Looking back at the 2022 off-season, the Pittsburgh Steelers signing Myles Jack to a two-year, $16 million deal was one of the better free agent investments from the franchise in some time. It was a modest deal, but provided the defense with critical talent and playmaking ability at the interior linebacker position. He spent the first six years of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and despite never being voted to a Pro Bowl, is one of the better, and certainly underrated, players at his on the inside. At first, he definitely didn't sign with Pittsburgh to jump into what is advertised as a brutal AFC North.
Steelers linebacker, Myles Jack (#51) stands on the middle of the field at Acrisure Stadium as the defense gets ready to play a snap against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Pittsburgh, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
In fact, Jack didn't really believe that the AFC North was as treacherous as it is made out to be. Fans of teams in the division know that his thought process was absolutely wrong and he is now buying into the fact that the division and playing the teams within it is simply a grind. He told Aditi Kinkhabwala on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday that he did not truly know what he was getting into when he signed back in March:
"It's real. It is real," Jack said when asked how legitimate the rivalries and physical nature of the division is. "I thought it was like hype or hoopla or just like a marketing scheme. No. AFC North is a bloodbath."
Jack and the Steelers will play their fourth divisional game Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. While he believes he already has a good taste of what AFC North football is like, he is about to jump into the most physical matchup of all. He is ready to embrace that.
"It's a physical matchup and that's something that we really, really look forward to. A physical slugfest. Your 11 versus our 11, win your one-on-ones and get to the football."
Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker, Myles Jack (#51) participates and laughs during 2022 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
He specifically outlined that the time of year is what gets him most excited for a matchup like the team will welcome on Sunday. It's looking like it is going to be low 40's with a very strong chance of rain in Pittsburgh.
"There's nothing like that. Football in December when it's cold, it's like what you grew up watching on the NFL Network on NFL Films. It's fun to be a part of."
Jack even went on to call out his old division, the AFC South in which he played for half a dozen years. He pretty much described exactly how everyone expects that division to shake out throughout the course of a season:
"AFC South is kind of like, the [Tennessee] Titans are going to do what they typically do. It'll be like the Titans and the [Indianapolis] Colts and then the [Jacksonville] Jags and Houston [Texans] will kind of be scrabbling it out for the third spot. But, the AFC North, it's like everybody can beat everybody," Jack said.
Steelers linebackers Myles Jack (#51) and Devin Bush (#55) get ready to walk onto the field as the team prepares to play their final preseason game in 2022 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Jack has 31 tackles in three AFC North games this year and seems up to the challenge. He will get his first taste of what it's like to be a part of arguably one of the most hard-hitting and smash-mouth rivalries in the entire league. Better before then after that he realized the division competitiveness and head-hunting mentality isn't 'hoopla' after all.
Do you think most players from the outside looking in believe the AFC North hype is a marketing scheme? Let us know in the comments below!
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