LATROBE, Pa. – Tackle Ryan Harris is the new kid in town at Saint Vincent College, but the unrestricted free agent who signed this offseason from the Denver Broncos already has bonded with his teammates thanks to the offseason program.
"He is a high character guy," said tackle Marcus Gilbert. "When he came into the room, he was already one of our brothers. He earned our respect the way he came in prepared. He knows what we expect of him and we have to give him the same. He came from a winning team, he won a Super Bowl. He knows what it takes. To add him is a key."
Harris, who is in his ninth season, knows that the bonding process will continue as the players sweat it out on a daily basis during training camp at Saint Vincent College.
"There is so much bonding and effort that goes into training camp," said Harris. "It's good to get the ball rolling. It will be good to get the pads on and get things going.
"This is a hard working group. This is a focused group on one goal. I have enjoyed getting to know the guys over the summer, but this is the time when we really get to know each other as teammates. I look forward to that."
Despite the fact that he has been in the league for a while, won a Super Bowl last year with the Broncos, and has been there, done that, he still will need to prove himself just like every player will during camp.
"He just has to come out here and work," said center Maurkice Pouncey. "Everyone has to come out here and bust their butt. People aren't in the NFL without a reason. Anyone can start, anyone can go out there and play well. Competition makes everybody better. You have to go out there and compete for your job."
Rocky day at camp: Former Steelers running back Rocky Bleier and cornerback Mel Blount were at Saint Vincent College the past two days greeting fans as part of a promotion with NFL Network.
"It brings back a lot of memories," said Bleier. "The enthusiasm of all of the fans is amazing. It's always nice to come back. The memories of the years ago when I was here. The fans are great. They are so enthusiastic about the potential for this year and the memories of years past."
Bleier is looking forward to the 2016 season, and has high hopes for the team.
"If you look on paper and the people we have offensively, we are very strong in all of those positons," said Bleier. "On defense, there aren't questions, but there are positions where players have to prove themselves.
"The way we played last year at the end of the season, with that as a stepping stone, if everybody stays healthy they can go all the way."
