Many people find themselves living and dying with every minor development when they’re passionate enough about something. Pittsburgh Steelers fans certainly fit the bill. When second-year WR Calvin Austin III had a rough outing on the first day of training camp practices, it made headlines—even I wrote about it, albeit while noting its likely very temporary status.
That is exactly what it proved to be, as in the several practices since then, he has continued to get better and better. Outside of OTAs and minicamp earlier this offseason, that was Austin’s full-on first practice session in nearly a year, so perhaps there were some jitters or even rust at play.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, via the team’s website, he suggested the latter when asked why he’s had more success as camp has gone on finishing catches. “I’ll just say more reps and stuff. I know people like to overreact about stuff early on”, he said, “but I mean, mistakes happen. Stuff happens. But it’s just about the next play. Just have that next-play mentality”.
In spite of the initial commentary regarding his first practice, most understood that it was to be taken with a grain of salt. Anybody is liable to look a little off on the first day of practices in any context, especially following an extended break the way NFL teams do before training camp begins.
Alex Kozora, our own eyes and ears in training camp, described that first day in Latrobe as one to forget for Austin. “Not saying to get rid of the guy, obviously, and the first missed completion was thrown a bit behind, but he does have an issue with passes thrown outside his frame. Given his lack of size and length, it’s not a shock”, he wrote.
He noted multiple instances in which Austin simply failed to finish on the play, and another in which he allowed rookie CB Joey Porter Jr. to run with him step for step down the sideline on a go route. For a player who ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash time going up a defensive back who ran a 4.46, you want to win that race in a one-on-one setting every time.
But things consistently improved from there, and he not only found himself regularly getting on the back side of cornerbacks but finishing the plays when they came his way. It shouldn’t be surprising to see improvement the more you do something, though.
The Steelers have been sending Austin down the field consistently in camp and he’s been winning, potentially emerging as their new deep threat, the player who can consistently win using just his speed and forcing defenders to commit to him in compromising ways.
Not that he’s aiming to be a one-trick pony, by any means. He’s also talked about working with Diontae Johnson and Allen Robinson II to improve his releases off the line of scrimmage. You can win down the field, but the easiest way to do that is to win off the snap. And if you do that, you can get anywhere on the field.
