Where: Pittsburgh Steelers training camp in Latrobe, Penn. The Steelers have been coming to the campus of St. Vincent College in Latrobe since 1966.
Steelers Nation: The Steelers have always been an organization that prides themselves on being a “family” and that extends to their interactions with fans at training camp.
Even their haters would concede that Steelers fans take devotion to their team to extremes. Huge crowds line up hours before the start of practice so they can catch a glimpse of their favourite players. One super serious Steelers fan was covered in tattoos, including a complete likeness of Mean Joe Greene in uniform that stretched from his belly to his back.
On a nice day, the Steelers claim anywhere from 10,000 to 12,000 fans will make the trek to St. Vincent College.
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Coach’s corner: While some reporters tried to credit the Steelers receivers for not dropping any passes in a practice that was held during steady rain, head coach Mike Tomlin wasn’t about to hand out any compliments.
In fact Tomlin was in no mood to heap praise on any of his players after their first official practice of training camp because, in his words, “It’s still football in shorts for us.” (The Steelers practised in helmets and shorts Saturday)
Tomlin didn’t care to reflect on last year’s disappointing 8-8 season. All he was concerned about was the upcoming season and what kind of shape his players were in at the start of camp.
“The things that we can control are our attitude and our level of readiness; overall conditioning is a part of that,” said Tomlin.
During all of the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, Tomlin was pretty much talking non-stop. His constant chatter is a combination of interacting with the players, serious coaching and talking smack to guys who screw up.
Nobody is immune to Tomlin’s verbal darts but he pays special attention to rookies as they quickly find out what Tomlin means when he says “that standard is the standard.”
Veteran players say there is a definite method to Tomlin’s tough love approach to rookies.
“It’s tough man. But it’s our atmosphere. It’s a no-lie atmosphere. We like truth. Sometimes it’s brutal, but it’s all in love and usually in good fun. When you got to be stuck on a (college) campus for 21 days, you need something to laugh about. And if you can’t take a little jab from your head coach, you’re not going to be able to perform on Sunday, so we don’t want you out there,” said free safety Ryan Clark.
Rookie running back LeVeon Bell broke off a run then geared down after he was 20 yards past the line of scrimmage. All of a sudden Tomlin was all over him, imploring Bell to “finish everything you do.”
“Finish” was a central theme for Tomlin on Saturday and took every opportunity to remind his players about what he expects from them this year.
While Tomlin keeps the players motivated throughout practice, his respective coordinators — Dick LeBeau on defence and Todd Haley on offence — handle the majority of the X’s and O’s.
Watching him coach players young enough to be his grandchildren you would never know that LeBeau is 75-years old. But his complete mastery of the Steelers defence (ranked No.1 in the NFL in total yards allowed in 2012) and his boundless energy make his age a moot point. Tomlin might be the head coach but the Steelers defence still belongs to LeBeau.
Big Ben’s World: After battling numerous injuries (what else is new?) in 2012, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger declared himself healthy and ready to play.
Roethlisberger underwent knee surgery in early June but showed no ill-effects whatsoever during the workout. Big Ben had a lot of velocity on all of his throws and had the fans cheering when he nailed that “garbage can” accuracy drill.
“I’m trying to take over,” Roethlisberger said about his role on the team. “Instead of just being an offensive leader, (I’m) trying to be a leader of the team.”
For Roethlisberger to do that, he is going to have to find a way to stay healthy. He hasn’t started all 16 games in a season since 2008 and if the Steelers are going to have any chance of competing in the AFC, they will need to find a way to protect him better.
One of the ways the Steelers can do that is by running the ball more consistently, and more effectively. The Steelers ranked 26th in the NFL in rushing in 2012 and that was one of the reasons they drafted 245-pound running back Bell in the second round out of Michigan State.
Whether it is Bell, or holdovers like Issac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer, the Steelers are going to need a more productive running game in 2013. With a young offensive line, the Steelers are asking for trouble if they constantly find themselves in third and long situations.
Keep an eye on: While Tomlin felt it was too soon to single out any players, it was obvious from anyone who watched practice how good receiver Antonio Brown looked.
With the departure of Mike Wallace, who left as a free agent, the Steelers will need Brown to have a big year for the offence to click.
If Saturday’s practice was any indication, he’s ready to improve on his numbers from last year when he had 66 catches for 787 yards and five touchdowns.
Camp life: To shuttle players between their residence and the dining hall, the Steelers have a small fleet of golf carts to drive them around the campus. Tight end Heath Miller might be on the PUP (Physically unable to perform) list but he still has enough good manners to say “thanks for the ride” when he is dropped off.
One golf cart nearly collapsed from the weight of Roethlisberger and three offensive linemen as it tried to make up the hill to the dining hall.
Da Beard: Brett Keisel’s beard has become famous among Steelers fans that it even has its own Twitter account (@DaBeardGear). If you are so inclined, you can buy t-shirts with a likeness of Keisel’s beard on the front that says, you guessed it, Da Beard.