Had this been a normal year, the Steelers would have been in Canton, Ohio, Thursday playing their first preseason game against the Cowboys as scheduled.
But because of the coronavirus pandemic, not only is the Hall of Fame game not being played, no preseason games are being held this year.
So instead of watching the return of Ben Roethlisberger in practices the past two weeks at Saint Vincent College, as would have happened, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers have only gotten their first glimpse of Roethlisberger when he threw earlier this week.
Veteran players were on the practice field starting this week. And Roethlisberger, who is recovering from an elbow surgery to repair three of the five flexor tendons in his right elbow, threw the ball on Monday and Tuesday.
There were rave reviews from some teammates, such as wide receiver Diontae Johnson, but the man who has watched Roethlisberger throw passes for the previous 13 seasons said that while the quarterback looked good, there is still work to be done.
"I did watch him throw. I didn't see anything that was alarming in any way. His velocity is excellent. His spiral could be a little tighter. I've seen it tighter," Tomlin said Thursday. "But nothing to alarm you in any way. We're going to continue to proceed and proceed in an appropriate way to have him ready when we step into a stadium."
That would not have come in the Hall of Fame game. In fact, Roethlisberger acknowledged earlier in the week that he might not have even played at all in the preseason had the Steelers even had the five preseason games they had scheduled not been cancelled.
That means the Steelers won't see Roethlisberger on a football field until Sept. 14 when they open the regular season at MetLife Stadium against the Giants.
That means Roethlisberger will not have thrown a pass in an NFL game in just under a year. He was injured in the first half of the team's home opener last Sept. 15 at Heinz Field against the Seahawks.
It's a long time off for a now 38-year-old quarterback. But it also was a learning process for Roethlisberger. He was more free to watch the communication process from the sideline and able to interact with his teammates more than he typically could when he would normally have his mind focused on what he needed to do to have success on the next series.
"I was able to kind of see the bigger picture of being a quarterback just from being on the sideline last year," he said.
That new experience hasn't yet manifested itself in the Steelers' practice sessions just yet. The Steelers are still in the walkthrough process when they are able to get onto the field. They'll begin ramping things up more next week, starting with practicing in shells and helmets before the padded practices are permitted to begin Aug. 17.
So Tomlin is holding off on judging whether he'll see a difference in how Roethlisberger handles things based on what he learned during his time on the sideline last season.
"We haven't practiced yet. We've done walk throughs. That's just further instruction for the team. There hasn't been any opportunity to witness (any changes)," Tomlin said. "I'm sure he's excited and the group is excited to have him back and the leadership and experience that he brings."
For now, Tomlin and the Steelers will have to be content with the baby steps the quarterback is taking. They made it through the offseason -- what there was of it virtually. Roethlisberger had navigated his way through the rehab process.
Now, it's a continued waiting game until they finally get to see him on the in a game.
"I'm extremely comfortable with where he is in the process," Tomlin said. "There has been great communication from and through him and the medical professionals throughout the rehab process."
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