LATROBE, Pa. – For the past 4 years, the NFL has had a unified "return to football" during the first weekend after all 32 teams have reported to training camp, and this year's version was branded as Back Together Weekend.
For the Steelers this weekend recently has included the announcement of their newest class for induction into the Hall of Honor that's followed by a typical training camp practice, all of it at their traditional summer home of Saint Vincent College.
The Hall of Honor's Class of 2024 – Jason Gildon, Casey Hampton, Dick LeBeau, and Willie Parker – was announced at 1 p.m. at the Rogers Center, and the practice began at 1:55 p.m. on Chuck Noll Field. The other tradition that was upheld was Steelers fans packing the place.
"What a great weekend out here," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "This is awesome to feel our fans. Getting back to football is a beautiful thing, and their presence is a component of it. We just appreciate this atmosphere. It's a great atmosphere to work in and get better and compete, particularly for the new Steelers. Not only the guys who are transitioning to professional ball, but we've also got a lot of veteran guys who are new to us, and this is their first exposure to the type of support that is Steelers Nation. And so I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge that. We just had a beautiful day today."
The defense undoubtedly viewed it as a beautiful installment of 7-Shots, because it won the drill for the second straight day and the win this time came by a decisive 6-1.
Justin Fields, again "starting" in place of Russell Wilson got the offense's only touchdown via a roll to his left and a backhand flip to Roman Wilson in the middle of the end zone. For the defense, pretty plays were made by Cam Heyward, who batted a ball down at the line of scrimmage, and DeMarvin Leal, who blew up an attempted shovel pass to running back Jonathan Ward.
Again with the caveat that Saturday's practice was a padless one, and Tuesday's will be the first in pads, Roman Wilson looked to be having a productive afternoon while working out of the slot. In addition to the touchdown in 7-Shots, he also made a nice catch of a throw by Fields while running toward the sideline between Beanie Bishop and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Tomlin also was asked about Gildon and LeBeau, two of the newest members of the Hall of Honor.
"I don't want to misrepresent the relationship. I didn't coach Jason, but obviously, outside linebacker in Pittsburgh is what makes Pittsburgh Blitzburgh. It's generational. Young and new outside linebackers understand the men who have come before them and the standards that have been set. It's a unique fraternity. It's a beautiful thing to have a guy like Jason Gildan come out here or a LaMarr Woodley come out here last year and watch him develop a relationship with Alex Highsmith, a guy who has been wearing his jersey number. It's just a unique thing to have continuity in that way and legacy and standard bearers."
And when asked about what made LeBeau special, Tomlin said, "We don't have enough time to talk about what makes Dick LeBeau special. He's a special coach. He's a special strategist. He's a special leader. He's a special communicator. He's thoughtful. He's good with people. The list goes on and on. Obviously deserving of the honor."
TOMLIN'S INJURY UPDATE: "From a health standpoint, we're starting to work Russ back. He got some individual work (today), and so we'll continue to do the same. Again, it's me. I'm proceeding with extreme caution because we're afforded that at this time of year, and particularly because I'm just getting to know him. And so when you don't have a background or relationship with somebody, when you're in my position it's just prudent when given an opportunity to kind of be a little bit cautious to make sure a small problem doesn't become a big one. TE Rodney Williams fell on his shoulder. It looks like an AC joint (injury). Usually those are characterized as a number of days. But we'll get that definitive here, and maybe I will have a little bit more information in the next couple of days or so. The rest are just kind of bumps and bruises associated with play, maybe some fatigue as we get acclimated and get into football conditioning. Nothing that's going to slow the train down."
