PITTSBURGH -- Wearing a black puffer jacket and a black Pittsburgh Steelers-logoed beanie punctuated with a thick yellow stripe, Ryan Shazier hooks his arms through the straps of a red blocking pad and braces himself for impact.
One by one, Steelers running backs explode off the line in the team's indoor practice facility, running forward until they meet and engage the first blocking pad of the drill. Then they shuffle sideways, put two hands on the pad and shove Shazier.
Nearly a decade ago, Shazier might have shoved back. Or maybe he would've deftly dodged the block attempt and rocketed toward the quarterback.