Steelers cornerback Justin Gilbert ready for his second act
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Justin Gilbert has passed the all-important 鈥渓earning-what-to-do鈥� phase, Mike Tomlin announced earlier this week. Next comes the even-more-important 鈥渄o鈥� phase for Gilbert.
After toiling on special teams for all of nine snaps the past three weeks, Gilbert will make his defensive debut for the Steelers in Sunday night鈥檚 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He may even return some kicks, too.
鈥淚 like the progress he鈥檚 made thus far,鈥� Tomin said.
Injuries in the secondary have left the Steelers with a lot of moving parts, but Gilbert confirmed he鈥檒l be a part of the mix this week at cornerback. But even if safeties Robert Golden and Sean Davis hadn鈥檛 gone down, there was a likelihood that Gilbert would play sooner rather than later.
There鈥檚 just too much there there with Gilbert to not play him.
He tantalizes with his pedigree. He was a first-round pick, eighth overall, just two years ago. He has length at 6-foot and 202-pounds. He has speed. He has all the makings to become a very special player in the NFL.
Thing is, he鈥檚 never shown it.
Gilbert had been an enigma in his two seasons in Cleveland, making just three starts with one interception. His fledgling career has been defined by injuries and off-field issues which led even the Browns, the doormats of the NFL, to part ways with a 24-year-old who hasn鈥檛 even reached his prime.
As recent suspensions can attest, the Steelers are hardly a collection of choir boys. But they also don鈥檛 usually invite trouble into their sanctuary. That is, in part, what made the Steelers鈥� decision to acquire Gilbert on Sept. 6 for a 2018 sixth-round pick a little curious.
Low-risk, high-reward? That鈥檚 the Steelers鈥� hope. They believe theirs is a winning culture and that a change of scenery can bring Gilbert around.
Before coming to Pittsburgh, Mike Mitchell played his first four seasons for an Oakland team that never finished with a winning record, let alone made the playoffs. The safety said there is a difference with the Steelers.
鈥淗ere, it鈥檚 just about business,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淗ere, there is a culture of wining. If it doesn鈥檛 involve winning, we don鈥檛 do it. Everything to the way we meet, to the way we practice, to the way we have walk-throughs. To a man, everyone is concerned about winning and that鈥檚 all that matters.鈥�
The Steelers have a veteran locker room with defined roles, and though it can be loud, it鈥檚 usually not because of blaring music. The pool table in the locker room? That thing has been collecting dust.
Mitchell said nothing needs to be said, it鈥檚 understood and it starts with Tomlin.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e a guy who is going to stay in this locker room, you tend to catch on to what he鈥檚 saying and abide by that,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 do a lot of talking here. Like Coach T always says: 鈥業t鈥檚 not about what we say, it鈥檚 about what we do.'鈥�
In just two seasons and three games this year, linebacker Arthur Moats has won more games (23) with the Steelers than he did in four full years with Buffalo (22 wins from 2010-13). He says success breeds success.
鈥淵ou have guys that have been on a team for a while and displayed success at a high level,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e able to display leadership to the young guys and they truly emulate. They know this guy has done it for a while or this guy have been a high-caliber player at that position for a while. That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e able to have had the success that we鈥檝e had.鈥�
By all outward appearances, Gilbert has been a model citizen since coming to Pittsburgh. He says he鈥檚 felt 鈥渘othing but positive energy,鈥� as he put it, from his teammates and the coaches.
And he has played well in practice, good enough to earn him a shot in the lineup. Gilbert said that Tomlin told him this was his reward for 鈥渨orking my tail off.鈥�
鈥淛ust did what I was told in practice,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淥ne hundred percent every play.鈥�
Exactly how Gilbert will be used Sunday against the Chiefs is a bit of a mystery, but it鈥檚 possible that the Steelers could go with some four cornerback packages with Will Gay, Ross Cockrell, Artie Burns and Gilbert.
The Steelers would have liked to have seen how Gilbert fared over the course of the off-season program or training camp but, there鈥檚 no looking back now.
鈥淲hat I鈥檝e seen in practice, he鈥檚 been in the right spots,鈥� Mitchell said. 鈥淗e seems like he鈥檚 got a good mentality for the game. A good disposition to how I want guys in our secondary to play. I think he buys into that. We鈥檒l have to figure it out when we see it Sunday.鈥�
After all Gilbert鈥檚 been through to get here, he鈥檚 just glad to be playing.
鈥淚鈥檓 willing to accept the challenge,鈥� Gilbert said. 鈥淛ust ready to display my talents.鈥�