It wasn’t easy to step into the Steelers’ defense and make an immediate impact under Dick LeBeau, and new defensive coordinator Keith Butler has made multiple changes to address that in hopes of simplifying Xs and Os for youngsters.
But he apparently isn’t going overboard in that regard.
“That would be pigeonholing the whole team,” Cam Heyward was saying Wednesday on the second day of minicamp on the South Side. “We want everybody to catch us. We want everybody to be on the same speed so we can all play fast. It’s up to the younger guys to study their playbook and grasp the concepts.”
Heyward, entering his fifth season, is emerging as the leader of the increasingly young group, but he has experience with how difficult the entry point can be. The Steelers’ 2011 first-round draft pick waited two years before making his first start.
“It’s difficult because there are a lot of options that go along with each play. You have to make sure that you really know the adjustments that go along with the defense and understand the different reads you’re going to see.”
Jarvis Jones, the 2013 first-round pick, has experienced his share of growing pains. At right outside linebacker, one of the most important positions on the defense, he has just three sacks in 21 games.
“You have to have confidence because things don’t always go as planned and you have setbacks,” Jones said. “Nothing ever comes easy at this level. I’m focusing on more of myself and trying to produce.”
Learning any NFL playbook isn’t easy for rookies either let alone the on-field implementation.
“Everybody doesn’t learn the same way, and everybody doesn’t get the same reps so it can be challenging,” Jones said. “Sometimes you have to learn from the sideline rather than actually having to go through it. It’s on a much faster level than college and that’s the biggest part of the learning curve.”
Ryan Shazier, the 2014 first-rounder, said things started to slow down early last season, but injuries cost him seven games.
“In college, you take care of your body, but this is a whole different level,” Shazier said. “I can’t really do anything about it, so I have to rebound this year. I feel a lot more confident, and I feel like I can help this team out a lot more this year.”
• Offseason training is just part of the progression and Jones and Shazier were both part of a group that worked out with James Harrison in Arizona.
“James is a great mentor and I’m trying to take everything I can from him,” Jones said. “He trains at a high level, and I don’t think anybody in the locker room can train like him. He’s still of age and playing at a high tempo. If I can implement what he does into my game at a young age, I feel the sky is the limit. There’s no better guy to learn from.”
• Heyward plans to take a few days for himself before the team reports to training camp at Saint Vincent College, but he won’t relax for long.
“If you’re not careful, training camp really sneaks up on you and you want to come in at tip-top shape,” he said.
“That’s all they have control over,” Mike Tomlin said. “They don’t have control over any challenges that wait for them in Latrobe. What they do have control over is their level of conditioning. That’s been the consistent message from us.”
• Tomlin and Butler are intensely familiar with one another, having worked together at Memphis and Arkansas State, and Butler has served as the Steelers’ linebackers coach since Tomlin was hired in 2007. But it’s the first time Tomlin will work with a defensive coordinator other than LeBeau.
“You really don’t get to know people, particularly ones in positions of leadership until they are faced with challenges,” Tomlin said. “In terms of how it relates to the job, I think the story is untold.”
• The Steelers will enjoy about a month-long break before reporting to Latrobe in July for the team’s 50th training camp at Saint Vincent. Until then, there’s one more day of minicamp left at the team’s South Side facility.
“This is an instructional camp,” Tomlin said. “We just teach. They’re learning and they’re working. Guys are making some mistakes, but that’s part of the process.”
I'm really liking the vibe of this new "young" defense. If these cats can live up to their draft billing and strive to make a name for themselves in this league .... we're golden!
ryan shazier is a star in the making. he'll be the best player on defense at the end of the season. mark my words. just ordered shazier jersey and cant wait to wear it at the games.
Ryan Shazier acknowledges having plenty left to learn about life in the NFL. -- GETTY
June 17, 2015
Steelers minicamp: Learning the playbook
by Dan Scifo • Coverage • Steelers
BY DAN SCIFO
It wasn’t easy to step into the Steelers’ defense and make an immediate impact under Dick LeBeau, and new defensive coordinator Keith Butler has made multiple changes to address that in hopes of simplifying Xs and Os for youngsters.
But he apparently isn’t going overboard in that regard.
“That would be pigeonholing the whole team,” Cam Heyward was saying Wednesday on the second day of minicamp on the South Side. “We want everybody to catch us. We want everybody to be on the same speed so we can all play fast. It’s up to the younger guys to study their playbook and grasp the concepts.”
Heyward, entering his fifth season, is emerging as the leader of the increasingly young group, but he has experience with how difficult the entry point can be. The Steelers’ 2011 first-round draft pick waited two years before making his first start.
“It’s difficult because there are a lot of options that go along with each play. You have to make sure that you really know the adjustments that go along with the defense and understand the different reads you’re going to see.”
Jarvis Jones, the 2013 first-round pick, has experienced his share of growing pains. At right outside linebacker, one of the most important positions on the defense, he has just three sacks in 21 games.
“You have to have confidence because things don’t always go as planned and you have setbacks,” Jones said. “Nothing ever comes easy at this level. I’m focusing on more of myself and trying to produce.”
Learning any NFL playbook isn’t easy for rookies either let alone the on-field implementation.
“Everybody doesn’t learn the same way, and everybody doesn’t get the same reps so it can be challenging,” Jones said. “Sometimes you have to learn from the sideline rather than actually having to go through it. It’s on a much faster level than college and that’s the biggest part of the learning curve.”
Ryan Shazier, the 2014 first-rounder, said things started to slow down early last season, but injuries cost him seven games.
“In college, you take care of your body, but this is a whole different level,” Shazier said. “I can’t really do anything about it, so I have to rebound this year. I feel a lot more confident, and I feel like I can help this team out a lot more this year.”
• Offseason training is just part of the progression and Jones and Shazier were both part of a group that worked out with James Harrison in Arizona.
“James is a great mentor and I’m trying to take everything I can from him,” Jones said. “He trains at a high level, and I don’t think anybody in the locker room can train like him. He’s still of age and playing at a high tempo. If I can implement what he does into my game at a young age, I feel the sky is the limit. There’s no better guy to learn from.”
• Heyward plans to take a few days for himself before the team reports to training camp at Saint Vincent College, but he won’t relax for long.
“If you’re not careful, training camp really sneaks up on you and you want to come in at tip-top shape,” he said.
“That’s all they have control over,” Mike Tomlin said. “They don’t have control over any challenges that wait for them in Latrobe. What they do have control over is their level of conditioning. That’s been the consistent message from us.”
• Tomlin and Butler are intensely familiar with one another, having worked together at Memphis and Arkansas State, and Butler has served as the Steelers’ linebackers coach since Tomlin was hired in 2007. But it’s the first time Tomlin will work with a defensive coordinator other than LeBeau.
“You really don’t get to know people, particularly ones in positions of leadership until they are faced with challenges,” Tomlin said. “In terms of how it relates to the job, I think the story is untold.”
• The Steelers will enjoy about a month-long break before reporting to Latrobe in July for the team’s 50th training camp at Saint Vincent. Until then, there’s one more day of minicamp left at the team’s South Side facility.
“This is an instructional camp,” Tomlin said. “We just teach. They’re learning and they’re working. Guys are making some mistakes, but that’s part of the process.”