For the second straight day, the Steelers dealt with a bit of inclement weather, but in the end they were able to dodge the rain and practice on the grass on Thursday to conclude their 2015 minicamp. The nine-week offseason program now is over, and the players have five weeks before training camp begins at Saint Vincent College. Here are some highlights from Coach Mike Tomlin's post-practice press briefing following Day 3:
On his impressions of minicamp and the entire offseason program:
"We had another good day, and had a great finish. We had nice energy and enthusiasm. It's really been a great offseason. This is a structural offseason and we measure it in that way. I'm not looking for result-oriented things. More than anything, we're just laying the foundation for our football team in 2015. We're making sure the guys have an understanding of what we expect from them. We've introduced them to the manner in which we work and the manner in which we need to work in order to produce a successful team. We also looked for how they give and receive information, formally and informally. From that perspective, it's been a productive offseason. Obviously, this is football in shorts. So, we measure that optimism, but we look forward to taking the next step in a month or so in Latrobe when we play in a more football-like environment. In terms of what we could get better at, in this setting, I thought it was good. I'm just looking forward to the process continuing."
On having extra time at camp this year because of the Hall of Fame Game:
"I love it. I love camp. I love the environment where you get the opportunity to just focus on football and live together, dine together, and be secluded, if you will. It's just a good environment for team-building."
On whether he gave the players any directives for the next five weeks, outside of telling them to show up for camp in shape:
"No."
