Training camp in the NFL can be rough on players both mentally and physically. While today’s NFL no longer has the same feel as yesteryear with non-stop two-a-days and padded practices every time, it’s still tough. So it makes sense for a veteran to let loose every once in a while, right? That’s why, every time training camp draws near, it never fails that the video of Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger going through a bag drill in the most unique way ever makes the Internet rounds.
So when Roethlisberger joined former NFL QB Bruce Gradkowski’s podcast Alpha 5 Method with Bruce Gradkowski, the topic of that viral video came up. It makes a lot of sense considering the other quarterback in that clip was none other than Gradkowski.
“You have to do that,” Roethlisberger said. “Like, to get through training camp, you have to have those days. Like someone at some point put [out] there, just showed Roethlisberger never took things too serious. No, you have to do that in training camp.”
While Latrobe, Pa., might not be the hottest location for NFL training camp, it’s still tough to be out on the practice field for days on end in the summer. There are meetings and long practices to contend with too. So sometimes you need to pull a Ben Roethlisberger and find a way to bring some lightheartedness and humor to break up the grind.
Then there’s Gradkowski, the Pittsburgh native. The Steelers were his fifth team since entering the league in 2006 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He wanted to work hard and show the Steelers he was worth a roster spot.
“Randy, our QB coach at the time, Fichtner was all serious throwing these bags like ‘We’re gonna get good work in,'” Gradkowski said of the drill. “So I’m taking it as serious as can be. Boom, boom, boom, like quick feet. Yeah, did [Mike] Tomlin see that? You see that shit? And then you go and you hit the bag and then you just start knocking down the next, too. The crowd went nuts, though, laughing. Like it was one of the funniest moments.”
The clip is one of amazing juxtaposition as Gradkowski says. It starts with a great rep from Gradkowski, working hard to avoid the bags before climbing the imaginary pocket and getting rid of the ball. Then comes Big Ben, taking the first hit on the leg before legitimately attacking the next two bags with the football.
It’s the perfect depiction of training camp in a nutshell. It’s spending time working hard to perfect a drill with moments of sheer insanity and hilarity.
While Ben Roethlisberger may have retired, this clip never will.
You can watch the entire interview with Roethlisberger below:
