Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp First Day In Pads

                Steelers Practice in Pads; Sign K Boswell to Extension

                            (By Ray Porter Jr. – Urban Media Today)

LATROBE, PA-After a day off on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers resumed Training Camp Practice with an added twist: Pads. And with those pads, they were able to perform their ‘Backs (Linebackers) on Backs’ (Running Backs) drill, which featured fellow linebackers Myles Jack and Devin Bush overpowering their opponents, and RB Najee Harris getting overpowered by his opponent.

But per Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, it was another good day at Camp Latrobe.

“Great to get out and compete today. Putting on the pads is a significant step, but equally as important is the learning that is born out of these opportunities.” Said Tomlin “We had a big evening tonight in continuing the growth process and hopefully we’ll do it at a high level again tomorrow.”

When asked if he liked the practice today because the pads were on, Tomlin replied “I did. We’ve just got a lot of growth ahead of us, on both sides of the ball, in that space. When given an opportunity, we’re certainly going to focus on that component of play. There just are not a lot of padded opportunities between now and when you step into a stadium based on the structure of the preseason. So, when you get those opportunities, it really needs to be a focus.”

As for the Quarterbacks, Mitch Tribusky led the first team for the second straight week, but this time, it was rookie Kenny Pickett with the second team and Mason Rudolph with the third team. When asked about the process of switching Pickett and Rudolph, Tomlin replied “There will be more of that. All of those guys are running in all groups, it’s just part of team development.”

When asked if the media should not read into the QB rotation, Tomlin replied “You should not, but I’m sure you will.”

When asked about the ‘backs on backers’ drills, Tomlin replied “Drills are football-like, but they’re not football. What I mean is that someone has an advantage in a drill. I expect those that have an advantage to win quickly. I expect those that are at a disadvantage to fight and compete. That’s just the nature of drill work. We construct drills at times to provide an advantage for one side of the ball or the other. It’s just part of the growth process.”

When asked if there were any changes in the WR Diontae Johnson situation (Holding Out regarding his contract) Tomlin replied, “There wasn’t any change today, we’ll see what tomorrow holds.”

Steelers sign K Boswell to extension-ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Steelers are giving kicker Chris Boswell a new four-year, $20 million extension that includes $12.5 million guaranteed, his agent Jeff Nalley confirmed Monday. The four-year extension ties Boswell with Baltimore’s Justin Tucker as the highest-paid kickers in NFL history.

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