NFL Network's Rich Eisen reveals what T.J. Watt told him about Steelers’ poor practice habits
Perhaps no team in the NFL has been under more scrutiny over the past few weeks regarding lack of effort than the Pittsburgh Steelers.
If what Steelers star edge-rusher T.J. Watt told NFL Network’s Rich Eisen is true, there’s no real mystery as to why that is.
During Tuesday’s episode of “The Rich Eisen Show,” Eisen said Watt told him about what was going on behind the scenes at Steelers practices, which may explain the team’s 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
“He [said it was] wild that some of them don’t want to practice is what he said, or want to practice in a way that everyone is supposed to practice,” Eisen recalled. “…T.J. Watt also said that the younger generation takes criticism personally. He didn’t call it a problem — I just inferred it was. And then you see guys on the field like George Pickens turning down contact on a running play.”
Watt's admission seems to track with the kind of effort the Steelers have gotten from certain players over the last few weeks.
Pickens was the latest Steelers player to make headlines for his apathetic attitude. Citing the intention to avoid getting injured, the 22-year-old receiver failed to block for running back Jaylen Warren, who was tackled just shy of the goal line in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss.
Pickens also caught heat in the fourth quarter after showing no urgency to try and tackle Colts defensive back Julian Blackmon after he intercepted Mitch Trubisky, despite being the closest Steelers player to Blackmon for at least five yards.
Fellow receiver Diontae Johnson came under fire for the exact same thing three weeks prior after turning his back and giving up on a fumble recovery by Cincinnati Bengals cornerback D.J. Turner — the player Johnson was supposed to be blocking on the run play.
All three instances are examples of what Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger pointed to as the biggest underlying problem the team needed to fix heading into the offseason: too many players putting themselves above the team.
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