Steelers bring their hardhats, prepare for first Heinz Field practice

LATROBE, Pa. — The Steelers sandwiched two special event practices with a regular training camp practice session Saturday. On Friday night, the Steelers held their annual “Friday Night Lights” at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.  On Sunday night, the Steelers will hold their first-ever training camp practice at Heinz Field, open to the public.

One of the unusual sightings the fans had Friday night, was wide receiver Eli Rogers running up and down the field in warmups wearing a hardhat.

On Saturday, Rogers talked about why he wears the hardhat, saying, “It ties into the Steelers and Steel City. I didn't even think that far at the time but once I got here I'm like, Oh wow, yeah, I can do this and it correlates to the Steelers, just the Steel City and all the hard workers. It's a hard-working town so it definitely correlates to that.”

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Cam Heyward also spoke with the media Saturday.  Heyward is a father for the second time, with his wife recently giving birth to a little girl during training camp.  “I treat her differently from my son," Heyward said. "I don’t mean to but she’s my little princess.”

When it comes to the team's performance on the field, Heyward said he wants to see the Steelers get back to being the No. 1 defense in the league.

“No. 1 in run, no. 1 pass, leading every stat.  The best type of defense is the defense on the sidelines. That's our goal,” Heyward said.

As far as the Heinz Field practice Sunday, both players are looking forward to the event.  “We used to have practices back in the day just to get everybody acclimated to it, but it was never like this," said Heyward. "It was never publicized and the fans weren't included, but I think it's gonna be really cool. We should have a great atmosphere and have some fun with it.”

Rogers said: “Guys were excited for Friday Night Lights last night. Stepping onto Heinz Field is another atmosphere; great energy out there. I'm sure fans will be out there almost like a preseason game so I'm sure it'll be exciting.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers Family Fest takes place from 5-9 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10.  Practice begins at 6:30 p.m.

Cox Media Group