Tomlin Pushes Team to the Limit in Early Practice

Remember how light practice was the other day? Well, you can forget about that for the rest of the summer. All indications are that the Steelers first real practice of 2007 was about as intense as a practice the team has had in quite some time. From 9 on 9 drills, to 11 on 11 drills (all this is pads mind you) to a backers on backers drill (where a linebacker attempts to get through a block by a running back), the Steelers are finding out real quick that their new coach means business. And if you can’t handle the heat – get out of the kitchen. “It’s a good wake-up call,” center Chukky Okobi said. “If you weren’t awake, after that period you should be good to go.”

Mind you most of the tough stuff took place in the morning, where in the past the team would usually do a lot of running and players in shells. Welcome to Camp Tomlin. The afternoon was a bit different, as the team moved indoors due to the rain that hit the area around Latrobe, but the practice was once again pretty fiesty. “We had less than ideal circumstances, but that’s football and that’s life,” said Tomlin about the circumstances of Tuesday afternoon. “We challenged the guys, and it was an opportunity for us to exhibit a little mental toughness and get some production out of the afternoon. I thought that they did that, and we’ll move forward.”

Back to the morning practice, Tomlin was somewhat quiet about what he thought about the teams performance. He did mention a miscue between Chukky Okobi and Ben Roethlisberger that resulted in a botched snap. He also mentioned a play that would have resulted in an offsides call. Other than that, not much else was said. “It kind of sets the tone for what coach Tomlin is going to be like and what he wants for us,” said safety Ryan Clark. “I think the biggest thing is you want to kind of leave your imprint on the team. Now we know what he’s about. He’s about being physical, being focused, getting to the ball on defense and executing the offense. I think it was a good start.”