New coaching staff meets rookies at Pittsburgh Steelers' minicamp.
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike McCarthy has been on the job for more than three months and has gone through the normal offseason routine of wooing free agents and preparing for the draft.
So, it was a nice change of pace for McCarthy this weekend to finally get on the field and work with some of his players. The Steelers held a three-day rookie minicamp that ended Saturday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex in Pittsburgh.
McCarthy called the weekend “extremely productive” after the rookies completed two practices and a general orientation. It was also an opportunity for a new coaching staff to work together in practice situations for the first time since McCarthy replaced Mike Tomlin on Jan. 27.
"Very pleased with the amount of work, the quality of work that we've been able to accomplish with these young men,” McCarthy said. “We've taken a very slow approach. I've probably been using this format for the last 10, 12 years. It gives everybody a chance to really get acclimated and have a clear understanding of the expectations for how we operate here with the Steelers. It's also been good for us as coaches because obviously this is our first year.”
McCarthy and his staff already have a good idea of what their rookie class can do on the field. They watched plenty of video while preparing for the draft and also attended the scouting combine and pro days at various college campuses.
However, the coaches were curious about how the newcomers would respond mentally as they acclimated to the NFL. McCarthy was pleased with that aspect of the weekend.
"They're here because of what they've shown in their college careers. We're very pleased with everything they've done regarding their physical gifts. So far, they've passed the mental challenge that we've thrown in front of them.
"It's been an impressive couple of days. We've had two practices to evaluate, but the classroom, communication, and interaction have been very impressive. That's what we've been doing."
The next step for the Steelers is OTAs, which will run from May 18 to June 12. A mandatory three-day minicamp is scheduled for June 2-4. By then, McCarthy hopes his team will be prepared for the start of training camp on July 28 at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
“We really want to finish what we call concept teach,” McCarthy said. “We've laid out the concepts; I talked about five playbooks that we want to install before we leave here on June 12. The offense, defense, special teams, and obviously game management are big ones. Also, we have a playbook of fundamentals. So just to get everything taught, the language, we want to accomplish that by June 12, because when we get to Latrobe, that's when we really get to play football.”
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