Metcalf, Smith, Clark, Wilson, Howard Media Availability (July 31) | Pittsburgh Steelers

Metcalf, Smith, Clark, Wilson, Howard Media Availability (July 31) | Pittsburgh Steelers

You guys be very competitive out there. It feel good. Um, just picking up the playbook more myself personally and just learning how to group what we want to say as a standard, you know, as a unit. But it feel good just learning everybody involved and get on the field involved. You guys have been flying around a lot. How’s it been like adapted to that the way that they want you to fly around here? You feel yourself a free or strong safety in the system? I think in this system right now, I’m just playing football, learning as much as I can, and doing whatever I can. I mean, I don’t feel I want to limit myself to one thing. I know I can do both things. So, just the more that I can do, I mean, I know I can play different positions as well. If it comes down to nickel, whatever it be, I mean, I’ve done that versatility as well. So, I’m just ready for whatever come my way. Do you feel like both safety positions are kind of fluid right now with the way that you guys play, a lot of guys switching off? Yeah, I think that’s just come the nature of the game now. You know what I’m saying? Being able to do multiple things. You looking forward You looking forward to the night practice tomorrow? I look forward to all the practices. Anytime I get to step on this field, having missed the year before with injury, I look forward to all the practices, all the times I can lay some my pass, lay some my cleats and get out there. I look forward to everything. Would you rather the heat be turned up or would you rather it to be a little bit cooler cuz I know the weather’s going to get a bit better as the days roll on here. It don’t matter to me. I like football. So, is the chippiness that we’re seeing out there atypical or is this kind of what you see at this point of training? Turn it down. Is it hard for that stuff not to get personal or what do you think of when that stuff happens? I like it. I don’t care. I love it. I mean to me it is what it is. It’s football. Football whatever happens in football happen you know is what it is. It’s the nature of the game. It’s a rough game. You put a bunch of a type personalities in the space and say go be competitive, go be physical. Stuff going to happen. History with 22? Nah. No. I ain’t got no history with 22. He just out here training camp, competing, you know, trying to get better. That’s it. Saw you kind of spiked the ball at his feet when you made that catch. Is that sort of just a statement to the defense, you know, just getting back at him for, you know, other times of practice? No, man. You know, when you were competitive, man, you know, you just that competitive spirit come out in different ways, you know what I mean? That’s just how I was feeling at the time. You know what I mean? But, uh, you know, we just out there battling, you know what I mean? Training camp, competing, trying to get better. That’s it. You know, did Thorn did Thornhill win that one or was it just a little hot afterwards? I got to go back and watch the film. I mean, I ain’t get it. So, I mean, I give it to him. You talking about the last one we ran. I ain’t get it. I get it to him, man. We watch the tape and see what’s going on. But, you know, again, we battling and you know, it is what it is. I’m going win something. You going they going to win something. You know, that’s what it is. You taking pitches out of the backfield. How different is that for you? And that’s a different role, right? I’ve made plays from the back field in my career. You know what I mean? Nothing different. Uh, you know, I’m just continuing to to be as valuable as I can to this offense and whatever they whatever it is they need me, that’s where I’m going to be at. How much fun is it to have those physical battles in Ohio camp here? It’s extremely fun. You know, you get get kind of quiet. You got to, you know, wake the stands up a little bit. You know what I mean? It’s training camp. That’s what, you know, so um, you know, we out here competing and having a good time, having fun, you know what I mean? That’s all it’s about. It looked like the second one he shoved the ball in your gut. You really didn’t want to deal with it anymore, but he wouldn’t let it go. Is that kind of how Which one? Which one? The second time. Ah, he went picked up the ball after the incompletion. Oh, yeah. Uh, I don’t know. I don’t know. You know what I mean? Yeah. I mean, and I guess he like me throwing a Listen, we teammates, man. We ain’t got no personal beef or nothing like that. We out here competing, you know what I mean? We having fun. It get competitive when you lose and when you win. And, you know, we that’s that’s why we we we do we’ve been doing this for a long time, man. And we want to win. and you know it just brings you know certain uh you know characteristics out in us. We understand that we can’t take this to Sunday so we can let it out here in training camp. You know what I mean? And kind of bottle it up but you know it’s still a lot of technique fundamentals and things that like that that we got to apply uh each and every day. So we can’t just come out here and have wasted emotional rest. You know what I’m saying? John, it seemed like Aaron connected with you guys a lot more today. This might have been his most consistent day as far as finding you guys different parts of the field. What can you appreciate about his process that he’s worked with you guys to continue to build chemistry? I would just say he’s another coach on the field and just kind of the way he sees things. Um you can be very comfortable with Aaron operating the offense and um obviously he’s going to be one of the greatest to ever do it at his position. And so to just it’s an honor, you know what I mean, that to have you and you know understanding that this is his last year, you want to go out there, you want to you want to be successful for him, you want to compete for him. Um, he’s a great teammate, man. I mean, I I don’t know, you know, what things how things have been portrayed in the past or whatever, you know, however it’s portrayed to the media, but uh that guy’s a great teammate, great leader, great quarterback, great glad he’s on our team and how do you feel like this you guys are jelling as an offense? How, as far as the playbook goes, how comfortable are you with this? Uh, you know, it’s early. Still early. Second week of camp. We got a long way to go, you know, long way to go before September. Um, when every rep is valuable and it’s going to take Rome was not built in a day and it’s going to take time. Um, got to continue to keep our head held a high like a a bad day out here isn’t a bad day, but there’s always something to learn from and to grow from. Um, you know, as when you are a professional and you and as intentional as you should be, there should not be a bad day. Um, you get to this level, um, there’s always things to clean up and to learn from. um technique wise, fundamentals, uh mental errors, and you know, um we we don’t hide from that stuff. We run to it. Ever play rotting practice? I’ve had some success out the back field during my career. You enjoy it? I do. What have you heard about that Friday Night Lights practice? What are you looking forward to back in? I heard there’s a lot of great energy. I heard there’s a lot of great energy out there. Um I’m looking forward to it. Is that Lro High or Yeah, Lro Memorial State. Lro Memorial State. Yeah. And so, uh I’m looking forward to it, man. Listen, like just being on here these past couple of days at training camp, I understand what kind of fan base this is and uh I’m glad to be part of it. When I talked to Chuck Clark, I asked him, “Is he a free safety or strong safety?” He said, “I’m wherever they want me.” It seems like there’s a lot of fluidity on that side of the ball. Do you feel it’s the same way with the way you and the receivers are working with how you guys line up? It’s not less about positions, more about just talent. Right. Right. you know, that that that availability, that versatility is going to give us flexibility and uh you know, that’s going to that’s going to be a problem for other teams and that’s how we kind of assemble in this thing. And uh you know, it’s a selflessness aspect that goes into it, being able to play all different positions and learn different positions and maybe not what you have been used to doing in the past. Um you know, we working to the big goal. We all know what that is. And so, uh you know, we we ready to attack this thing here. don’t have the temps. Where did you play running back? Two more guys. Tony, where did you play running back? Where did I play running back? Go back uh like before the league or in the league. What? In the league. I’ll say this. Go back to 2019 Tennessee verse Houston and check the stack sheet and go to rushing attempts rushing yards and then you can pull up the tables before that too. Uh I got I got a few you know what I didn’t I didn’t have many carries in college but uh Art was like the first guy to you know put the ball in my hands off the back field at this league at this level and so uh you know I just you know again it’s using me in places that you know I’ve uh you know I know I could be effective favorite run from that game against Houston. Huh? Do you have a favorite run from that game against Houston mentioned? There’s only one way. Tell me about that rep on Joey that you had where you scored a touchdown. Uh just one-on-one’s deep ball. Just a go get it mentality. It was a good rep. Feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel feel good to I mean he’s one of the starting quarters. Feel good to go up and get that one. Yeah, for sure. What do you Is that the kind of play you can build off Roman? Got a cheer from the crowd. Everybody saw it. Yeah, I mean that was a great play. Um knowing me, I love when the fans are out here. I love their reactions to everything, the good and the bad, and I feel like every rep I take out there, I can, you know, build from it, you know, no matter what it is. What do you appreciate about the chance to just be that physical on a day like this in training camp and go against your fellow DB or your DBs? What do I appreciate? Yeah. What do you appreciate about just being able to be that physical in those moments? I really love how competitive it is this year. Um, guys are getting after. I love to be a part of it. Feels good to be back. Mike has told said it a couple of times how big of a camp this is for you. How do you respond to that? Uh just every day being locked in my routine. Um taking it one day at a time. Just really being being here in the trove, you know, not mentally being somewhere else. Just being right here and focus on practice every day. What’s the biggest difference for you outside versus inside? Uh I feel like it’s kind of the same thing, you know, working the same kind of techniques and, you know, just really working on getting open and making a playful on TV. How how much have you worked on getting off press cover? Has it been something you guys have worked on? Uh I feel like we work on it all the time. you know, Z, that’s a big thing for him and that’s what we do. What have you picked up so far from DK? Uh, just kind of his his experience and the way he’s so physical. I like to really watch him and how he high points the ball and just his the style of play, you know, how he finishes, how physical he is, and you know, his want is just he’s an elite player and I love to learn from him. Aaron talked about yesterday about how his process of of mastering this offense and he wants to have it down by the end of this week. What can you guys as receivers do to maybe aid him along in that process as well? Uh same thing, just studying every day. Um trying to one up him as far as you know all that stuff that you were talking about and uh just being mentally locked in and you know all that. Did you have any kind of expectation of what he would be like and how are you finding being his teammate? Who you talking about? Rogers. Rogers. Uh I never met him before and when I met him he’s just a cool dude. I tell everyone like my family I’m like this is the coolest guy I think I ever met. He’s truly one of a kind and you know so far everybody loves him. What’s what’s an example that leads you to believe he’s a cool dude? Uh just being able to talk to him. You know, he has so much wisdom and so much experience. You know, he really treats us like like friends, you know, off the field and just gives us a lot of advice and he’s a great dude. Roman, you’re lining up outside, inside, a lot of different places. Is that a big part of this offense is your vers is all you guys’ versatility to line up in different spots to get different matchups and Arthur Smith’s calls? Uh yeah, for sure. you know, just being versatile, you know, not just knowing one position, but knowing the whole big scheme of things, you know, the how and the why of the plays and all that. Aaron seemed to have like a really strong day today as far as finding you guys different parts of the field. How have you what have you appreciated about his process as far as developing himself and developing with with you guys and your chemistry? Uh, I appreciate him just taking my game to another level. Um, like I say, you know, he’s a guy. He’s Hall of Famer. Well, not yet, but probably one day. Uh he’s just so smart and I just love to be able to learn from him and try to elevate my game. Well, I mean, you’ve had a couple of good days of practice. Is that just more opportunities or do you feel you’ve made progress? I feel like every day I wake up, I make some progress, you know, that’s my goal. Uh get 1% better every day. And um you know, that’s what I plan to do. How about you feel this was a better practice for you? Uh I don’t know what you mean by better practice. I It was a good practice. I feel every time I come out here, it’s been a good practice. uh some better than others, but it’s it’s always good. You know, a lot of learning. About Will Howard as well? What have you seen out of him so far? And have you put it past, you know, him being a Buckeye at this point. I was never upset about him being a Buckeye, but I mean, I love what I see. He’s a great dude. He can sling it. Um he’s a great guy to have around. Great addition. When did 1% better every day turn into 100% better for your ankles last year? I’m confused by that question. You said you get bit one the goal is to get 1% better. Was that sort of the way it was with your injury? And when did you when did it click for you? You know, I’m back physically 100%. I think um at some point last season, it kind of clicked for me and I felt like myself again. Um especially with my ankle, you know, one thing at a time. At certain points, I was trying to do a little too much to try to get back and um it helped. But as far as football, you know, I just try to think one step at a time, left foot, right foot, you know, just build progress every day. I say it looked like things got a little chippy out there today. How much fun is it, you know, just being able to go after each other like that on the training camp field? Uh, I mean, it’s always fun when you got a competitive group on the other side lined up across from you. Um, when both sides are talking and backing it up, I think it just brings out the best competition in people and as you saw today, you know, offense really, you know, kicked. What brought out the uh the best from Clark on that player over the middle there? I don’t know. It’s just football, man. You got to be on the field and know. So, yesterday, how’s the how’s the collaborative process going with Aaron Rogers? you know, where do you feel like you’re making strides and where you would you like to continue to to move forward there? Uh, just the way I’m viewing the defense. Um, I’m looking at down linement now, looking at uh the safety rotation, looking at my route adjustments. Um, just all those little things that, you know, I maybe took for granted uh before. Um, just trying to see the whole field uh, you know, at this point of my career with him, trying to see how he views the defens. You said the offense kicked today. Was that an extra emphasis after yesterday didn’t go quite as well? Uh, I mean, nobody likes to lose like that. Nobody likes to, you know, get pushed around in the first day of pass, but uh we took, uh took it personal, uh cleaned up our technique stuff, uh some of our splits and um you know, put uh made an emphasis in the meeting room yesterday that um you know, we’re going to come out here and try the ball. DK, it seemed like Aaron was able to find you guys different levels of the of the offense and hit you guys like this is one of his better days. What do you appreciate about his process and how he gets better with you guys each day? Uh I mean, everybody know this is, you know, a new group. We got new faces, new people on offense. um still plugging pieces in. Um and nobody’s getting frustrated. We’re all, you know, trying to learn together, trying to work together. Um and it’s a steady stream of communication from the meeting room to out here on the field. So that’s what I appreciate about not just AM, but this whole group. Everybody’s, you know, open to communication, open to criticism. Um and I think that’s going to that’s going to take us far. You beat Joey in 101’s yesterday. Uh what’s it been like going against him early in camp here? Who was that? Joey. Oh, he’s a good competitor, man. He’s a tough DB to go against Lanky and he has speed and he’s young. So, yeah, he can definitely keep up with me and I think it’s going to be um, you know, good to continue to go against him uh, throughout the, you know, coming weeks um, leading up to the season. Um, I think we’re going to make each other better. You’ve got a lot of your old rivals here with Slay and Ramsay. Uh, is that something that you’ve been looking forward to and, you know, we’re going to have fun with this camp? Oh, yes, sir. Cuz, uh, once we get on the field, Sunday is going to be easy because, you know, they get to go against me and I get to go against them. So, they’re always making me better with different looks from Slay to Ramsey to Joey. So, I get to see everything. Mike Tom was talking about how he first ever rep or just seemed like that. I think it just seemed like that. You’re yelling in my ear. Mike Tomwin um has talked about how he want now the defense with these new additions can play a lot of man coverage going against these guys in games. What do you appreciate about their approach and what might make those defensive backs successful in those situations? Yes, sir. I mean, I like going against competitive people and they are a group of competitive people from the Dline to the linebackers to the DBs. from the safeties to the corners, everybody’s talking, everybody’s being physical at the point of attack. And that’s what I could appreciate going against these guys because I know uh you know, I can’t let them down on Sunday and I know it’s going to be vice versa once they line up against their our opponent. Let’s do two more. Talked to us yesterday about mastering the offense and his progress in that. I mean, obviously, you’re new to this offense as well. So, how’s that going for you? And how can receivers kind of aid the quarterback in getting things down? Uh just like I hit on earlier, just a steady form of communication from everybody across the O line uh to the receivers to the running backs to the tight ends. Um and not getting discouraged when you have a bad day because nobody’s perfect. You’re going to have bad days. That’s a hell of a defense that we get to go against every day uh at practice. So, you know, not getting frustrated with the process. Just continue to put one foot in front of the other and continue to grow. First time we talked to you, you said that Aaron walked into your room when you were playing video games. He didn’t pick up the sticks or anything. Have you gotten him to play video games yet or hung out with him anymore? No, not me. But y’all should check with other people on the team. They they got him to pick up the stick before me. Are you a little offended? He didn’t come to play video games with you. Offended is not the word. I’m, you know, I’m a little uh salty. Uh but no, man. He’s a good dude off the field. Um enjoy playing with him. Enjoy Paul’s enjoy uh you know, getting to learn from him uh off the field and you know, just talking to him about life stuff. So, he’s a real good dude. What have you learned about our offense and Arthur and his offense and kind of the way he wants things done? Um, I mean, he gives us, uh, you know, pretty much freedom to, you know, win our routes. Uh, not trying to pigeon hole us, pigeon hole us with, uh, you know, trying to run around a certain way. But, um, you know, we got to be on point with the details with Aiden. You know, it’s not surprising. It’s pretty pretty split had a half and half with Penn State and Ohio State. We’re kind of right in the middle. But, yeah, it’s cool. I mean, that the red sticks out like a sore thumb for sure. What have you heard about the Friday Night Lights Lights practice tomorrow? What are you looking forward to most? obviously with being so well received by fans to begin with, but this is a big problem tomorrow. I’m excited. I haven’t heard much other than that it’s on Friday night. It’s under the lights. Um and yeah, I’m excited. There’ll be a lot of fans there and um I I don’t know what to expect other than playing football. Just show up and be ready to play. Do you have your own favorite high school football memory from your days under the lights? Yeah, definitely. My last game at my home stadium uh my senior year, we played our our rival Coatsville. Uh and we had never beat them in my four years of playing. We’d never beat him. Uh my junior year I got hurt against him. Earlier in my senior year we lost against someone like a you know a last second kind of deal. And so we got him back in the district championship. My last game at home. It was it was pretty sweet. Do you see that DK Aaron M combination taking a step forward every single day? It seems like every day had something looked a little bit better. Yeah. No, I think it uh they’re definitely working pretty well together. And you know, I knew it wasn’t going to happen right away. You know, anything like that, you got to develop chemistry and develop, you know, um that togetherness. And those two spend a lot of time together and they have a really good relationship. And like you said, I think they’re just getting better every day and they’re going to continue to get better. Will Friday night lights at the high school field, are you worried at all that Jack Sawyer is going to try to take the ball and start taking snaps under center and throwing deep passes? Yeah, we we’ll see. We’ll see if he uh if he wants to do that. Along those lines, do you have a favorite high school football memory? I just said it. Oh, you okay? I’m sorry. No, you’re good, man. Um Will, when you’re trying to build chemistry with the wide receiver, obviously reps are invaluable, but within each rep, what are you looking for? Body language, how they’re running the routes, how do you kind of build that within a I think it really depends on the play. Um you know, whether it’s a man route, a zone route. Um you know, every every play is different. I can’t say there’s one thing. Um, but really it’s just being on the same page at all times and and knowing what I’m thinking, what they’re thinking, and and knowing that our thinking is aligned. And I think that’s the biggest part. And the only way to do that is to to talk about it, to walk through and to get reps, and to continue to to develop those relationships. What have you seen from Rock Taylor? He’s a hell of a player, man. He’s been making some plays. Um, and you know when the ball goes his way, it seems like good things are happening.

DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith, Chuck Clark, Roman Wilson, and Will Howard spoke to the media following Thursday’s practice

#HereWeGo #Steelers #NFL

Like our content? Want more? Be sure to subscribe to the Pittsburgh Steelers YT Channel: https://goo.gl/nAd4J2

Want more Steelers content? Head over to http://www.steelers.com/ or if you want your #Steelers content to-go, download the official Pittsburgh Steelers mobile app: https://www.steelers.com/fans/official-steelers-mobile-app/
To get the latest Steelers content, news and analysis be sure to follow us on social media!
Follow us on X: https://x.com/steelers/
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steelers/
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steelers/
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@steelers
Download Steelers podcasts: https://www.steelers.com/audio/podcast/