As we wrote Monday, the team used one of its OTA practices to leave the football field and go have some fun. This year, the Steelers went to the Three Rivers Karting Entertainment Park outside of Pittsburgh to race around on the track in go-karts for their annual team-building exercise.
It wasn’t just the players who got behind the wheel, either. So did Mike Tomlin.
As posted to the Steelers’ Twitter account Wednesday evening, Tomlin took a couple laps around the track. Take a look.
Pretty good driving for an NFL head coach.
The Steelers’ IG account also shared a slideshow of photos of players at the event, including Tomlin racing around.
While it might not mean much, it’s always nice to see your coach be so directly involved with the team. Usually that means running meetings, practice, and talking X’s and O’s with players. But it can mean everything else, too. The heart-to-hearts, the life lessons, and goofing off on a Monday afternoon.
The players certainly seemed to enjoy the day, especially the rookies getting accustomed to the NFL, realizing that while it’s lots of work, there’s fun to be had, too.
“You form bonds, you form connections, you form trust,” rookie LB Nick Herbig said via Steelers.com. “That benefits you on the field. If you trust each other off the field, once you get on the field it’s like a hot knife through butter. It’s a smooth transition. I am just glad we got to be out there, get away from football for a little bit and just relax and have fun together.”
While Tomlin and company were showing off their go-kart skills Monday, they need to drive themselves to a playoff win this winter. Without a postseason victory since 2017 and no playoff berth last year, fans are anxious for the team to snap that streak. Pittsburgh’s roster looks better than a year ago, but the Steelers are racing on the same track as some AFC heavy hitters, including a competitive AFC North.
To finish in the top seven, they’ll need to avoid hitting any walls. That means cutting down on turnovers, finding more explosive plays, finishing in the red zone, and getting back to their 50-sack defense. Kenny Pickett’s going to have to make a sophomore leap and his football helmet will have to protect him as much as his Go-Kart one did.
The Steelers will look to hit the accelerator starting September 10th when the San Francisco 49ers come to town. They made it to the NFC title game last season before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s looking less likely they’ll enter the game with a bad wheel either, with QB Brock Purdy on track to be the team’s starter.
Pittsburgh will aim to chart a new course in 2023 with a focused and defined run game coupled with a defense that will keep the score down. Hopefully things get better to avoid the same lap around the track that finishes them behind the rest of the pack.
UPDATE (6:53 PM): Tomlin tweeted about the clip moments ago.
