HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. -- From the time I was a player right up to my first season out of the league, there are three questions I’m constantly asked in regard to the Steelers.
“How is the locker room?”
“How good of a coach is Mike Tomlin?”
“What’s it like playing for the Rooney family?”
Those questions are all kind of intertwined when it comes to my column today about three special players — Tyson Alualu, Joe Haden and Chris Boswell. Consistency, loyalty and a culture that allows players to thrive are so very important.
Tomlin helps create the culture and demands the consistency. The Rooneys are as loyal and steady as any of the league’s majority owners. Add it all up and you see why so many former Steelers say Pittsburgh is forever home to them. These also are reasons why the current club is 9-0.
The brotherhood and workplace environment revolves around performance. I love the fact Tomlin doesn’t give guys a number grade, it’s simply “above the line” or “below the line.” That’s how football is: some days are better than others as far as your overall performance. Your ability is constantly graded as pass or fail.
There’s no question analytics are part of the equation at 3400 South Water Street, but they don’t tell the whole story. A lot of it comes down to what players are willing to do that leads to your personal success inside the team concept. Tomlin and his assistants aren’t helicopter coaches. They allow you to mature and grow into the player the team needs you to be.
That’s often what brings out the best in guys.
Such an environment enables players to weather rough stretches and/or start over again, which brings us to Alualu, Haden and Boswell.
Alualu is, first and foremost, an amazing person, through his spirituality and focus on family. He’s a tremendous father. As a player, he’s a former first-round pick of the Jaguars in 2010. He was good enough to earn a second contract with the club and he played seven years there. Unfortunately, the franchise has lacked stability, and it’s been a revolving door for players and coaches.
The defensive lineman easily could have checked out and settled down to raise his kids. Instead, he wanted more. At age 33, he’s having a tremendous season despite missing three games with injury. Heading into Sunday’s game, only T.J. Watt had earned a higher grade (92.0) on the Steelers, according to Pro Football Focus, than Alualu (91.0). He has thrived in the culture established by Tomlin and the veterans in the locker room.
Against the Bengals on Sunday, Tomlin made the comment that it was good to have “varsity play” back at the nose-tackle position with Alualu. The league’s top-rated defense, according to PFF research, hasn’t missed a beat with Javon Hargrave's departure to Philadelphia.
Even while serving as Hargrave's backup, Alualu acted as a mentor, sharing his knowledge from a decade in the league. There was never any spite or animosity. Given another chance to start, Alualu has rewarded the faith Tomlin and the staff placed in him. He’s a key contributor on an undefeated team.
The signing of Haden will go down as one of the club’s best in recent memory. I’ll never forget when we got the news the cornerback was going to be cut in Cleveland and we were in the running to sign him. You wanna talk about a bunch of fully grown men acting like kids and begging our parents for the new Nintendo on Christmas .... it was almost shameful, but you see why now. Since walking into the building, the 31-year-old Haden has done nothing but elevate the play of those around him.
Unless you’re Eli Manning, you don’t have much control in who drafts you. Joe flourished on bad Cleveland teams, earning a couple of Pro Bowl trips. His success did not translate to wins, however. In eight seasons with the Browns, the club won 29 games. In three-plus seasons in Pittsburgh, Haden has collected 39 wins, and is headed back to the playoffs for the second time in four years. Let that sink in.
As a leader, he challenges guys to be better. Haden is an elder statesman, but he still works as hard as a youngster trying to earn his place in the lineup.That does nothing but push the others in the defensive backs room. He might not be playing at an All-Pro level, but he still relishes a shot at shutting down the opponent’s No. 1 receiver. Did you see him out there Sunday, breaking up three passes and making life miserable for the Bengals?
Joe is loving life in the stable environs the Rooneys helped foster. So what if the Steelers missed the playoffs the past two seasons? Some franchises might consider making a change. Ownership here never thought of moving on from Tomlin, who’s enjoying a coach-of-the-year type season.
Haden played for five head coaches in Cleveland. It’s likely he’ll only play for one in Pittsburgh.
That’s the same with Boswell. When we added “Bos” in 2015, Tomlin bragged about how he was a football player first. Coach raved about how tough he was. Boswell is from Texas, where high school football is king. Some of the stadiums those kids play in put small-college venues to shame.
“Bos” showed everyone his toughness in enduring a difficult 2018 season when he converted just 13 of 20 field-goal attempts and missed five extra points. His first three years in the league gave no warning for what happened that season.
Fans don’t understand how demoralizing and cruel this game can be at times. There were not only boos, but death threats from fans. Nothing was working, and he needed a mental break.
Kickers and punters are among the most disposable players on a roster. A few bad games are enough to get you cut. But Tomlin and special teams coach Danny Smith stuck with Bos. They showed faith in him. You have to be strong to survive in this league, and Boswell demonstrated that Texas toughness. Tomlin’s willingness to ride out the rough patch has paid off handsomely.
Since the start of last season, he’s 43 of 45 on field-goal tries, and is perfect in 14 attempts this year. Two weeks ago, he drilled the longest kick in franchise history, 59 yards, in the win over the Cowboys.
Tomlin, the Rooneys and the veterans on this club understand that sometimes guys just need a chance to redeem themselves.
From the days of the legendary Bill Nunn, the organization has found hidden gems and let them mature into good players. James Harrison, Antonio Brown, Jordan Dangerfield, Ola Adeniyi, Matt Feiler Alejandro Villanueva, Mike Hilton and even myself. The Steelers also don’t give up on players as long as they believe you’re willing to work within their culture.
Alualu, Haden and Boswell are examples of why I give such glowing answers to those three questions at the top of today’s column.