Steelers’ Devin Bush taking laid-back approach to stay-at-home orders
Mirroring the rest of society, it seems every athlete has been taking a different approach to the stay-at-home orders issued by most of the nation’s governors.
For Devin Bush, he hasn’t overtaxed himself. Still the second-youngest player on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster as he enters his second season, the inside linebacker said during a video conference call Tuesday that he’s been hanging out with his father and brother.
“Whatever our mind goes to, we just do it,” Bush said when asked to relay his daily coronavirus quarantine routine, “so it’s not like I’ve got a really set plan.”
Bush said he wakes up between 9 and 10 a.m. daily, grabs breakfast and then every other day works out. Other than video meetings during what is Phase I of the Steelers virtual offseason program, Bush isn’t adhering to too much structure.
“We do whatever,” Bush said. “Go to the park, go for a walk, maybe go hit the field sometimes.”
Bush played 889 snaps in 2019 (per pro-football-reference.com), months after being a first-round pick. After a solid rookie season (109 tackles — nine for loss, 72 solo — two interceptions, four fumble recoveries and a touchdown), he is a leaguewide candidate for a breakout season in Year 2. But if he is it will have to be without the benefit of a regular organized team activities program that can at times be critical in a young player’s development.
“To get on get on the field again and get back in the groove, that was stopped,” Bush said. “So we’re just trying to stay active, stay in the playbook, stay in the film room and get out there and don’t beat yourself up too much on workouts. We still have a long season to go, so I am just staying active and staying on top of that stuff — and when my time comes I’ll be ready.”
No one knows when that time will come. Even as the NFL proceeds like normal as if it intends to start its season on time in early September, the reality of canceling on-field work and in-person gatherings for organized team activities leaves a compressed and rapidly-shrinking window to stage a training camp.
Of course, players talk amongst each other about the myriad of possibilities for a 2020 NFL season.
“The biggest thing is to stay healthy, stay safe,” Bush said, “but we’re just hoping for a regular season, just hoping we can go out there and play those (16) games and get a shot at the Super Bowl.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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