Daily News & Links: Mike Tomlin Meets Smokey Robinson; Steelers Holding Players Accountable

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?  Singer-songwriter and record producer, Smokey Robinson, was at Steelers training camp on Sunday. Mike Tomlin said it was a true honor to meet the famous musician.

“What an amazing day having the legendary @smokeyrobinson at practice. Can’t even express what an honor it was to get to meet him,” Tomlin wrote on X.

? Smokey Robinson is a longtime Steelers fan, so it also was an honor for him to meet Mike Tomlin.

“I got a chance to have a dream come true today because I had the chance to meet Mike Tomlin in person. So I’m very happy. … He’s accomplished so much and I’m so proud of him. I love him,” Robinson told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

? The Steelers are making players run laps for false starts or mental errors at training camp. Rookie Zach Frazier likes the accountability.

“It’s a great motivator because it’s embarrassing when you have to take off and run a lap,” Frazier said.” The pre-snap stuff we can’t have. We got to get that cleaned up, and that’s one way to try to stop it, to make guys run laps.”

Rookie Troy Fautanu also took a lap after a false start during Sunday’s practice.

? Steelers All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt spoke to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network about the team’s new faces, Mike Tomlin’s passion, how he teaches — and learns from — rookie OT Troy Fautanu and more.

“As soon as Mike T. walks in the room, he commands the room,” Watt said.

? Rookie inside linebacker Payton Wilson is playing fast and freely. Mike Tomlin credits Wilson’s conditioning for why he’s picking things up quickly.

““He’s highly conditioned. I think it starts there, and it’s showing itself in the form of hustle and finish. … We don’t ask a lot of the new guys, but we do ask them to come ready for the work,” Tomlin said after Sunday’s practice.

? Ben Cooper of Pro Football Focus tabbed rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson as the Steeler with the most to gain from training camp. Wilson has already turned heads in the first four practices at Saint Vincent College.

The Steelers traded wideout Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, leaving their depth chart thin on proven production at the position. George Pickens is now expected to pair up with the rookie Wilson to jumpstart a new-look Pittsburgh offense. The third-round pick could very quickly become a star,”

“Wilson operated primarily from the slot at Michigan, where his speed shined brightest. He crushed the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine with 91st-percentile marks in the 40-yard dash (4.39 seconds) and 10-yard split (1.51 seconds). His new teammate Calvin Austin III ran a 4.31-second 40-yard dash in 2022, so Steelers training camp may be a track meet as Wilson looks to cement his spot as a worthy starter.”

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