Former Steelers LB Terence Garvin Said His Worst Fear Was Realized At Training Camp In 2013

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the rest of the NFL are about to kick off the 2023 season with the start of training camp. This year, for Steelers fans, there seems to be an increased sense of urgency and excitement. For former Steelers linebackers, Arthur Moats and Terence Garvin, it is the perfect time to reflect on their own training camp experiences, including their most challenging moments. Garvin said his toughest moment came when he didn't even think he was going to make the team.  

Moats now hosts a popular podcast called The Arthur Moats Experience and his former teammate Garvin is a frequent guest. In a recent episode, these two former locker mates discussed their lives during camp. They joined the Steelers one year apart - Garvin in 2013 and Moats in 2014 - and while they shared locker space in the regular season, they weren't roommates during camp. 

Steelers LB Terence Garvin Reflects On His Scariest Camp Experience

When discussing how challenging camp was, they both agree that their first camp had to be the roughest one. Garvin says that he showed up at camp during his first year completely clueless. He was an undrafted free agent, so he didn't even have the benefit of the guidance a draft pick typically gets. 

For the Steelers, camp is held at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA and the players stay in dorms. Much like freshmen in college, the players need to bring all of their own supplies. Garvin said he didn't realize that and had to rush out to get what he needed. That wasn't easy for him considering he wasn't making any real money yet and wasn't even sure if he would.

"You're a rookie, you ain't really got it like that. They gave me $2,000 and taxed me $1,000. I'm out here to make this and it's a dog fight."

All of these factors helped to motivate Garvin. For a guy like Garvin, who was undrafted, he said he felt like he had "no equity" and that every play counted extra for him. While players who were drafted are more likely to find a place on the roster, the same is not true of undrafted guys. There is never any guarantee in football, but the higher you're drafted, the better your chances. Many of the first-round players even have guaranteed money in their contracts, meaning they know they will get paid before they ever hit the field. 

Garvin said he knew for a fact everything he did, every word he said was going to have an impact whether it be positive or negative. Of particular importance for him was the fact that he was moved from inside linebacker to outside linebacker, so now he was also learning a new position. 

"I remember we played the [Carolina] Panthers during preseason and I remember they hit me with a reverse, I went inside and I remember thinking this is a do-or-die tackle. I got to make this. I hit the reverse, I made the tackle, and Coach Tomlin gave me the nod, and I was like, 'I might be here.'"

Moats and Garvin both said that the scariest thing was cut day. Garvin said that when they did cuts his first season, he and all the other guys were sitting around clearly worrying and watching the clock. 

"If they don't call me, it's a good sign. But you're just in there like clicking the internet every two seconds, you're trying to figure it out. You're seeing a few names pop up, hoping it's not yours."

It is kind of a crazy thing that a player might learn of a cut from the internet instead of the coaches, but that is exactly what happens sometimes. Moats pointed out that by the time Garvin was a rookie, you could often find out you were cut via Twitter, so you just sat there refreshing your browser over and over. 

"I'll never forget they knocked on our door and I'm like, 'Ok, that might be me' and he was like, 'We need your roommate.' I was like, 'Brother, they are coming to get you.' When they knocked the second time, I'm like this got to be for me. They brought me in and was like, 'We going to cut you' because they had to get that tight end [Matt Spaeth]."

Immediately Garvin said he started receiving texts and calls telling him to hang in there and not to worry, but the Steelers weren't done with him yet. They brought him back the following Tuesday. The organization was just working the roster to get both Matt Spaeth and Garvin on the roster.  

Garvin's hard work obviously paid off and he went on to play for the Steelers for three seasons prior to becoming a bit of a journeyman in the NFL. During his time in Pittsburgh, Garvin had 35 tackles with 28 being solo tackles.

Have you been to training camp to watch yet? What are you thoughts on what Garvin went through early on in his career? Click to comment below. 

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