Training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers is hitting full gear as the pads are on and the emotions of all on the field are high. Currently seen as the first string quarterback, Mitch Trubisky has had a rough showing thus far in a new offense leading some to speculate Mason Rudolph could actually compete for the starting job. With that said, Trubisky seemed to have a bounce back day on Wednesday, as the offense ran the two minute drill at the end of practice successfully.
Trubisky Leads Steelers Offense To End Zone
The highlights of the two-minute score were plentiful. Trubisky found George Pickens for a 15-yard connection and shortly after hit Calvin Austin III for a gain of almost 25. One would have thought that Cody White went on to catch the "game-winning" touchdown from the 5-yard line, but the catch was ruled incomplete. Without instant replay in training camp, play went on.
Trubisky's new favorite target Pickens was wide open in the end zone and although the quarterback had to avoid Alex Highsmith coming in quickly, he was able to find Pickens in the end zone. Yesterday Trubisky and the Steelers offense failed to score during any of his four repetitions so getting into the end zone is a good sign. It was even better to see his connections with the rookies, Pickens and Austin. Trubisky was 5/7 on the drive with the last completion being the score.
Head Coach, Mike Tomlin was asked by reporters after practice about the two-minute offense during training camp and he believes is directly correlates to being in the moment when the games matter.
"It's important when we introduce that segment. We do it at the end of practice thoughtfully so we work on developing conditioning and get displays of conditioning. It's reflective of what transpires at the end of halves or the end of games," said Tomlin.
Rudolph had an opportunity at the next two-minute drill, but it did not go as well as he would have liked. The veteran quarterback brought the offense down to the 7-yard line, which was highlighted by a nice catch over the middle by tight end, Kevin Radar. But without any timeouts left Rudolph ended up throwing the ball through the back of the end zone after rushing to the line. He had Steven Sims and Radar in the back of the end zone during the end of the drive, but neither panned out.
For all wondering, Steelers rookie quarterback, Kenny Pickett was not given a chance to run the two-minute drill, but did look good during the 7-7 drills earlier in practice. He should be given the opportunity to work in at the end of practice one of these days as he continues to grow and master the offense.
Does Trubisky's successful two-minute drill make you less worried about the Steelers expected starter's slow start to camp? Let us know in the comments below!
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