Steelers Training Camp Day 12: T.J. Watt brings the defense back to life
Today was the final day of practice before the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their first game of the preseason. The squad was in full pads and built off of Monday's high-intensity, fundamentally drilled practice. And while the offense got the best of the defense yesterday, T.J. Watt and the defense […]
Today was the final day of practice before the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their first game of the preseason.
The squad was in full pads and built off of Monday's high-intensity, fundamentally drilled practice.
And while the offense got the best of the defense yesterday, T.J. Watt and the defense got their revenge today:
“WOULD SOMEBODY BLOCK T.J.”
Visibly upset after T.J. Watt disrupted back-to-back handoffs on Wednesday, Steelers HC Mike Tomlin was enraged, screaming:
"Would somebody block T.J. Please?" Doing so to the point where everyone in attendance could hear.
But after the Steelers' defense lost "Seven Shots" 6-1 yesterday, Watt and the rest of his defensive counterparts were sure to get the best of the offense, winning 4-3 today, while also dominating in 11 on 11 and 7 on 7.
So Tomlin might have been upset on the outside, but knowing his defensive roots, he was probably smiling on the inside.
Have a Day Darnell
After a slow start to camp over the last two weeks, Washington has stacked together a stellar couple of practices, catching touchdown passes in "Seven Shots", team period, and 1v1's, all the while dominating in the run game as a blocker.
If this keeps up into the preseason and then September, expect Washington to be labeled a "steal", something many believed him to be following April's draft.
Run Defenders Galore
Steelers fans probably don't want any reminder of what the run defense was for the past two seasons, seemingly letting gashes and creases for the majority of backs they faced.
Pittsburgh made a conscious effort this offseason to ensure that wouldn't be a commonality in 2023, and based on what we have seen out of Cole Holcomb and Elandon Roberts, that may come to fruition.
The newest edition of inside backers to put on the black and gold, those two were active and attentive today, stuffing multiple runs during inside run period and 11 on 11.
The job description for E-Rob and Holcomb is clear, and they will need to continue this when the games start to matter.
A-Rob is earning Trust
Allen Robinson is seemingly creating chemistry with Kenny Pickett by the day, showing reliable hands, attention to detail, and the ability to run any route out of the slot.
He's the perfect veteran addition to a young WR corps and will serve an important purpose down the stretch of the regular season.
Get to know Fehoko
Acquired this offseason in free agency, Breiden Fehoko is a traditional two-gapping nose tackle. That is a position that may be in the middle of defensive evolution but is still a paramount position in the base 3-4 defense that the Steelers employ.
That's because the "nose" is the middle of the three-down lineman and has to take on double teams and do the dirty work so the backers behind him can flow to the ball and the trenchmen around him can shine.
And Fehoko has excelled in that very role this training camp, not only doing the dirty work but splitting double teams that result in tackles for loss.
Hopefully, he sticks around and becomes a staple in obvious rushing situations for Pittsurgh's defense.
And there you have it. The Steelers technically have one more day of practice this week on Sunday. But seeing as they play on Friday and have off days on Saturday and Monday, Pittsburgh will likely take it easy, meaning today was pivotal in their game prep.
The team drilled fundamentals all week including tackling, two-minute scenarios, and sound technique under pressure. Pairing that with Coach Tomlin's announcement of his intent to play everyone that is healthy, and Steelers fans should be excited for what's to come this Friday.
Steelers’ Mike Tomlin gives update on preseason game one vs. Buccaneers
See the latest on who’s in and who’s out on Friday
Featured image via: © Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
