When the Steelers signed safety Nat Berhe in free agency earlier this year, many casual fans were likely not impressed.
But anyone who had seen the New York Giants play the past four seasons had a pretty good idea who Berhe is. You don't get tagged with the nickname "The Missile," without being a player people should know.
Even if that's the case among fans, you'd better believe opposing teams will know who Berhe is. And if the guys in the AFC aren't aware of who he is after three years in the NFC with the New York Giants, they'll find out quickly when they turn on tape.
That's where they'll see hits like this:
Acclerate through contact. #MissileTipsForTheKids? pic.twitter.com/yGTkQ4IwVB
— Natnael Berhe (@NatBerhe) June 23, 2018
Or this hit, which actually earned him his nickname.
My first game. The play I earned the nickname. Put that shoulder center mass. #TheMissile? pic.twitter.com/6fH3c4P4AB
— Natnael Berhe (@NatBerhe) March 19, 2018
When Berhe tackles someone, they stay tackled. And, despite his ferocious hits, he's never been fined, something of a surprise in today's NFL. Berhe hits hard. The Missile strikes hard and blows things up. But he also strikes cleanly.
"I got it in preseason my rookie year with the Giants," Berhe told me of the nickname. "I was playing deep half safety and they dumped the ball out on a tight end screen and I came up and blew up the play. My coach was like, 'That was like a missile.' I kind of ran with the whole thing. It kind of blew up, but that’s what it was."
Berhe appeared in 38 games in three seasons with the Giants, making two starts. But where he really made a name for himself was on special teams. He recorded 10 tackles on special teams in 2017 and 11 in 2015. He was limited to three special teams tackles in seven games in 2016 because of an injury.
After releasing former special teams captain Robert Golden at the start of free agency, the Steelers made no secret of their desire to bring in a solid veteran special teams player in the offseason, kicking the tires on New England's Matthew Slater and Michael Thomas of Miami before signing Berhe to a one-year deal. He's fine with that.
"I got that feel from the head coach to the ownership that special teams, they really need an ace there," Berhe told me. "I’ve been doing it for four years now. It’s kind of my niche."
And while some veteran players might balk at that, not Berhe. He wants to put together a long NFL career. If that comes in a special teams role, so be it.
"I’ve seen it. I’ve seen 10, 12 around the league, just on special teams," he said. "Longevity. Man, that’s what it’s about."
When you're a player who's bucking the odds such as Berhe, you'll take whatever you can get. But Berhe isn't simply bucking the odds by carving out a niche as a special teams ace. He's a groundbreaking player in another way.
Berhe's father, Berhe Asfaha, immigrated to the United States in 1970 from Eritrea, a small African nation tucked along the coast of the Red Sea and bordered by Ethiopia and Somalia. When the Giants selected Berhe in the fifth round of the 2014 draft out of San Diego State, he became the first player of Eritrean heritage to be selected by an NFL team. Heck, he's the only player of Eritrean heritage in the NFL.
But Berhe was born in Southern California. And he didn't find football until later in life.
"Guys in my area were getting scholarships," he said. "I didn’t start playing until high school, so it just kind of became a full-time job."
And he was pretty good at it, even if his dad, an avid soccer fan, didn't necessarily understand the game.
"Initially," Berhe told me of his father's lack of understanding of the game. "Through high school, he kept watching and then in college, he got better."
It doesn't hurt that his dad can watch a lot of his son's NFL games on TV, even though he's on the opposite coast. The Giants get a lot of nationally televised games. That won't change with his new team.
"Yeah. I’m pretty lucky. Both teams have won Super Bowls and both teams know how to win," he said. "You might as well stick with that kind of environment when you find it."