At 6 feet 9, 274 pounds, Christian Scotland-Williamson looks like a football player. Now, he actually feels like one.
As part of the NFL's International Pathway Program, Scotland-Williamson joined the Steelers last year for rookie minicamp and stuck with the team throughout the season on the practice squad. Thing is, he really didn't know what he was doing for a large portion of the season. Plucked from the English rugby union, where he played for the Worcester Warriors, Scotland-Williamson spent a little over two months learning American football at the IMG Academy in Florida last spring.
Then, it was straight to rookie minicamp with the Steelers, where he was lining up with young men who had been playing the sport 10 years or more -- not the 10 or so weeks Scotland-Williamson had under his belt.
"Ten weeks of training, which was literally a crash course in 101 football," Scotland-Williamson told me this week as the Steelers wrapped up minicamp. "I got here and you realized that 101 football was really 101 football. Now, looking back, it’s amazing how much I’ve learned in a year. But also, I was happy with what I was able to do last year given that limited knowledge."
What he learned last year was that he had a lot to learn about playing in the NFL.
Most days, especially once training camp rolled around, it was less about football for him and more about just making it through the day.
"Last year, sometimes it was just survival and trying to keep pace," Scotland-Williamson told me. "But I wasn’t really able to show what I can do because there was so much other stuff going on in my head. Now, I’m able to play a lot faster."
It showed up this spring in the Steelers' OTAs and minicamp. Scotland-Williamson looked more at ease at tight end. He knew what to expect. He allowed his natural athleticism to show through.
Now, instead of simply surviving for the next day, he's shown actual improvement on a daily basis.
Every day after practice, he was on the JUGS machine catching pass after pass. Though pass catching is a big part of rugby, Scotland-Williamson had to learn how to catch the much smaller, more streamlined football instead of the fatter rugby ball.
"We’re taught to catch it a different way because we have to pass the ball, as well," Scotland-Williamson said of the rugby ball. "We catch the middle of the ball. If you try to catch the middle of the (football) when it’s coming that quickly, it’s going to go right through your hands. It’s been a lot of mental retraining to try to catch the front of the ball and frame the ball as opposed to clamping down in the middle and expecting to pass it again. I’m definitely making improvements in that regard. I just keep pounding away and making sure every day I try to get a little better."
Per the rules of the International Pathway Program, Scotland-Williamson can spend the season once again on the Steelers' practice squad and not count against the actual 10-player limit.
But his goal is to earn a roster spot, not just be a footnote on the team's roster. The 25-year-old gave up a lucrative professional career in in the rugby union to chase his NFL dream.
And he's not regretting that move for a moment, even though it's been more than a year since he's seen his parents in the United Kingdom. He'll go back next week before returning for his second training camp.
The people back home know what he does. But they don't have any real idea about the work involved.
"They don’t REALLY know in terms of the day to day, but they kind of understand," Scotland-Williamson said. "It’s very interesting, because not that many people in the UK understand the intricacies of football. It’s not really in their consciousness like it is over here. I miss the people, but in terms of the challenge, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right where I am."
Especially since he now really knows what he's doing in terms of the day-to-day process.
It still hasn't really hit him how far he's come in a year, learning the game at the highest level. He hasn't taken that step back to take it all in just yet.
"It’s still going on really, if I’m honest. It hasn’t really been one moment. It’s still going on," he told me. "I’ve been more noticing where I left in December to where I was at in April and how I was able to improve. I spent a lot of time learning the playbook and watching film, getting my mental reps in, which should allow me to show more about what I’m able to do. I think that’s the biggest thing I’m happy about. I didn’t leave in December and come back exactly where I had been. I’ve made a big jump forward in the offseason."
MORE STEELERS
• The next big item for the Steelers will be when, not if, Mike Tomlin gets a contract extension. Tomlin has two years remaining on his current deal and the Steelers typically extend their coach in this period. Here's the deal with the extension. If Art Rooney II didn't think Tomlin was deserving of an extension, it would be because he doesn't think Tomlin is the guy to lead the Steelers back to the postseason. And if he thought that, it would stand to figure Tomlin would no longer be the head coach. -- Lolley
• The Steelers' training camp schedule this season includes a few extra practices than usual considering the team breaks camp right before its second preseason game. Because both of the first two preseason games are at home, the players only get the day before and day after the first two games off. Because there are no travel days involved, the Steelers get a little extra practice time. -- Lolley
PIRATES
• The Pirates' front office is rooting for Corey Dickerson to come back strong from the shoulder injury that sidelined him for a little more than two months. And it’s not just because they hope he can help them win games. The Pirates feel Dickerson could be prime trade bait when the July 31 non-waiver deadline approaches. Dickerson’s contract expires at the end of the season and the Pirates aren’t inclined to re-sign him in free agency. However, the Pirates might not get as much in return as fans might hope. Scouts and executives believe he would not fetch either a decent young contractually controlled major-league player or a good-- not great -- a top prospect, citing the fact a team trading for Dickerson would only have him for a couple of months. Of course, Dickerson also must prove he is healthy after being out for so long. – John Perrotto in Atlanta.
• Home runs are being hit at a record pace in the major leagues, even if the Pirates don’t have a ton of power. Part of the reason is hitters are selling out for power as strikeouts quit being a stigma years ago. However, a bigger reason for all the homers might be the construction of a baseball. A Pirates pitcher, who asked to remain nameless because he did not want to be perceived as a complainer, handed me a ball earlier this week. It felt just like a cue ball with its hardness and smoothness. And the seams felt like they were painted onto the ball rather than stitched, which makes gripping difficult. I now see why balls are traveling so far and why pitchers are having such a hard time controlling their pitches. – Perrotto
• Quinn Priester offers a lot to like from a physical standpoint. The Pirates’ first-round draft pick has a fastball that reaches 97 mph and an outstanding curveball. However, scouts who dealt with Priester during the draft process this spring rave about his intangibles. One scout told me Priester was as nice a kid as he had ever dealt with in over 30 years in baseball. Priester also wins high marks for his work ethic and willingness to be coached. “If he turns out be as good as I think he can, he’ll own the city of Pittsburgh because of his personality,” the scout said. “He’s just extremely likable. He gets it.” -- Perrotto
• One of the Pirates’ more intriguing draft picks is outfielder Matt Gorski. The Pirates selected him in the second round from Indiana University then signed him to a $1 million bonus. Scouts believe Gorski has all five tools – power, the ability to hit for average, run, field and throw – but the big question is whether he can those into production in professional baseball. Gorski was inconsistent during his three years with the Hoosiers but the Pirates are betting on his raw talent. -- Perrotto
PENGUINS
• Think the big-bodied Blues will influence Jim Rutherford's thought process moving forward? Eh, I'm not sure. Although he still appreciates what a physical frame can contribute to the process -- giving him something in common with exactly 30 other NHL general managers -- a recent conversation we had didn't suggest he was seeing any particularly sweeping trend through any round. If anything, his feeling was that puck possession remained very much the new name of the game and that bigger teams like the Blues, Blue Jackets and Jets were just going about playing "hard" in their own way. So don't expect some sudden infusion of Erik Gudbranson. -- Dejan Kovacevic
• There's never been an official announcement that Mike Sullivan's coaching staff will stay completely intact, but it will. When Sullivan was visiting the Steelers' complex for minicamp Tuesday, he was joined by Jacques Martin, Mark Recchi and Mike Buckley. And don't read anything into Sergei Gonchar not being there. He makes his home in Dallas with the full understanding of upper management. -- DK
• I'll shut up on this subject after this, but there's no way the same people who were speaking about Phil Kessel as they were a month ago will suddenly spin 180 degrees on having him back. The words were too strong, too substantive. As I've written all along, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are staying, and Kessel's by far the most likely to go. If he doesn't, then nothing's really changed, and that's a bad place for this franchise to be. -- DK
• Next week, this portion of Insider will be filled by Hall of Fame hockey writer Dave Molinari. His first work will appear on our site Sunday, and he and I will fly out together to Vancouver to cover the NHL Draft. This will be awesome. -- DK
