Steelers' Patrick Graham Had An Extremely Awkward Start To His Pittsburgh Tenure

The Pittsburgh Steelers' new-look defense already looks exciting. New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has brought in a scheme that is not only aggressive, but also designed to fit the strengths of his players. With all the talent on that side of the ball, this defense should go back to being a feared unit that can win games whenever the offense has an off day. There seems to be a lot of buy-in to his system early on, which is key for any coach on a new team, especially with how Mike Tomlin was. 

At first, it didn't seem like Graham would get that kind of buy-in from the veterans. While making an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, star edge rusher TJ Watt revealed how awkward things were when the new defensive coordinator first started working with everyone. 

"We clap it up at the beginning of every meeting, and at first, we kind of looked at each other a little sideways, but that's just who he is," Watt explained. "He brings that energy and wants the best for you... I think [Cameron Heyward] just started clapping this week."

The idea of Graham having everyone clap to begin meetings is simple: get everyone together at the very beginning and make sure everyone has the focus and energy to get through that part of training camp. Watt kept talking about how he's such a high-energy guy, and it's all authentic and "organic." That's what you want from an aggressive defensive coordinator.

The players clearly were not sure about Graham at first, especially with all the clapping to kick off each meeting. It's very awkward for one man to try and bring the energy while everyone else sits there and looks confused. That's not something you really want to see, but this method clearly has grown on the defense. This idea went from uncertain and confused to a new tradition behind closed doors. 

It gets even more concerning when the team captain is not excited about this. The fact that Cameron Heyward refused to participate in his new coach's tradition would definitely come off as a problem. That didn't seem to be the case here, as everyone else quickly grew to follow Graham's lead. As much as Heyward did not like this idea, it finally grew on him as well.

It took Heyward until training camp to finally buy-in, but it's better late than never. Once the captain finally joined in alongside everyone else, there was no question that this defense had officially become Graham's squad. Now, there's no reason to be concerned about the relationship between player and coach as everyone is seemingly on the same page, and it starts with the pre-meeting tradition now.

Steelers Fans Should Expect A High-Energy, High-Flying Defense In 2026

In previous years, there were times where it felt like the Steelers would not play at 100% when things started bad. When games were good, everyone played as hard as they could. That should no longer be the case as the new defensive coordinator expects high energy for every little thing, and that starts with clapping it up at meetings. 

Early reports from training camp have shown the energy that Graham brings to this defense. Through these first practices, the Steelers have been very blitz-heavy with this versatile unit, which has brought in plenty of success. It doesn't matter that they're not tackling in practice anymore; this high-level defensive coordinator is still making sure his players are doing all the right things. 

What do you think about the Steelers not responding well to Graham wanting to clap it up before meetings at first? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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