PITTSBURGH — Pat Freiermuth walked throughout the Steelers’ locker room with noticeable discoloration on his again from cupping remedy. Look to the left and also you’d see Zach Gentry had the identical bruises in the identical location.
No massive deal. Many gamers try this kind of restoration remedy.
Earlier within the day between crew conferences, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin occurred to stroll by the 2 tight ends and needed to do a double take.
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“There have been like three couches there, and we may’ve sat anyplace, and right here we’re sitting subsequent to one another on the identical sofa, so he gave us some grief about that. We feature that baggage,” Gentry mentioned with a smile.
“Lots of the fellows within the locker room say we’ve got a bromance happening. It’s high-quality. It’s humorous,” Freiermuth mentioned.
It’s troublesome to not discover that the 2 are just about inseparable contained in the UPMC Rooney Sports activities Complicated, whether or not within the assembly rooms or on the apply discipline. And even throughout their in-house net present referred to as Grillin’ N’ Chillin’ the place the 2 interact in an ungainly dialog with a teammate whereas pretending to prepare dinner scorching canines on the grill.
“I’m the younger boy of the NFL.” 😈 George Pickens joins Zach and Pat on this episode of Grillin’ N’ Chillin’ pic.twitter.com/pkU4N2UrcJ — Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 21, 2022
“They mentioned, ‘Do you wish to do a present collectively?’ They usually got here up with the thought,” Freiermuth mentioned. “It’s fairly enjoyable. I don’t do a lot. I simply sit there.”
Their present has been quickly placed on the again burner.
“We’ve got accomplished a couple of which have but to be launched, however we’ve got to begin stacking wins,” Gentry mentioned. “You may’t be dropping them if you end up dropping.
“Pat is extra of the chillin’ and I’m extra of a grillin’. I believe it’s fairly true to our personalities.”
Gentry couldn’t bear in mind the final time he and Freiermuth didn’t textual content one another outdoors the power. They usually each occur to volunteer to go to the identical charity occasion. And, in fact, they went to a haunted home collectively this Halloween.
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“We’re shut, man, we’re shut,” Gentry mentioned. “After we are outdoors the constructing, we’re texting and speaking on a regular basis and messing with one another on Instagram. It’s sort of a bizarre day if we aren’t speaking outdoors the constructing. We’re tremendous tight.”
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“We hang around a bunch,” Freiermuth mentioned. “We do a number of issues collectively. We’re fairly related personality-wise. We wish to grill ‘n’ chill.”
They usually have proved to be complement to one another on the sphere. Freiermuth, a 6-foot-5, 258-pounder in his second 12 months out of Penn State, has 104 receptions and eight touchdowns in 25 profession video games. He’s on tempo to interrupt Heath Miller’s file for receptions in a single season (76).
However blocking isn’t one thing he’s thrilled to do, no less than in opposition to 4-3 defensive ends (he mentioned Gentry is “higher at it than me”), as in guys the Steelers will face Monday night time in Indianapolis on Monday Night time Soccer in Kwity Paye and Yannick Ngakoue. That’s the place the large Gentry enters the image. The fourth-year professional is, in a rarity, truly greater than the Colts’ two defensive ends.
Gentry is listed at 6-8 and 270 however appears to be a lot greater than that. The explanation he’s on the roster and the rationale his snap counts have been over 40 % in six of the final seven video games is to dam these 4-3 defensive ends.
“I really feel that could be a massive a part of my tasks on this crew with these massive four-down linemen,” Gentry mentioned. “I’m an enormous man myself, and that’s my job to try this though the man is as tall as me and is heavier. It’s a problem. Coach Tomlin stresses that, having an enormous tight finish so he can deal with these defensive ends.”
Eight of the ten video games the Steelers have performed this 12 months have come in opposition to defenses that run even man fronts.
“The 4-3 finish is a problem in right now’s sport on the tight finish place,” Tomlin mentioned. “They’re a lot greater individuals than tight ends, and that’s why a man like Zach Gentry has worth. Zach doesn’t appear like most tight ends. He appears like a number of 4-3 ends. In order that’s why guys like Zach are employed. They’re much less dynamic within the passing sport, however their efforts are appreciated in additional delicate methods. Extra delicate methods to the bare eye, not these of us which are within the enterprise.”
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The Steelers have been compelled to make use of a 3rd offensive sort out in these conditions when Gentry was harm two years in the past. It allowed defenses to anticipate the run extra. Despite the fact that Gentry isn’t as nimble as Freiermuth, he can’t be ignored. He has had 33 receptions over the previous 27 video games, together with beneficial properties of 32 and 25 yards.
“We simply feed off of one another,” Freiermuth mentioned. “We do a wonderful job of realizing what our objectives are on offense and are all the time keen to assist each other out.”
However the two know their roles.
Freiermuth was a second-round decide final 12 months and burst onto the scene with seven touchdowns regardless of taking part in simply greater than 60 percentof the snaps. He has just one landing in 2022, and that got here in Week 2 in opposition to the Patriots. A lot of that has to do with the struggles with the Steelers’ offense, the rotating quarterbacks and the troubles contained in the pink zone.
“They will come,” Freiermuth mentioned. “You see guys across the league, and touchdowns are in waves. They are going to come. I believe I’ve had a number of manufacturing this 12 months.”
Freiermuth did miss one and a half with a concussion. Final 12 months, he had his occasional struggles, together with an enormous fumble in opposition to the Lions. Gentry has gone by his share of knee points and lack of taking part in time. However the two have one another to get them by the low factors.
“We’ve got that distinctive means that when one in every of us is down or not having day, the opposite one can cheer us up and make them snigger and convey them by the day,” Gentry mentioned. “It’s sort of distinctive as a result of we’re all the time joking round, smiling and laughing, however we take it significantly, too.”
(Picture: Brace Hemmelgarn / USA At the moment)