Steelers fans flock to training camp: "No way we'd ever miss this"
Thousands of Steelers fans came out to Latrobe on Thursday for the team's first public practice at Saint Vincent College.
Some fans got to the parking lot before dawn, and once gates opened at noon, everywhere you looked on the green hills of Saint Vincent, it was a sea of black and gold.
From Steeler fans to even a few Steelers legends like Brett Keisel and Larry Brown, who were doing meet and greets, they were all on hand to welcome the team back to another summer in Latrobe and hopefully see them down the path of another successful season.
Jerry Thomas and his family from Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, were some of the first fans through the gate. When asked how they were feeling about their prime viewing spot, Thomas said, "Pretty good. We are going to have a good time."
There were some first-timers to camp and there were some returning veterans who have been coming to camp since it started back in 1966.
"I've seen so much," said Steve Hohula, a Steelers fan from nearby Unity Township. "I've seen when it was just a grassy hill here. I've seen them lifting weights on the field. You know, it changes, it evolves every year. I remember telling Mel Blount one time down at the car wash, his rookie year, I says, 'Mel, we've been watching you and I think you are going to make the team. You are going to be a pretty good player.' He goes, 'Do you think so?' And I says, 'Yeah, I think so.'"
Steelers shake up roster over offseason
The Steelers had a busy offseason after another first-round playoff exit. Quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are gone. So are wide receiver George Pickens, rusher Najee Harris, defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, and Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The Steelers brought in quarterback Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver DK Metcalf, cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith.
And there were plenty of people with opinions about the upcoming season and about Rodgers.
"I would love to challenge for the division," said Javier Beltrand, a Steelers fan from Baltimore, Maryland. "But the Wild Card honestly is something that I would love to get too. I mean, you never know. Rodgers in the playoffs, he makes crazy magic."
"I definitely think he has the drive," said Alex Plesniarski, a Rodgers fan who was the only one sporting a Rodgers jersey from Green Bay at Saint Vincent. "I definitely think he wants this team to go places. He's definitely a team player, so I could see the Steelers definitely having a good playoff push and definitely getting a positive record in there."
Star linebacker T.J. Watt, who recently inked a three-year, $123 million deal that makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history for the second time, agreed he'll have to spend training camp getting to know his new teammates.
"There's going to be a lot of people to get to know and talk to," Watt said.
"It's just fun. It's a fun time of year," he added.
Only time will tell how the season will play out for this team, but one thing is for sure right now: Steelers fans are ready, come what may.
