(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Joe Schobert participated in his first practice with the Steelers yesterday after being traded from Jacksonville to Pittsburgh for a sixth-round pick. And the Steelers wasted no time to throw Schobert into the mix with getting reps with the first-team.
"They threw me on the field playing with the ones today, which is good because all those guys know their communication and they can help me if I've got questions out in the field pre-snap," Schobert said after practice. "It's just jumping both feet right in. A lot of meetings yesterday and today to get the basic installs written down and put into my memory bank and just have got to get out here and start getting reps."
Schobert also is starting to build chemistry with fellow inside linebackers Devin Bush and Robert Spillane.
"Spillane, Devin, great, great assets in walkthrough and on the field," Schobert said. "They were able to vocally like set all the calls and then I was able to just kind of focus in on my job today and not have to worry about doing too much communication except for what was immediately necessary for me."
Schobert also said that he'll have the green dot on his helmet and be the signal-caller for the defense. Schobert is known for his high football IQ and Keith Butler will be the sixth defensive coordinator that he's played for in his six years in the league, so adjusting and learning new verbiages and schemes isn't something that he's not familiar with.
"That's what they've got me at now, just learning the dime linebacker and the mack backer and okie personnel," Schobert said. "Just getting that stuff underway and once the season starts getting the green dot on the helmet, getting the calls from the coaches. That was the plan."