In 2018, the NFL introduced an exciting expansion to its GamePass subscription platform, a program called Film Session in which, each week between June and September, they would sit down with one NFL player and break down game tape. This year, the schedule includes two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On June 23, an episode with free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will premiere. Later on in the year, on August 24, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward will make his own appearance. Both defenders were first-team All-Pros during the 2019 season, and both are also very respected as being students of the game.
It is worth noting that the league has extended its free access to GamePass through the end of July, so that means that those who are not subscribers will still be able to catch the episode with Fitzpatrick a few weeks from now, though the second Steelers-related episode with Heyward, which falls at the end of the preseason schedule, is outside of that window. The first five episodes, including the Fitzpatrick episode, will also air on NFL Network, his premiering on June 27.
The 11th-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, Fitzpatrick has already become a top 100 player in the NFL regardless of what Pete Prisco says, and he’s done that with his dedication to tape study, one of the qualities that allowed him to be so effective as a young player after being traded midseason, and not just not missing a beat, but elevating the entire team around him.
Earlier this offseason, for example, T.J. Watt said that watching Fitzpatrick’s study habits, such as taking notes in meetings, has forced himself to take his process up to another level, and he is yet another player who is known for his work ethic in the classroom as well as on the field.
Heyward is heading into his 10th season as a veteran and is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro. At this stage of his career, he is routinely regarded as one of the better players at his position, even though he took it as a snub when he was left off of the All-Decade Team.
Both players have combined their great athletic skills with hard work in studying their craft to become some of the best players in their field. They are both part of the nucleus of what should be one of the top defenses in the NFL in 2020.
So it should be a great opportunity to get more of an inside look at how they approach the game from an Xes and Os standpoint, something I’m sure that a lot of our regular readers will appreciate. So remember, tune in on June 23 to hear from Fitzpatric, and August 24 for Heyward.
