Pittsburgh Steelers training camp is a little different than it is for most teams. Not only do they still travel away from Pittsburgh for camp, but their practices are also still very physical. Aaron Rodgers pointed to that as something that he hasn’t seen in a long time. Recently, Mike Tomlin spoke on why he continues to take that approach to practice.
“Certain hills I’m gonna be willing to die on,” Tomlin said Sunday on The Pivot podcast. “I’m gonna be light on my feet. You have to be, you gotta be open to change and doing things differently, if you’re gonna do something at a high level for a long time. But it’s also some things that’s gotta be non-negotiable. And for me, the construction of physicality is non-negotiable.
“I’m doing these dudes a disservice if I don’t create an environment where they show that component of their game or develop that component of their game or prepare them for what I know is waiting for them in stadiums. I’m not in the hope business. I hate hoping. And I think sometimes when you don’t prepare them, you’re hoping for performance.”
Tomlin has been the Steelers’ head coach since 2007, but he first entered the NFL in 2001. He came up as a coach during a time when most teams in the league emphasized physicality. The NFL is still a violent game, but back then that was even more true.
Player safety is important, so many of the NFL’s changes are for the better. However, Tomlin still wants to make his team as tough as possible. He puts them through the wringer. Last year, he lightened up on them a little bit, moving training camp practices to earlier in the day. This year, he’s done away with that, once again having the Steelers practice during the hottest part of the day.
For newcomers like Rodgers, that’s been a little bit of a shock. Rodgers has been in the league since 2005, so he remembers how things used to be. Being able to surprise a 20-year veteran speaks to Tomlin’s unorthodox style.
However, as Tomlin, that’s a hill that he’s willing to die on. No matter how the NFL changes around him, Tomlin is going to continue preaching physicality. That’s how he wants his team built, which is evident when looking at the way he’s constructed the Steelers.
Their offense has Rodgers, but they want to be a run-first group. They’ve invested a lot into their offensive line in recent years. Also, their defense is loaded with physical players. T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, and Jalen Ramsey are all elite, hard hitters.
Perhaps that’s a double-edged sword and part of the reason why the Steelers faded to end the 2024 season. However, that isn’t stopping Tomlin from continuing to push his team. We’ll see if that pays off and helps the Steelers win in the postseason this year.
