Highsmith, Golden, Watts Training Camp Media Availability (August 3) | Pittsburgh Steelers

Markus Golden I'm here I'm here I'm just happy to be here happy to be back with the Steelers man I love playing here and go be able to do it another years I'm excited for it what did what did they tell you about the timing of it and kind of why why now they decided to make that move man you know the older you get in the lead this my this your 10 man so if I can get a little break and then come in and be able to fly around and be ready so they kept in great contact with me they all what I love about the stealing man they keep in contact and let you know the real and they said they was going to bring me in and they made it happen man I appreciate it I like this organization I'm excited to be here you didn't want enough of a break to miss camp lro and then come in you you no man I'm a worker man if they would have told me to come in the day after the season ended I would have been there but I was just going with the flow man and just making sure I'm ready when my time com marus why was it a good fit for you last year what do you think your role would be this year uh man I don't really worry about the RO right now I'm focused on just getting here in Camp this my day two in Camp uh a good fit is man this Pittsburgh Stillers outside linebackers fly around make plays and that's the type of player I am man and whatever rooll I get I'll be ready for it just like I said last year you look like you got really got into it with backs on backers in your first day what was that like just kind of getting back in the group and hitting right away just playing football again man you know I ain't hitting a while since last year but football always football man so I just keep it simple get out there and go at it man and compete and that's what C about competing and that's what I came here to do so while they were doing OTAs what were you uh kind of doing to keep uh I was working out but man I did a lot of hanging out with my son and my daughter man having fun with them my son was working out with me every day I start to feel a little retired man so so it but it was cool it was cool man just to hang out with my kids a little extra but it's it's even better just to get back here and they'll be able to watch me play this year how old are they uh my daughter she uh seven my son nine Mar you took a trip to Mexico uh yes your season yes yes you think about that I love Mexico man I went to Tulum this time but always it's always fun going to Mexico man looking forward to your season with the Ser yes yes yes thank you man I'm looking forward to seeing all the Mexican fans that's they great they great I remember playing out there with the Cardinals it's a great place to playus what can you bring just to the outside you know behind guys like TJ Alex uh man just really you know TJ and Alex great players man even Nick a great player he's going he's he's up next working hard every day me I can just come in man and do my role man come in go hard with those guys compete every day uh work with those guys and just push each other to get better man that's what we do that's why I really want to come back man it's just playing with Alex TJ and Nick man they some great young dudes man and just to be able to come back and play with him man it's really fun playing with those guys that time away that you had from the end of the season until now have you noticed a difference in Nick in the way he's whether whether it's the way he prepares just the way he's playing right now he going to be ready man that's who he is he he came in ready he came in I told him as a rookie man seem like you already been in the NFL he just put the work in man it ain't too many guys that come in that that young and put the work in he old school with it he come to work and put his Heaven on and go to work so that's why I love about him was last night maybe the most button pushing you've seen from both sides in one of those individual one-on-one periods when you guys got in the corner of the end zone and the backs on backers no man that's that's that it's early man in Camp and that's what it is man that guys want to get nasty and get to competing a little bit but I didn't seen worse man it's just part of Camp you keeping touch Alex Highsmith with him during this while he was away yeah I kept touching with him a little bit during the offseason so um you he's just a great guy um you know he's a great player you know he's he's a he's a OG he's been in this league for a while and so having him just adds a lot of value to our defense to our team so it was no surprise than he was signed back you know it's like say it's aesome Happ the back how important is it to have somebody like that that understands a role and willing to kind of do whatever for the team yeah I mean it's important you to have selfless guys like that you know cuz ultimately you got a bunch of selfless guys um on a team that makes it he a great team and he's someone who knows the system cuz he was here last year and so having him come back you know is is Big Force nice to have a guy like that especially you know like maybe if you or PJ have to take a break or take a breather then you come in and continue with what you guys you do out there yeah absolutely um just like I said you know he's someone who knows our system he he's been asleep for a while so he knows the game and so having guys like you know him and Nick um be able to come in and make a lot of place for us is going to be huge just like last year so I'm just very excited for it was last night as spicy as you made be seen some of those one-on ones get it was me it was very FY but you know um it makes us better competition makes us better and that's one thing Coach T uh just loves to see he loves to see us getting after and let to see the competition and so um ultimately it's iron on iron and it just makes us better but you know it definitely got feisty last night it was it was it was cool to see how has Camp been for you personally just as a whole yeah I mean I thought he been a good camp so far um feeling good know going to year five now it's crazy it's play every every year goes by faster and faster so body feels well and so um you know I just think it's been a good cancel part got to keep building I was going to say how much of that uh chippiness last night has trickled down from Mike and shping that he likes to do when you guys carry your pads as he likes to yeah I mean I mean that's just a drill you know that that that gets chippy because it's one-on-one and you know it's it's it's about as the back on back is about getting past the guy that you're going against and get to the quarterback and so I think it gets chippy just because of the nature of the drill but everything we do is about competition that's something that you know um he wants us to be competitors cuz ultimately this this game is a the biggest competitors league and so um he just wants to wants us during this training camp time to be able to to build that uh in US did he say anything to you guys before that or was it just kind of happened naturally it happens naturally me football's an emotional game you know and so um things happen at times but um like I said he just makes us better you andell seem to have a bit of a rivalry going on right now what how has he improved from last year as a blocker with you guys matching up all the time yeah he he's definitely shown a lot of improvement you know he's going to be um you know a huge Force this year when when it comes you know point of attack blocking in the Run game and also making um you know catches uh you know in the Red Zone just wherever in the field but you know he's he's a guy that's going to be huge for us and so it's been awesome to be able to go against him uh see him getting better and better every day how's he making you better as a competitor with the things maybe you're able to learn from a uniquely tall guy yeah I mean he he's he's a big tied end one of the big probably one of the biggest in the league and so going against him you know helps me cuz I'm able to work you know power moves against him and stuff like that so being able to go against guys like that I just like I said it's just iron and sharpen and iron hey how how important is Nick har on the position because the depth of the rushers huge you know Nick Nick's been getting better and better every day and so I'm just excited to see what he does this year and year two you know everyone knows you know he came in and made a lot of plays for us last year he's going to do the same this year so I think it's just so important and I love the depth that we have in our room Alex is some of that chippiness maybe a little extra intensity that you're seeing from the offense this year I mean I think just overall it's just going back to the competition part you know it's it's it's an emotional game so just having those drills really just you know it brings out that brings out the emotion emotions in all of us and it brings out that that competitive nature in all of us and so that's what that's that's what why Mike T has us doing those drills is because of you know to bring out their competive nature with us what have you learned from as a guys scoring is there areas another forward and more yeah I mean you know we want to be the best in every area um so whatever areas that we were not the best we to continue to get better in that area so I think for us it's just about uh you know being being physical playing fast playing smart having a good communication and just just being uh being consistent you know I think that's one thing we can take a step is being this year so I just like what we're going so far as the defense is where you can get better you know just kind of being better and being around us a couple times you we else you can improveed heading into this year yeah you know for me just you know being more consistent you know with my production I feel like and also just continue to get better um just throughout this camp and I continue to find my moves and so I think for me coming to year five you know I feel like I'm more of a leader now so just continue to use my voice I'm going help these younger guys uh be the best versions of themselves what have you learned from Justin going against him in the seven shots and then some of these team periods yeah he's he's fast that's for sure um but you know he's been he's in uh he's been Bing so far and so I'm just excited to see the way that he's been getting better every day um you know like I said about him being fast I took a bad angle on him on a like a reader read option play and he got outside before a touchdown so he's he's a guy that um know he's very he's very unique in his talents and so he's going to be a huge asset for us is that where he threw up the peace sign to you guys as he went into the end zone uh might have been I can't remember that as part of the linebacker position the inside linebacker Patrick green right now he moved the defense so fast how does he help on defense oh I mean he helped so much you know he's a he's a guy who's a veteran in this league now you know your five as well and so um you know he's he's a baller so just having him for our defense he brings a lot of um carefulness to our defense and he brings a lot of energy and juice to our defense and so we're just excited to have him as part of our defense you know now on our team instead of I guess our Rivals going going back to some question about Fields I mean you guys have a lot of mobile quarterbacks this year is there some silver L to see or some advantage to seeing him so much yeah I mean absolutely it's like you said we play a lot of Q QV Mobility um throughout the year especially in the division um so I think it's just going to help us over off the defense against for for you is there anything that you look to improve on during the offseason is it about like adding maybe another move to your repertoire or is it more about like fine tuning know the that you it's really fine tuning um adding a couple but more is just fine tuning getting bigger pass did you notice any difference in like how the offensive tackles were playing you throughout the season last year at all yeah I mean I know something you know for me is like you know I've always you know P out my SP with a lot of guys and so I see different tackles tting that different ways and so just trying to figure out different ways that that guys or so but also just ref the moves that already happen thanks how much has it helped having Ryan Watts Deshawn take you under his wing he said you basically stayed with him the night before you guys drove out here and he he said you felt like his son a little bit I don't know I don't know what that for now but that's definitely my brother I mean when I got here he took me under his wing he helped me and knowing that I play corner so he just make sure let me know all the differences at safety and being every step of the way to let me know how to read the game faster what if you start learned so far just about the style of Defense the Steelers have and maybe the the attitude that you guys want to bring on that side of the ball oh yeah physical man and uh shoot people told me before it's going to be one of the hardest training camps I like can't be too much harder than college cuz College they run you through the dirt but n it's hard and I think that's that's what makes a team so good having that physicality every year for fall Camp it brings the best out of you you you Embrace that kind of camp like that oh yeah yeah I think that's the best way to do it not having an easy way out or shoot just get getting the best out of you cuz you going to get the best out of somebody over here they isolate you and then we tackle in every time we have P we tackle in we going hard every Tom been coaching you pretty hard as a rookie coming here too yeah I mean he got to know transition so he got to be hard on me uh so I can help grow they see the best what buttons does he try to push with you when he's behind you in a driller or in your ear oh just being more just being physical because you know I play corner and you think feel like some Corners might not be physical but I'm trying to show them that I am maybe he'll put you in backs on backers then if you're playing a little d my back you have a fair amount of experience playing special teams uh college level have you started to you know see that as a possibility for yourself here uh so far through Camp oh yeah most definitely trying to make my way in the new kickoff rule trying to show show my my talents out in there and then being out there on Gunner e e e e e e e for