Today, the Pittsburgh Steelers released their training camp schedule. The team famously travels to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., for camp, staying in the dorms of the college for a few weeks. For some Steelers, this will be a brand-new experience since nowadays very few NFL teams travel for training camp. One of those who this will be new for is linebacker Elandon Roberts.
Roberts previously played for the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, and in his time with both teams their training camps were held at the team facility. Today, Roberts spoke with the media and said how excited he is for training camp.
“Just having to travel, stay in dorm rooms, that’s going to be new to me,” Roberts said via 93.7 The Fan’s Jeff Hathhorn. “I’m excited about it though. To be honest at this point in my career I’m kinda glad that I’m able to experience that. Being with a team that still does that, go away, so for team camaraderie it’s going to be a neat experience.”
Pittsburgh is an organization of tradition and stability. The team has famously only had three head coaches since 1969 and has been holding training camp at Saint Vincent College since 1966. Although the team was not able to travel to Latrobe for training camp in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the team returned there in 2022 and seems like it will continue to return for years to come.
Training camp in Latrobe is also something of a pilgrimage for Steelers fans. Fans will travel from all over the world to watch Pittsburgh practice and get ready for the season, something that does not happen for many other teams. For Roberts, given that his training camps took place at team facilities this will be brand new for him.
Roberts also mentioned staying in dorm rooms and building camaraderie. For those who don’t know, Steelers players are paired with a teammate and live with them in a dorm room for a few weeks, hearkening back to the days of college. These weeks will bring the team closer together and help it through the tough times during the regular season. There is a reason the Pittsburgh Steelers rarely have locker room problems and why the locker room is never lost. While head coach Mike Tomlin deserves a lot of credit for that, the dog days of summer in a dorm room in Latrobe certainly helps.
Roberts won’t be the only Steelers experiencing training camp away from the facility of the first time. It’ll be fun to watch how he and the other new players do in training camp and see if he can win a starting role on defense. Training camp is a hard slog, but, as Roberts said, being with teammates all the time will certainly help get through the tough moments.
