When you think of the Steelers teams of the 2000s the bad dude hunting down opposing quarterbacks that comes to mind is former All-Pro OLB James Harrison. Harrison became an icon in Pittsburgh, setting the all-time franchise sack record, only to be broken this season by his former pupil and the new bad man on the block: OLB T.J. Watt.
Head coach Mike Tomlin was asked in his weekly press conference to compare the two former NFL Defensive Players of the Year.
“Man, it’d be easier to talk about their differences,” Tomlin said to the media on video from the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “I’ll tell you this, similar in approach in terms of commitment. If you know either guy, what they’re willing to do in preparation to tee up a performance, not only in the course of a game week, but I’m talking about over a course of a 12-month calendar, over the course of their careers, is unique. You don’t get unique results by doing regular processes. Those two dudes have a commitment to preparation and the development of their games and the maintenance of their bodies and the preparation of their bodies that is unique.”
Harrison and Watt may have completely different personalities, but they do share the hunger to be great and the willingness to do whatever possible to achieve that greatness. Both guys are known students of the game, taking time away from the facility to study their opponent and see what moves they could use to get the upper hand in an upcoming matchup. They both are extremely dedicated to their craft, training like beasts in the weight room as well as on their pass-rush technique in the offseason to prepare their bodies for the rigors of an NFL season. Watt is no slouch in the weight room himself, being a small-town boy from the Midwest working out with the likes of his brothers, but even he said that Harrison trains at another level compared to most NFL players.
In order to get extraordinary results, you must put in extraordinary effort to your craft. Watt and Harrison have done that during their respective NFL careers, the two having played together during the 2017 season, Watt’s rookie year. Watt got to see Harrison at work in the twilight of his NFL career, took the torch, and ran with it as the face of the franchise. That’s the culture that Pittsburgh has imbued in its franchise, having young, talented players like Watt and DL Cameron Heyward learn from Steelers of the past to take on the role of leadership for the team. It’s what has helped make Watt a special player, and hopefully that can rub off on the younger guys in the room like Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig, who get to see Watt’s example on a daily basis.
