PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Asked about defensive back Arthur Maulet's role Tuesday hours after a sack, six tackles while playing only 18 snaps against the Colts; Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin complimented him. In maybe an odd way.
"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."
When asked about the quote in the locker room Thursday, the 5'10" Maulet chuckled and told us a story about a previous stop in the career of the undrafted DB.
"My rookie year, Ted Ginn gave me a nickname in New Orleans," Maulet said. "I'm going to call you 'angry man', so everybody was calling me 'angry man' for two years. I guessed I lived up to my nickname of being an angry little man that plays in the slot."
Tomlin continued after his comment about 'angry little men'.
"They don't stay blocked; they don't get blocked," Tomlin said of Maulet and others like him. "They blitz extremely hard and well. They tackle big people. They play with an edge. And he fits that mold."
"Nickel guys are one of the smaller DBs on the field, probably one of the smallest persons on the field if you look at anybody's nickel," Maulet said. "You got to have some edge in there. You got to play with fire. You got to play with a chip on your shoulder."
"You know you are going to be outmatched most of the time by height and size. But that doesn't matter if you playing nickel. You got to be feisty. You got to be angry. You got to put up a fight."
Sunday Maulet will face 6'4", 222-pound quarterback Marcus Mariota, who has rushed for 421 yards and 6'2", 220-pound receiver turned running back Cordarrelle Patterson. Maybe best known for his speed, Maulet says Patterson is a big athlete who runs angry.
What happens if those two collide?
"It's angry against angry," Maulet said. "Let's see who is the angriest."
It would be hard to bet against a survivor like Maulet.
