By: Brandon J. Wallace
SteelerNation.com
At just 23 years old, Pittsburgh Steelers safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick is continuing to keep Steeler Nation smiling. Off to another solid start after being traded to Pittsburgh from the Miami Dolphins a season ago (and being named an All-Pro), Fitzpatrick has already logged 30 tackles, 1 forced fumble, and 2 passes defensed on the 2020 NFL season. Not to mention his pick-six against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5.
Despite the Steelers history, or lack there of to some, Pittsburgh has not really been known for trading for key players in the off-season, let alone during the middle of the regular season. But with recent acquisitions to the franchise such as Fitzpatrick, Devin Bush, and most recently, Avery Williamson, it's clear that the Steelers are in a "win now" mode, and they're willing to do whatever it takes to make sure they have the best players on the field as possible.
After addressing the media on Thursday, Fitzpatrick spoke about the improved and expected play of inside linebacker, Robert Spillane, but also his thoughts on newcomer, Williamson.
"I know he's an athletic linebacker. With UG [Ulysees Gilbert III] and Devin [Bush] both down, we kind of miss that in coverage so, hopefully he'll come in and be that second athletic linebacker that can cover, but also play the run."
Speaking of playing the run, Fitzpatrick went on.
"Last week was just a tough scheme. Lamar [Jackson] and that crew... they're going to make big plays." He continued, "It's our job to stop them when we need to, and we did when we had to."
Fitzpatrick ended his time on the media Zoom call expressing his gratitude for Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin. Appreciating the reduced practice time this week to allow guys to heal, and the transparency Tomlin has given Fitzpatrick since he was first traded.
"We are definitely fortunate and grateful to have a coach like Coach T [Mike Tomlin]. He's our head coach, so he deserves all the credit in the world for us starting off 7-0. He's a guy that pays attention to all of the details. He's a guy that's going to voice his opinion on the things that he sees. He's transparent, which is something that I love about him. He's going to keep it real, keep it honest with you. If anyone deserves a big portion of the credit, it's Coach T for sure."
Fitzpatrick will look to continue on a solid season and contribute to a team who seems destined to make sure they have the right pieces in place for another Super Bowl run. The Steelers next game is Sunday at 4:25 pm ET against the 2-6 Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, TX.
More to come.
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