After a short practice to begin training camp, typically the Pittsburgh Steelers gradually ramp up to a full two-plus hours of drills. The second practice of this camp, though, ended up being shorter than the first.
It was no fault of the team nor coach Mike Tomlin, though. Blame Mother Nature. An approaching storm initially evacuated fans from the Chuck Noll Field viewing area and, ultimately, compelled Tomlin to send players indoors at 3:20 p.m., some 85 minutes after their stretching routine began.
Practices are scheduled to end at 4 p.m., though sometimes have run slightly longer. Thursday’s first workout of this camp ended at 3:30.
Tomlin initially left open the possibility his team would re-take the field Friday, but, by 4 p.m., that idea was abandoned.
“Really wanted to work to get the group back out on the field if at all possible, but Doppler (radar) hadn’t moved enough,” Tomlin said.
Tomlin cited an Oct. 6 game last season against the Dallas Cowboys that was delayed about 90 minutes by severe weather. He wished to simulate the stop-start nature of that by bringing the team back out Friday.
“Often times in football we are faced with adversity — sudden dangers, if you will — often as it pertains to weather,” Tomlin said. “We don’t run from days like today. We just work to try to deal with it to the best of our ability to get as much work done as we can while keeping the group safe. But we didn’t deem it safe enough, based on the Doppler information, to come back out today.”
No changes
Tomlin said no players suffered any injuries during Friday’s abbreviated practice. None of the handful who did not take part in team drills Thursday — running back Cordarrelle Patterson, tight end Jonnu Smith, backup Ryan McCollum — were available Friday.
“They appear to be very much in the same place,” Tomlin said, referencing their “day-to-day” status. “Hopefully, we get a guy or two back (Saturday).”
Catching waves
Calvin Austin had never seen the Pacific Ocean. Or any ocean, for that matter. He also had never seen a dolphin.
He got to experience both during a working/bonding session with Aaron Rodgers at the quarterback’s Malibu home. Rodgers said after the opening practice that a player — whom he would not name — asked if the dolphins were paid to swim past while the players were dining at an oceanside bistro.
On Friday, Austin fessed up to being the player in question.
“That was second to none,” Austin said of the experience.
Austin told a story of receiver Roman Wilson getting into the water and trying to body surf.
“There was a big wave, and I thought he was going to drown,” Austin said. “He’s from Hawaii, so he’s been doing this since he was little. I didn’t know people without a board could go into a wave. That was crazy to me.”
Born and raised in Memphis, Austin said he spent his summers attending AAU track meets and never had a chance to see an ocean on either coast. That made his Malibu trip memorable, as well as the time spent with Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP.
“The football was cool,” he said. “Just seeing that and experiencing that stuff with the guys was cool.”
Local connection
Wide receiver Ben Skowronek signed with the Steelers in late August last year, so he didn’t get to experience the training camp environment at Saint Vincent until this week.
Still, it wasn’t Skowronek’s first trip to the Unity Township campus.
Skowronek’s father, Dave, is from Connellsville, and his grandfather brought him to training camp one day when Ben was young.
“It was when ‘The Bus’ (Jerome Bettis) was still playing,” said Skowronek, who recently turned 28. “I hardly remember it. One of the memories I have is sitting on that hill watching practice. It was great.”
Skowronek likes the training camp environment the Steelers have created. He referred to the Laurel Highlands as “God’s country.”
“It’s football, and you get away from the distractions,” he said. “I miss my wife, but I’ll have family here: aunts, uncles, cousins.”
Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
