Following a 38-16 drubbing of the Washington Redskins, the Pittsburgh Steelers now have their minds set on their AFC North division rival Cincinnati Bengals.
In this week 2 edition of “Whose Stock is Up”, I chose two former unsung heroes from the Steelers. The first plays one of the most under appreciated positions in all of sports, while still currently serving as a Captain in the United States Army. The second has been a special teams captain of the Steelers since 2014, and recently earned the starting safety position.
Offensive Player Whose Stock is Rising: Alejandro Villanueva
Both of Alejandro Vilanueva’s career choices are ironic in contrast. Villanueva has served 3 tours in Afghanistan as a Captain in the United States Army. For his other career, he plays one of the more marginalized positions in the NFL as an offensive lineman.
Going undrafted in the 2010 draft, Villanueva tried out with the Bengals and Bears but was not signed.The Philadelphia Eagles signed him to play defensive end in 2014, eventually being cut on August 23rd. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin discovered Villanueva and signed him to the practice squad. His first game came against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2015 at left tackle when Kelvin Beachum left the game with a torn ACL. He has started 3 games and the 2016 season opener at left tackle since.
Although Vilanueva is still raw at the offensive line position, his size and work ethic resulted in solid play so far. Redskins LInebacker Ryan Kerrigan was held to 2 tackles while matched up with Villanueva. As a result DeAngelo Willams amassed 143 yards by running the power concept behind Vilanueva often. Villanueva also did not allow a sack against Washington.
Alejandro Villanueva is the epitome of what it means to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. His journey to the NFL paired with his position and the way he plays the game encapsulates the drive, grit, and determination needed to be successful in today’s NFL..
Defensive Player Whose Stock is Rising: Robert Golden
After the departure of 12 year veteran safety Will Allen, the Steelers looked for an answer to fill that position. After a fierce competition through the preseason with Shamarko Thomas for the starting job, Robert Golden became that answer.
The Steelers signed Golden in 2012 as an undrafted free agent. He started to see real game action in his 3rd season, playing in all 16 games. Last season Golden made his first career start against the Kansas City Chiefs in week 6. He finished with a career high in tackles (8) and a pass deflections. He played well enough to earn two more starts after that game, and presently has the starting safety job.
The Steelers match up vs the AFC North rival Cincinnati Bengals will be Golden’s biggest test to date. Golden and the entire secondary will have to do more of the same that they did against the Redskins to stymie an exceptional quarterback-receiver parlay of Andy Dalton and AJ Green. The combination of those two resulted in AJ Green accumulating 3 100 yard performances with touchdowns in each over the last 2 seasons. His highest yards recorded during that span was 224 yards, with his lowest total being an above average 82 yards.
Although the Steelers secondary was below average the past 2 seasons, they will be different in 2016. I know it’s only week 2, but week 1 gives a glimmer of optimism for the remainder of the season. Although allowing 329 yards, Golden and the Steelers forced 2 interceptions and did not allow a passing touchdown vs Washington. This “bend but don’t break” style of play is essential to the success of the Steelers Defense. Golden won the job from a man the Steelers drafted to take Polamalu’s place, which should give fans solace about the future.