ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker

LATROBE, Pa. -- The Pittsburgh Steelers just wrapped up their second practice of two-a-days Saturday evening.

Here are some personal notes and observations:

• Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger looked sharper Saturday. He probably had his best practice in the evening session that I've witnessed since arriving to camp several days ago. Roethlisberger made some nice deep and intermediate throws to receivers Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward and tight end Heath Miller in team and 7-on-7 drills that he struggled with the previous few days. Perhaps it's a good sign that Roethlisberger is starting to regain his form after admitting his arm wasn't strong at the beginning of camp.
• Speaking of quarterbacks, backup Charlie Batch looks much better now than he did in spring minicamps. Batch suffered a season-ending collarbone injury last year and appeared rusty earlier this offseason. But he has made plenty of good reads this summer. Batch's best throw Saturday was a beautiful deep ball to rookie receiver Tyler Grisham for a long gain.
• Starting safety Ryan Clark looks healthy and excited to be back on the field. There were several opportunities to make big hits Saturday where Clark got antsy but had to let up because the team wasn't in full pads. He won't have to pass up those opportunities in game situations.
• On the injury front, key players who sat out Saturday were running back Willie Parker, who had some back spasms, and rookie receiver Mike Wallace (groin).
• As I mentioned earlier, the play of the day came from Roethlisberger with his deep connection to Ward in team drills. Ward made a tough catch after running a deep in across the middle. Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu had a good read on the play, which forced Ward to adjust and jump in front of Polamalu to make the catch. It's was a unique battle between Ward and Polamalu that people would never get to see in a real game.
• Finally, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin warned that the famous "goal-line drill" will make its 2009 training camp debut on Sunday. The drill is super physical and a personal favorite of the AFC North blog.