Veterans ahead of the game
Limited offseason, meanwhile, will hamper younger players
His face didn’t turn red, but James Conner broke into an almost sheepish grin and pinched the bridge of his nose in amusement. He had to know it was coming, a question about Conner having the most famous back muscles in the NFL after a photo he posted of himself on social media got a signal boost from the usual parties: ESPN, Bleacher Report, etc.
“It’s just the angle,” Conner smiled. “I ain’t been working out. I ain’t been doing anything.”
That was just Conner’s way of joking that an offseason of social distancing has been perhaps the best one for his body since he came into the NFL. No contact with the Steelers weight room and minimal engagement with teammates has been no problem.
“Honestly, a lot of people have commented on it saying I’m going to be stiff, and all this,” Conner said. “I’m a professional. I know how to work out. I think it starts with genetics, but I also been puttin’ a lot of work into the weight room. And it was the way I flexed it. A lot of people look like that.”
That may be, but clearly, spending the past three months away from Steelers headquarters hasn’t been a detriment to Conner. Nor has it been an
impediment to starting cornerback Steven Nelson, who has found a lot to like about spending the spring on his own rather than inperson with his teammates.
At 27 and entering his sixth year, Nelson knows what he needs to hone and sharpen each offseason. He also knows that the grind of preparing for a full NFL schedule figures to begin soon enough for himself and his teammates once they’re allowed back at the team’s practice facility.
“I kind of like the alone time to train, because I know what I have to focus on. … It’s a little different for me at this point in my career,” Nelson said. “It’s been positive. I’m feeling really good, and at the same time, I get to spend more time with my family. Once you’re in-season and you get going, it’s just work, work, work at that point.”
While Conner and Nelson can be secure in their level of fitness and football knowledge, both were thirdround draft picks once upon a time. They wish the circumstances of 2020 were different for rookies and young players, who are missing out on valuable time with mentors who can teach them the playbook as well as how to be a pro.
Second-year receiver Diontae Johnson was in those shoes this time a year ago, and remembered just how steep a learning curve it was for him — physically and mentally.
“I was, like, out of shape,” Johnson said of when he arrived in Pittsburgh as a rookie third-rounder. “I didn’t get to work out how I wanted to [during the draft process]. … It was kind of hard. I had to get my legs back under me and stuff like that. Learning the playbook was kind of tough, too, but I had my teammates back there to help me.”
Chase Claypool hasn’t had that yet. The Steelers’ No. 1 pick this year, the second-round wideout from Notre Dame, doesn’t appear to be resting on his laurels — or his draft status.
Claypool has been working out with someone who knows firsthand what kind of shape a rookie passcatcher must be in to make an impact in the NFL: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, one of the leading receivers in Cincinnati Bengals history.
Houshmandzadeh, who retired in 2011, has gotten into the training world, and Claypool is one of several young receivers to receive his tutelage this offseason. Still, the experience of his first OTAs and minicamp is one he’ll never be able to get back.
“The challenge he’s going to face is to really learn the offense through an iPad,” Johnson said. “Just trying to pick up everything, not being able to learn it in-person, and walk through the routes and stuff.”
The previous time he spoke publicly, coach Mike Tomlin told John Calipari on the Kentucky men’s basketball coach’s Facebook Live show he’s “not going to be completely comfortable with where we’re headed with [rookies] until we can get in the same room with them.”
“I’m going to have some reservations,” Tomlin said, “because you’re just limited in terms of being able to evaluate their learning.”
For the Steelers, though, there are only six draft picks they must get up to speed when the time comes. Tomlin was back at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex as soon as he could be on Friday morning when the coronavirus rules were relaxed, and in time, his guys will join him. That includes those who need the structure, and also those who can help put everyone on the same page.
“It’s one of those things where veterans and leadership has to definitely take place,” Nelson said. “Guys are definitely doing that on our team. Guys are planning little, small practices, just to get guys around each other and just to build that camaraderie back up.”