Steelers Vet Rallies Team Before Playoff Game

Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Isaac Seumalo delivered a rare motivational speech ahead of kickoff against the Bills.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for their biggest game of the season and with uncommonly high stakes came a shot of uncommonly stiring motivation from one of the team's veteran leaders. 

This week, before the Steelers traverse the snowy roads up to Buffalo to begin their playoff run, offensive guard and eight-year veteran 

“Man, Isaac never talks," rookie tackle Broderick Jones said. "So when he gets up, everyone is locked in on what he has to say."

There aren't many players on the Steelers' current roster with Seumalo's resume of playoff experience and success. He's appeared in 10 postseason games and won six of them, including the 2017 Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles. That made him especially qualified to deliver a message to the team at the beginning of the week, in which he tried to prepare his team for the grueling nature of playoff football. 

"Isaac’s been here before. He was on that 2017 team in Philly that made a run and he has been no-nonsense," offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner said this week. "He spoke to the offense this week just talking whatever resource we can pull from guys in hopes to get us heading in the right direction we'll use. The guys respect Isaac because of the way he goes about his business. We love it. We love having him up there." 

For the most part, Seumalo is short on words and saves what he has to say for the biggest moments. This is a big moment and was thus worth his input. 

"He’s just telling us that we have to take it game-by-game, play-by-play and don’t dwell on the past too much because it’s this is a whole new season we’re in right now," Jones said. "So we have to be locked in emotionally, physically and just do our best to continue to stay on course because that’s the biggest thing in this late part of the season, just staying on course, staying on track and just continue to pound the run, throw the ball over their head because it opens up all kinds of plays." 

It's not like Seumalo has been checked out until this point, he just chooses to pick his spots and he picked this one because the moment demands that kind of urgency. 

“He’s just singularly focused," center Mason Cole told The Athletic's Mark Kaboly. "When he is in this building, it is all about winning and nothing else."

Seumalo, who's helped spearhead a dominant Steelers rushing attack over the past two weeks, wants his team to understand how intense this game will be and with so much on the line, couldn't stay silent. It's do-or-die time for his team and Seumalo won't let the moment pass without putting his stamp on it. 

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