Steelers Now
J.J. Watt isn’t inside the Pittsburgh Steelers’ building, but he obviously has a very direct line to what’s going on. His younger brother, T.J. Watt is the team’s all-time leader in sacks and is entering his 10th NFL season — and first without Mike Tomlin at the helm.
The Steelers replaced Tomlin with fellow Super Bowl-winning head coach Mike McCarthy, and the elder Watt has a close eye on how the team is operating now.
“I think the vibes are great there. I think you always have to remember the vibes are always good in the offseason,” Watt said Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “That’s how things go, but I do think it’s good. I think that it’s gonna be very interesting to watch how this goes because of the history of Pittsburgh and the lack of turnover that there has been in the coaching regime. So any time there’s someone new — especially after 18 years or whatever it was — it is going to be a focal point to see how it goes.”
J.J. Watt believes there’s a microscope on the Steelers, even during practice and training camp, to see what changes. Certain traditions that players grew used to under Tomlin could change as McCarthy puts his stamp on the franchise.
“How are practices set up? The meetings, obviously Mike Tomlin’s one of the greatest motivators of all time, so just little things all the time,” Watt said. “It’s going to be very interesting to see how they translate.”
Meanwhile, the younger Watt aims to have a bounce back campaign after posting seven sacks last season, a solid output for some but likely not one the 2021 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year was thrilled with.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: J.J. Watt Raises Questions About Mike McCarthy’s Steelers
