The Pittsburgh Steelers had some fireworks during their second padded practice of training camp on Thursday after a fight broke out following a hit on quarterback Justin Fields.
Linebacker Elandon Roberts was responsible for the hit, which knocked Fields to the ground and kicked off the skirmish that ensued. While camp fights are never ideal, it was great to see the offense not putting up with the hit.
Offensive lineman Nate Herbig, who is competing for the starting center job in camp, made it clear that the offensive line is not going to stand for what happened to Fields. He even appeared to characterize Roberts' hit on Fields as a "cheap shot."
“Nobody’s gonna hit our quarterback, cheap shot, and get away with it," Herbig said, per Aaron Becker of Yardbarker. "It’s a big emphasis for us, a big emphasis for our unit. It’s nothing personal, we just protect our quarterback.”
Big fight. OL made. They hit Fields to
— T R (@TimotRice) July 31, 2024
Much. But Fields started it. #Steelers @steelers #nfl #herewego #steelernation #steelerscamp pic.twitter.com/KLKaGBAxFj
When asked about the hit after practice, Roberts characterized it as "just a little tap," but also gave props to the offense for coming to Fields' defense.
“It was just a little tap," Roberts said with a smile. "But the offense did what they supposed to do. You’re always supposed to protect your quarterback."
Roberts added that he's going to "stay away from the quarterback" moving forward, so the offense's message was received loud and clear.
"We got a little bit less than professional and chippy today," head coach Mike Tomlin said of the fight. It's an opportunity to teach and learn as part of this process. As much as we hate it, we'll learn and grow from that."
You never want to see what took place on Wednesday happen at practice, but on the bright side of things, such a situation will only strengthen the bond of the offense, which clearly has its quarterback's back.
