LATROBE, Pa. -- T.J. Watt followed the team-first playbook when addressing media this week. Antonio Brown Jerseys He suppressed the growing hype around his play by pointing out the plays he missed during his two-sack performance for the Pittsburgh Steelers in last week's preseason opener against the Giants.
"I'm just a chess piece here," Watt said. And now the chess moves really start. Ben Roethlisberger Jerseys Watt is eager to build off his debut with a strong performance against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Heinz Field. Atlanta's offensive line should be an upgrade over what Watt saw in MetLife Stadium. Heath Miller Jerseys And eventually James Harrison will start to take more reps and insert himself into the lineup. The good sign for Watt: He's logged hundreds of practice reps over three weeks of training camp and doesn't look fazed. He wants to show that Sunday. He views Game 2 as just as crucial to his development as as Game 1.
"You have to come out here each and every day and act like the rookie that I am and try to prove people wrong every single day," he said. Le'Veon Bell Jerseys Watt has showcased an all-around game during camp. He limits mental mistakes, positions himself well against the run and can cover adequately in pass coverage (though he's a bit handsy at times). Ryan Shazier Jerseys Outside linebacker Arthur Moats praises Watt's "cerebral-ness," an ability to play without wasted movement and an insistence on "bringing it every day" at practice. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler acknowledges that Watt might not be "as quick or as fast as people would like to say," but he's quickly learning to be a good pass-rusher.
"He's still learning," Butler said. "He had a pretty good move, one move coming out [of Wisconsin]. That one move won't get him past the NFL. He's got to have several moves. He's learning those. He's in the process of doing that and he's a quick study." Watt welcomes any coaching criticism, insisting he won't "toot my own horn" after few good plays. Mostly, Watt wants to look the part of a defender for a storied franchise in his first home game, which he calls "a whole different animal." "I like being aggressive, physical, all the things that come with being a Pittsburgh Steeler," Watt said. "To be out there in front of the whole Steeler Nation in a home game is gonna be awesome."
