Camp ends, cuts coming

Camp is officially over. I thought we were going to check out Monday but Coach Tomlin let us leave early after the rookie show.

Training camp is over thank God. Now its time to get ready for two more preseason games. Then the season begins.

I still have to find a place to live in the Pittsburgh area. My home is up for sale in the Cleveland area, and I’m praying that I will get an offer soon.

We played the Vikings last night. We won. Our defense faced one of the best running backs in this league, Adrian Peterson. We did a good job of stopping the run. The offense drove the ball down the field to get Jeff Reed in field goal position to make 4 field goals. The score was 12-10. Steelers win!

Now that the preseason is coming to an end, the yet certain, but gruesome, aspect of the NFL is about to take place.

We have 83 guys on our roster at this time and the NFL only allows us to keep 53.

You do the math!

You never know who they are going to keep or release. I tell guys who find themselves thinking about getting released not to worry themselves with things that they cannot control.

It’s our job to come to work everyday, and do our best. It’s management’s and coaches’ jobs to determine what players they are going to keep or release.

Questions and answers

I love to get questions from my readers. So lets answer your questions!

In college, in general, not specifically Clemson, is there such a thing as a “student/athlete?” Aren’t you there to play ball (or whatever sport)? Do you feel that “student/athletes” should be paid while in school? I’ve not been a Steelers fan before (Brown’s for me) but I am now a Nick Eason fan. Thanks for your time. DSMCKAY!

Thanks for your questions! I believe that there is such a thing as “student athlete,” but it depends on the way a particular institution treats the athlete, and the way the athlete views him/herself! There are some athletes who come into college with no intention of obtaining a degree. Their mentally is to strictly play sports. In some cases, this comes back to haunt them when they have been presented with a career-ending injury. That’s why it’s very important that athletes always have a second career choice because those dreams of making it to the professional level can be ruined in one play. I feel that student athletes should be paid a monthly stipend. I know some people may not agree with this because a lot of college athletes receive full scholarships. That pays for tuition, books, room/board and meals. I don’t think that the monthly stipend has to be an excessive amount. But with the rise in gas prices, I’m sure athletes could use a little gas money.

From a team togetherness perspective, how do the Steelers compare to the Browns? Also, how does Mike Tomlin differ from Romeo Crennel in his relationship with players?

As far as the 2007 Steelers and the 2008 Steelers team, because these are the only two years that I can speak on this subject, I think that we have more team togetherness here in Pittsburgh. I feel that the Steelers team has players who are every unselfish and are team players. Off the field, the guys here are involved with the community more. In Cleveland, I experienced a lot of selfishness amongst the team. At times, there was a lot of animosity between a number of guys on the team. You don’t see that here in Pittsburgh. We are more together here in Pittsburgh. But I cannot speak for 2007 and 2008 Browns.

Is your weight really 305? You really look larger.

The funniest part of this question is not the question.

But it’s where the question came from. This question is from my own mother!

See how I get treated and picked on! And I’m actually a few pounds under 300 pounds Mom! Thanks.

XNick Eason is in his second season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is detailing his experiences for Vindy.com. We’ve printed excerpts of his blog here.