Futbol, Wings and 'The' Year
Glendale, AZ — Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner is a simple guy. He favors no side on the endless boneless vs bone-in wing debate (half mango-habanero and the other half bone-in garlic butter parm being the Banner staple). Kevin Durant holds the prestigious title of being his favorite NBA player.
Banner's also nothing short of a cult hero in Pittsburgh.
For a minimum of eight times per season, thousands flock to Heinz Field and pandemonium ensues when the officials announce that number seventy two has reported as eligible.
Banner is commonly known as a light-hearted big man, partly thanks to his fun personality on the field.
Some are hesitant to believe Banner is capable of performing at a high level, and make those beliefs known in 260 characters or less. Banner's not afraid to put his two cents in the piggy bank with a smile on his face.
Banner doesn't take the hate he receives personally.
"You have to be able to show a bit of humility," said Banner. "When you bring in something like joking about their wives winking at me or saying something like 'how's your mom doing?', that seems a little more down to earth then me actually looking down upon somebody.
"The bigger your audience grows and the more blessings you take on, the more haters you're going to have" said Banner. "That's why I like to have fun with it. I promise you I'm not in my feelings when I tweet back."
Despite a few stragglers in the fan base that hold resentment towards Banner, a vast majority of Steelers fans hold Banner in high regards after interacting with him. Banner believes his popularity is simply a result of being genuine.
"I think it’s a reflection off of how you treat people," said Banner. "Obviously I’m thinking of my character and being conscious of what I say to fans, but also at the same time treating them like normal people and having great conversations. I think a lot of people first started to support me based off of my game and gameplay. I know a lot of people are trying to point to my tape and (wanting) more plays but Coach T didn’t put me into packages last year for no reason. I just want everybody to know for sure that I’m not taking it for granted. As much as I tweet, I’m waking up every day and getting 2-3 workouts in a day.”
Putting in work has been tough in all facets of the offseason thanks to COVID-19 and the restrictions it's caused. Going into his third season in Pittsburgh, Banner (along with other players) are forced to construct their own routines as the season inches closer.
Banner's been utilizing his brother to hold pads while he and teammate Matt Feiler get their work in.
"I’m a facility type of guy, so staying here and trying to be at the facility is the ultimate goal. And then all of a sudden the facilities close down. So just trying to fill in that space, we got a thing where me, my brother and Matt Feiler, we usually go run at a park early in the morning and get our offensive line/individual work done," said Banner.
"Later in the afternoon after virtual meetings, we get a lift in. We try to fill in the blank spaces, but other than that it’s just eating healthy and playing video games, staying safe.”
In a locker room, nobody is safe from potential jokes and jabs coming their way. Banner is widely regarded as a funny guy on the team, so I was curious to hear his opinion on who he believed are the three funniest guys in the Steelers' locker room.
*This list does not include Banner. Banner jokingly made it very clear that he was exempt from this list for obvious reasons and wanted that to be known*
"My top funny guy is hard because he just retired, but number one is definitely Ramon Foster. For sure. He’s older, he gives better jokes when other people give typical stuff. A close second is definitely Vince Williams. Third? Third is definitely a tie between JuJu Smith-Schuster and Ola Adeniyi. JuJu is gonna be mad I put Vince above him but it’s all good, he’ll get over it.”
While the crown for king of comedy in Pittsburgh can be debated, starting positions across the Steelers' offensive line are in a similar position.
Last Thursday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin announced in a press conference that Matt Feiler would get first reps at left guard, while an open competition would derive from Banner and fellow teammate Chukwuma Okorafor for the starting right tackle position.
Banner believes he's ready to compete.
“It’s an opportunity that I’ve been working on, and working for, for a very long time. I’m excited. But at the same time, things aren’t given, you know what I mean? It’s earned," said Banner.
"Coach T already announced a competition between Chuks and I. He (Okorafor) is a very good friend of mine and same for him, vice-versa. It’s one of those things where we help motivate each other by pushing each other. So whoever wins it, wins it. But at the end of the day we’re brothers.”
If Banner's not playing or studying football, the other football (soccer, futbol, whatever you may call it) is likely on his television, whether it's adding another victory as a successful FIFA gamer or cheering on Manchester United. Banner said he tries to watch all the soccer he can, and has grown into a massive fan of arguably the globe's most beloved sport.
His love for the sport sprouted while working under Fox Sports during the 2014 World Cup.
"Like I did not watch soccer at all, but my sophomore year of college was my first year working for Colin Cowherd at FS1 and if you remember Fox Sports had broadcast rights and I just fell in love with it" said Banner. "Then the Copa America tournament which followed that, and it’s hilarious because that’s how I got into Man United. I’m over here watching the game and I can’t hear clearly because of the commentators accents. So I say ‘Who’s this Wayne Rudy guy?’ and all my friends just start laughing. So I started watching him and Man United.
"Saying you’re a Man United fan is like saying you’re a Patriots fan. You definitely get looked at. I missed the Sir Alex Ferguson days, the Ronaldo days. But doing the research on the history of the team, I just fell in love with them.”
Banner fell in love with the Red Devils just as Steelers fans had fell in love with hoisting Lombardi trophies, something the organization hasn't done in over a decade. After a 2019 campaign that can be described as vanilla as interesting, I asked Banner if he had a message for the city:
"We’re really, really excited" said Banner. "Obviously having a great defense like we did last year felt good, and we (the offense) felt like we were letting them down by flipping the script. Now that we’re getting Ben back, we’re hoping to balance it out. That’s not a diss towards Mason Rudolph or Devlin Hodges at all, we appreciate their hard work and willingness to play when their number is called. But we’re really excited to have Ben back.”
As for personal aspirations, Banner kept it simple.
"Personally, I just want the city of Pittsburgh to know that regardless of how much I joke and stuff, on the field I’m coming out to smash (defenders), stay humble and earn everything I get.”
Donnie Druin is a Staff Writer with AllSteelers. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
