The Steelers should stop changing times of training camp practices at the last second

It was the morning of Wednesday, August 10, 2022.

I was arguing with people on Twitter about stuff when I saw a tweet from the Steelers. I won’t quote it word for word, but the gist was this: They were moving up that day’s training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. from 1:55 p.m. to 10:30 a.m. due to “inclement” weather.

I’m sure you are familiar with such announcements since they seemed to be common from the Steelers all throughout the summer. I immediately checked the radar on The Weather Channel app on my smartphone, and there didn’t seem to be much of a threat of “inclement” weather on the horizon. I realize I can’t identify Cover 3 defenses all that well, but I’m pretty sure I can read weather maps just as well as the Steelers can.

Was it really “inclement” weather, Mike Tomlin, or did you want to treat your guys to another one of your special little “movie days”?

I normally wouldn’t care one way or another about the Steelers moving their practice up three and a half hours—and making the announcement at 8:30 a.m.—but I was preparing to take in that day’s session with my friend, Terry. He would do the driving, while I would take care of the tolls.

I gotta be honest, I don’t really like training camp all that much. If you’ve seen one training camp practice, you’ve seen them all. It’s boring. It’s hot. There’s usually no place to sit except that painful hillside next to the bleachers at the always filled-to-capacity Chuck Noll Field. There’s no shade. There are like seven drills taking place at once. Again, it’s boring. Why do people like it so much?

Anyway, people always want me to go, and Terry is a great dude with many awesome stories about the Steelers, Panthers, Pirates, life, etc. Honestly, I was looking forward to just sitting around and shooting the breeze with Terry for a couple of hours while I didn’t pay attention to anything taking place on the field(s). Terry is a family man who lives in a house, so I assume he would have brought a couple of lawn chairs with him. I’m a bachelor living in an apartment, so I never bring anything but awkward, single guy angst.

Long story continuing: We didn’t get to go. Why? We couldn’t stop time. That’s right, I didn’t find out about this change until approximately 9:30 a.m. But even if I saw the tweet right away, there wouldn’t have been enough time to make it out there by 10:30 a.m.

People have lives. People have things to do. Even if people don’t have anything to do, driving out to Saint Vincent College isn’t a hop, skip and a jump—except for the people who live close to Saint Vincent College. Folks plan their vacations around the Steelers and their training camp sessions, and the organization should be a little more considerate of their time and money.

I realize training camp practices are free, but we do have to “buy” invisible tickets on Ticketmaster now. Oh, you still honor them even after the time change? That’s nice. Do you have a small plane to get us to Latrobe in time for the 10:30 practice?

Didn’t think so.

Hey, if you don’t want to practice in the hot afternoon sun, I get it, but just say so. Just be honest. Better yet, make the announcement the night before—some people can track the weather for longer than a few hours.

Terry wasn’t very pleased. He sent me a picture of himself dressed in a Steelers polo shirt and not looking very happy. I was planning on wearing sunglasses and a hat because of my fame.

I’m not sure the Steelers will be able to make it up to Terry, and you damn-well better believe they are on my bleep list.

Hey Steelers, last year, you put that silly message on the scoreboard asking the fans who attended training camp at old Heinz Field to refrain from posting videos of practice scrimmages on social media—as if any opponent would have needed to study anything about the god-awful offense you put on the field in 2021.

That was strike one.

Indiscriminately moving training camp practices up with little notice to the fans this summer was strike two.

I realize everyone was happy that the Steelers were back at Saint Vincent College for training camp this year, but you better choke up on that bat real good next year, Steelers.

You could strike out with the fans and their training camp experience once and for all.