Myles Jack happy to leave Jaguars for ‘culture’ of Steelers

Myles Jack can say something that none of the other 2022 projected 21 starters on offense or defense for the Pittsburgh Steelers can say.

He participated in a playoff victory at Heinz Field.

“I have been keeping it quiet,” Jack said last week in the Steelers locker room, “because I don’t want to get jumped in here.”

Jack laughed.

“Yeah, I’ve got a win or two up here.”

Jack’s Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2017 season became the only team in NFL history to beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh twice in one season. His first-quarter interception during a Jan. 14, 2018, divisional round game set up the Jaguars’ second touchdown en route to a 21-0 lead on their way to a 45-42 win that wasn’t as close as that score might indicate.

The Steelers have only one postseason win on the North Shore over the past 11 seasons — a number matched by Jack, a speedy inside linebacker who signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the team in March.

Jack played his first six NFL seasons for a Jacksonville team that went an aggregate 28-69; the Steelers went a combined 62-33-2 over that same span. But in terms of playoff victories, the Jaguars hold a 2-0 edge — including 1-0 head-to-head during their January 2017 run to the AFC championship game.

ILB Myles Jack on leaving the Jaguars to sign with the Steelers pic.twitter.com/qjsFmkOQIf

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) May 31, 2022

“That was a fun year, for sure,” Jack said last week after one of his first organized team activities sessions with the Steelers. “But the main thing I remember (about Pittsburgh) is the crowd, because we didn’t get too many crowds like that in Jacksonville. So, just seeing the (Terrible) Towels going crazy… the energy and atmosphere, coming out pregame, hearing the crowd go crazy, the energy. Because typically in Jacksonville we didn’t get too many games that were really packed like that.”

That’s not the only thing Jack wasn’t getting with the Jaguars that he’s now already seeing in Pittsburgh.

“It’s the culture, man,” said Jack, who made some subtle references to the situation with the Jaguars that has been described as “toxic” in recent years in general and last season under the tumultuous coaching tenure of Urban Meyer in particular.

“That’s what people always say, but coming from where I came from and coming here, you see why this team is successful. The mission is clear, there’s no secrets. If there’s a problem, it gets addressed right then and there. And I feel like that’s the only way to win — if everybody is held accountable. So I have enjoyed it, it’s been great.”

What would make Jack’s arrival great from the Steelers’ perspective would be if he finally satisfies their long sought-after quest for a playmaking, three-down inside linebacker. Since the career-ending injury to Ryan Shazier in 2017, the Steelers have tried veterans Jon Bostic, Mark Barron and Joe Schobert, in addition to trading up 10 spots to draft Devin Bush in 2019.

None of the veterans were good enough to last more than one season, and Bush has been enough of a disappointment that the Steelers last month declined his 2023 fifth-year option.

Still, the organization is hopeful Jack (still just 26 years old) can play at a high level and that Bush can fulfill his promise now that he’s 20 months out from surgery to repair a torn ACL.

After LB Myles Jack signed a free-agent contract with the #Steelers in March, a concern emerged from his days with the #Jaguars. https://t.co/YqgwmTN5T6

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) June 2, 2022

Simply put, if the each of the tandem of Jack and Bush plays to his potential (and that’s a big if), the Steelers theoretically could have one of the NFL’s best inside linebacker tandems.

“Myles is a playmaker,” Bush said. “When you take away everything and think of Myles Jack, I think of a playmaker. He’s a guy who is rangy, he’s a guy who played running back in college. That tells you a lot.”

Jack had seven touchdowns in five games as a running back his freshman year at UCLA, but he was a freshman all-American at linebacker. That’s where he ultimately became a star for the Bruins before a knee injury early in his junior season ended his college career and contributed to a fall to the second round of the ensuing draft.

Eight-eight NFL games, 513 tackles, three interceptions and two defensive touchdowns later, Jack has proven he’s a capable starting inside linebacker.

“He’s in the right spot, he’s in the right places,” Bush said. “He’s able to score touchdowns, have turnovers… A guy you can put anywhere. He adds lots to a versatile defense (and) he’s an every-down linebacker, too. We complement each other well in that aspect.”

Happy for a fresh start with a traditionally upper-echelon organization to kick off the second stage of his pro career, Jack vows he can be the sideline-to-sideline presence the Steelers have been yearning for.

“That’s what I am here for,” he said. “Just run and hit and (deploy) me to cover everything.”

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