PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Everyone has doubters, but Steelers middle linebacker Robert Spillane’s didn’t come from Twitter. Not Instagram or Facebook or even from the media, they came from his inner circle.
“Even some people in your family might say ‘what are you doing’?” Spillane said about being undrafted and then released. “You are not going to be out there. We don’t necessarily believe in you.”
“Having that faith in myself the whole way through even when the odds weren’t in my favor. Trusting in myself, and my abilities. Good things kept happening day-after-day. Stacking those days on top of each other. I’m thankful for that.”
Now Spillane is the Steelers starting middle linebacker on a defense that’s one of the best in the NFL. He’s also taking on a bigger role with the surprise Vince Williams retirement.
“Vince meant the world to me,” Spillane said. “He was one of those old guys that took a young guy under his wing. He saw something special in me when I first got here. He was a leader to me, showing the way. He didn’t speak as much as some other people, but he showed the way with his actions on the field.”
“It puts more on his plate, not any pressure,” said Steelers linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky. “He had a good year last year, got hurt and came back. Rob is doing a great job.”
Spillane was rolling filling in for Bush last year, had an 11-tackle game at the Ravens that included a pick six. Then his own injury against Washington in early December and more adversity. The 25-year-old returned for the Cleveland playoff game, while the team didn’t play well, Spillane had 9 tackles.
He signed for $850,000 to stay with the Steelers and now instead of replacing Bush, is working alongside him, for every rep he can while Bush recovers from an ACL tear.
“We play really well off each other,” Spillane said. “We have communications every day. We are figuring each other out really well these first couple of days (of training camp).”
Spillane says they put in extra work together studying film and learning each other’s tendencies.
“We started our relationship three years ago when he came as a number 10 overall pick and I came as a undrafted free agent,” Spillane said. “A guy that got cut his rookie year. We ended up coming in at the same time. We’ve been growing that relationship since then.”
“It’s about cooperative work and communication in a tandem,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “And it’s cool from my perspective because it’s generational. I watched it happen with Vince Williams and Ryan Shazier when they were young, and it’s really kind of born out of that, and it’s been passed down from duo to duo over the years in that room. That’s one of the cool things that happens in environments like this.
“I’ve always had confidence in myself,” Spillane said. “People never thought I would be here, where I’m at right now. The fact that I’m here as the number one linebacker next to Devin Bush and this unbelievable defense. I don’t take that lightly and I don’t take it for granted. One play you get injured or something happens. Things change. I’m taking these days with love and passion for the game.”