PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Minkah Fitzpatrick said it was close last week, but he wasn’t 110%. He said the trainers decided not to risk it with his knee, but this week is different, Fitzpatrick said he will play in the first round of the playoffs Sunday.
He is back with one of the other stars of the defense, TJ Watt, out.
“Obviously we are upset TJ is not out there with us, but we still have a job to do,” Fitzpatrick said Thursday. “Having most of our pieces back is big for us. We get to do more, be more fluid with more chemistry. I think we are in a good place.”
Fitzpatrick has been out with a knee injury since the Indianapolis game and said he’s watched the team play at a high level. He said you are seeing the result of stacking good performances.
He tried to help from the sidelines as Patrick Peterson moved from corner to his spot and a player signed to the practice squad, Eric Rowe, total 29 tackles in three games.
“Pat did a lot of good things,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s rare for a guy to make that move late in a season. He did a really good job communicating at a high level. He was always in the right position.”
“It definitely gave us a look at Eric Rowe to see what he could do. He did a great job as well.”
Fitzpatrick said having all of the players back in the secondary should allow them to do different things. It could help create some pressure or give Bills QB Josh Allen things he hasn’t seen before where he might have to pause that half second and the rush can get to him.
He also doesn’t care what the weather will end up being at 1p Sunday in Buffalo.
“We have a job to do whether it’s rainbows and sunshine or a blizzard,” Fitzpatrick said.
Coach retires
The Steelers All-Pro talked a day after the news his legendary college coach Nick Saban retired. He said it threw him off and he was shocked the Alabama leader is done.
“He was a great coach,” Fitzpatrick said. “He was hard on us. He was tough on us. It was because he knew what that was going to get us.”
“It will be weird, I’m excited to see who they hire.”