Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner told reporters today that he had offensive lineman Isaac Seumalo address the team earlier this week about his playoff and Super Bowl experiences. Seumalo was a member of the 2017 Eagles team that won a Super Bowl with Nick Foles at quarterback, and Faulkner wanted Seumalo to draw on that experience to get guys focused.
“Whatever resource we can pull from guys to get them headed in the right direction we’ll use. When he speaks people listen, so that’s cool,” Faulkner said about Seumalo, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Seumalo has been regarded as a “silent killer,” but throughout the preseason members of the offensive line praised him for his mentorship and giving guys tips, in addition to how much he communicates on the field before and between plays. He’s an experienced player who played on one of football’s best offensive lines over the last few years with the Philadelphia Eagles, and he has playoff experience and Super Bowl experience.
On the offense as a whole, no one has won a playoff game with the Steelers. Seumalo has won a Super Bowl with a backup quarterback under center in a situation that’s somewhat similar to the one the Steelers are in now, with Mason Rudolph starting. Foles had more experience as a starter in the 2017 season than Rudolph did this year, but the general idea of both teams entering the playoffs with a backup starting is the same. I’m sure Seumalo and the rest of the Steelers want to go on a similar run to that 2017 Eagles team.
As Faulkner said, any resource the Steelers can use to motivate their guys and get everyone locked in on the ultimate mission of winning the Super Bowl, they’ll use. Seumalo has the unique experience of previously being in a similar situation Pittsburgh is in now so he’s a natural player to have address the team. Coupled with the fact that he’s a guy people are going to listen to when he talks and he’s a player really respected in the Steelers locker room, it’s a good move by Faulkner to get the offense motivated and locked in.
Given the weather forecast on Sunday in Buffalo, it might be a game where the Steelers need to rely on Seumalo and their offensive line to bolster their run game. It’s shaping up to be a gritty game, and those are the games Pittsburgh has had success in winning over the last few years. Hopefully, they can muck the game up and overcome the weather and win their first playoff game since 2016.
