LATROBE, Pa. – It took Russell Wilson some time to get onto the practice fields at Saint Vincent College, but by the time the Steelers time here was over he had established himself as the best quarterback on their roster.
The Steelers have a joint practice with Buffalo at 1 p.m. on Thursday at Acrisure Stadium, and they then will set up at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for more training camp-like work until all NFL rosters have to be reduced to 53 players on Aug. 27.
But as the equipment was being packed and loaded for the trip home from Westmoreland County, they should be entering this phase of the preparation process for the regular season opener on Sept. 8 with a good feeling about Wilson.
"Bittersweet, man. Our last day here in Latrobe," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "This is always just a great place for us. We're just really so appreciative of the relationships that we have up here, the long-standing relationships. Can't say enough about the people up here who have made this a great stay for us. The people who take care of us in our dorms, security, cafeteria services, everyone. They just really do a good job. They bend over backwards (for us), and we are very appreciative."
For their final practice here, Tomlin put the team through a padless workout, what with Thursday's joint practice followed by the second preseason game, also against Buffalo, on Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.
"We had good work out here today. We finished with an exclamation point," said Tomlin. "I liked the energy and enthusiasm. It's important that we don't ooze to a finish in anything that we do, whether it's a play, or a drive, a half, a game, training camp. We just try to make a point of finishing everything that we do with an exclamation point. I liked the spirit that they brought today. I thought it was reflective in the energy that they had."
Wilson injured his calf during the conditioning test on July 24, and Tomlin made the decision to bring him along slowly so that a minor situation didn't develop into something that lingered. But Wilson began to get back onto the field when the team began practicing in pads, and it has built to a crescendo. To use Tomlin's words, Wilson finished this training camp with an exclamation point.
"He had a really good day today," said Tomlin about Wilson. "It's been arrow pointed up the whole time. I like the trajectory of it, certainly."
It began with the first competitive period of Wednesday's practice – 7-Shots. Wilson took the first four snaps, and he converted three of those into touchdowns. The first came on a pass in the back-middle of the end zone to George Pickens that was on-time and on-target. On the second snap it was the same thing, but this time the receiver was tight end Pat Freiermuth. Next, Wilson threw incomplete to Van Jefferson in the left corner of the end zone, but he came back on the next play with a pretty pass to Calvin Austin III in the right corner of the end zone. The offense won the drill, 5-2.
"You know, it's a get-to-know (process)," said Tomlin about the development of the coach-quarterback relationship here. "We've known each other from a distance. Obviously, we're both Virginia guys. But you don't really know people until you get the opportunity to work with them day-to-day, and we've established a foundation in that regard. But it's just the beginning to be quite honest with you. The journey that is the season is going to provide opportunities for us to do that."
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS
• Wilson continued with the pretty throws throughout the rest of the practice. He connected with Austin via a great throw that hit the receiver in stride among three defensive backs. He connected with Pickens on a deep-crosser to the left sideline where the ball was placed so as not to take Pickens too close to the sideline. And for good measure Wilson first connected with TE Darnell Washington with a pass thrown between CB Cory Trice Jr. and SS Damontae Kazee, and he then threw a beautiful ball to WR Quez Watkins.
• During a period titled, "1-on-1 red zone," where the idea for the man with the ball was to evade the oncoming defensive player, while the defensive player's responsibility was to prevent that from happening. LB Laquay Washington, an undrafted rookie who initially signed with Kansas City and was added to the Steelers roster recently after being waived by the Chiefs, turned in back-to-back solid reps in the drill and drew praise from Tomlin. Given a third chance, Washington was matched against QB Kyle Allen, whose inside-out move left the rookie grasping at air. With his offensive teammates encouraging him, Allen ran all the way down the field into the end zone and attempted to dunk the football over the crossbar.
• Kyron Johnson, a third-year player from Kansas trying to take the spot previously held by the now-retired Markus Golden, has been showing good speed around the corner as a pass-rusher from the left outside linebacker spot.
TOMLIN'S INJURY UPDATE
"A few bumps and bruises along the way. CB Grayland Arnold had a calf, wasn't able to finish. RB Jonathan Ward had a hamstring, wasn't able to finish. We'll evaluate those guys. Really, I've just got an inclusive attitude regarding the game (on Saturday). As I stand here today, I just want everyone to play. Obviously, we'll make appropriate decisions at the 11th hour, but I just think as the sand goes through the hourglass, we need to have that mentality. They need to have that mentality. There are only so many opportunities, and they're getting scarce, and so we've got some urgency. But it's a good place to be. We get back to Pittsburgh tomorrow. Got a hardcore practice against Buffalo, I'm excited about that."
