In a lot of ways, it was a sensory overload.
The Steelers and Buffalo Bills held a joint practice Thursday at Acrisure Stadium, and while it was scripted to be a "normal" session, very much like what the team did at Saint Vincent College throughout the summer, drills were happening at each end of the field simultaneously.
For example, 7-Shots took place on each end of the field. At the south end, it was Steelers offense vs. Bills defense, and in the north end, it was Bills offense vs. Steelers defense.
Russell Wilson worked with the first team, and he threw touchdown passes to George Pickens and Dez Fitzpatrick. Justin Fields then came on and ran in for one score after a play-action fake to La'Mical Perine, then threw for two more scores – one to Cordarrelle Patterson, who had lined up in the backfield, and the other to Scotty Miller along the sideline.
On the other end of the field, Josh Allen threw touchdown passes to TE Dalton Kinkaid and FB Reggie Gilliam among his four snaps before being replaced by Mitch Trubisky, whose pass for WR K,J. Hamler was broken up by Cory Trice Jr. on the seventh snap of the drill.
And that's the way the joint practice progressed. While one-on-ones pitting defensive backs vs. tight ends and wide receivers were being conducted in one area of the field, pass-rush/pass-protection reps were being staged in another area at the same time.
"If I get a good dance partner, I'm interested (in a joint practice)," Coach Mike Tomlin had said, "and my old college teammate (Coach Sean McDermott) and the Buffalo Bills are that."
One of the stated reasons for joint practices all over the NFL this summer had to do with the opportunity presented for live special teams drills as a way to test the league's new kickoff rules. While there wasn't anything obviously earth-shattering to come from the special teams periods, Tomlin said after the practice that it still was valuable as a teaching tool for players in terms of the proper angles to take in covering and returning both punts and kickoffs.
When asked about some of the things he might have seen during the workout that might be particularly impressive and impactful toward decisions on personnel moving forward, Tomlin said, "Practice is practice, but game work is game work."
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS
Not practicing for the Steelers were Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, and Nate Herbig. With Herbig not participating, Zach Frasier took a lot of reps at center, including all of those with the first-team offense.
