Low-maintenance rookie
Alex Highsmith focused on learning, taking care not to be a distraction.
Alex Highsmith had to keep his mask on until he was alone in the room by himself, nothing but a Steelers background behind him and a bunch of reporters trying to cover football during a pandemic on the other side of the screen.
About the only way he could stand out so far in his first training camp was to make perfect eye contact with the camera, listen to questions intently and call the sportswriters by their name.
“For me, as a rookie, it’s just been awesome to get into the building and be able to start doing stuff. … Just doing whatever we can to stay safe during this time, because it’s definitely a different time,” Highsmith said Tuesday morning. “We’ve never been through anything like this before.”
No, not many NFL training camps over the years have begun with four days of testing for a highly contagious virus in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. But that’s the reality that Highsmith’s draft class is dealing with, and the same process the rest of the team began in earnest Tuesday when they reported to Heinz Field for Camp Quarantine.
There was Ben Roethlisberger checking in, and new tight end Eric Ebron stepping into his home stadium for the first time as a Steeler. Not exactly the pomp and circumstance of a usual report day, but 2020 training camps did start around the league.
“Ahhhh time to get my nose ripped apart,” starting cornerback Steven Nelson tweeted a little after 7:30 a.m., though he later called the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing “a piece of cake” and added “Glad to see my brothers again.”
For Highsmith and the other rookies — drafted or not — they’ve at least had the benefit of getting a oneweek headstart. Most arrived in Pittsburgh last Tuesday, and since then, their primary practice has been wearing a mask as much as they can, social distancing when possible and “constantly washing our hands.”
As Major League Baseball deals with the first episode of COVID-19 spreading within a team and teams around the NFL see players opting out of this season — no Steelers to this point — the thirdround outside linebacker seems to be cognizant of it all.
“Off the field, I’m not someone who really goes out,” said Highsmith, who turns 23 next week. “I am a social guy, but I’m not someone who’s going to put myself in a bad position that would ruin my opportunity that I have right now. I’ve never been a guy who goes out to the bars and stuff like that.”
The 30 teams that began camp Tuesday — everyone but Houston and Kansas City — will undergo COVID19 testing for three of the first four days, then move on to two days of physicals and equipment checks at the start of August. From there, they’ll move to an acclimatization period that will include weight training, conditioning and walk-throughs in small groups.
After that, it’s on to a fiveday “gradual ramp-up” phase until finally, Aug. 17, padded practices can begin. Until then, at least one newcomer will be focused on doing all the “no-talent” stuff. After all, what else can he do? Highsmith’s position coach at Charlotte always told him to be a “low-maintenance guy,” which happens to be one of Mike Tomlin’s go-to phrases, too.
“What he meant by that was to be someone who always shows up on time, is always early, always doing the right thing, who never misses anything,” Highsmith said. “Because you don’t want to be a guy on the other list. … Putting in effort, being on time, studying and watching extra film with the coaches and stuff like that is what that I’m doing to help myself.”