UNITY TWP, Pa. — Chuck Clark took the plane into Pittsburgh on Friday, solidified an opportunity with the Pittsburgh Steelers and wasted no time in making his way to St. Vincent College.
He couldn't wait to pull on his gold No. 21 practice jersey and jump into drills.
"That morning, I did my workout and they were talking about, 'Can we get you out here?" Clark said Sunday afternoon. "They were probably thinking I just wanted to watch, but I'm like, 'I wanna get out there in the mix.' … I definitely pride myself on that."
"Especially to see somebody who could just hop off the plane and come straight to practice yesterday, that was really cool," fellow safety DeShon Elliott said after Saturday's practice.
Dressing for his longtime bitter rivals, Clark admitted he felt like "the new kid in school." It was another unfamiliar experience in an offseason full of them. He'd trained on his own, aiming to show up conditioned and in shape when an opportunity came about.
"This is a first for me, coming in this late, having to pick up the playbook," Clark said. "I know football, that's one thing for sure at the end of the day. It's just putting terminology to it in a different scheme, different concepts. … I know where to be."
Before making the drive to training camp from the Steelers' facility on the South Side, Clark let Elliott, his former Baltimore Ravens teammate, know he was on his way. The two had been in touch last month as Elliott got his contract extended. Elliott detailed the Steelers' history and culture, keeping Clark updated on what was going on.
New York Jets safety Chuck Clark during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 21, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
"I knew he was coming," Elliott said . "He texted me. He was at my locker (at the facility). He took a picture at my locker. It was like he called me ugly or something like that. Everybody knows I'm not ugly. That's my dog."
"I was just letting him know I'm in the building," Clark said with a laugh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers' Chuck Clark Jumps Right In: 'I Definitely Pride Myself on That'
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