When ‘silent killer’ Isaac Seumalo speaks, Steelers locker room listens
Share this post:
The jubilant postgame locker room after the Pittsburgh Steelers beat their rivals on the road to complete their regular season last week featured plenty of hooting and hollering. But in the celebratory mood after defeating the Baltimore Ravens put the Steelers in position to earn a playoff berth, one player reaction perhaps stood out most.
“Like, even Isaac was smiling,” running back Najee Harris said.
Knowing he was referencing veteran left guard Isaac Seumalo, gathered media collectively chucked.
“Exactly, right?” Harris said. “You’re laughing because you all know what I mean. So, to see him smile is good.”
Harris went on to call Seumalo, “a silent killer.” And while Seumalo is well-liked by teammates, he keeps them guessing with the stoic, no-nonsense demeanor he exudes. (Consider that Seumalo politely declined an interview related to this story).
“He’s a guy of few words,” interim offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner said. “But obviously, when he speaks people listen. So, that’s cool.”
Faulkner tried to leverage that by asking Seumalo to speak to the offense en masse this week in advance of the Steelers’ playoff opener. And with only two players on the roster having played in a Steelers postseason victory, Seumalo’s status as a Super Bowl champion and two-time Super Bowl participant carries some stature among his teammates.
“Isaac’s been here before,” Faulkner said. “He was on (the 2017 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles), and he has been no-nonsense.
“Just talking whatever resource we can pull from guys in hopes to get us heading in the right direction we’ll use. The guys respect Isaac because of the way he goes about his business. We love it. We love having him up there.”
The Steelers in March signed Seumalo, who recently turned 30, to a three-year, $24 million contract. He is the second-oldest starter on offense, though less-used slot receiver Allen Robinson was born just two months prior. Aside from No. 3 quarterback Mitch Trubisky, Robinson is also the only Steelers offensive player who’s played more NFL seasons than Seumalo’s eight.
“I appreciate his availability, his professionalism, his preparedness and then ultimately his play,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “He brings a no-nonsense blue-collar approach, man, and when you are in my position, you value guys like that. You know that you can count on him. And he’s definitively been that.”
Seumalo has played 97% of the Steelers’ offensive snaps this season, missing only 35 minutes of the Dec. 2 game against the Arizona Cardinals. Seumalo suffered a shoulder injury in that game but has played through it over the past five games.
Even if you count Robinson’s two prior postseason games, Seumalo has appeared in as many playoff games (nine) as the entire rest of the Steelers’ projected starting lineup on offense combined. Hence, why he was chosen to speak.
“Man, Isaac never talks, so when he gets up to say something, everybody wants to hear what he has to say,” rookie right tackle Broderick Jones said. “He’s just telling us, we have to take it game by game, play by play. Don’t dwell on the past too much because this is a whole new season. You’ve got to be able to lock in mentally, emotionally, physically and just continue to do our best to stay on course because that’s the biggest thing at this part of the season.”
Harris recalled how Eagles center Jason Kelce lamented the loss of Seumalo in free agency, saying the Steelers got “a steal” and calling Seumalo “one of the best guards in the NFL.”
“And we’re seeing that,” Harris said. “We see him road-grade people. He doesn’t say anything, but you can see the defeat on the defender’s face. Isaac is going to keep doing it, and he might smirk, but that’s about it.”
Hey, Steelers Nation, get the latest news about the Pittsburgh Steelers here.