LATROBE, PA. Ruffin challenging Steelers' kicker

Last year, Jeff Reed made 17-of-19 field goal attempts.
LATROBE, Pa. (AP) -- Jeff Reed made 17-of-19 field goals as a rookie last season to finish second in the NFL in field-goal percentage behind Adam Vinatieri.
But he may not even be the most accurate kicker on his team. His competitor at training camp, Jonathan Ruffin, has put on a display of accuracy that might rival that of any kicker in the NFL -- Vinatieri included.
The two players this week attempted field goals from the sideline approximately 10 yards in front of the goal posts, creating a severe angle. Ruffin split the uprights on every one of his five kicks.
Reed's first kick wasn't even close. He missed two more before bearing down and making his last two attempts.
Pressure
Reed said Ruffin's performance is forcing him to concentrate more.
"If there's one guy here, there's no one to beat out; there's no one to compete with," Reed said. "But he's on top of his game. He came ready to play."
Ruffin won the Groza Award as the nation's top place-kicker his sophomore season at the University of Cincinnati. He made 26-of-29 field goals that year, the sixth-highest in NCAA history. As a junior, Ruffin made 12-of-16 attempts and last season he was 19-of-22.
"Accuracy has never been my problem," Ruffin said. "That's what I've been good at my whole life."
The 5-foot-10, 182-pound Ruffin wasn't drafted and signed with the Steelers as a free agent last April.
Strength woes
Some scouts knocked him for a lack of leg strength, though he did kick a career-long 49-yarder last season against Ohio State.
He then broke his own school record set in 2000 of 12 field goals in a row, making his last 13 field-goal attempts.
But does he have what it takes to unseat Reed?
"You kind of look at it as a heavyweight fight against a champion," said Steelers special teams coach Kevin Spencer. "In a championship bout, you've got to knock out the champion, so I mean that's what's got to happen.
"It's not a wide-open thing, but the kid's going to get work and he's going to get coached. I fully anticipate Jeff will do what he came here to do, but Ruff's not taking a back seat."
Ruffin acknowledges that he is competing against Reed's impressive record as a Steeler.
"He had a good season last year, so they're not looking to get rid of him," Ruffin said. "Why fix it if it's not broken? I just want to do the best I can, impress some people here and hopefully my name will get out to other people. That's usually the way it works. That's the way it worked for Jeff."