Steelers rookie safety Sean Davis says he’s built for challenges ahead
PITTSBURGH 鈥� The Steelers understood from the start that there were going to be mistakes. There always are when rookies are involved. The key is limiting the errors and, more importantly, learning from them and not letting them define a young player.
Resiliency was one of the key attributes GM Kevin Colbert cited in drafting the pair of defensive backs that the Steelers did with their first two picks in this year鈥檚 draft.
Want to talk resiliency? How about safety Sean Davis?
The second-round pick鈥檚 costly 15-yard facemask penalty late in the Dallas game helped set up Ezekiel Elliott鈥檚 game-winning touchdown. Afterward, Davis was nearly in tears. But Davis wasn鈥檛 about to let an aggressive, but ill-timed foul define him. And neither was the coaching staff.
When the Steelers opened in their base defense last week in Cleveland, there was Davis making his first career start at strong safety.
鈥淚鈥檓 always a level-headed guy,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淕etting a promotion and increased playing time is good. I don鈥檛 want to say it鈥檚 what expected of me, but I hold myself to a high standard and I鈥檓 a competitor. I want to be on the field. I鈥檓 happy with what鈥檚 going on. I just have to continue to produce and do my job.鈥�
Davis has produced nine tackles, one for a loss and one pass defensed the past two weeks since overtaking Robert Golden. In his first start at safety last week, Davis delivered a couple of bone-crunching hits but also whiffed on a pair of would-be sacks. He even had what appeared to be a 37-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter but the play was nullified by a questionable roughing the passer call on Dan McCullers.
Again, there were some mistakes but, to borrow a Tomlinism, the arrow is pointing up.
鈥淗e鈥檚 just growing,鈥� said coach Mike Tomlin. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a tough guy who鈥檚 getting better every week and every day. More specifically, he鈥檚 gaining experience through repetition. The more experience he gains, the less mistakes he makes the more opportunity we give him. It鈥檚 really as simple as that.鈥�
But Davis says if you really want to see resiliency and overcoming obstacles, look at where he鈥檚 come from. His father worked two jobs while battling cancer and his mother drove him an hour each way from the Davis family鈥檚 home in Prince George鈥檚 County, Md., to Maret, an elite private school in Washington.
鈥淲e never had it easy coming up,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淏eing undersized and coming from a small high school, even coming from, I don鈥檛 want to say Maryland鈥檚 a bad program, but not the best program. I鈥檓 always working.
鈥淏eing thrown into adversity or a tough situation, you can鈥檛 run away from it. You鈥檝e got to find a way to come out on top.鈥�
After a brief but failed stint as a slot cornerback to start the season when Senquez Golson went down with a foot injury in training camp, Davis is back to his natural safety spot where he can better utilize his time and assets.
鈥淚 like the versatility part playing anywhere in the backfield, but I鈥檇 say that safety is my natural spot,鈥� said the 58th overall pick of 2016. 鈥淚 like hitting.鈥�
Davis played extensively at nickel in four of the first five games but the Steelers pulled back from him in Weeks 6-7 against Miami and New England. He didn鈥檛 even see the field on defense against the Dolphins and played just three snaps against the Patriots. Since then, Davis鈥� snap counts have risen dramatically from 27 to 43 to 66 last week.
Davis is well aware that the stakes will only get higher from here out. At 5-5 heading into Thursday night鈥檚 game at Indianapolis, the Steelers have little margin for error and are counting heavily on a trio of rookies on defense including Artie Burns, Javon Hargrave and himself. If that means he plays every snap of every series as he did last week in Cleveland, Davis says he鈥檚 ready.
鈥淚鈥檓 built for that, man,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淚鈥檓 built for that.鈥�