Myles Jack couldn't hide his excitement shortly after officially becoming a member of the Steelers. For the majority of his introductory presser with the Pittsburgh media, the former Jaguars linebacker flashed a mile-wide grin while describing his excitement on joining the Steelers' defense.
Along with teaming up with All-Pros Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt, Jack is also excited to join forces with Brian Flores, who earlier this offseason was named Pittsburgh's new senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach. Flores was added to the Steelers' coaching staff after he was unceremoniously fired by the Dolphins despite becoming Miami's first head coach in nearly 20 years to post consecutive winning seasons.
"He's a great coach," Jack said of Flores, who before coming to Miami won four Super Bowls as a member of the Patriots' staff. "I saw what he did last year in Miami, how he turned that whole thing around. I think it was amazing what he did. After I told Coach Tomlin we were definitely going to make this thing happen, I actually got a chance to talk with Coach Flores, and we both kind of came to the agreement that we both have something to prove. Him feeling his way in his situation and myself feeling like, getting released, I feel like I got a second chance at life. I'm just super excited.
"I feel like we kind of vibed about that connection. I'm very excited to work with him and just see what I can learn and see how we can collaborate to make this thing go."
Likes Flores, Jack experienced a surprising release from a franchise where he enjoyed success. In 2017, Jack helped the Jaguars upset the heavily favored Steelers in the divisional round of the playoffs. His first-quarter interception of Ben Roethlisberger set up the game's first touchdown, as the Jaguars left Pittsburgh with a 45-42 win. While he helped quiet the sellout Heinz Field crowd that day, Jack is hoping to give Steelers fans plenty of things to cheer about in the coming years.
"It's definitely a great memory," Jack said of that game. "I think the main thing that I remember is the fans and the energy. It's almost something out of a movie coming up here playing and seeing those towels going and everything. … The fans were so into it. Even the Steelers players, they were feeding off of the fans' energy, it's a real thing."
Jack is hoping to add his name to the list of Steelers linebackers who helped deliver a championship to Pittsburgh, a list of players who include Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Andy Russell, James Farrior and James Harrison. The Steelers, a 9-7-1 outfit in 2021, have put themselves in position to compete to win the AFC North division after acquiring Jack, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, offensive linemen James Daniels and Mason Cole, and former All-Pro special teams ace Gunner Olszewski in free agency.
"The organization, just the history behind defense as a whole, being a part of the Steelers, I think there's just an expectation, it's a mentality that you have to have to be a part of it," Jack said. "I'm just super eager to just play ball and make plays and contribute. That's all I really want to do is help the Steelers win a championship."
