Pittsburgh, Pa (93.7 The Fan) - Linebacker Devin Bush believes the Steelers defense will be as hard-hitting as ever, even without a preseason to ready itself for the games that count.
"I think our coaching staff definitely has taken that into account," Bush said before heading to practice at Heinz Field on Friday. "They try to give us as much competition in our full-padded practice as much as we could. Obviously, we don't have any test for the preseason, but we go out and have a lot of competition periods, where we tackle to the ground. We're getting that experience. We're getting acclimated to that. We're trying our hardest, and I think we're doing a good job."
As a second-year player, Bush finds the going smoother for himself than a year ago.
"It's a lot better than last year," the 2019 first-round draft choice said. "Last year was my first year, and it was just getting caught up to speed, which is everything changing around me. Leading to year two, everything has slowed down a lot for me. I'm a lot more familiar with whom I"m playing with and the scheme I'm playing with."
His comfort level with calling the defensive signal is also better.
"Just watching myself from last season and critiquing myself during the offseason, I definitely picked up the playbook a lot easier. I have a good foundation from last year to build off."
Bush finished third in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He led the Steelers with 109 tackles. He also recovered four fumbles and intercepted two passes.
