This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers will close training camp for the year. However, they’ve still got more work to do before the regular season starts. That includes two more preseason games, and a joint practice against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That practice is coming up soon, and Aaron Rodgers recently shared what he’s looking for the Steelers to get out of it.
“Hoping for another clean practice with them,” Rodgers said Tuesday via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Twitter. “It’s good to go against a different team. I think what I said was that you get a chance to go against not fidelity. So hopefully, [Buccaneers head coach] Todd [Bowles], he probably won’t show everything, but do some stuff that stresses our protection.”
It isn’t surprising to hear that Rodgers wants the Steelers’ practice against the Bucs to be clear. Oftentimes, when teams have joint practices, things can get pretty chippy. Fights break out more frequently. While seeing fire and passion from players is good, Mike Tomlin isn’t interested in seeing his team fight.
Also, Rodgers has shared in the past that he appreciates joint practices more than preseason games. He believes that can provide an offense with a better test because the opposing team will be more inclined to show actual concepts they run. In the preseason, things are usually pretty basic.
Bowles’ background is in defense, so that unit should give the Steelers’ offense plenty of tests. They’ve got talent, including defensive lineman Vita Vea, linebackers Lavonte David and Haason Reddick, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr., who have all been solid NFL players.
The Steelers’ offense includes a lot of young players, so getting this work against the Bucs should be good for them. That should be especially true for their offensive line, which has a lot of young starters. That group is largely unproven. Therefore, getting more work against experienced NFL starters is important.
With the Steelers scheduled to face the Bucs in their second preseason game, we’ll see how this joint practice impacts them. Hopefully, like Rodgers says, they’re able to get through it in a clean and orderly manner. The point of this exercise isn’t to fight. It’s to get work against a different opponent.