*Yesterday's session, the first open to the public, was attended by 14,000 fans . The fans cheered for every little positive thing the Steelers did. They also took a moment to cheer LB Clark Hagans for using a portable toilet.
*LB Joey Porter (knee) and WR Walter Young (foot) did not practice. Rookie free-agent Mike Kudla and old-faithful Dan Kreider were not able finish practice. Although not conisdered serious, Kreider aggravated a mild foot-injury.*Walter Young may have a hard time catching up if he misses any sort of considerable time. Quincy Morgan, Santonio Holmes, Lee Mays and Sean Morey all had their moments during Sunday's session.*The battle to replace Chris Hope is going to be a good one. There does not necessarily need to be a clear-cut winner per se, as both Ryan Clark and Anthony Carter are going to be relied upon to provide valuable contributions in the secondary. Still, it's good to see some competitive spirit this early in camp. During Sunday's workouts, it was Carter, not Clark who took snaps with the first-string defense. Without sounding petulant, Clark voiced his intentions to be the starter:p>""I want to be that guy," he said. "I didn't come here to be a backup. I came here wanting to start for the world champions. That's my goal. That's what I pray for every night. But, if it doesn't end up that way, I'll do my role and handle my assignments."
The decision to have Carter practice with the first team may be more of a motivational tactic than anything. I hope Clark maintains his positive attitude and does solid things for us this year. *One more quick note on Steelers fans: they're awesome . Throngs of fans have travelled from all over the country to support the Steelers in camp. Residents of West Virginia, Texas, NJ, and Maryland all made the trip to Latrobe. This has to have a positive effect on the players. If some working folks are willing to take time out of their lives to show their support, I'd guess that'd be extra motivation to go hard all day.Art Rooney II was impressed, saying, "This is a great day; we're excited about the crowds."Hopefully reader schnifin will share his insights on camp if he is indeed able to make it out to tomorrow's session.