When your brother owns as much hardware as J.J. Watt happens to have, there's some pressure to live up to a certain standard. That pressure becomes even a little greater when you're a linebacker selected in the first round of the draft.
That's what Trent Jordan Watt, better known as T.J., had facing him in 2017.
With an older brother who had followed a similar career arc -- former college tight end who shifted to defense to eventually become a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year -- the comparisons went beyond just sharing the same parents.
And T.J. Watt largely didn't disappoint last season as a rookie with the Steelers, starting 15 of the team's 16 games and recording 54 tackles, seven sacks, one interception and seven passes defensed.
But his production did wane as the season wore on. And in the Steelers' season-ending playoff loss to Jacksonville, he recorded just two tackles, though he was hardly alone in not playing well that day on the defensive side of the ball.
For a guy whose maturity belies his true age of 23, it was a time for introspection. And though he wouldn't admit it during the season, Watt realized he needed a break.
"I took a few weeks," Watt told me earlier this week. "I took over 900-and-some snaps last season, so it was very important to take some rest. I'm not a guy who likes to take rest, so it was hard to do. I ate some good food, gave my mind a rest, gave my body a rest and I came back and I feel great, rejuvenated and ready to go."
Ready to go and ready to build on a solid first season when it would have been easy to shut things down completely after going at it hard for well over 16 months after his final season at Wisconsin followed by training for the NFL Scouting Combine and then a full season with the Steelers in which he was constantly on the field, even in the preseason.
That will be the key for Watt. He doesn't just want to be good. He wants to be great. That's good, because with Ryan Shazier out, the Steelers need someone to pick up the mantle of the next great linebacker.
Watt might be the best candidate. And he won't shy away from the pressure that comes along with perhaps being that guy.
"It's a new season. It's a clean slate. I've got everything to prove," he said. "No stats matter right now. Everything is back to zero. I've got to go out and try to produce and try to be the best player I can be, not only for myself, but for this team."
The Steelers have flipped Watt and fellow outside linebacker Bud Dupree, putting Watt on the left side of the defense and Dupree on the right. And it hasn't looked experimental. Those two have worked exclusively on those sides.
That could put Watt more in the mix to take on a more active role against opposing passing games since tight ends more regularly line up on the right side of the offense -- though that can certainly change.
He's fine with that, as well; whatever puts the team in the best position to win. Besides, he knows how things can change over time as the team, like Watt himself, continues to develop and grow.
It's that healthy attitude and approach that help you see just what kind of player Watt can be. Football is fun. It's a game. But he's still deadly serious about it -- even after being forced to take a "few" weeks off.
• Joe Musgrove isn't making anyone forget Gerrit Cole just yet, but winning his first two starts, including one against the Cubs Wednesday night, was a good first step.
So, too, was his takeout slide against Javier Baez. OK, calling it a "takeout" slide might be a little bit of a stretch. But he went in hard, much harder than you typically see a pitcher.
And his explanation tweaking the Cubs and idiot-in-chief manager Joe Maddon that it was just a baseball play was perfect.
Not only was his pitching performance -- seven innings and one run -- needed, but so was that slide and explanation. In this case, it was the Cubs who came out looking punkish after the Pirates looked that way following Anthony Rizzo's illegal cheap dive at Elias Diaz' legs two nights before.
• How do you know Maddon is saying something disingenuous? His lips are moving.
Seriously, this guy would defend Jack the Ripper if he were wearing a C on his hat while complaining the next day that Mother Theresa didn't help enough people.
• I made my prediction in the staff Stanley Cup finals picks of the Caps winning in six. OK, it's in the comments. But that's my pick and I'll stand by it.
This Washington team has shown a lot of resiliency you have to respect -- even if you don't have to like them.
• As I noted the other day, this could be a big year for the Steelers' tight ends. I really like what Vance McDonald can add to this team in terms of his athleticism, something the Steelers haven't had since before Heath Miller's knee was wrecked at the end of the 2012 season.
Jesse James also has continued to grow and turns just 24 in a couple of days, as he heads into his fourth NFL season.
The Steelers have made a conscious effort to draft young players and allow them to grow and mature while learning. It gives you a lot of potential for upside when it works out, to be sure.
But there also is some risk involved. Sometimes, young players just don't hit. Yes, Bud Dupree, we're still waiting for you to put it all together at 25 and four years into this thing.
• Johnny Manziel is starting his career in the CFL for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as a backup. To Jeremiah Masoli.
That's perfect. Because if you want Manziel to look like a choir boy, make him the backup behind a guy like Masoli, who was suspended at Oregon after being convicted of second-degree burglary and later kicked out of school after being charged with marijuana possession.
Joe Maddon would argue both guys have just had some minor dustups if he were their manager.
• Mychal Kendricks, released last week by Philadelphia, has started visiting teams around the league. He met with Philadelphia first and went to Cleveland Friday.
Kendricks would be a perfect fit for what the Steelers could use, an inside linebacker who can run. But it doesn't appear they're in the running for Kendricks, who also is expected to visit the Raiders next week.
Cleveland can offer the most money, but Minnesota can offer him the chance to play with his brother, Eric. Oakland, meanwhile, would give him the opportunity to return to his hometown.
The Steelers also are happy with what they've seen thus far of Jon Bostic. He looks very fluid in coverage, much more so than most thought.