You want to talk about full circle. The Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Baltimore Ravens was the very definition. I’m not even talking about the identical scores, sweeping them with 17-10 victories in Week Five and 18, though that’s a very fun stat of the weird for you. I’m talking about the way Pittsburgh did it. In the rain. Grinding it out. Scratching and clawing and taking the football away. All key elements of a hard-fought win.
While it’s a culmination to what the Steelers have built all season and capped the team righting the ship during a three-game winning streak, it really reminded me of one place. Saint Vincent College, home of Pittsburgh’s training camp. What happened in Baltimore yesterday is what camp looks and feels like.
The Rain
Starting with the weather. The running joke is Western Pennsylvania has beautiful summers until the moment players report to camp. Then it’s sweltering temperatures, disgusting humidity, and there’s always (at least) one or two days where you consider building an Ark to leave the field.
On the third day of camp this year, there was a 10-minute downpour so severe I thought Mike Tomlin might actually consider pausing practice for it. Which never happens. But it rained so severely I expected Jim Cantore to start reporting live from the scene. It was miserable and terrible, but practice kept going and stayed on schedule. It toughens you up for games like yesterday, raining from start to finish. January in Baltimore is colder than July in Latrobe, surprise, surprise, but Tomlin always embraces ugly weather at SVC. It’s as fundamental as blocking and tackling.
The Grind
Camp is a grind. By the end, everyone can’t wait to leave, sleep in their own bed, and stop hitting the crap out of each other. But those who succeed are the ones who power through the most difficult parts of the process. Practices that go six straight days. The final few sessions where Tomlin still wants the pads on, and every player is hurting and trying to gut it out to the finish line. Embrace the suck should be the camp tag line. All while you’re sleeping in dorm beds and eating in the cafeteria. That’s the sacrifice required.
As was the case Saturday. It lacked the glitz and glamour of their wins over Cincinnati and Seattle, high-scoring affairs with a ton of big plays and highlight-reel moments. This felt more like rugby. Move the ball a little bit, punt it to gain field position, rinse and repeat. Though Baltimore played many of its backups, it’s still Steelers-Ravens. It’s not going to be easy. Nothing about this game ever is. But Pittsburgh gutted and grinded it out, finding a big-play touchdown to WR Diontae Johnson, then using time against Baltimore to secure the victory.
Ball Search Ball Search Ball Search
I’m not even putting commas there because if you hear players and coaches yell it out at camp, there’s no pause. It’s all just one jumbled up phrase, the defensive mantra to rip the football away.
Ballsearchballsearchballsearch.
That’s how it sounds. If a teammate is standing up the runner/receiver, the second guy looks to rip the ball out. And even on solo tackles, the secondary objective is to knock the ball out.
Wet weather in Baltimore certainly helped make that mission easier, and the Steelers’ offense fumbled an incredible six times but the defense made timely plays. ILB Mark Robinson stepped up with a massive performance, a sack and this forced fumble on RB Melvin Gordon III while S Eric Rowe made a critical second-half play to rip the ball from RB Gus Edwards. Pittsburgh recovered both loose balls.
I mean, look at that punchout from Rowe (whom I realize was not with the team in camp, but the principles and way Pittsburgh coaches/talks carries over). That’s beautiful. And the recovery allowed the Steelers to go up 17-7 late in the fourth quarter, giving them much-needed breathing room after playing a close game until that point.
Who knows if Pittsburgh gets into the playoffs. But if it does, it’ll be because of this game. And it’ll be based off the foundations laid in training camp.
