Steelers News: Monday is a big day for the NFL’s 2020 season

It has been a one-of-a-kind offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020. Unable to attend most player pro days and participating in the NFL’s first virtual draft, the Steelers keep pushing forward toward a return to football activities. Just because the NFL has cancelled the 2020 Hall of Fame Game and cut the preseason to an undetermined amount of games doesn’t mean we stop providing you with features, commentary and opinions to tide you over throughout the offseason!

Today in the black-and-gold links article we take a look at the NFL and Players Association attempting to finalize the specifics of the 2020 season in the face of the current global pandemic.

Let’s get to the news:

• An agreement will need to be made if NFL training camps hope to begin on time

A big Monday ahead for NFL, players’ union

By: Jeff Hartman, DK Pittsburgh Sports

The NFL, like other professional sports leagues before them, are finding their way back to the field not as smooth as they would have hoped. Still amidst the coronavirus pandemic, it has become blatantly clear there is a divide between the owners and the players they employ.

With the NFL and NFLPA slated for a meeting Monday, it is important to take a look back and see where things stand between the two sides as they attempt to find middle ground on everything from preseason games to testing protocols.

PRESEASON

The NFL proposed cutting the preseason from four games to two, for the Steelers it would have been from five to two. This would allow players to get acclimated to game play after not having any offseason workouts like minicamp and Organized Team Activities (OTAs).

The players responded with a unanimous vote to eliminate all preseason games. Their thinking behind this decision was it would not only be safer, but allow even more time for players to get acclimated and conditioned for the rigors of an NFL regular season.

This remains on the table between the two sides.

COVID-19 TESTING

The league gave the players an in-depth protocol they feel would be safe for players to return to facilities. This protocol would be for training camp and the preseason, if that happens, and is very robust in nature. Testing procedures, how the league plans on dealing with positive tests both as asymptomatic and symptomatic cases. Meetings primarily done virtually, and plenty more.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• Terrelle Pryor still wishes to join the Steelers

Former WPIAL star Terrelle Pryor interested in joining Steelers, has talked to Patriots

By: Tim Benz, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Former WPIAL superstar Terrelle Pryor wants to get back into the National Football League.

And the Jeannette Jayhawk alum says he’d prefer to play with either New England or his hometown Steelers.

Pryor tells TMZ that he’s been in touch with approximately five teams. The free agent wide receiver and former quarterback said the Patriots were on that list. He didn’t specify that the Steelers were, but he talked around it and sounded interested at the prospect of a homecoming.

Or going to Foxborough.

“Those two are very intriguing,” Pryor says. “Especially (Patriots quarterback) Cam Newton. I’ve been a big fan of him throughout the years … And, obviously, Big Ben (Roethlisberger), that’s my hometown of Pittsburgh, so that’s just two teams that I really want to play for.”

Pryor says that because of the coronavirus pandemic, he hasn’t been able to get a tryout with any club as of yet.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

• Head coach Mike Tomlin still finds a way to bring his message to his hometown

Tomlin shares words of wisdom

By: Teresa Varley, Steelers.com

It’s become a tradition, one that Mike Tomlin holds close to his heart because it’s all about his hometown of Hampton Roads, Virginia.

Every year when the Hampton Roads All-Star Football Camp takes place, Tomlin does his part by hosting the Annual Mike Tomlin Meet & Greet Reception. It’s a chance for Tomlin, and professional athletes from the Hampton Roads area, to give back to the kids in the community by sharing stories of where they came from and how they got to where they are today.

The stories are inspiring and uplifting, giving hope to many who need that extra push.

While the event had to be canceled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing you can never cancel is Tomlin’s energy and enthusiasm for his hometown.

In lieu of the event, Tomlin took part in a two-part grill-side interview with Carl Francis, Director of Communication for the NFLPA and co-founder of the Hampton Roads Youth Foundation (HRYF) and Vernon Lee, the co-founder of the HRYF, as the entire event was virtual this year.

“However we can keep this train rolling and touch people from the house, I am in,” said Tomlin.

Tomlin shared stories of his time growing up in Hampton Roads, those who made an impact on his life from the ‘757,’ and how some of the lessons he learned then still impact him today in his coaching profession.

To read the full article, click HERE (Free)

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