One of the more famous aspects of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp practices under head coach Mike Tomlin is Seven Shots, a session where it is offense versus defense going at it seven times in a row with the ball on the 2-yard line. Today was the first day of Seven Shots in training camp and Steelers CB Levi Wallace spoke on what makes it so special.
“We take a lot of pride in Seven Shots,” Wallace told Mike Prisuta and Craig Wolfley on Steelers Training Camp Live. “It’s the first thing we do each and every day, and honestly starts off our day. I know, especially for [the] defense, when we win Seven Shots, I know me personally, I’m talking mess to George [Pickens] and Diontae [Johnson] for the rest of the day, ’cause it, it just sets us off in a great mood and you kind of just build off of that. A lot of coaches get into it too.”
For Steelers players, Seven Shots means rewards for the winners as Wallace said that the winners will later get “steak and lobster” at times. Not only is it a great way to create competition in camp, but also it has a real game purpose. With the ball so close to the end zone it is vital that either the defense holds teams to three points or the offense scores six.
With Seven Shots being a traditional way to kick off practice (after warmups of course), it really gets the competitive juices flowing. It’s very old school football like in the modern NFL, and Wallace and other Steelers appreciate it.
Wallace said the way the Steelers start off practice during training camp is unlike anything he has ever experienced, and it is worth noting he played his college ball under Nick Saban at Alabama and played four years for the Buffalo Bills.
“I’ve never been a part of a system that just starts off practice at such a high intensity with so much on the line, and so I appreciate Seven Shots each and every day,” he said.
The Steelers have a long way to go to be ready for the season, but they almost always are by the time Week One rolls around. A big reason for that could be their old-school mentality and Seven Shots. Other teams have adopted a strategy of keeping it lighter in training camp so that players are ready for the long, physical season ahead, but Pittsburgh makes sure training camp is at or near a 10 every day. Seven Shots plays a big part in that, and it seems that no player wants that to change.
