Verron Haynes knows an opportunity when he sees one, which is why he spent Fridays during his rookie season at the knee of the master, Jerome Bettis.
Like Bettis, Haynes came into the NFL as a fullback and hopes to become a halfback. Haynes rushed for 1,378 yards fewer than Bettis did as a rookie, but it does not mean he did not learn important lessons from The Bus.
"We just started clicking and talking," Haynes said, "and I just wanted to pick his brain and see where his head is at. Being he's a future Hall of Famer, there's no better person to learn from on this team than him."
Each Friday after practice, the two grabbed something to eat, then went to Bettis' house to watch film and talk about life in football.
"It is a business, that's what he tried to explain to me," Haynes said. "You have to see the big picture and the big spectrum of things -- how to play the game, how to give patience to a counter, not hit it so fast, allow your block to develop. He would just critique little stuff and what he looks for in the film. I really gained a lot of knowledge of the game from him."
Haynes is the only returning back attending the rookie camp this week, which normally includes second-year pros and players changing positions or players that coaches feel need the work. The Steelers drafted a fullback in the seventh round, Haynes' former Georgia teammate J.T. Wall. That might permit Haynes to concentrate on halfback and give up fullback.
"When he had a chance to run at Georgia, he showed he was pretty good," Coach Bill Cowher said.
The Steelers have stuck with three players at halfback -- Bettis, Amos Zereoue and Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala -- but Haynes could become more involved in the mix, particularly if any of the three has the kind of injury problems that have plagued them recently.
After seeing Bettis two weeks ago, Haynes believes Bettis will make a big comeback from his second-least productive season.
"His weight is down. He looks good. He has this attitude about him that everyone's counting him out. He has a lot to prove. I haven't been around him too long, but for the past year I've seen him, he looks pretty determined."
Tickets for sale
Although the Steelers have sold out every nonstrike home game since 1972 and have season-ticket waiting lists in the thousands, fans can still buy individual game tickets in the spring.
The Steelers put a limited number of game tickets on sale through mail orders only. They are accepting them now. Fans can buy two tickets to two games and can request which game. The orders will be filled as soon as they arrive. If the requested games are sold out, the Steelers will substitute tickets to another game unless requested not to.
The Steelers will accept one order per household or business firm and orders will not be mailed to post office boxes. Checks of $52 each should be made to Pittsburgh Steelers and mailed to their ticket department, P.O. Box 6763, Pittsburgh PA 15212.
One left standing
Rookie guard Deon White participated in practices yesterday. He was held out Friday because of high blood pressure. That left Mathias Nkwenti, a third-year tackle, the only invitee not able to participate. He has a pulled hamstring.
Up to speed
The Steelers made an effort to increase their speed, especially on defense, and Cowher is delighted with it.
"There's good speed, some of it is misdirected right now," he said after watching the typical rookie mistakes on the field yesterday. "There are some athletes out there, even at the receiver position. We have some good fast guys that are great to work against.
"I think without a doubt, we've upgraded the team speed, for sure. The speed you have in the 40 is one thing, but when you're out here having to think about what you're doing and having to play within the scheme, that can tend to bring speeds down to a degree."
Steelers Notebook: Haynes hoping to take Bus route to become halfback 
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