Intensity, urgency. Those aren’t exactly words you typically hear during offseason workouts and minicamps across the NFL, but this isn’t shaping up to be a typical season for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Following the busiest offseason in franchise history — GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl made a number of moves via trade and free agency and then nailed the NFL draft once again — anticipation and excitement his high for the Black and Gold entering the 2024 season.
While the Steelers made the playoffs last season and ultimately lost in the Wild Card Round, getting to the postseason despite a number of injuries and struggles at the quarterback position isn’t good enough. Khan has stated multiple times this offseason he wants to get back to the Super Bowl, while team owner Art Rooney II stated that the organization has “had enough” with the one-and-done in the playoffs.
So, intensity and urgency are high this offseason. New cornerback Donte Jackson, acquired via trade by Khan this offseason, certainly feels it.
“You see it, but you also feel it,” Jackson said of the Steelers’ heightened intensity and urgency throughout the offseason, according to Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley. “You feel the intensity. You also feel the knack for everybody not wanting to waste days or waste plays. It’s been great to be a part of. You see everybody moving around faster.
“The energy’s high and just everybody’s having fun. That’s great to see from a team with high expectations in June. Everyday just keep on stacking and building on that.
It was just football in shorts, so how much that intensity and urgency can truly be there remains to be seen, but Jackson isn’t alone in feeling that. There has been a heightened sense of urgency and a push for go-time, the Steelers wanting to take advantage of the team-building days, laying the foundation and building momentum that can carry into training camp ahead of a very important season.
There’s only so much intensity and urgency one can create for football in shorts. But it’s a credit to not only the players taking advantage of the reps and opportunities, it’s also a credit to the coaching staff for creating that type of environment, pushing that urgency and making sure it is felt from the top down.
We’ll see if that can carry over into training camp, or if the players will need a ramp-up period after six weeks off, but it great to hear that there was an intensity felt from the players on the field and throughout the locker room during OTAs and minicamp.
