The Pittsburgh Steelers are now into the offseason, following a year in which they had high hopes for Super Bowl success, but ultimately fell short of even reaching the postseason at 8-8. It was a tumultuous season, both on the field and within the roster, and the months to follow figure to have some drama as well, especially in light of the team’s failure to improve upon the year before.
The team made some bold moves over the course of the past year, and some areas of the roster look quite a bit different than they did a year ago, or even at the start of the regular season. Whether due to injuries or otherwise, a lot has transpired, and we’re left to wonder how much more will change prior to September.
How will Ben Roethlisberger’s rehab progress as he winds toward recovery from an elbow injury that cost him almost the entire season? What about some of the key young players, some of whom have already impressed, others still needing quite a bit of growth? Will there be changes to the coaching staff? The front office? Who will they not retain in free agency, and whom might they bring in?
These are the sorts of questions among many others that we have been exploring on a daily basis and will continue to do so. Football has become a year-round pastime and there is always a question to be asked, though there is rarely a concrete answer, as I’ve learned in my years of doing this.
Question: What kind of limitations might be put in place for training camp?
The NFL and NFLPA are engaged in discussions right now to iron out the details about what the next several months are going to look like. In less than two weeks’ time, teams are supposed to be at their facilities opening up training camp, so time is of the essence.
It’s already been widely reported that the league is expected to cut the preseason in half, though no official announcement has been made yet. There have also been reports about potential alterations to how training camp is conducted. I’m sure many ideas have come up in talks.
Hopefully we will know the details by next week, and then we won’t have to speculate, but until we know something, that’s all we have. Of course, we won’t be able to watch training camp this year. it’s not an absolute certainty that outside media will even be able to attend.
But how to you get players ready for an NFL season while limiting contact? What exactly can the league do in this regard that won’t severely impact a player’s ability to prepare himself for the year, or for a fringe player to have a chance to catch the coaches’ eye?
Will team drills be limited, for example? Perhaps a greater emphasis on individual drills, and working on fundamentals? It’s frankly hard for me to even speculate. What are you ideas about what the two parties may be considering?
