The old saying is “never meet your heroes,” but Pittsburgh Steelers’ defensive lineman Montravius Adams was sure glad to meet his.
Entering his fourth season with the Steelers, Adams has had some good moments as a member of the Black and Gold. But none will come close to his meeting with Hall of Fame defensive lineman and arguably the most famous Steeler of all-time, “Mean” Joe Greene.
Appearing on a recent episode of “The Gaelic Gridiron Podcast” Adams recalled his time in Pittsburgh and highlighted that meeting with Greene as “the pinnacle” of his career with the Steelers to date.
“Me being a nose tackle for the Steelers the majority of the time, getting to meet “Mean” Joe Greene, I think, that was probably the pinnacle,” Adams said on the podcast. “Just to meet a Hall of Famer and a legend like that, man….it’s crazy that he knew who I was. It was crazy that he knew who I was and tried to give me a little help on the game and stuff like that.
“So man, for me, it’s just real big. It’s family based and it’s like, man, like you see we love each other, for real.”
That family-based attitude within the Steelers’ organization is so key. It’s not just the current players, either. It’s past greats — and even role players — that continue to come around, impart some wisdom and continue to try and be around the franchise and ensure the standard is upheld.
Being a Steeler is special. Adams isn’t the first player to talk about it, and he won’t be the last. Being part of the defensive line and getting a chance to meet the Hall of Famer in Greene and get pointers from him in the process is pretty special, as Adams made clear. Greene always takes a liking to the defensive linemen in Pittsburgh, too, since they share a bond of the same position, and the fact that Greene once coached the defensive line in Pittsburgh following his playing days.
Quietly, Adams is becoming a mainstay for the Steelers as a depth piece. Coming over in the middle of the 2021 season after being signed off of the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad, Adams has appeared in 35 career games and counting with the Steelers, including 21 starts. In those 35 games, Adams has had flashes, recording 50 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups and a forced fumble.
He’s locked into another two-year contract with the Steelers, too, having re-signed on March 14 to give the Steelers valuable depth along the defensive line.
While meeting Greene is the pinnacle of his Steelers’ career to date, hopefully there is more to come on the field during his time with the Black and Gold.
