Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin likes to point out the challenges of players trying to “jump on a moving train” in the middle of training camp, the preseason and even during the season.
This year, due to a number of injuries defensively, a handful of guys had to do just that for the Steelers. One player in particular, linebacker Mykal Walker, was the first man up and had to move fast to get on the moving train after the Steelers lost linebackers Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander to season-ending injuries in back-to-back weeks.
It was a tough task going from the practice squad to the lineup in roughly 10 days, but Walker gives a lot of credit to inside linebackers coach Aaron Curry for helping him get up to speed and adjust to the Steelers’ system.
Appearing on the Gaelic Gridiron Podcast on YouTube, Walker had a ton of praise for his position coach.
“It wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, jump on a moving train, coming to a team that already has a lot of things going for them,” Walker said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page.” You come to a team like Pittsburgh, who has a lot of tradition, a lot of expectations, you kind of just have to hop on the train and get going. My linebacker coach, Aaron Curry, does a great job and I meet with him all the time.
“He’s done a really good job of getting me up to speed and allowing me to play. I think I was only on practice squad for like 10 days before I got the starting job. So, I just really give a big shout-out to my linebacker coach for getting me ready.”
The Steelers signed Walker to their practice squad on Oct. 30, adding depth and experience to the position group. They were out in front of the injury issues as Walker was signed ahead of the Week Eight matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Then, in Week Nine against the Tennessee Titans Cole Holcomb went down with a knee injury and in Week 10 Kwon Alexander tore his Achilles, ending his season.
That led to Walker being elevated into a starting role, which came with some ups and downs.
He was still trying to jump onto the moving train, but thanks to coaching from Curry and meeting with him daily, Walker was able to hold down a role, even wearing a green dot at one point for the Steelers.
Walker isn’t the only one to praise Curry in recent days. Standout defensive lineman Cameron Heyward praised Curry for helping the Steelers hold things together despite injuries during his latest podcast, stating that the Steelers staying afloat despite injuries at the position is a testament to Curry, not to mention defensive backs coach Grady Brown with the injuries in the secondary.
Curry is in his first season with the Steelers after being hired away from the Seattle Seahawks in late February.
Though his role has been reduced in recent weeks with the emergence of Myles Jack and the increased role for Mark Robinson, Walker still remains a key piece in the inside linebacker room for the Steelers alongside veteran Elandon Roberts.
On the year, Walker had 33 tackles in eight games with the Steelers, starting five of them. He also had two tackles for loss, two passes defensed and one interception, which he returned 30 yards in the Week 14 matchup against the Patriots. He has a grade of 52.9 overall from Pro Football Focus entering the playoffs.
Check out the full episode of the Gaelic Gridiron podcast with Walker below.
