The Steelers moved their Saturday practice under the lights at Heinz Field, and although the idea behind it was to experience the normal first-name routine in a stadium, they also got a little taste of the kind of weather that often infuses itself in NFL press games.
“I thought it was important for us to simulate a game-like environment, and by that I mean the procedural things that lead to the game,” said coach Mike Tomlin. “We approach it that way in terms of our pre-practice work, the timeline we follow following the work, the stretch routines and all the things we would do in a precision game. It’s just another step we took ready the group for the regular season.I do not want it to be where we are in New York and it is the first time they find their rhythms prior to kickoff.We do what we normally would do in preseason-like settings, and we just hook it up in front of an exercise. “
And then, even though the practice script had ended the session shortly after 8 p.m., the players and coaches left the field about 10-15 minutes before that.
“We cut (practice) about a period-and-a-half short, but you can not win the battle of Mother Nature,” Tomlin said. “We do not fight lightning.”
• JuJu Smith-Schuster made a nice dive on the sideline of the end zone on a pass from Mason Rudolph. Ben Roethlisberger, standing nearby, signaled touchdown.
• Close end made Zach Gentry the best catch of practice, grabbing a pass from Devlin Hodges from the lower back of linebacker Ulysses Gilbert III, who was sitting against Gentry. Gentry showed a lot of promise with his block, and outruc Marcus Allen in a team period and took a long pass from Devlin Hodges. However, he got work over by defensive lineman Henry Mondeaux in a period for blocks for special teams for interior line.
• During team run, the defense got the better of the offense with five tackles for loss, but Benny Snell broke a long run of 25-plus yards behind the tight end block of Zach Banner. Snell put a stiff arm to Minkah Fitzpatrick’s face down the field, which Fitzpatrick did not appreciate. The two had words before they left. Vince Williams separated the two.
Tomlin was asked how he judges this type of league, where tackles for loss mean for good defense, but perhaps offensive breakdowns. “There were also some big runes in that period and you could ask the same question. I think it’s the question we all ask ourselves when you practice against yourself in preparation for a season. The success of one man is the failure of another man. One success of unity is the failure of another unity. That there will be ebb and flow, and it is all in the story you choose to tell. “
• In the final team period, Ben Roethlisberger beat James Washington, who shot a hard fall that had been put into practice earlier, for two touchdowns. The first sat in the back of the end zone, and the second lay on a jumping catch. In between, the pass from Roethlisberger to Vance McDonald was defeated by Fitzpatrick.
