The Pittsburgh Steelers opened training camp Tuesday, and they did not only open their camp, they busted the camp wide open! According to steelers.com, the first practice was very physicial filled with tons upon tons of hitting-and that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Coach Mike Tomlin told the press that the team will be participating in five straight two-a-day sessions. To me, Tomlin and the Steelers are definitely making a statement, and the statement is: “We’re Back and the rest of the AFC North is going to have some problems.”
Honestly, this is the attitude and the tone that a team in the AFC must set. The AFC is the toughest and harshest conference in football where even the weakest team can explode at any time. I believe that Tomlin is taking the right approach here because the fans and the city will not tollerate a losing season, and will quickly pine for Bill Cowher if the team flops.
I ran across an interesting video segment that Ray Lewis did for the NFL Network. In the first part of the segment, he mentions that there are many players in the league today that are about the flash and athleticism while not particulary taking stock in gameday preparation and working out in the offseason. Any player worth their salt in the game would want to do everything that he can to make his team and himself better-extra time with the film and the playbook and extra time in the weight room, anything to say “my team is winning and I have something to do with its success.”
When you look at players such as Walter Payton, Mike Singletary, Roger Craig and Jerry Rice, you would not only look at their the amazing talent that that they had, but you would also look at their stellar work eithic. These guys stayed glued to the film, the hills-in the case of Payton, Craig, and Rice, and to their playbook. As a result, two are in the hall of fame, one is a first ballot hall of famer, and the other one should have been on one of those ballots.
When it comes to some of today’s players, what Lewis said was right: There are those who are more about the flash and highlights and less about the work it takes to be one of the NFL’s elite. Sometimes you can just tell who did and who didnt earn their trips to the Pro Bowl and their accolades. In my opinion, you can tell this in their team’s win column and if the player turns in great performances consistantly.
Lewis’ work eithic is why he remains on of the elite linebackers in the league. Manning’s and Brady’s attention to detail and studies in the playbook and in the film room is what sets them apart from other quarterbacks. LaDanian Tomilison is another guy with a strong work ethic. Granted he may not have the flash that seems to be so important to a few sportscasters, but he is one guy that knows about sacrifice in the off season (he patterned his work out regimen after Payton’s) and it got him league MVP honors, three single season records, and the distinction of becoming the first and only player in league history to rush for 1,000 yards and catch 100 balls in a single season.
This is where dicipline and a strong work ethic takes you!
