Standing at the 50-yard line of Latrobe Memorial Stadium with his wife and three children, Arthur Moats thought about his old teammates, the good times here and, most of all, the fans.
Moats, a linebacker in the NFL from 2010-18, spent his first four years with the Buffalo Bills and next four in Pittsburgh but chose to retire a Steelers player. He announced in June that he was calling it a career, and was honored prior to the start of practice Friday night under the lights in downtown Latrobe.
“I definitely love Buffalo, love the fans up there, but I feel like I grew a lot more when I came here,” Moats said. “This was where I really became a man, both on and off the field, so I felt like it was only right to close the chapter here.”
A native of Norfolk, Va., and a James Madison alumnus, Moats makes his home in South Fayette and is pursuing a career in media.
“You can’t overlook the fans here. I feel like Steeler Nation is literally the best ever,” Moats said. “I mean, you go anywhere in the country, out of the country, you run into the fan base and it’s just an awesome feeling that they always know who you are.”
Devin Bush shines
The first-round pick didn’t waste much time making a splash on his biggest Steelers stage so far.
On the fourth play of the team’s “seven shots” drill — when the offense tries to score from the 2 — Bush intercepted a deflected Josh Dobbs pass in the end zone.
Bush also stood out as the main attraction in the “backs on backers” drill, in which offensive players try to block an oncoming defender rushing an imaginary quarterback. Fellow rookie Benny Snell was the opponent for Bush every time, and their first rep ended with Bush putting Snell on his backside after a fierce first step.
“They’re young guys in the same state of their careers,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “They’re tremendously competitive. We expect those guys to be contributors.”
Any time there was a lag in the drill, Tomlin challenged those two to step up. “When in doubt, give me 24 and 55,” he yelled.
Quick hits
• Tomlin said rookie wideout Diontae Johnson left practice with a hip injury, while linebackers Vince Williams and Anthony Chickillo had hamstring injuries. According to Tomlin, all three “bumps and bruises” happened late in practice and all three will be evaluated.
• Outside linebacker T.J. Watt remained out with hamstring tightness sustained in the conditioning test July 25. Sean Davis (finger) also did not practice. Wide receiver Donte Moncrief was in uniform but limited again with a finger injury.
• Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, center Maurkice Pouncey and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva were among the starters not in uniform. Several others dressed but weren’t full participants.
• The Steelers announced the attendance as approximately 10,300 fans, despite inclement weather in the area Friday afternoon and the threat of more later in the evening. But nothing more than a drizzle ever came down once practice began.
Brian Batko: bbatko@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BrianBatko.
First Published: August 3, 2019, 2:25 a.m.