T.J. Watt Confident in Ola Adeniyi; Doesn't Rule Out Week 8 Return
The Pittsburgh Steelers have dealt with the injury-bug all season. Their latest victim, Stephon Tuitt, was placed on injured reserve after tearing his pec in Week 6. An injury the Steelers will need to figure out how to overcome as they replace a Pro Bowl defensive end.
According to linebacker T.J. Watt, replacing anyone on this defense can come from within. The confidence this team has with their locker room is high, and it'll allow them to fill the void of Tuitt and move forward.
"Tuitt's a great player and we're going to miss him this year, but we have a lot of guys who can step up," Watt said. "We have Walton, we've got Tyson, and other guys too that'll step up."
Watt says the Steelers defense won't change with Tuitt's absence. No matter who fills the roll, expect to see the same gameplan moving forward.
"Schematically nothing's going to change," Watt said. "We have guys who are capable of filling in that spot, and like I said Stephon Tuitt is a phenomenal player and we're going to miss him this year, but we have guys who will step up and it's the 'next man up' mentality. We're not going to change the whole scheme because of one person."
The Steelers' 'next man up' motto has kept them alive through a rocky season. At 2-4, this team has somehow stayed optimistic about the future because of the players they have surrounding them.
"Next man up mentality," Watt replied about dealing with injuries. "We're very confident with everybody in this locker room. Whether or not they're on the 53, whether or not they're on the p-squad, it doesn't matter, whoever's in the game has to go out and execute."
Watt acknowledged that it isn't just the Steelers who are dealing with injuries this season. The NFL has seen a number of players go down, including quarterbacks just as important as Ben Roethlisberger. An issue Watt says can't be fixed when you're playing a sport as physical as football.
"It kind of seems league-wide," Watt said. "A lot of guys seem to be getting hurt and we can't put our finger on why. We're playing hard. Any time you play hard and we have 200-pound guys running into 300-pound guys, you've got problems at your hands."
As for his own injury, Watt is dealing with an abdominal issue that has "slowed" him, according to Mike Tomlin. The linebacker says he's taking it day-by-day, but didn't rule out the possibility of playing on Monday night.
"I feel a lot better," Watt said. "I'm taking it day-to-day, and see where I'll be on Monday night."
If Watt isn't able to go in Week 8, the Steelers will turn to Ola Adeniyi to play outside linebacker against the Dolphins. Adeniyi has flashed signs of playmaking ability this season.
After placing Anthony Chickillo on the Reserve/Commissioner Exempt List, Pittsburgh is down to three outside linebackers aside from Watt. Adeniyi isn't known to play the same side as Watt, but T.J. confirmed that he's versatile enough to play anywhere.
As for confidence - Watt has a lot of it. If he's unable to go on Monday, he knows his backup can make plays.
"I have a lot of confidence with Ola," Watt said. "He had a really good training camp, and I think, even this year with the limited reps he's had he's been able to go out and perform and get a few tackles."
The Steelers will take on the 0-6 Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field. With their season on the line, their focus remains week-by-week. For Watt, he's not looking any further than Monday.
"I'm done looking in the future," Watt said. "I'm taking it day-by-day and game-by-game. We can't get caught up about looking too far ahead. We have the Miami Dolphins this week and we'll talk about next week when we get there."
