Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo is frequently praised for his intelligence, and has been the main talking point since he signed with the team this offseason after spending a number of years across the state playing for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Less discussion has been had about the physicality with which he plays, and where it comes from. The reality is that you don’t have to look far. Seumalo’s father is a defensive line coach. The offensive lineman himself even played on the other side of the ball. He knows a thing or two about smacking people around—and enjoys it.
“I think the thing that gets overlooked at offensive line is you have the ability and the license to play very violently, at times, and really how to accurately and precisely be violent”, he said on Steelers Nation Radio’s The Drive with Dale Lolley and Matt Williamson. “You’re allowed to go out there and hit people without regard for laws and rules of mankind”.
That was a rather vivid description of the physicality that can go along with offensive line play, but also perhaps a description one might be more likely to expect from the men he is tasked to block. The thing is, he knows that perspective, too, because he was there.
“I played d-line in high school. I think it just came down that I’d be better on this side”, he said. “As an offensive lineman, the more you know about d-linemen, the better you can play. Seeing things from their perspective and why they do what they do makes you more comfortable in why you have to do what you do as an offensive lineman”.
And having a father whose literal job is to train defensive linemen probably isn’t a bad resource, either. Not that all offensive linemen don’t have access to defensive line coaches. You are allowed to talk to coaches other than your own position coach, coordinator, and head coach.
Signed to a three-year, $24 million contract, Seumalo brings seven years of experience and 60 starts with him to Pittsburgh. At 29 years old, he is the oldest starter in the offensive line room and the second-oldest offensive lineman on the team behind Le’Raven Clark, who, like Nate Herbig, he also played with in Philadelphia.
The Steelers have been active this offseason in installing a more physical and aggressive culture throughout the roster, including the offensive line. Not that the team has ever shied away from that aspect of the game before, but that has become a greater point of emphasis now, in the first full season under the new front office.
Of course, the good thing about Seumalo is that he is not just a bruiser. Once again, he is the son of a football coach. He knows what he’s doing out there—and probably what his teammates and his opponents are doing, as well. Combining the physical with the intellectual, when healthy, has allowed him to be one of the more underrated linemen in the league, which he now hopes to bring to Pittsburgh.
