Steelers embrace change as Mike McCarthy prepares to open his first training camp as head coach

LATROBE, Pa. — The method is already different in Latrobe as Mike McCarthy prepares to open his first training camp as the Steelers’ new head coach.

Starting simply with player arrivals. It’s a moment traditionally full of fanfare and flashes of player personality that marks the start of camp. This year, many of the players arrived quietly on Saint Vincent’s campus on Monday night.

Some parts of camp that Steeler veterans have come to know over the years will remain the same, but there are also plenty of unknowns and there’s going to be a lot of testing the waters.

One thing we do know is that the team’s practice schedule is different than in years past. Most practices are scheduled to start in the late morning, around 11 a.m., compared to Mile Tomlin’s mid-afternoon practices.

McCarthy shined some light on another major question— how physical are his camps going to be — saying there won’t be live tackling.

“The footwork’s the priority. Always will be about the feet and everything that we do, whether tackling, blocking, you know, ball security, all those things,” he said. “So the footwork component about it is important. You have to assess stress in everything you do. That’s what I look at as one of the primary responsibilities of being the head coach and one of the primary focal points of being in charge of the training regimen for your football team.”

This is also a big moment for veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as he reunites with the head coach he won a Super Bowl with.

There was a sense of excitement from Rodgers and McCarthy about working together again.

Rodgers was asked how different a McCarthy training camp is compared to others he’s been a part of in his career.

“Well, you got to understand, I was with Mike in 2006, and I was back when you could do double days,” he said. “So training camp is way different. It’s way easier. It’s like a mental grind. It’s not a physical grind the way it used to be. So I’m not sure what the Mike McCarthy training camp practice would be like. But I know that the OTAs were crisp. You guys saw them out there as crisp. Things were moving fast in and out of team periods. And I expect more of the same.”

The Steelers are starting camp with three injuries, all cornerbacks: Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey and Donte Kent.

Broderick Jones, on the other hand, is medically cleared to practice. Team staff is still evaluating where he is strength-wise.

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