Kovacevic: Like it or not, vaccines are part of the actual game now

It was kind of hard to ignore, to be honest.

The Steelers had just wrapped up their stretch on this searing Tuesday afternoon that opened the Heinz Field chapter of training camp, and the 89 players on hand splintered into positional groups at different points on the grid. All except for one player, Najee Harris, who walked to one corner with one coach, Eddie Faulkner, and began doing one set of solo drills.

Wearing a yellow wristband.

Wearing a mask.

Disclaimer No. 1: The team itself hasn't acknowledged any aspect of anything related to vaccinations. That's per NFL rules, as Kevin Colbert reminded earlier in the day when the subject was broached. Asked simply if he could pinpoint the number of vaccinated players in camp, he replied, "No, for real, I can't." And that's the totality of what's been disclosed.

Disclaimer No. 2: The Steelers have one of the top three vaccination rates in the league, according to its health officials, at 90-plus percent. They're very much a success story in this regard.

Disclaimer No. 3: I have zero way of knowing whether or not Harris has been vaccinated. Or, for that matter, if maybe he's had one shot while waiting on a second.

DEJAN KOVACEVIC / DKPS

Najee Harris speaks with Keith Butler on his way to a drill Tuesday at Heinz Field.

All that out of the way, and completely setting aside any soapboxing about the social value of the vaccine itself -- not that I couldn't go there -- this is very much a legit football issue. And not just because teams could be forced to forfeit in the event of an outbreak, as the league revealed this past week.

It's much more about the individual impact, actually: Non-vaccinated players have to be tested daily rather than weekly. They're not allowed to leave team hotel or quarters. They can't eat meals with their teammates. They'll travel on separate buses, even separate planes. They'll be fined as much as $50,000 for violating any of these. They're limited in numbers for using the weight room. They're not allowed to use the sauna or steam room at all. They've got to wear masks in all settings apart from practices or games. And of course, they face mandatory quarantine if they come into contact with anyone testing positive for COVID.

In a word, the non-vaccinated players are being ostracized. Both the NFL and NFLPA are pushing hard for major compliance, and they aren't exactly making a secret of it.

Heck, I'll go further and say the non-vaccinated players are being embarrassed. Visibly. The wristbands are impossible to miss, particularly after they catch your eye once.

Repeating here: I can't speak any more to Harris' specific situation than I did above, other than to at least wonder why he was wearing a mask for an early drill when it wasn't mandated.

But I do feel plenty comfortable offering this: Anyone who's in this position anywhere in the NFL, let alone a rookie, is facing a far greater challenge than a player who's vaccinated. And that, in and of itself, should be worrisome.

• For something upbeat on Harris, enjoy these 90 seconds of drills I shot:

Wednesday marks the first day fans will be allowed into Heinz Field for camp, as well as the first day in pads.

Nothing, for me, will be more fun than watching this kid take off.

• Eric Ebron's always talked a big game, and his post-practice session with us reporter types in the north end zone wasn't an exception.

When asked if it's important for tight ends to improve run-blocking, he replied, "Absolutely. I feel like that was something that we were all terrible at last year."

Vance McDonald wasn't. He was.

When asked if that meant him, too, he replied, "I changed my attitude. I don't always have to be dominant on third down or in the red zone. I need to be a full-on tight end."

That's what the cool kids call a humble-brag.

I took another route:

Neat, huh?

Good for him with the quick response to both my question, then my retort. But it'll take more than talk.

Mike Tomlin's making no secret of his affection for Pat Freiermuth. With every big catch he makes, the head coach is nearby barking out, "Yeah, but can you block?" To know Tomlin is to know what that means: He wants this young man ready, and he wants him complete.

That's not an accident.

• Totally random, abstract observation: Ben Roethlisberger was given the day off by Tomlin for personal reasons. No big deal. He'll be back Wednesday.

But my goodness, what a wholly different feel the entire complex has without him. I'm not even sure how to describe it, other than to say it'll be beyond bizarre once he's ultimately gone. He is the Steelers.

JUSTIN K. ALLER / GETTY

Pablo Reyes, formerly of the Pirates, is playfully held up by a Milwaukee teammate 'Simba-Cam' between innings Tuesday night at PNC Park.

• Just think, the Pirates' game Wednesday night against the Brewers will only be No. 100 on the season. There's a terrifying total of 62 to go.

Or will it really be that bad? Meaning as bad as Tuesday?

Eh. It probably will. Just wait till Richard Rodriguez, Chris Stratton and maybe Chad Kuhl are gone, too. This wasn't exactly a roster that could afford to lose 20% of its whole, never mind two or three of its stronger pieces.

Which is why, by the way, I'm always reluctant to make preseason predictions about teams like this. Because the composition on opening day can -- and usually does -- change so violently by the deadline. I feel like it's fairest to make a forecast based on what's at hand, not how the roster might be following a wholesale selloff for prospects.

Anyway ...

• Ben Cherington continued on his trade-a-day pace that's expected to run right through Major League Baseball's 4 p.m. Friday deadline, sending Tyler Anderson to the Mariners in the wee hours of Wednesday morning after withdrawing from an apparent deal with the Phillies over a failed physical.

My grade on this trade: I for inevitable.

This is precisely why Anderson was signed, and that was made known to all concerned, including the pitcher himself. But to the credit of all concerned, particularly Oscar Marin, it worked out wonderfully. Anderson mildly exceeded expectations and, somehow, was among the team's most vocal leaders. The team came away with two more prospects, including a Seattle top-30, it wouldn't have otherwise had.

• My grade on this month's draft is the same one I give to all drafts: I for incomplete. And that goes double for baseball.

In the same breath, it feels fair to praise Cherington, Steve Sanders and staff for an impeccable approach. Henry Davis was signed below-slot, to the howls of some -- few of whom, I'll bet, noticed the Kumar Rocker deal blowing up Tuesday in New York because of an easily foreseen elbow injury -- and that freed up cash to sign not one but five prospects ranked in Baseball America's top 87 entering the draft.

That's ... insane.

No. 87 came Tuesday in the form of 14th-round high school outfielder Braylon Bishop, and, believe it or not, more could be on the way.

They won't all make it. They won't save the franchise. But adding top-level prospects in that kind of quantity has an immeasurable impact on a system, one that already had been ranked in most services' top five.

It'll come. It won't be tomorrow, but it'll come.

• Picture Adam Frazier taking the time to write and send this on the same day he'd be making his debut in San Diego, and that'll say all that needs to be said for who he is:

• I'm aware of the big buzz across the hockey world at Marc-Andre Fleury being traded by the Golden Knights to the Blackhawks, then making amply clear through agent Allan Walsh that he's got no use for playing in Chicago:

I'm more than aware that the next logical step in Flower's fairy tale, in the eyes of the Penguins' passionate fan base, is to bring him home to Pittsburgh.

I'd love to see it myself, and I've been saying as much for weeks now. He'd fit every profile, purely from the goaltending standpoint, never mind all else that he still represents here. If I'm Ron Hextall and I'm reacting emotionally, I'm clearing cap space all over creation to make it happen.

That said, I'm not feeling that it'll happen.

For one, every vibe I get from the Penguins themselves is that Fleury isn't now and hasn't been a target. Not since Jim Rutherford left. I'm not sure why, but I am sure that neither Hextall nor Brian Burke has expressed a single meaningful sentiment toward this end, outwardly or behind the scenes, according to all concerned. And if one really thinks about it, try to come to grips with the Golden Knights and Blackhawks working out a deal that sends one bit-player defenseman to Las Vegas ... and Pittsburgh never once having been linked to a weeks-long process.

For another, if Hextall commits to the $7 million cap hit that'd be required, he can pretty much forget about every other offseason goal he might've had. And I'm positive he's got more than goaltending on his mind.

Let me put it another way: The NHL's free agency opens today at noon. If Cody Ceci is brought back and Marcus Pettersson can be moved, there's enough to get a quality goaltender in some form and keep Ceci.

This, I can live with.

But losing Ceci, in addition to losing Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev ... that's 1/6 of the skaters from Game 6, and that suddenly makes for a bigger problem than fortifying a single position.

Ugh.

Might be a plus that Hextall's got zero emotion in this one.

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