Steelers Rookie Trip, Ben and Haley Suit, Top 5 Backfield

The Pittsburgh Steelers will suit up for their three-day mandatory minicamp this week which is the remaining of their offseason workout program before they break for the summer. While they put the finishing touches on their pre-training camp preparations we’ll be busy looking for mentions of your Black & Gold so we’ve got you covered. Here’s your Steelers Morning Huddle for Tuesday, June 16^th.

Field Trip

The Steelers rookie class took a field trip to Latrobe last week to visit the grounds, dorms and facilities Saint Vincent offers the Steelers during their month-long training camp. For some of the rookies it was a unique experience to see the small-town atmosphere Latrobe is compared to the South Side facilities where they have been training since their arrival.

They were taken through the “autograph alley” from the steps leading from the dorms to the field where thousands of fans will line up anxious to get their jerseys or Terrible Towels signed by their favorite players to the weight room where they’ll be expected to weigh in before and after each practice.

You can view the video of the rookies Saint Vincent tour right here.

Todd Haley’s offense suits Ben

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reminds us that when Ben Roethlisberger was asked what about Todd Haley’s offense suits him so well he replied,

"“All of it. We work well together. Guys believe in it and believe in each other. That’s one of the biggest keys.” – Ben Roethlisberger"

While Haley and Ben can still hammer out some of the finer details that can allow them to actually score touchdowns in the red zone, the two did manage to put together some impressive statistics together last season. With Roethlisberger throwing for 4,952 yards for a 63 percent passer rating and 32 touchdowns there’s no doubt that Haley’s offense is a good look for Ben.

Haley is entering his fourth year at the helm of the Steelers offense and must be realizing that the sweet spot for this unit is a balance of his quick passing, emphasizing yards after the catch, and Ben’s improvisational skills. Ben was sacked 33 times last season, the lowest total since 2005.

This offense has everything you can want going into a season, an All-Pro running back, wide receiver and quarterback and a chip on their shoulder from not being able to put up the offensive numbers needed to get passed the Ravens in the Wild Card Game or prevent the red zone inefficiency that plagued them in earlier seasons.

The last thing you’d want them to have going into this season is nothing to improve upon.

Best backfield in motion?

Marc Sessler of Around the NFL ranked all 32 NFL backfields and decided that the Eagles have the top backfield in the league going into training camp. With the addition of DeMarco Murray, that point is hard to argue. He’s got the Seahawks coming in at No. 2 with the Vikings and Saints rounding out the top four.

Sessler ranked the Pittsburgh Steelers as having the fifth best backfield in the NFL. I don’t know if I’d put the Vikings and Saints above the Steelers but I’d guess you’ll have to account for Le’Veon Bell missing some time for his suspension and his absence doesn’t necessarily inspire confidence in the offense given how they played without him in the playoff loss. We’ll see how these backfields get ranked at the end of the season.

Next: Steelers Mike Mitchell is Defensive X Factor

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