, and offensive tackle Allen Barbre of Missouri Southern. Wide receiver Andre Allison of East Carolina visited them Wednesday. ... Today is the deadline for restricted free agents to sign with other teams. The Steelers have two, OT Max Starks and QB Brian St. Pierre.