View topic - Steelers workout during practices. Tough stuff.

[Hi5Steeler Profile]

Steelers know how to stay the course


By Mike Prisuta
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, August 31, 2008

Practice may or may not make perfect, but the Steelers are convinced it makes a difference.

That explains the resumption, now that the team has moved from Latrobe back to its South Side headquarters, of a practice habit that helps make the Steelers the Steelers.

It's the brainchild of the defense, and it involves extra running not before or after practice but during practice.

One at a time or in groups of two or three, players not involved in the current series of repetitions retire momentarily to an adjacent practice field and run sideline to sideline.

Linebacker Brett Keisel does it. Cornerbacks Ike Taylor and Deshea Townsend do it. Linebacker James Farrior does it, and Farrior is on the brink of his 12th NFL season.



Even nose tackle Casey Hampton and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger have gotten into the act.


The act itself isn't as demanding as, say, the annual camp-opening run test, but it's infectious and it sets a tone, according to safety Ryan Clark.

"It's something we started as DBs last year before I got hurt," Clark said. "We decided that instead of running after practice, we'd run during practice, to get you conditioned while you practice.

"The hardest thing to do when you're tired is think and know your plays and know where you're supposed to be. So we kind of simulate that. If you get in three or four plays, come off for one or two and instead of sitting on the side, everybody just runs.

"It's kind of started to snowball. The DBs started picking on people about not conditioning, so everybody's doing it. I think it's going to be a good thing for us."

And, as former coach Bill Cowher liked to observe, perception is reality.

The extra running may or may not make a difference in the fourth quarter next Sunday against the Houston Texans.

But it absolutely helps foster the chemistry/camaraderie/confidence upon which the Steelers will depend from Houston in September through Cleveland in December and, hopefully, on into January.

Such intangibles are a big deal to the Steelers.

It still comes down to blocking and tackling, to staying healthy and carrying out assignments, tired or otherwise.

And the Steelers are still a team with questionable depth at safety and along the defensive line. Their offensive line remains a question mark and their special teams continue to make every kicking play that doesn't involve Jeff Reed a hold-your-breath endeavor.

But this is also a team that's won. It's one that's convinced it knows how to win and one that's certain it's willing to make the individual and collective commitment necessary to win.

Ask just about any player what he likes most about the group and the chances are good "chemistry" will come up quickly in the conversation.

The Steelers aren't the only team in the NFL that has fostered such a bond.

But they've established to themselves that their belief in each other, coupled with playing the game the right way will result in a division title.

The Browns can't make the same claim with an equal degree of certainty.

The race for this year's division championship doesn't kick off until next Sunday, but the Steelers have already started running.

Mike Prisuta is a columnist for the Tribune-Review. He can be reached at mprisuta@tribweb.com or 412-320-7923.

[trenches Profile]

The extra running may or may not make a difference in the fourth quarter next Sunday against the Houston Texans.

But it absolutely helps foster the chemistry/camaraderie/confidence upon which the Steelers will depend from Houston in September through Cleveland in December and, hopefully, on into January.

If it's enhancing team conditioning and "it absolutely helps foster the chemistry/camaraderie/confidence" then how can't it make some difference, maybe not the difference, but some difference.

[WoodsonOfSteel Profile]

Conditioning DURING practice should certainly help with the endurance it's going to require to make it through what appears to be an upcoming excruciating schedule.

People have noted how they ran out of steam towards the end of the season last year. Maybe this alteration is what's needed to be implemented into practice in order to give them that extra edge in order to run with the big dawgs at the end of the year.

Thoughts?

[thesteelhammer Profile]

Conditioning during practice is certainly the way the best wrestling teams run their practices.
No reason it shouldn't work for football also.

[Hi5Steeler Profile]

the best part is its non mandatory ....its not the coaches pushing this its the peer pressure of each player.....thats crazy.....and the guys are admitting its building camraderie.....

sweet

[WoodsonOfSteel Profile]

its not the coaches pushing this its the peer pressure of each player.....thats crazy.....and the guys are admitting its building camraderie

Well Hi5... You beat me to my next topic of conversation regarding this thread... Sooo...

Kudos to you, sir.

That's something that I feel that has been tapering over the years is the camaraderie due to 'internal issues' that will remain nameless. There's more than enough to mention, however I feel going into such details would be moot considering the actual point.

With players pushing one another to the edge each time they're on the field together, and here's the KEY part Hi5 points out... WITHOUT the coaches direction... This is certain to reap dividends come gameday. We may not see it right away as the team cohesiveness hasn't yet been established. However, I feel as the season goes on we will certainly be noticing a change in the overall swagger of the team.

This will be when we know the solidarity exists.

Here's to football!

[gutofsteel Profile]

"Started by the DB's last year"....When was it started, before or after they went into a season-ending nose dive?

Just playing devil's advocate. If practice makes perfect, and being tired makes for sloppy practice...

[WoodsonOfSteel Profile]

gutofsteel... I can certainly appreciate your devil's advocacy, however I think there's some objectiveness that's being left out from your arguement.

Let's not forget that our pass-rush was shoddy if best last year. In Pittsburgh's defensive system, without an EFFECTIVE pass rush, the secondary/DBs are going to get 'p0wnd' the longer the play develops. As the season went on, the more the law-of-averages was allowed to take affect.

It's safe to assume at this point that our pass rush WILL be upgraded from last year, if not from past years. This is going to allow our secondary/DBs to not be forced to spread themselves out trying to figure out who needs to be covered where.

I also expect our defense to be back to it's confusing ways causing multiple 3-n-outs allowing us to eat the clock up like years past.

The Stillers will tear through the latter part of their schedule, roll in the playoffs and bring number six to The Rooney family.

*ahem*

*puts down glass of Kool-Aid*

Here's to football!