Skinny Post: What the little guys saw in big Steelers camp kerfuffle

Brian Batko / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The one big thing: The offensive linemen and linebackers were the centers of attention when it came to Wednesday’s brouhaha, but it all revolved around the protection of Justin Fields. In addition to Elandon Roberts, who admittedly gave Fields that forearm shiver at the end of a run, rookie nickel back Beanie Bishop Jr. was in on that stop, such as it was.

“It’s football. We put the pads on, it gets a little warmer, testosterone starts to build up and guys start getting in fights,” Bishop laughed. “It kind of gets like that.”

Also on the field at the time was third-year wide receiver Calvin Austin III, the smallest player on the team. The scrum came his way, and he held his ground but joked, “I did my little ‘whoa, whoa, whoa,’ but with those 300-pounders, there ain’t much I can do.”

Tight end Darnell Washington is far from a little guy like Bishop and Austin, but he wasn’t even in on the play. Yet there Washington was, no helmet, entering the fray as the fracas spilled over to the sideline.

“I was just trying to go over there and de-escalate some things,” Washington smiled. “Somehow, my helmet ended up coming off. But it is what it is.”

Our take: The feisty mentality displayed by Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick is what you want out of an offensive lineman, especially rookies, but Wednesday’s brawl was close to crossing the line.

As the Steelers get into the heart of training camp — with “Friday Night Lights,” preseason games and a joint practice awaiting — discipline is important, too. And remembering your teammates are your teammates, no matter what. There’s no sense in risking injury to guys like Bishop and Austin or risking penalties when the chips are down.

Perhaps Wednesday had to happen. It was a rite of passage, to some extent. But there’s no reason to let it spill over into any other aspects of the team-building process, as Mike Tomlin likes to call it.

“At the end of the day, this stuff doesn't leave the field,” Bishop said. “It’s just the heat of the battle, heat of the moment type of deal. We shook it up after and talked about it. But fights don't leave the field or bleed over into the locker room or anything like that. Everybody knows it’s just competition.”

What’s next: One more morning practice this week to whet the appetite for Friday night’s pilgrimage to Latrobe Memorial Stadium.

Brian Batko: [email protected] and @BrianBatko on X