Attention to detail is a major sticking point for this year’s Steelers, both on the field and in the locker room.
Star defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick played his college football under Nick Saban at Alabama, for whom details are everything. Among them: no stepping on the team logo on the floor in the locker room.
After years of reported discussion on instituting a similar policy in Pittsburgh, Fitzpatrick took it upon himself ahead of the 2023 season. The three-time All-Pro discussed the matter with the equipment staff, taking the lead on putting up stanchions around the famed Steelers logo on the floor of the team’s locker room.
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“I’m very, very big on the details,” Fitzpatrick said, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “I think that something as small as keeping our logo clean, it’s simple, but it means a lot at the end of the day.”
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Fitzpatrick’s concern with the logo’s cleanliness is just the latest example of how intense his focus on the little things can be. It is one of the attributes that has made him one of the NFL’s best safeties since entering the league, and his teammates have taken notice. Speaking to ESPN, young quarterback Kenny Pickett described breaking down film with Fitzpatrick, while T.J. Watt feted him for his detailed note-taking.
“He’s always been that guy,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin told ESPN of Fitzpatrick. “This is nothing new, and I think that’s part of the reason why he’s a great player. When you take a guy who obviously has outstanding ability – he’s got really good football sense – but then he just works at the game so hard and [is] always trying to improve his craft. That’s why he plays the way he does.”
