Tomlin Learning From Past Failures

A More Physical Camp Can Lead to Success

The Steelers are gearing up for their first preseason action this Saturday as the New York Giants will stroll into Heinz Field for the first exhibition of the 2013-2014 season.  I will be providing a "What to Watch For" later in the week for Steelers fans to get SOMETHING out of a meaningless football game.  Nonetheless, there is something about this training camp that is very noteworthy that a lot of Steelers fans might have overlooked.  Did they overlook it because of the Pirates?  Probably.  Did they overlook it because its just "practice"?  Possibly.  Did they overlook it because they didn't make it to Latrobe this year?  There is a good chance.  Regardless of why they overlooked the clear difference in this camp than in past camps is a multi-faceted, but boils down to ONE thing - conditioning.  Now, I know there are people out there that are saying "You are nuts.  There have been numerous players who are in great shape, but just can't hack it!"  This is true, but that is not what I'm referring to in regards to conditioning.  There is a difference between a well conditioned athlete that can't cut it, and a player who CAN cut it, but is in horrible condition. 

I don't typically like to divulge a lot of personal information (which is why my name isn't really attached to anything that I do on the internet), but in this case I felt it was appropriate to share something about myself.  Most of you know, if you've followed my writing for a while, that I am a Physical Education teacher, but I am also a certified personal trainer.  I have trained numerous athletes in the past.  Football players, baseball players, swimmers, golfers, basketball players, lacrosse player...you essentially name the sport and I have trained the athlete.  Everything from rehab assignments to strengthening.  The one thing that no one came in and requested in regards to their training, but got for free without questioning was one thing: INJURY PREVENTION.  An athlete that doesn't train hard, and doesn't have themselves in peak physical condition is leaving themselves susceptible to injury.

The title of this article was chosen for a reason.  You have read several articles this season about how some key players for the Steelers (Woodley, Dwyer, Redman, Roethlisberger, and others) have shown up to camp in the best shape of their careers.  The fact that NONE of these players are rookies who didn't understand the level of competition that accompanies the NFL is a sign that Mike Tomlin has failed.  As the head coach, he is in charge of over seeing the conditioning program, approving the regiment the players will be going through, and keeping tabs on his "boys" in the offseason.  Watching the Steelers last year you could see players walking around a lot heavier than they typically have been, and the training camps haven't been as intense as they were when Tomlin took over the team and, as he said it, "wore his team down to a stump." 

This year it seems to be a lot different in Latrobe.  Longer practices by 30 minutes, more 11 on 11, and more contact in practice.  This is a two fold positive in terms of conditioning.  The players are going to be more acclimated to the contact and will suffer less of the "wear and tear" injuries that can hamper a player all season, and it will also have them in "game ready" shape by Week 1 of the NFL season.  Will conditioning keep a player from planting his foot and tearing his ACL?  No.  Will conditioning help if a player collapses on his knee causing the ankle to break?  No, but what conditioning will do is prevent the ailing hamstring injury, the twisted ankle, the shoulder injury, and other small yet nagging injuries that dwell throughout the entire season.

To see Tomlin holding a camp such as this is a positive sign for all of SteelerNation.  The "no nonsense" practices is something that this team needs.  No longer can they rest on the Super Bowl victories of years past.  No, this team needs to forge its own identity, and Tomlin is succeeding at that to this point.  When practice is all you can do to prove your self worth and getting your team prepared...Tomlin gets an A+ in my book.  Time will tell if the Steelers will be successful this season, but Tomlin at least has them on the right track as they head into the preseason.