Do the Steelers Have a 'Little Angry Person' on Their Team?
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have a reputation for mean, big, aggressive defenders. But in this case, some of their angriest players are "little".
Head coach Mike Tomlin took the podium for his Week 13 press conference and was asked about Arthur Maulet and his place within the defense. Through 11 games, the nickel cornerback has 47 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. Which, is exactly what the Steelers expected from him as hit fits Tomlin's mold of a "little" player.
"He’s a run-down nickel, he’s a good blitzer, he’s a good tackler. He brings a demeanor for a small guy that's kind of reflective of the dominant nickels that play," Tomlin said. "All the nickels that are dominant ones are angry little people. They don't stay blocked; they don't get blocked. They blitz extremely hard and well. They tackle big people. They play with an edge. And he fits that mold."
Tomlin has coached a number of slot cornerbacks who have stood under six-foot and carried that hard-hitting ability. Most recently, it was Mike Hilton, who matched the same description.
Now, not everyone believes Tomlin is being fair with his "angry little people" assessment. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said it's more of an "edge" that guys play with.
Still, he does agree with Tomlin's classic phrase on slot corners like Maulet and Hilton, though.
"Mike, since I've been here, he's always talked about big men running and little men hitting because that makes a difference when you have little physical guys, guys that are not going to shy away from contact," Austin said. "You mentioned Art[hur Maulet], you mentioned JP [James Pierre] and they're both those guys. JP is a little bit bigger guy for his position, but Art is not, and Art is a really physical, good blitzer, plays with an edge, plays with an attitude. You have to have that in those guys, and those guys help your team because they play bigger than their size. They just help you all along with your team toughness."
But, only one opinion matters - Maulet's - and he's been told his whole career he's been "angry".
"It’s funny," Maulet laughed. "My rookie year, (NFL veteran) Ted Ginn gave me a nickname in New Orleans. He was like, ‘I’m gonna call you Angry Man.' So everybody was calling me ‘Angry Man’ for like two years. I’m like, ‘Bro, oh my gosh, whatever.’ And so (Tomlin referencing him that way), I guess I lived up to my nickname of being an Angry Little Man that plays in the slot."
Maulet says that angry play comes from his path to the Steelers. After starting his football career as a junior in high school, Maulet walked on to a junior college before transferring to Memphis. He then went undrafted in 2017 and played for four NFL teams before ending up in Pittsburgh.
"I think anybody who reads my story knows how I’m wired," Maulet said. "They can tell, ‘Yeah, this guy’s going to be pretty passionate about what he does.’ I think that’s just my story of my upbringing."
That play style has landed him a spot as the team's starting nickelback and as one of the most physical players on the team. A role he's fulfilled for two seasons, and a style he embraces to the fullest.
"Nickel guys are probably one of the smaller DBS on the field, probably one of the smartest persons on the field," Maulet said. "And you got to have some edge going in there. You got to play with fire. We got to play with a chip on your shoulder, you know, you're going to be outmatched most of the time by height and size. But that doesn't matter. If you play a nickel and you got to be feisty. You gotta be angry. You gotta put up a fight.
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