Making like a tank with no reverse gears, Mike Wallace reported to Pittsburgh Steelers facilities with no regrets about his extended absence from the team.
For Wallace, there's only the here and now. He's not even worried about the scant amount of time he has to absorb a new offense under Todd Haley.
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"Just being around football is what I missed," Wallace said. "Not really plays, so much. I mean, you have to be out there to run the plays, but I know the plays. I'm not really worried about that. I had a lot of time so all I did was study my plays. I know my plays."
Wallace was greeted like the prodigal son upon his arrival to Steelers camp at around noon on Tuesday. He later signed his much-discussed free agent tender worth $2.7 million. He hopes a deal can be completed at a later date.
"I mean that's down the road, hopefully I can," he said. "I mean, I'd love to be here, this is team that drafted me and this is where I want to stay. I'm not really worried about down the road. I'm just worried about playing football right now."
When told some people believe his contract demands are unreasonable, Wallace dismissed the notion.
"You talking about 'some'? You haven't heard my teammates say that. You never heard my coaches say that. Who is 'some'? I really don't care about 'some.' They don't matter to me."
There's probably going to be more rust involved than Wallace lets on, but the receiver's presence is a huge lift for Ben Roethlisberger and a Steelers offense that desperately needs him.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
