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It's Round 2 for Brown, Taylor
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Cornerback Ike Taylor (top) wrestles down receiver Antonio Brown during a fight at training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
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For the second time in training camp, wide receiver Antonio Brown and cornerback Ike Taylor were involved in a fight during practice.
This one didn't stop there.
After practice ended Sunday at Saint Vincent College, Taylor went after Brown in the middle of the field, and the players had to be separated by, among others, general manager Kevin Colbert.
Coach Mike Tomlin tried to dismiss the altercation by saying, "We're competitors ... those things happen," but this went beyond the usual training-camp tussle.
Afterward, Colbert met on an adjoining practice field with Brown, Taylor, safety Ryan Clark and receiver Jerricho Cotchery. Receivers coach Scotty Montgomery later joined the meeting.
Taylor applied an ice pack to his forehead and eventually walked off the field with Brown.
None of the involved players spoke to the media.
The altercation began when Taylor stepped in front of an end-zone pass for Brown and tried to wrestle the ball away. After jostling for the ball on the ground, the players jumped to their feet, and Brown threw a punch at Taylor. Several teammates intervened.
That was followed by a spirited goal-line drill in which Clark, who was not a participant, stood off to the side and screamed and gestured his support for the defense. The defense dominated the drill, winning six of seven plays.
The goal-line drill was at the end of practice, but it seemed to further incite the players, especially Clark and Taylor. Brown and Taylor were involved in a fight the first week of camp.
"These guys understand what we're working for, and when we step into stadiums, we're together," Tomlin said. "When you fight your brother, sometimes, it gets a little heated ... the guys understand what that's about, and they'll leave it on the grass where it should be."
Inside linebacker Larry Foote was the star of the goal-line drill, blowing up several plays in the backfield as the defense won, 6-1.
Foote was involved in all three plays for the first-team defense.
"I thought it was just a great goal-line period by guys like Larry Foote as opposed to deficient work on the other side," Tomlin said. "You've got to acknowledge when guys are playing lights out and, from where I stood, it looked like Larry Foote controlled the whole drill."
Usually, the Steelers would clear the sideline of all fans about 20 to 30 minutes before the end of practice. But Tomlin let the crowd stay till the end so they could witness the goal-line drill and create more excitement.
The Steelers lost another running back when John Clay went down with a hip/groin injury in practice and did not return. Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer already are out. "He went down in a lot of pain," Tomlin said of Clay. Offensive guard Doug Legursky did not finish practice (quad strain). Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders did not practice, but appeared fine. ... Wide receiver David Gilreath returned to practice.
First Published August 13, 2012 12:00 am
