Notes On Steelers' Spring Practice

Just a few nuggets coming from various reports on the Steelers' first Spring practice:

Editor's Note Update: My apologies for not providing the appropriate link to Mr. Jim Wexell's work this morning. He notified me saying I had not done so, which is correct, though the link was buried in the comments section, provided by a reader. Here's his article from yesterday's practice, and let this be a nice reminder to all of us in comments and diaries to cite appropriately. Thanks.

• Willie Parker seems to be healing just fine from his broken leg suffered in Week 16 last year against the St. Louis Rams. Parker took handoffs and caught a few passes during the first practice of the Spring yesterday afternoon, and Mike Tomlin has no worries that FWP will be fully healed and ready to run confidently and aggresively once the regular season kicks off:

• A Kreider comeback? Perhpas, just not with Pittsburgh necessarily. The good news for Dan is that he's recovering quite quickly from an ACL tear that left many of us wondering if his career would be over. Well, it doesn't appear that way just yet, as he's working out at the Steelers practice facility and should be in camp somewhere this summer.

• I can't seem to find the article now, but I recall reading yesterday that both Jason Capizzi and Ryan McBean were dealing with injuries. We haven't spoken about Capizzi much because, frankly, there's not much to talk about. He hasn't made it off the practice squad, so there's little to judge him by. There are several people whose opinions I respect highly who are quite high on this kid though. I don't know how long we can wait on him to develop, but wouldn't it be a pleasant surprise if he had an enormous summer and was in the fold this fall?

• I hear an interview with Brady Quinn last night. On the one hand, I was impressed with several of his comments and responses, including his correct assertion that he had no doubt that his time would eventually come, be it this year or in future years. On the other hand, I still have a hard time envisioning him leading grown men on the football field. He just has this frat boy, 'I'm-not-ready-to-be-taken-seriously' way about him still in my humble opinion. As I said when the schedule came out, I'll be fascinated watching the Browns' early season unfold. Their schedule is packed with tough games in September and October, and I can't wait to see if they hit the panic button and bench Derek Anderson uncessarily if they're off to a rocky start.

• 3rd string QB Jared Zabransky apparently impressed with his spunk yesterday. His passes weren't a thing of beauty, but they arrived at their target destination, and he was keeping the mood intense and competitive. Good for him. We don't need an expert clipboard holder in Brian St. Pierre. Charlie Batch fills that role just fine.