1
00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:37,320
Speaker 1: Rush coming night catch to the quarterback Chris goll Back

2
00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,159
Speaker 1: looking down under prector came Hayward gets here along with

3
00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:48,280
Speaker 1: t J Watt Okay, t J. What does a win

4
00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:52,360
Speaker 1: after a seventeen point deficit do for you personally and

5
00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:54,960
Speaker 1: then also just for this team heading into the playoffs.

6
00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:58,000
Speaker 1: It's just a big confidence cluister overall. I think when

7
00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,600
Speaker 1: our backs are against the wall, you really tested as

8
00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,480
Speaker 1: a team in all areas of the game, whether it's offense, defense,

9
00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:05,760
Speaker 1: or special teams. And to be able to come away

10
00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:07,800
Speaker 1: a win, even though it's not the best the most

11
00:01:07,800 --> 00:01:10,760
Speaker 1: appealing looking win, We'll take it and hopefully use the

12
00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:13,600
Speaker 1: momentum going forward into our final game here and then

13
00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:16,040
Speaker 1: into the playoffs. It has been a few weeks since

14
00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:18,839
Speaker 1: bud Dupree got hurt and hasn't been able to play.

15
00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:22,000
Speaker 1: How often are you able to communicate with him? And

16
00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:23,840
Speaker 1: does he kind of watch the game for maybe a

17
00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,280
Speaker 1: different perspective that can help you in any way? Yeah,

18
00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:29,560
Speaker 1: I see, but almost on a daily basis now. He's

19
00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:32,200
Speaker 1: been absolutely crushing his rehab. Really proud of him for

20
00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,240
Speaker 1: for how well he's he's been attacking his rehab and um,

21
00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:37,679
Speaker 1: he's been able to provide some insights from watching the

22
00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:40,280
Speaker 1: TV copies. He said, it's so much different, uh, to

23
00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:43,000
Speaker 1: be sitting at home watching on TV, and Uh, I

24
00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:44,800
Speaker 1: just keep telling how much I miss him out there.

25
00:01:44,800 --> 00:01:47,080
Speaker 1: But I'm also really proud of Alex Highsmith and how

26
00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:48,920
Speaker 1: he's been able to step up for us in his role.

27
00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:52,800
Speaker 1: Was that Colts game Alex Highsmith's best game since Bud

28
00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,160
Speaker 1: went down? I think so. That's the great thing about

29
00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:58,400
Speaker 1: Alex and being a rookie is you grow so much

30
00:01:58,440 --> 00:01:59,840
Speaker 1: from game to game, and you have a guy like

31
00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,520
Speaker 1: Elx who works so hard at practice and studying film

32
00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:06,240
Speaker 1: and asking the right questions. Is You're gonna continue to

33
00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:08,680
Speaker 1: see that growth As he continues to h the game

34
00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,280
Speaker 1: slows down for him, and I'm very excited to see

35
00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,160
Speaker 1: how he progresses as he gets older. What did you

36
00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:16,040
Speaker 1: think of his spin move at the end of the game.

37
00:02:16,919 --> 00:02:18,840
Speaker 1: It was a great spin move. I gotta ask him

38
00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:20,760
Speaker 1: how I can do that. I'm not as limble as

39
00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:23,480
Speaker 1: nimble as he is, but he's got some great moves

40
00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:25,520
Speaker 1: in his repertoire and he'll be a great player for

41
00:02:25,600 --> 00:02:29,160
Speaker 1: us moving forward. You said that communication something that just

42
00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:31,400
Speaker 1: became second nature for you, and but is something you

43
00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,040
Speaker 1: have to work on with Alex. Is that something that

44
00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,560
Speaker 1: game reps help with or is there another way you

45
00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:39,440
Speaker 1: can do that to help improve. Yeah, it's it's it's

46
00:02:39,440 --> 00:02:41,760
Speaker 1: a lot tougher as the season kind of winds down

47
00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:43,560
Speaker 1: because you don't get a lot of the practice reps

48
00:02:43,560 --> 00:02:45,839
Speaker 1: that you normally do. And I've seen training camp. You're

49
00:02:45,880 --> 00:02:48,640
Speaker 1: you're out there every single day going through battlefield reps

50
00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:51,799
Speaker 1: and being able to talk through the communication things. But

51
00:02:52,120 --> 00:02:53,919
Speaker 1: it's it's more and more just getting reps late in

52
00:02:53,919 --> 00:02:56,519
Speaker 1: the season, doing it in the film room setting, trying

53
00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:58,640
Speaker 1: to do it in a informal setting where me and

54
00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:00,360
Speaker 1: him are just kind of communicating with each other, and

55
00:03:00,400 --> 00:03:02,840
Speaker 1: then obviously as we continue to play more on Sundays,

56
00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:06,239
Speaker 1: it also helps. A few weeks ago, after bet Bud

57
00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:09,600
Speaker 1: got hurt, Coach Tomlin on his radio pregame show was

58
00:03:09,680 --> 00:03:12,119
Speaker 1: asked about you in the locker room, and he said

59
00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,480
Speaker 1: that you have an older demeanor even though you're a

60
00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,200
Speaker 1: young guy. And one of the quotes he said was

61
00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,280
Speaker 1: people seek his approval, They like to make him laugh,

62
00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:22,959
Speaker 1: they like to include him in on the reindeer games,

63
00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,720
Speaker 1: whether he wants to or not. He reminds me a

64
00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:30,440
Speaker 1: lot of James Barrier. Is that true? I just like

65
00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:32,080
Speaker 1: to come to work and try to be about my

66
00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:34,400
Speaker 1: business and a lot of times the guys trying to

67
00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:36,760
Speaker 1: make me lighten up, and I probably need it more

68
00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,960
Speaker 1: often than not. I try to take this very seriously

69
00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:42,600
Speaker 1: just because it's it's a once in a lifetime opportunity

70
00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:43,880
Speaker 1: to be where I am, to be able to play

71
00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:46,880
Speaker 1: this game for a living. And uh sometimes they do

72
00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:48,680
Speaker 1: have to stop and smell the roses and just kind

73
00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,839
Speaker 1: of enjoy it and spend quality time with these guys

74
00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:54,960
Speaker 1: because everybody here uh so awesome. They love football, but

75
00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:57,000
Speaker 1: they truly love spending time with each other and it

76
00:03:57,080 --> 00:04:01,560
Speaker 1: only makes us a better unit on the field. Steelers

77
00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,440
Speaker 1: with a corner, Fire Rippers be changed. He's head, the

78
00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:08,920
Speaker 1: bunk came out and it's picked up by the Steelers.

79
00:04:09,600 --> 00:04:12,280
Speaker 1: It is Mike Hilton inside the ten, down to the five,

80
00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:15,560
Speaker 1: and he's got it at the three yard lines. D

81
00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:19,239
Speaker 1: j W with a strip. Mike Hilton with a scoop.

82
00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:23,240
Speaker 1: You are one sack away from tying James Harrison for

83
00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:25,760
Speaker 1: the single season sack record for the Steelers, one and

84
00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,599
Speaker 1: a half away from taking it over. H Does that

85
00:04:28,680 --> 00:04:31,960
Speaker 1: mean anything to you at all or are you truly

86
00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:36,039
Speaker 1: just letting it be outside noise. I think it's it's

87
00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:40,159
Speaker 1: very neat opportunity for me. It's I mean, records set

88
00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:42,240
Speaker 1: by a great player who won Defensive Player of the

89
00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:44,200
Speaker 1: Year and James Harrison, who I got to spend some

90
00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,479
Speaker 1: time with here um a guy that is just a

91
00:04:47,520 --> 00:04:50,160
Speaker 1: great member of a historic franchise here as a linebacker.

92
00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:53,160
Speaker 1: But more importantly, I just want to win games, and

93
00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:55,679
Speaker 1: the regular season is the regular season. We were fortunate

94
00:04:55,720 --> 00:04:58,760
Speaker 1: enough to have a spot in the playoffs, and more anything,

95
00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:00,400
Speaker 1: I just want to I want to see a Bowl.

96
00:05:01,880 --> 00:05:04,839
Speaker 1: In terms of Defensive Player of the Year, the Steelers

97
00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:08,080
Speaker 1: do have a knack. When somebody wins that from Steelers,

98
00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:10,840
Speaker 1: they usually end up in a Super Bowl. Uh So

99
00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:13,640
Speaker 1: does that entice you at all to talk about what

100
00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,360
Speaker 1: that honor would be like something obviously your brother knows

101
00:05:16,400 --> 00:05:20,080
Speaker 1: a lot about. I think my answer always that question

102
00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:21,600
Speaker 1: that it's a team war, and I want to make

103
00:05:21,600 --> 00:05:24,279
Speaker 1: sure that everybody understands that it's it truly is a

104
00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:26,719
Speaker 1: team ward. None of this is possible without the eleven,

105
00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:29,240
Speaker 1: the fifteen, sixteen other guys that we have this year,

106
00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:31,839
Speaker 1: especially with guys having to step up and rolls, the

107
00:05:31,880 --> 00:05:34,520
Speaker 1: guys going down um due to injuries this year. So

108
00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:37,159
Speaker 1: it's not just an individual ward. It's not possible this.

109
00:05:37,160 --> 00:05:39,640
Speaker 1: This is the greatest team sport in the world. And

110
00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:42,360
Speaker 1: that's why I'm so fortunate to be able to play

111
00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:43,800
Speaker 1: it for a living and to be able to play

112
00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,240
Speaker 1: for such a historical organization like the Steelers, and be

113
00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,080
Speaker 1: able to have teammates that I do uh to be

114
00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:51,600
Speaker 1: able to take guys off me, allowed to have one

115
00:05:51,640 --> 00:05:52,960
Speaker 1: on ones, and just have all the guys that are

116
00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,520
Speaker 1: able to make plays. When coach Tomlin was asked if

117
00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:58,680
Speaker 1: he would get your vote, he of course said yes,

118
00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:00,880
Speaker 1: being your head coach, and he said it's because you

119
00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:05,719
Speaker 1: are from another planet. Is that a compliment? I think

120
00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:07,800
Speaker 1: so that that's a talm on is um that I'll

121
00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:10,320
Speaker 1: have to research and figure out exactly what that means,

122
00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:14,920
Speaker 1: but I think it's a compliment. Okay, last one, I

123
00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:17,360
Speaker 1: know you guys have one more regular season game, but

124
00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:19,960
Speaker 1: it was your rookie year when you guys were last

125
00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,840
Speaker 1: in the playoffs. What did you learn from that experience

126
00:06:22,880 --> 00:06:25,760
Speaker 1: and how much different is it heading into the playoffs

127
00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:28,839
Speaker 1: this year. Yeah, it's I've grown so much from what

128
00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,160
Speaker 1: four years ago, now, three years ago, whatever it was,

129
00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:33,400
Speaker 1: and uh, that point of the season, I was just

130
00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:36,320
Speaker 1: very worn down. That was my rookie year. You kind

131
00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:38,880
Speaker 1: of hit that Ricky wall and you just kind of

132
00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:40,719
Speaker 1: going through the motions at that point, even though you

133
00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:43,359
Speaker 1: didn't want to, kind of admit it to yourself. This

134
00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:46,479
Speaker 1: time around, I'm I'm so hungry. I've been handling my

135
00:06:46,560 --> 00:06:49,200
Speaker 1: recovery well. I've been continuing to eat well, practice well,

136
00:06:49,279 --> 00:06:51,880
Speaker 1: trained well, and um um, I feel like I have

137
00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:55,200
Speaker 1: a true second win. I'm very very motivated to continue

138
00:06:55,240 --> 00:06:57,240
Speaker 1: to play better. I still think I have great football

139
00:06:57,960 --> 00:06:59,800
Speaker 1: left in front of me this season. So just a

140
00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,080
Speaker 1: we're all. I feel very very optimistic about on the playoffs.

141
00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:06,560
Speaker 1: T J Thinks has always for your time. Really appreciate it.

142
00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:07,120
Speaker 1: Thank you,