He’s played on some great teams so far in his career and already has a Super Bowl ring on his resume, but for Pittsburgh Steelers veteran wide receiver and special teams piece Ben Skowronek, there’s a special connection developing in the Steel City.
Appearing on the 102.5 WDVE Morning Show Tuesday morning from Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Skowronek spoke about the developing chemistry with the Steelers, who remain one of the few teams that goes away for training camp and stays in dorms.
For Skowronek, the chemistry and confidence the Steelers have right now centers around who they have at quarterback, that being Aaron Rodgers.
“I just think we’re laser focused. We’re locked in and we’re confident. When you have a guy like that under center who’s a four-time MVP…He’s a genius on the field,” Skowronek said of Rodgers and the Steelers, according to audio via 102.5 WDVE. “Just talking to him, and I don’t want to go in too much detail and everything, but just talking to him about looks from 2018 or 2012, whatever the year is, he remembers everything.
“There’s just a certain level of confidence that he has that, I think, radiates throughout the team because we know we got a dude back there,” Skowronek continued. “Yeah, he is 40-whatever years old. But, he can still sling that thing. And he has been great in the meeting room.”
Though it’s still early in the season and training camp is a place to get away and come together as a team with no real distractions around, hearing Skowronek say the team is laser focused is very encouraging.
There are a lot of new faces in the mix, so details can be sloppy during the team-building portion of the season. But that isn’t the case for the Steelers in training camp, especially offensively. That’s because a guy with Rodgers’ resume is leading the way there.
Players are gravitating toward him, taking advice and really soaking in his mentorship. There’s a confidence they’re all playing with, too. It might not have shown early in training camp with some struggles, but the team is really starting to come together. That’s encouraging for a player like Skowronek.
He knows what it takes to get to the top of the mountain, and he’s seeing that focus, attention to detail and camaraderie offensively centered around the leader at quarterback.
But in the training camp setting, what Skowronek is noticing the most is the togetherness the team is building. Being in Latrobe with nothing to do but be around teammates after practices, guys are hanging out and bonding.
“It’s been great off the field, hanging out with the guys. It’s been a lot of fun,” Skowronek said. “This is, personally for me, like training camp’s supposed to be a grind and everything. But at the end of the day, like we’re going into the dorms, we’re hanging out till 10:30, 11 at night with a group of guys.
“And I’ve never felt stronger about a connection on a team before.”
That comment should be eye-opening. Of course, it could just be lip service from Skowronek, but he doesn’t seem to be that type of guy. If he says something, he means it. Having that type of connection on the team for the Steelers right now could lead to a great deal of success once the season starts.
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