On Thursday evening, the Pittsburgh Steelers took a big step towards solidifying their offensive line with the selection of Washington OT Troy Fautanu. He plays like a bully and has the athleticism and strength to back it up which is perfectly suited for the way the Steelers want to do things on offense. He grew up a Steelers fan, and is elated to be playing for the team that he grew up idolizing.
His initial interest in the team came via his aunt and uncle who were Steelers fans, and he looked up to Troy Polamalu who shares a Samoan heritage with Fautanu. He even wore Polamalu’s No. 43 in youth football. But his fandom goes beyond Polamalu, as he said in the introductory press conference that he was a huge fan of Ben Roethlisberger.
“The grit that the team plays with, like, I grew up a really big fan of Ben Roethlisberger,” Fautanu said in a video of the press conference posted on the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “He’s out there commanding the team and commanding the offense, and I always thought he was one of the toughest guys I’ve ever seen play. He’d get hit and get right back up. That inspired me to play the way that I do.”
The grit that he speaks of is what Roethlisberger was known for, shrugging off tacklers, playing hurt, and still delivering great performances week after week and year after year. Fautanu says that grit is the same style that he has in his game.
That much is very evident on tape, as he plays with a competitive edge that trumps the rest of the tackles in the draft class. He looks for work, and lives to finish with his opponent pancaked on the ground. Check out Josh Carney’s film room on him from earlier today here.
Oh yeah, and he also has the whole Baltimore Ravens AFC North rivalry thing down. Some of his old tweets show just how passionate of a Steelers fan he is, including his hatred for the Ravens.
His play style and mentality will quickly endear him to Steelers fans.
