By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Kendrell Bell, the Steelers' second-round draft pick, and his agent were going over a contract last night but have not yet agreed to the deal.

Bell's agent Todd France expects to agree on a four-year contract with the Steelers today.

That would leave first-round pick Casey Hampton as the only unsigned rookie on the team.

Before minicamp ended yesterday, Bell said he was happy to have the deal virtually done.

"I'm glad to have it out of the way," he said. "That's something I don't need on my mind right now, I can focus on a straight path and get ready to play."

Happy camper

Happiness for Jeff Hartings is a snap, as long as it's not fumbled.

Hartings, making the switch to center after he played his entire career at guard with the Detroit Lions, welcomed minicamp for the first time in his career.

"This is the first time I'm actually glad we had them," he said of spring practices. "The past couple of years were a waste of time for me."

Hartings has been working on snapping the ball with the Steelers' four quarterbacks the past month. During the rookie minicamp at the end of April, things did not go so well.

"I thought I came a long way from rookie camp, where I probably had a fumble every practice, to not having any in the 15 sessions of minicamp."

He did launch one snap in the shotgun over the head of rookie John Turman Wednesday, but it was the only one.

Fighting words

Dan Rooney declined comment after a fellow NFL owner called him a "punk."

Oakland's Al Davis called Rooney and Carmen Policy, presidents of the Steelers and Cleveland Browns, "two punks who cheated flagrantly on the salary cap" in a USA Today story.

Rooney called Davis a "lying creep" in a Post-Gazette story last month, and Policy said Davis no longer could be trusted in the aftermath of Davis' failed $1 billion lawsuit against the NFL.

The Steelers were fined $150,000 and forfeited a third-round draft choice this year and a fifth-round pick last year after they turned themselves in for a salary cap violation that involved offensive lineman Wil Woolford three years ago. Policy was fined $400,000 for violating the cap when he was president of the 49ers.

"Rooney and Policy, they were the first two guys to get caught," Davis told USA Today. "They were given the highest fines, manipulated the salary cap, cheated on their partners, and they're talking about me?"
denny