Planning for T.J. Watt is not a chore new to Arthur Smith, having done so in the past as head coach in Atlanta and offensive coordinator in Tennessee. Now as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ coordinator, however, he has to plan for him a lot more—in practice. And he enjoys the cat-and-mouse game, which he considers essential to doing his job. The fact that it gets on Watt’s nerves is just a bonus.
“I always joke with T.J. [Watt], ‘I’m not gonna let you wreck practice today’, Smith said on the Pat McAfee Show yesterday when discussing the value of regularly practicing against the Steelers’ defense.