By Jeremy Hritz
We are another week closer to the start of training camp, and one step closer to writing covering actual football. While training camp will not be at Saint Vincent’s in Latrobe this year, it will be at Heinz Field for a second consecutive season due to protocols and restrictions due to COVID. Prior to camp opening to the public on July 28th, the Steelers will be practicing at the UPMC South Side facility, as per Chris Adamski of the Tribune Review. As the wait for Steelers football comes to an end, here is a wrap-up of this past week.
Cam Calls Out Devin
Earlier this week Cameron Heyward called out Devin Bush for his Twitter activity. Bush posted, “Welcome to the mind of a psycho,” to which Heyward replied: “Calm your ass down.” It was a bit surprising to see the veteran leader put something out publicly in terms of Bush’s social media usage, but it was good to see one of the veteran players step up to try and curb the third-year inside linebacker’s antics. Bush responded with a Tweet that harkened the classic movie, Friday: “I got mind control over Cam. He tell me to ‘calm my ass down’ I be calm, but when he log off…. I be talking again.” While Bush’s response is humorous, let’s hope Cam’s response is enough to shift the attention to football and the upcoming 2021 season.
Ben Bashing Continues
Ben Roethlisberger continue to be ripped in the media this week, this time by Colin Cowherd, as he said that Ben’s Super Bowl window had closed and that he is not the most cerebral of quarterbacks. He also made his annual prediction for the Steelers, forecasting them to win 8 games, which Cowherd considers to be gracious. It was also reported this week that Roethlisberger has a newfound commitment to his fitness and conditioning and that he is in the best shape of his life, adhering to a diet apparently stricter than that of Tom Brady. While I hope this is the case, this story is typical for this part of the offseason every year, so take it for what it is worth.
Dwayne Haskins Incident
Also in the news this week was a domestic violence incident that reportedly occurred between Dwayne Haskins and his wife. Haskins was the victim and not the perpetrator and was apparently struck in the face by his wife, lost a tooth, and split his lip. Haskins later denied elements of the report via social media. Regardless, this is not the type of attention Haskins wants to draw to himself as he battles for the third quarterback spot with Joshua Dobbs. While this more than likely will not impact his status with the team, Haskins needs to separate himself from this type of drama to show that his focus truly is on the 2021 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Troy Comes Home
This week, it was reported that Troy Polamalu will be in attendance at a few Steelers games this year, including the game in which he will be inducted into the Hall of Honor. At the conclusion of Polamalu’s career, there were reports about tension between him and the Steelers’ organization. It is good to see that whatever bad blood existed has been cleansed, and he will now return to Pittsburgh for what will be an important celebration for the city and for the fans.
Capping Last Week on The Steel Study
If you haven’t checked out The Steel Study Podcast, Episode 13 from this past week, please do yourself a favor and check it out. It’s a great interview with USA today senior editor for the NFL sites, Neal Coolong. Neal shares some interesting perspectives about the 2021 Steelers. Also, be sure to check out my top 10 questions facing the Steelers in training camp, and be on the lookout for the final installment of the first chapter of the Big Ben project. Lots more content to come your way this week, including five straight episodes of Study Sessions, Monday through Friday, and a new Steel Study podcast either Friday or Saturday. Have a great week!
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