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Friday, July 26, 2002

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Jerome Bettis could not have done it any better had he hired a skywriter to fly over Latrobe yesterday to inscribe, "The Bus is Back!"

	Quarterback Charlie Batch, still recovering from minor knee surgery, didn't work out with the rest of the Steelers yesterday. But he could be cleared to practice today. (Peter Diana, Post-Gazette)

Bettis used the first day of training camp and Coach Bill Cowher's trying series of 14 40-yard sprints to end half a year's worth of worry about whether his injured groin had healed.

It has.

Bettis completed all 14 sprints near the head of the pack and finished first among seven runners in the final, double dash of 40 up and 40 back.

He edged tight end Jerame Tuman at the finish line then triumphantly high-stepped it into the end zone.

The Steelers hope to see plenty more of that this season.

"Man, I've been doing this for a decade," said Bettis, the NFL's 10th-leading career rusher. "I know what I need to do. I know what type of shape I need to be in in terms of training camp.

"Furthermore, I understand the significance of this opportunity that we have. I've been doing this for a long time and I haven't been in this position very much. My philosophy is I'm not going to be the one to let my teammates down."

Bettis led the NFL in rushing until he was injured in the 11th game last season. He did not play again until the AFC championship. His groin was reinjured in that game, and he gained just 8 yards on nine carries.

Since then, skepticism surrounded Bettis' ability to return in shape and healthy, even though he went through June minicamp without a problem.

Yesterday, he put the questions to rest.

"I'm always written off every training camp," Bettis said. "It's always something -- will he this? Or, can he this? Or, he's out of shape this. Or, is age getting to him? It's always something with me. So every year I just kind of remind people why I'm still here. This kind of reaffirms that, just reminds people that I'm still here, I'm still kicking, you haven't gotten rid of me."

Some others struggle

Safety Nijrell Eason and linebacker Pernell Griffin, both rookie free agents, could not finish the 14 sprints, and the Steelers were disappointed in the performance of nose tackle Casey Hampton in the drills, which took place on a cool, windy, sunless afternoon.

The Steelers later said Griffin strained a hamstring in the running tests and placed him on the physically unable to perform list.

Mark Bruener and Charlie Batch did not run and also were placed on that list. Both veterans could be cleared to practice today.

"Some of the players who struggled with it were the rookies," Cowher said. "I'm not sure they understand the test itself.

"Casey had the surgery on his ankle after the season, so he's behind some on his conditioning. He's going to have to get himself going, but that's what this training camp is for."

Turnaround for Kreider

Starting fullback Dan Kreider, with a television crew from his hometown near Lancaster, Pa., following him, made it through the first day healthy.

Kreider's last camp got off to an ominous start when a calf muscle was torn while he walked through a drill on the first day.

"He got through the walk-through, so I knew it was all downhill for him after that," Cowher said.

Best way to start

Linebacker Joey Porter still believes in the value of spending a month away from home together in the dorms with his teammates.

"This is the foundation, this is where it starts," he said. "If you don't have a good foundation, then you really don't know where you're headed. It's going to be hot, and there will be times when people want to quit and hang it up, but you have to go out there and keep pushing each other. This is where it starts."