If things go as planned this season the Pittsburgh Steelers will have cornerback Senquez Golson in their starting lineup as either an outside or slot defender. However, in order to achieve that goal, Golson must first make through the rest of the offseason healthy and that’s something that he’s struggled to do so far in his first 13 months in the NFL since being selected by the Steelers in the second-round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Mississippi.
Golson, who now appears to be back on the field in a limited capacity after missing extensive time during the team’s OTA practices due to a soft tissue injury, will apparently be headed to Florida before the start of training camp for a four-week training session with Tom Shaw at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Center, according Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Shaw, as you all should know by now, has trained several current and former Steelers players over the years. That list includes former players, linebacker James Farrior and cornerback Ike Taylor, in addition to current players, cornerback William Gay and linebacker Vince Williams. Gay talked about Golson joining him this summer to train with him under the watchful eye of Shaw.
“He wanted to come down,” Gay said. “He is a guy who likes to work, so it gives him an opportunity to be around a lot of other guys other than Pittsburgh and been with a trainer who been there and done that.”
Golson, who missed all of his rookie season due to a shoulder injury, is certainly aware of the importance of getting his body in the right condition so that he can remain on the field and compete for a starting job in the secondary later on in the summer.
“Nobody has seen me and knows what I can do,” Golson said. “It is even more important to get around a guy like Will Gay and just see how he does it in the offseason and learn from it. I have a plan in place to come into Latrobe full speed and ready.”
Shaw’s thorough training includes having players running hills and in sand pits. Taylor, who played 12 years in the league with the Steelers, has always spoke highly of Shaw’s training methods and credits him for his NFL longevity. Gay, who was introduced to Shaw and his facility by Taylor several years ago, knows his career has been lengthy and without injuries because of all of the work he’s put in training while in Florida.
“It got me to year 10,” Gay said. “I am just trying to pass on what was passed on to me with Ike. It works.”
Let’s hope it works for Golson as well.
