LATROBE, Pa. -- Kenny Pickett released. George Pickens ran under it. And Patrick Peterson, the resident elder in the secondary, sprinted stride for stride alongside the resident big-boy receiver down the right sideline, then leaped at the last second, then raised his right hand and ... man, he didn't just defend it. He swatted that ball, like some NBA 7-footer with tree-branch limbs, into the figurative 14th row.
First snap of training camp. First pass. Posterization.
Loved it.
As did the couple thousand fans Thursday at Saint Vincent College, where, despite charcoal skies and sweltering humidity, I had the distinct -- and dominating -- sense that it couldn't have been a more uplifting setting for football in general and this franchise in particular. From the very beginning, too. From the bleachers of Chuck Noll Field to the blanket-pockmarked hillsides to the folding chairs under the sparse shade, they'd buzzed as soon as they saw the initial 11-on-11 game-like alignment, they'd gasped as that pass was launched and, after a bit of a groan that it didn't connect, they reveled in Peterson's W right along with him.
Best of all, the second that hullabaloo died down, someone in those bleachers boomed out a 'C'MON KENNY!'
Loved that, too.
And want to know what was even better, at least from my sideline perspective?
It's how the offense, even in this almost wholly immaterial context -- "They're all still wearing shorts out here," as Charlie Batch dutifully reminded me -- showed so many faces immediately thereafter: Pickett fired across the middle to Pat Freiermuth, pinning it between the 8s, for 20 yards. Next, Pickett ducked a blitz and fired again, only with too much fire and a little too high, for Allen Robinson to clamp it on the left side. Next, Jaylen Warren lined up at, uh, wideout, then slid back pre-snap next to Pickett, after which Pickett rolled back to that same right side and flung across his body to Connor Heyward for 9 yards.
Ensuing series for the first-teamers: Pickett moved back and to the right to hand off to Najee Harris, Chuks Okorafor pulled to the left, Isaac Seumalo and Mason Cole fared extremely well to seal to the right, and Harris followed Okorafor for a first down. (Really loved that, too, but I don't want to digress.) Next came Pickett's prettiest pass, a 17-yarder down the left sideline to a jumping, then sliding Diontae Johnson. Next came the first of the dreaded jet sweeps, only Pickett faked dishing to Calvin Austin III and instead sent Harris plugging up the middle for a handful. And finally, Pickett was rushed right away by T.J. Watt but bounced out and whipped a pass to Pickens on a curl route for 14 yards.
The L on coverage: Peterson. Reverse-poster.
Loooooooooooooved it.
And at the risk of relaying the obvious, I saw absolutely nothing like it in 2022 at any stage.
For months now, I've been reporting, in Insider and other columns, that Pickett's offense was being expanded and that it'd involve far more people and far more options than last season. Two days ago here, Pickett added that he's actually spent time this summer working directly with Matt Canada, Glenn Thomas, Mike Sullivan and the offensive coaches on ways to tailor the offense more to his strengths, saying, "I feel like I’ve been a part of those conversations. And I think, definitely, when the game plan starts coming around, I’ll have an input there, as well.”
To repeat, this was a menu sampler and nothing more. The main dinner can't be served until the 49ers ride through our tunnel. But I'll reiterate that, for as bitterly critical as I've been of Canada for two-plus years now, there just has to be something the Steelers -- especially Mike Tomlin -- like about him -- and I'm willing to keep an open mind, now that he'll have both a steady quarterback and a steady line.
No promises.
ALL-STEELERS THIS WEEK
• I swear, I'm not taking what's above too far. Please don't misinterpret the intent as a prediction or projection. If anything, even within my own view, I'm comparing this day to the same day a year ago. And that's night and day.
• Read into this what one will: At one point in the early offensive line drills, Canada stopped at that end-zone station and shared a few words with that group, while positional coach Pat Meyer respectfully stepped back. I can't know what was spoken, but it's not a walk-and-talk behavior I'd seen from the coordinator previously. Had an emboldened look.
• The incompletion from Pickett to Robinson I cited above sure looked like first-day eagerness when I first saw it. But then, as he threw more and more -- particularly the longer one to Johnson -- it looked like he's just flat-out releasing with more zip in general. There weren't any of those intermediate wobblers. This was seconded by a fellow observer who once played in the NFL, and that's plenty good enough for me.
• I'm fairly certain I spotted first-day eagerness from Broderick Jones, too, as he'd continually lean or even jump before everyone else in line drills. Not the game-like sequences I've been describing here, but the earliest line-only stuff.
• No one should be surprised that Joey Porter Jr. put as much work into catching a ball as any wide receiver. One career interception at Penn State is a sub-legacy he'd love to bury.
• Peterson kept boomeranging outside to inside and back again. That just might be the plan. If so, Porter's going to start. Heck, he's got to start, bookending with Levi Wallace.
• Johnson went down hard on that catch and stayed down, flexing his right knee. (Happened a few feet in front of me.) But he insisted to the attending athletic trainer that he's fine and, after a brief spell, was right back out there.
• Read nothing into Minkah Fitzpatrick's non-participation. I'm told Tomlin will be taking turns keeping significant players out of these, as he's done in the past.
• On that same note, read nothing into Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal being the two first-team safeties and, from there, into Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts being the inside linebackers in the base defense. I won't believe my eyes about anything related to this defense until we see a ton of the three-safety set, in which Neal could chase one of those inside linebackers off the field.
• There's a new -- and large -- white tent between a couple of the fields. I'm told that'll be the personal observation area of Art Rooney II, who must've gotten weary of the way the sun can assault anyone in this scene. Hey, he's the boss.
• My goodness, Tunch Ilkin's missed. Still so uncomfortable on a day like this to not have him around. No one enjoyed it more.
• Neat to see Oscar Marin here. He's the Pirates' pitching coach, of course, and he's a football fan. Neater by far, though, to see Tomlin take a couple minutes immediately upon spotting Marin on the sideline to share a few words and pose for a group pic. He's always been that way when anyone from the Pirates or Penguins pops by.
• "At it again! We're at it again!" Tomlin boomed that out to no one in particular while crossing from one field to the next. And I'm positive he couldn't care less if anyone heard, anyway. It was for him.
• My brain's all football out here, too. Regular format returns next week. Thanks so much for reading Insider. I mean that.
