Jun 18, 2021 5 min read

The NFL is pretty much done fooling around when it comes to COVID-19.

Earlier this week, coach Mike Tomlin said the Steelers were at the top of the NFL’s list when it comes to COVID-19 vaccinated players.

“Participation has been awesome. From what I understand, we’re doing really well relative to the rest of our peers,” Tomlin said. “We’ll just continue to work in that area and hopefully it’s a winning edge for us as we proceed.”

A report earlier in the week said half of the league’s teams have 51 or more players vaccinated. That might sound like a lot until you consider there are 90 players on each roster. With that in mind, it’s not so great.

That’s obviously not good enough for the NFL. While the league can’t mandate its players get vaccinated, it can push them in that direction. The league announced a plan Wednesday that’s more of a shove than a gentle push. With minicamps wrapping up across the league, the NFL and NFLPA announced joint measures for the 2021 season that will make things very difficult on non-vaccinated players.

They won’t be permitted to be in the team facility without a mask. They must submit to daily testing. They won’t be permitted to be in close contact with fellow players off the field. They essentially must still adhere to pre-COVID vaccine policies, including not being permitted to leave the team hotel or even visit with family during road games.

Oh, and they can be fined as much as a full game check or up to $50,000 if they are found to be breaking protocol – i.e. going out to nightclubs, restaurants, etc.

It’s not quite draconian, but it’s a pretty stiff reality check for the unvaccinated.

The NFL wants its teams 85 percent vaccinated or higher by training camp. And that makes sense. After all, having players who can’t attend meetings and others who can is a pain for coaching staffs. And having a key player have to go into protocol because he’s been in contact with someone who tests positive – even if they don’t themselves – can rob a team of players.

At this point, players should want to get vaccinated, anyway. After all, if you’re fighting for a roster spot and it’s close and one of you is vaccinated and the other is not, the decision might come down to that.

It sounds harsh, but it’s the reality.

We’ve already seen a major golf tournament and the NBA playoffs affected by competitors who have been forced to the sidelines because they didn’t get vaccinated. The NFL doesn’t want that happening to its teams in 2021.

The NFL isn’t mandating its players get vaccinated, but the rules in place have the same effect.

• The Steelers wrapped up minicamp Thursday at Heinz Field. It now remains to be seen if they’ll be back at Heinz Field for training camp or if they’ll be headed to Saint Vincent College. The Steelers would prefer the latter and submitted a plan several weeks ago to do so. As of Friday, the league still hadn’t given the Steelers approval to hold training camp in Latrobe.

Earlier in the week, however, the Cowboys got permission to have their camp at Oxnard, Calif.

Remember, the Steelers and Cowboys open the preseason in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, Aug. 5. That means they will be the first two teams to go to camp this year, with that date likely falling on or around July 23.

The Steelers need to know where they’ll be working in another month. There’s a lot of planning that goes into a camp.

• Being more physical at the line of scrimmage – especially on offense – was the theme of the Steelers’ minicamp. Offensive linemen talked about it. New offensive coordinator Matt Canada spoke of it. Tomlin addressed it.

The Steelers have a lot of unproven guys on their offensive line. But if there’s one thing all offensive lineman can do, it’s be physical. That doesn’t take any great skillset.

The Steelers don’t have the star power they formerly had on their offensive line, but they do have nine or 10 NFL-caliber offensive linemen. Most teams only have five or six.

So, they’re ahead of the curve there.

Now, getting those guys to jell together as a unit will be the next task.

• Having a 230-pound running back, such as Najee Harris, will go a long way toward helping a team regain physicality in its running game.
• If your fantasy football draft is early this year, you might be better off. Draft Harris now before everyone gets a chance to see him in the preseason.

There aren’t many running backs who are all but guaranteed to get 350 touches. Harris most certainly will reach that number, provided he stays healthy.