LATROBE, Pa. — The Steelers are in between their first two preseason games, and training camp is winding down at Saint Vincent College, but head coach Mike McCarthy doesn't want his players to wait until Friday night to compete again.
They got some light-hearted competition under their belts Saturday after practice with the annual home run derby, a Steelers camp tradition that continued under McCarthy. Rookie Eli Heidenreich took the crown, and from the sounds of it, there were plenty of participants he had to beat.
"It was the longest first round in the history of home run derbies. I think it was an hour and 28 minutes," McCarthy said with a grin. "It was really cool. It was a great workout. But I went to the 5:30 mass, so I missed the final. I guess Eli really crushed it there at the end. The guys had a great time."
McCarthy was also adamant about having a great atmosphere for Sunday's practice, with the pads on for the second-to-last open to the public at Chuck Noll Field. He had one more "bucket" of the playbook to install, which would set the stage for some red-zone work at the end of the day, and another "Franco moment" period in which the whole team is called to one field to compete the way they would in the flow of a game with a sudden change.
"This is what training camp's for, taking advantage of this environment," McCarthy said.
On the heels of a rousing 28-9 preseason win Thursday night against the Packers, McCarthy liked what he saw in a lot of ways. The Steelers played with the identity he's trying to establish. Their physicality was on full display, particularly on defense.
But he also needs them to find the right balance of aggression and football IQ. Maybe the Steelers were just eager to hit someone in a different jersey, but five unnecessary roughness flags?
"We've just got to play our play style with more discipline," McCarthy said. "The personal fouls, the number was outrageous."
McCarthy also hoped to thread another needle Sunday. Inclement weather was in the area, and while he wasn't opposed to practicing in the rain, lightning is always a problem.
"There's a fine line between toughness and stupidity," McCarthy smiled. "We've all straddled that."
McCarthy also planned to try out some new personnel combinations, whether that was on the first-team offensive line, or in the secondary, or wide receiver corps. He also has stressed playing with good pad level, specifically for the linemen up front.
Obviously, that fundamental can only be assessed in padded practices. McCarthy has seen it in improve on those days and in the game, and it's paramount for defensive linemen — especially those young, monstrous ones such as Derrick Harmon, Yahya Black and Gabriel Rubio — to play with good leverage.
"At the end of the day, particularly on first and second down, the low man, square man wins," McCarthy said.
It's all part of the preparation process prior to Week 1, which is now exactly four weeks away. Somewhere in the Atlanta area, the Falcons are also trying to perfect their hand placement, footwork, shedding blocks and getting off the ball.
In the meantime, the Steelers will do it against other Steelers, followed by the Jets and the Bills.
