I don’t know that there has been a more productive player on a per-snap basis than young OLB Nick Herbig since he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. In 191 defensive snaps his rookie year, he tallied three sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and five tackles for loss. He appears to be ready for a big step forward in Year 2 as the No. 3 OLB.
Herbig played with the first-team defense tonight against the Buffalo Bills because T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith were held out of play. I don’t have the snap count number yet, but he didn’t play the entire game and still managed 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss. Both sacks were from the first two drives of the game against the Bills’ starting offensive line.
“I’ve never been up here before,” Herbig said as he sat down at the postgame press conference podium in a video posted on the Steelers’ YouTube page.
It was a moment of realization for Herbig that his strong play is getting noticed. He experienced some more affirmations from his head coach, too.
With Herbig’s older brother Nate also on the team, Mike Tomlin referred to Nick Herbig as “little Herbig” as a rookie. But as he started to make plays, Tomlin gave him a nod of respect and upgraded him to “Mr. Herbig.”
“That’s probably top five best feelings in the world,” Herbig said of his upgraded title from Tomlin.
Last season, Watt had to coach Herbig through the moments following some of his first big plays. He described it as a blackout, or a lapse in consciousness from the adrenaline. With as many plays as he has made in his young career, I don’t know if he will be experiencing those blackouts any longer.
With 1.5 sacks tonight, Herbig made a statement that he is more than ready to be a solid contributor and the Steelers’ top backup at outside linebacker. In total, Herbig tallied six total tackles, three solo tackles, 1.5 sacks, one tackle for loss, and two quarterback hits in this game. He was also in on a special teams tackle.
I think the “Mr. Herbig” title is here to stay.
