Each day our Steelers insiders will provide you with the skinny on the biggest things we are watching in training camp.
The one big thing: Today is the first open practice of training camp, and the fans that come to Heinz Field will get to see Mike Tomlin’s favorite drill — backs-on-backers. It’s not the old Oklahoma drills of yesteryear, but it’s the closest thing we get in today’s safety-conscious NFL. Linebackers, with a full head of steam, come at running backs and tight ends in a pass-rushing drill. They have to get past them on their way to the quarterback. There are some swim moves and jukes that get the job done, but make no mistake, this is a drill designed to discover a player’s toughness. For every finesse move, there are three bull rushes, and all of them elicit the biggest reaction from those on the field and in the stands. And when Tomlin spies a good matchup, he’ll tell them to “run it back.” Sometimes a rubber match is needed. Backs-on-backers is throwback football and one of the highlights of training camp.
Our take: Padded practices and live sessions are few and far between these days in the NFL. Most of these practices take place in training camp, and it’s an important evaluation period for the coaches and players. For the past decade, under the collective bargaining agreements between the NFL and the NFLPA, padded practices have been eliminated in the spring and there are fewer during the regular season. This will be Tomlin’s first opportunity to see one-third of his roster play actual football. This is where starting jobs are won and lost. This is where rookies earn playing time. And this is where coaches get a handle on which players have the attitude and demeanor to play in the NFL.
What’s next: More than 5,000 fans are expected at Heinz Field today and even more over the weekend. For the fan fest on Saturday, more than 11,000 are expected.
First Published: July 28, 2021, 12:29 p.m.
