The Pittsburgh Steelers ended a run of six consecutive practice days Sunday with a two-hour practice that concluded with a light rain dusting the Saint Vincent fields.
The elements were less of a concern to coach Mike Tomlin than the approach his players took to the final session before a day off awaited the 90-man roster.
Unlike the previous two days, the Steelers did not don pads for their Sunday workout. They wore pads on four of the six days they practiced — their longest stretch without a break during training camp.
“One of the major coaching points for today was attire could not dictate approach or attitude or professionalism,” Tomlin said. “We had a couple days in pads, and that automatically brings a certain level of urgency. We’ve got to maintain that level of urgency even when we’re not in pads.
“It’s indicative of the season. We’re not carrying pads every day during the season.”
With a lighter workout planned — and the off day Monday looming — Tomlin gave several of his veteran players the day off. Among those watching from the sideline were wide receivers Allen Robinson and Diontae Johnson, quarterback Mason Rudolph, left guard Isaac Seumalo, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, outside linebacker T.J. Watt and cornerback Patrick Peterson.
Missing because of injuries were outside linebacker Nick Herbig, safeties Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Tomlin said third-year defensive back Tre Norwood suffered a lower leg injury in practice and was scheduled to be evaluated Sunday night.
After missing several days with an ankle injury, defensive end DeMarvin Leal returned to practice, and free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick increased his workload in his second practice since returning from an excused absence.
“You know how I feel about the off days,” Tomlin said. “It’s not necessarily about them, it’s increased opportunity for those that are working, whether it’s more reps to learn and/or show what they are capable of or more reps to show conditioning.”
