PITTSBURGH -- Troy Polamalu walked off the Pittsburgh Steelers practice field on Tuesday with rookie safety Shamarko Thomas hanging on the veteran safetys every word. To be honest, Polamalu admits its still a little strange to think that in the last decade hes morphed from precocious talent into respected leader. Yet he knows being a mentor is part of his job description these days, and for a team in the midst of startling change, its a role hell eagerly fill. "The great thing about the people that we have here is that all we are going to do is give knowledge," Polamalu said. "There is no hesitation. Its not like we think this guy is going to replace someone, like other teams." Maybe, but there is little doubt that the Steelers expect Thomas to one day take over for the 32-year-old Polamalu or 33-year-old Ryan Clark. Just not quite yet. For as all the tumult Pittsburgh experienced in the off-season, there was a sense of normalcy during the first day of organized team activities. While locker room fixtures James Harrison, Mike Wallace and Rashard Mendenhall are all gone, a host of veterans remain to help an 8-8 team rebuild on the fly. "It feels new and different every year at this time," coach Mike Tomlin said. "Were working with 90 guys and every year 40 or so of them, minimum, are new guys. From that standpoint, its the same. Were always excited and energized to work with the new faces." So long as the old ones know that needs to be fixed. The Steelers slid to their worst record of Tomlins six-year tenure in 2012 as injuries and uncharacteristic mistakes sent Pittsburgh tumbling out of the playoffs. General manager Kevin Colbert refused to call the Steelers a team in transition during the off-season but allowed changes needed to be made for Pittsburgh to get back to its usual spot among the NFLs elite. Part of the plan was trimming some salary cap fat in cutting Harrison and veteran offensive lineman Willie Colon. Part of it was adding youth like top draft pick linebacker Jarvis Jones and second-round running back LeVeon Bell. And part of it was relying on players like Polamalu and quarterback Ben Roethlsiberger to assert themselves in the locker room. Roethlisberger has spent the majority of his career as the youngest player in the quarterback room. Now hes the oldest after the team jettisoned Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch in the off-season and brought in Bruce Gradkowski, John Parker Wilson and fourth-round pick Landry Jones. "Im going to do everything I can to help those guys get ready to play because Im here to win games," Roethlisberger said. "Weve had other guys step up and play and win games for us in the past. Im excited to help these guys be ready to go if need be." The quarterback brushed off off-season chatter from several players -- some anonymously -- that the dynamics of the locker room changed last year. He called the suggestions "confusing" and said the team is eager to move on. So is cornerback Ike Taylor. The very un-Steelerlike end to last season left a "sour taste" in the veterans mouth. "Thats something we pride ourselves on is making the playoffs, having the opportunity to go to a championship game and we came up short," Taylor said. When asked if missing the playoffs for only the third time since 2004 is that big a deal, Taylor didnt hesitate. "It is," Taylor said. "When you put all that effort in, training camp, minicamp, going along into the season and have opportunities to make it and you dont make it, its frustrating." And hopefully, a lesson learned. Polamalu missed more than half the season with a calf injury, the first one of his 10-year career he says "could have been avoided." The 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year declined to get into specifics on how he could have kept the calf healthy but says his off-season regimen continues to change as he matures. "Time is not stale," Polamalu said. "You have to continue to evolve as time evolves, your career evolves and your body evolves. I think when you become stale in that way, then its just kind of a redundant thing." Like, say, harping on last season. The Steelers arent used to missing the playoffs in consecutive years. They went three seasons without a post-season appearance from 1998-2000, but thats long before the likes of Polamalu, Roethlisberger and Taylor came along. Nevertheless, all have endured bumps in the road throughout their careers. And all have found a way to respond almost immediately. They see no reason it cant happen again. "I think its like coach (Tomlin) says," Taylor said. "Less talk and more work." Kenny Wiggins Jersey . For the Wild it was their first win of the season and they now have a record of 1-1-2 while the Jets fall to 2-2. Jets start a six game home stand Friday with another divisional game, home to the Dallas Stars. Cheap Football Lions Jerseys .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. http://www.cheaplionsjerseyssale.com/?tag=don-muhlbach-jersey-sale . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Devon Kennard Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Golden Tate III Jersey . -- Hunter Smith scored the winner with just 12 seconds remaining in the third period as the Oshawa Generals edged the host Sarnia Sting 5-4 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Four months ahead of the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Australia have impressively raised their profile in the sport.Australia claimed the silver medal at the U-23 Baseball World Cup in Monterrey, Mexico, a milestone result for a program ranked No. 13 in the world. The Aussies won six of eight games in the first two rounds of the tournament to earn a spot in Sunday nights championship game, where they lost 10-3 to top-ranked Japan.The loss is disappointing for Team Australia, but a second-place finish undoubtedly indicates tremendous progress. By winning the silver, Australia are likely to jump to No. 11 in the world rankings and appear to have a bright future.Its very significant, said Australia U-23 head coach Tony Harris. We couldnt be prouder of how the guys played in the entire tournament. Its a credit to this team, and for Australia baseball, its massive.Australia shortstop Jacob Younis was named the top hitter in the World Cup after posting a .571 batting average with seven RBIs. First baseman Connor MacDonald hit a tournament-high four home runs, including two against Panama on Saturday to help clinch a spot in the championship game. Four Aussies were named in the All-World Cup team: Younis, MacDonald, designated hitter Guy Edmonds and relief pitcher Joshua Guyer.Im super proud of these young men, Harris said. They were fantastic ambassadors for Australian baseball, the way they carried themselves on and off the field.Japans U-23 team have a bevy of professional talent, including players from the nations top pro level, the NPB. So Harris knew that his team, which had lost to Japan 11-2 in the opening round, would need to play flawlessly to have a chance to win gold.In the early innings, Australia did just that. Aaron Whitefiled gave the Aussies a 2-0 lead in the second inning with a single that scored Sam Kennelly and Ben Leslie. Zach Shepherd then led off the fourth inning with a home run to make it 3-0 and chase Japan starting pitcher Taiga Kasahara.dddddddddddd Meantime, Aussie pitcher Nick Veale was sharp in facing the minimum number of batters through three innings.But Japan is ranked No. 1 in the world for good reason, and their explosive lineup broke through for four runs in the fourth inning and never looked back. Australia banged out 10 base hits, compared to just seven for Japan. But Japan were able to take advantage of four Australia errors to score five unearned runs.Japan first baseman Taishi Hirooka struck the biggest blow, hitting a three-run homer in the sixth inning. Left fielder Yusuke Masago, who hit a solo homer and scored two runs in the championship game, was named MVP of the 12-team tournament.Australia played the World Cup without the services of several key players because of injuries and professional commitments, making the silver-medal result even more impressive.It gave others players a chance to step up, Harris said. And boy did they step up.Australia beat Chinese Taipei, ranked No. 4 in the world, on its way to a 4-1 record in the opening round. The Aussies opened the second round with a loss to host Mexico, but rebounded with wins against No. 3 Korea and Panama to earn a spot in the championship game.Looking ahead, Australias senior team will play in the first round of the World Baseball Classic in Tokyo on March 7-10. The Southern Thunder are grouped with China, Cuba and Japan in pool play.Harris will be in Tokyo as an assistant coach, and about a half-dozen of his U-23 players are candidates to earn roster spots on the WBC team. 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