**Staying focused:** This Sunday will be a new experience for 11 members of the Steelers, all rookies heading into their first NFL regular season game.
Second-round pick Germie Bernard, the receiver from Alabama, is excited for the opportunity, but he also knows it's important to manage emotions.
"I haven't really thought about it too much," said Bernard. "I would just say I'm excited. I'll take it one day at a time.
"I try not to think too far ahead. That's when doubt and worry and different anxieties and stuff start coming.
"So, I just stay focused one day a time and trying to be successful in the day I'm in."
Another thing Bernard is focused on is his relationship with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and making sure he is on the same page with the future Hall of Famer.
"Early in camp, he pulled me to the side," said Bernard. "(He said) if you're going to be out there with me, these are the things that you have to do. These are the things that you're going to have to look for.
"Like I continue to say, when I'm on the field with him and I'm doing plays and everything, I'm always asking him questions so I can be on the same page as him. When the ball comes my way, I make the most of my opportunities.
"It's been going well out there. I'm learning a lot. I think my game has grown a lot. Mentally, I'm able to slow the game down and play fast how I'm supposed to."
Rodgers has been in Bernard's corner, saying he doesn't make the same mistake twice.
It's something the young receiver takes pride in.
"The biggest thing for me is I know he wants guys out there he can trust," said Bernard. "When you make a mistake, because nobody's going to be perfect, but when you make a mistake, you fix it and don't make it again.
"So that's what I focus on. I focus on all the little critiques, all the little details. Everything that he's telling me, so when I'm out there again, and I have that same play, same route, I'm not making the same mistake."
In addition to taking in what Rodgers has to say, Bernard is also focused on the message from Coach Mike McCarthy this week.
"He tells us we just have to continue to come in every single day and work how we're supposed to," said Bernard. "We know what is at hand. We know what's ahead.
"We just have to worry about us. We can't worry too much about the other team. We have to know what we can do and what we're able to do.
"We have a lot of great guys. We have a great coaching staff. We're just mainly focused on us and then being able to execute."