PITTSBURGH -- Players huddle around strength coach Marcell Pastoor, who has the goods in his laptop.
One player asks: 'How far was I running center speed?'
Receiver Eli Rogers chimes in: "I want 800."
As in, 800 steps.
For the third season, the Steelers are using GPS technology to track their players' every move on a practice field. Pastoor sees the results live, then shows the players after practices. Players wear chips on the backs of their uniforms. The Carolina Panthers used this technology during their Super Bowl run.
Players can track top speed and explosive movements, which is good for bragging, but linebacker Arthur Moats said it's most effective for gauging proper workloads.
"If you're overworked, they can cut back some," Moats said.
For an outside linebacker on a rush move, touching about 16 mph on the GPS is considered a good time.
But nobody's touching wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey. Moats said 'DHB,' 29, has hit 25 mph on the GPS, one mile per hour faster than suspended receiver Martavis Bryant, an athletic freak.
That's moving.
If you want to know why Heyward-Bey will continue to be a factor in the Steelers' offense, even more so with Bryant out, look to his elite speed. He ran 4.25 seconds in the 40-yard dash coming out of Maryland in 2009.
"Could be true ... The legend continues. Haha!!!" Heyward-Bey said about the 40 time.
Ben Roethlisberger loves deep threats, which is why Heyward-Bey will remain fairly high on the Steelers' depth chart in training camp.
