To conclude the Saint Vincent College portion of training camp Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers practiced in arguably the hottest conditions of the summer.
The heat index measured 103 degrees for the final workout on Chuck Noll Field.
In his 19th training camp as head coach, Mike Tomlin moved practice times back to 1:55 p.m. after a year in which the Steelers conducted weekday workouts in the morning. Tomlin’s reason for the switch back to the afternoon was he wanted his players to get extended work under the hot sun.
“We accomplished it today, maybe yesterday,” Tomlin said, referring to another 90-degree day. “We had a lot of rain early on (in camp). You can have a good plan, but you have to be light on your feet and adjust.”
The Steelers have practiced at the Unity Township campus since 1966, except for the 2020-21 seasons when the team practiced at Acrisure Stadium because of the pandemic.
The Steelers are among six NFL teams that continue to hold training camp away from their home facilities. The others are the Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams.
“In general, we appreciate this environment, the support and the experience up here,” Tomlin said. “Not a lot of teams go to destination camps any more, and we value it. We value not only the tangible work up here, but the intangible work, the camaraderie, the informal moments. It’s really special.”
