It is hard to believe, but we are finally in sight of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. Maybe it's because the front office staff engineered such an incredible offseason, and everyone is eager to get going. Organized Team Activities are behind us now and the process of determining who will make the final 53-man roster is beginning in earnest.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones participates in the Organized Team Activities at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Football obviously is a very physical sport and it requires players to be in peak condition. Interestingly enough, it also requires some players to maintain a certain weight. Finding that balance of proper size and physical abilities is an art form. This is especially true for offensive linemen.
According to Ryan Horton, a strength and conditioning coach for schools such as the University of Tennessee and Georgia Tech, the average size of an offensive lineman is 6'5" and 314.82 lbs. He took all of the active linemen on NFL rosters in 2022 and calculated their size statistics.
Keeping that size is no joke. Most linemen eat incredible amounts of calorie-dense foods during training camp to keep their weight up. The hot weather, on top of the intensive physical workouts, also causes them to lose a lot of water weight and be susceptible to dehydration. There are reports of players losing up to 10 lbs in a single workout.
Steelers' Ramon Foster Might Have Loved Running In Camp, But Not Everyone Else Agreed
The Steelers' offensive linemen are no exception. Former offensive guard, Ramon Foster, who played in Pittsburgh from 2009-2019 spoke about how the challenges of the physical activities in camp when you are one of the "big guys." Foster knows all about how hard it was to keep that weight on and ultimately take it back off. Foster averaged about 330 lbs during his time in the NFL. Now he talks about his journey to take the extra weight off and get healthy since leaving the league.
Getty Images
Former Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and guard Ramon Foster on the sideline during a game.
Foster now co-hosts a popular podcast, The Ramon Foster Show, with sports reporter Dejan Kovacevic, which airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports. On a recent episode, the two were discussing training camp and OTAs. A fan wrote in and asked Foster, as a larger player, if he liked running during camp.
"Oh yes, I did! You know why? I enjoy running, I just do. It sounds weird for a lineman to say that, but it wasn't an issue for me. I loved it for that and of course, the big boys ran together, no one jumps outside the herd."
He described how the "bigs," as Foster affectionately referred to his fellow linemen, would all run en masse for the "run test." But Kovacevic laughs and says there was one player who was not a lineman and yet deliberately would run with them, even though he didn't have to.
"Ben Roethlisberger," smiled Foster. "So whatever his pace was, you ran right in that little sweet spot right there. But he ran with us."
Charles LeClaire - USA TODAY Sports
Former Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger
Kovacevic chuckles and says that it was like "political segregation" with Ben Roethlisberger acting like he was running with them so they would have to keep up with him and not the other way around. It is no secret that Roethlisberger wasn't known for his track skills. Kovacevic joked that Roethlisberger was over on the side, slightly away from the linemen he ran with, like a pace car. Foster said that people often have misconceptions about the run test. They view it as some seriously intensive feat of athletic prowess, but it isn't.
"It is not hard. You sprint 100 [yards], jog 50, walk back. It is essentially a play. For us, we'd finish in 17-19 seconds, skill guys make it within 12-14 seconds, tight ends had up to 17 seconds. We had 22 seconds to make it 100 yards, that's what it was for the bigs. You run 100 yards, jog to the 50 and walk back so you had time for recovery. If you're failing it, you're either dehydrated, or over-exerting yourself on the sprint. Something went wrong."
However, it is not just offensive linemen that might find themselves struggling to balance needed weight and fitness. Kovacevic said there was another player that ran alongside the o-line other than Roethlisberger, and that was Casey Hampton.
Getty
Former Pittsburgh Steelers NT Casey Hampton.
Hampton, a nose tackle, was a fan favorite. Like Foster, Hampton averaged weighing about 330 lbs, but he was four inches shorter than Foster. During that run test, Hampton got some preferential treatment according to Foster. Of course he did, the man went to five Pro Bowls and won two Super Bowls.
"Big Hamp touched the line at the 20, 21, 22 [yard line] and nobody said a thing. Why? Because Big Hamp gave you three plays maybe in a row, and he was also a Pro Bowl guy."
As Kovacevic points out, nose tackles are required to carry tremendous weight. They also are not expected to be able to run all over the field, you mostly saw Hampton anchor his offensive counterpoint on the line.
Fortunately, it won't be long and we will once again be able to witness some of these on-field battles. Who shows up for camp in tip-top condition and who shows up needing to put in some extra work?
We already heard that lineman Dan Moore worked hard this offseason and arrived at OTAs looking fit. Based on the little bit you saw from OTAs who do you think will show up in top condition this year? Is there anyone you are concerned about? Click to comment below.
#SteelerNation
