TOMLIN RETURNS, STEELERS PAD UP

Coach Mike Tomlin returned to Latrobe on Saturday after serving as Ronde Barber’s presenter during the Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton, and the Steelers donned their pads for practice, which was a bit of a surprise because of Friday’s night practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.

Tomlin explained that he wanted to “…harden this group not only in terms of physical preparation but mental preparation. These last 24 hours are kind of reflective of how the season can be from time to time.”

The Steelers are getting more banged up at training camp, particularly in the secondary. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. left the field with an ankle injury but returned after getting it re-taped. Safeties Damontae Kazee and Keanue Neal remained out, as did running back John Lovett. And the Herbig brothers are both being evaluated after being injured yesterday. Veteran offensive lineman Nate Herbig suffered a thumb/hand injury and rookie linebacker Nick Herbig pulled up with a hip flexor injury.

The good news for the Steelers was the return to camp of safety Minkah Fitzpatrick after he had missed most of camp tending to a personal matter.