LATROBE (93.7 The Fan) – Following a period of autographs, 8.499 watched about two hours of Steelers practice as 11-on-11 drills started with a Pick 6 and the rookie quarterback made a couple of deep throws at Latrobe Memorial Stadium Saturday night.
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It wasn’t the tackling we’ve seen in previous Friday Night Lights, but there was energy as the Steelers did go through a modified version of running backs vs. linebackers, offensive versus defensive line and wide receivers/tight ends one-on-one with defensive backs as part of the full workout.
Big D start
First play of 11-on-11 drills early in the practice, rookie defensive back Robert Spears-Jennings stepped in front of an Aaron Rodgers pass intended for Roman Wilson, picked it off and returned it for a touchdown.
“It gets everyone going,” Spears-Jennings said. “Not just me, it gets everyone going. That gets the defense hot. We didn’t start slow and that’s how we want it to be every day.”
“That felt amazing because usually they only cheer for the offense, now they cheer for the defense. It felt good, I’m not going to lie.”
Big plays for Drew
Rookie quarterback Drew Allar with a couple of beautiful deep passes, one to tight end Robert Tonyan and then next time to receiver Brandon Smith. Only he and Rodgers were able to launch one deep and landed it into a net on about a 50-yard throw.
“It felt really good and it’s been something I’ve been working on with the trajectory of the throw,” Allar said. “I picked Aaron’s brain on it maybe a week ago or so. To be able to do it in a live setting, even though it’s seven-on-seven, but against live DBs and tight coverage, it felt really good. Bobby and B-Smith had great catches on those too. I couldn’t do that without them as well.”
Broderick Jones night
It’s been a struggle at times during camp as 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones works back from a season-ending neck injury. Saturday night, he did well during multiple drills against the Steelers top pass rushers, including Nick Herbig ending up on the ground.
“Broderick was a first-round pick for a reason,” Herbig said. “The guy’s got all the talent in the world. He’s got all the tangibles. He’s got the physicality for it. It’s just a matter of feeling confident again, coming back from injury like that. I know he can do it. I’ve seen it first-hand. I’ve gone against him since our rookie year. I’m excited for Broderick. I think he’s a great player.”
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Good impression
Allar wasn’t sure what to expect getting in school buses and being police-escorted a couple of miles from the St. Vincent College campus to Latrobe Memorial Stadium. He had heard about what the experience would be like from other players.
“The fans lined up,” Allar said. “You could smell everyone having barbeques and cooking out. I didn’t realize how big this stadium was. A lot of fans showed out. They did a great job of bringing energy.”
“I’m looking forward to having the rest of the camp at Latrobe and seeing the fans continue to show up.”
Steelers are off Sunday and practice again Monday around 11a at St. Vincent College.
