The Grandstander: Steelers Training Camp 2021

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Steelers Training Camp 2021

There was a time in my life when a trip to St. Vincent College in Latrobe to observe Steelers Training Camp was a regular thing, but times change and the last time that I made that pilgrimage was in 1980 (a search of our photo albums confirms that date). As we all know, in 2020 times REALLY changed, and last year the Steelers made Heinz field their site for Training Camp. In 2021, they opened it to the public, so yesterday, I made my first visit to Steelers Training Camp in 41 years.

Admission was free, but you did need to get a ticket via the Steelers app or Ticketmaster, which was no big deal. Also, unlike the Latrobe days, you had to stay in the stands, so there was no way to approach the players to get autographs or take photos. Again, no big deal, and I thoroughly enjoyed the day.

I have to be honest, much of what you see is pretty mundane and boring. Guys doing calisthenics, blocking drills with defenders holding blocking pads, guys playing catch, Chris Boswell kicking field goals. Yawn. Although at one point, when the players were doing their things, Boswell was playing catch with another player, probably the punter, and he was throwing perfect spirals that went about fifty yards in the air. And he's a kicker! Honestly, professional athletes can do anything!

However, there were a couple of drills that were fun to watch:

A coach would toss football to a RB or a WR while a defender would try to stop him. On a couple of those, I must say that Najee Harris looked every bit the first rounder and future All-Pro everyone is hoping he will be. Of course, he DID get stopped a few times. Guys like Minkah Fitzpatrick are pretty good, too.
They ran short yardage 11-on-11 goal line drills that were fun to watch. Highlights of those included a Ben-to-Pat Freiermuth catch for a TD, and a Dwayne Haskins option keeper for a TD. Again, the defense also made stops, too.
They also ran 11-on-11 drills from midfield, which included a nifty Ben-to-Derek Watt (yeah, you read that correctly, Derek Watt!) pass that would have gone all the way, and a spectacular catch and run by JuJu on a 15 yard slant from Mason Rudolph that also went the distance.

All in all, a fun and enjoyable afternoon. A day that gets you juiced up for football season. If only they would have played "Renegade" on the P.A. system.

Some photos from the day....

Before the workouts began, I spent about forty-five minutes wandering the Heinz Field Great Hall. If you are a Steelers fan and have never done that, you really should try to do so. It is really cool.