By: Jonathan Clark
SteelerNation.com
After 13-year NFL veteran and lifelong Steeler Ramon Foster retired at the end of the 2019 season, it left the upcoming Pittsburgh Steelers team with a whole to fill on the left side of their offensive line for the 2020 season. A hole that could have been filled in many different ways, Pittsburgh put their trust in 9-Year NFL veteran and Penn State graduate Stefen Wisniewski, who has been vocal about the excitement that he has to be able to wear the black & gold and represent his hometown team each and every week.
In an article posted by Steelers.com, Wisniewski states that while the 2020 off-season has been one like no other, he acknowledges that being a veteran in this league in a time like this gives him an advantage during a time when adaptation is needed, but his mindset has still had to remain the same.
Wisniewski is quoted in this article stating:
"It's definitely an advantage to be a veteran. It will be tough for rookies across the league to learn things virtually and then just show up and do it. I am sure there are still a few rookies who will be able to do it. It's definitely a big advantage being a veteran. I have been in a lot of different offenses. I have had five or six offensive coordinators in nine years. At the end of the day we all run the same plays. It's a matter of what you call it, how you do the little things differently. I am learning what the Steelers call it and I will be ready to go."
Wisniewski's concerns seem to be more on the side of building comradery than actually being worried about how the team will produce on the field. Throughout the article, Wisniewski mentions that he is more concerned with the fact that he can’t build a relationship with his offensive lineman and how he is disappointed that he doesn’t get to have practice hearing Ben Roethlisberger’s cadence behind center.
"At the end of the day, you want to know what the guy next to you is thinking. The best way to do that is to get a lot of reps with them next to you. Unfortunately, we aren't able to do that at this point, which would be the time of OTA's. That will be the first priority for all of us.”
He has been putting in work this off-season where he has been limited to working out in his home gym, where he says he has all the essential equipment that would normally be given to him at the Steelers facility, and his local park where he's been running his normal conditioning programs as well as doing his best to attempt football drills.
“I am going through the plays, what the Steelers call, what I need to do on that play. But I don't have anybody to block so I am just blocking air. It's not quite the same as blocking a 300 plus defensive lineman, but it's good to get some muscle memory and brain repetition, just going through some of the plays. I am excited to get started," said Wisniewski. "All I control is I am working hard, lifting weights, getting in good shape, learning the plays. Whenever we do go back, I know I will be ready to go. I will be ready to go at full speed."
In an off-season where all programs for all NFL teams have become virtual for the time being, there is no question Wisniewski’s NFL vet experience gives him an advantage throughout this COVID-19 off-season process. While we all cannot wait for the days we get to see our guys rocking the black and gold on the field again, Wisniewski is preparing for this season to be his best yet, and that could translate into positive success for the Steelers in 2020.
Do you think bringing in Stefen Wisnieswki was a good move? Comment below!
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