Fighting breaks out at Steelers training camp — and everyone seems to love it
After a week-and-a-half of peaceful practices at training camp, the gloves finally came off at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
And two of the biggest instigators were a pair of edgy veterans — inside linebackers Elandon Roberts and newcomer Patrick Queen.
While coach Mike Tomlin and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin tried to publicly dismiss the incidents and labeled them “teaching moments,” both were likely smiling in the film room Wednesday afternoon and quietly liking the way the offensive players responded to the feistiness.
Among the enforcers was rookie guard Mason McCormick, who came after Roberts after he put a shoulder into quarterback Justin Fields on a scramble, knocking him to the ground. Roberts described the hit as a “love tap,” but McCormick came charging at Roberts and bowled him over.
“I loved it,” center Nate Herbig said.
Herbig did much the same earlier after Queen kept trying to rip the ball away from running back Najee Harris after a modest gain. He came after Queen, and another scrum ensued.
“That’s the standard here,” said Herbig, who has been the starting center since the start of camp. “In our offensive line room, nobody is going to throw our quarterback a cheap shot and get away with it. It’s a big emphasis for us. It’s nothing personal. We’re going to protect our quarterback.”
Then he added: “I’m very proud of our offensive line the way they responded.”
It was the second of three feisty moments on just the second day of contact. And it spiced up a practice schedule that has been without incident — maybe even excitement — since they arrived in Latrobe last week.
“We got a little less than professional and chippy today,” Tomlin said.
Roberts, who grinned slyly when it was suggested he might have deliberately shouldered Fields to the ground, said he was glad to see the offensive players respond the way they did, even though he got ambushed by McCormick, the team’s fourth-round draft choice.
“The offense did what they’re supposed to do,” Roberts said. “You’re always supposed to protect the quarterback. I think it’s a real good thing. You see the mentality of the offense protecting the quarterback. They did what they’re always supposed to do.”
T.J. Watt, who was held out of team drills along with defensive end Cam Heyward, said he was glad to see two of his defensive teammates get a little edgy and instigate some of the extracurricular activity.
“As long as there’s good meaning behind it,” Watt said. “Sometimes you have to stoke the player to see what we’re about as a team. I think that’s all today was about. Obviously, you don’t want it to continue and mess up practice and slow things down, but I think it was good for today.”
Watt said it was good that two of the main combatants — Queen and McCormick — are new to the team.
“When you have so many new players, you’re trying to figure out what everybody is all about,” said Watt, the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. “To be able to see guys wanting to run to the play and not run from it, it’s awesome to see.”
Meantime, Austin dismissed the incidents as just another day at training camp, even though the first five practices have been as peaceful as the inside of the Archabbey that overlooks the playing field. But he also said he will use them as a teaching tool for his players.
“We just have to learn we want to be aggressive, we want to be physical, but you have to keep your cool,” Austin said. “You can’t do that stuff. You do that stuff in a game — you’re out of the game and it hurts our team. I like the competitiveness, I like the fire, but we have to understand we can’t fight.”
