Saturday, August 19, 2006
Camp Cheney: Day 21
P-I STAFF
PLAYER OF THE DAY: Itula Mili. The veteran tight end picked a great day to be productive. With Jerramy Stevens out at least six weeks after damaging the meniscus in his left knee during practice Thursday, Mili moves back in as the starter.
Friday morning, Mili was moving well and catching the ball even better. He separated from linebacker Leroy Hill to take a pass from Matt Hasselbeck in the end zone during a red-zone drill, and used his body to shield middle linebacker Niko Koutouvides to make another nice catch.
The key with Mili is making sure he's healthy for the regular-season opener, so his reps will be monitored in practice and preseason games. Mili missed most of last season after being hospitalized with an intestinal blockage the week of the season opener. His weight is down and he is showing the moves that enabled him to catch 46 passes in 2003 -- the franchise record for a tight end.