PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The award is named after the best player in team history and this year goes to another player who made an early impact with grit and toughness. The Joe Greene Great Performance Award won by center Zach Frazier.
“It’s a great honor,” Frazier said. “It’s flown by. I feel like I’ve learned a lot. Try to build week-by-week, get a little bit better every week. Focus on how I can get better and how I can make our team better.”
The All-American at West Virginia wasn’t the starter in the offseason, but through his play and an injury to Nate Herbig, the second-round pick ended up starting every game but two as he suffered, rehabbed and returned from an ankle injury.
Frazier said he’s just out there playing football again and hasn’t had to think about what is going to happen, rather he’s now just reacting like he was with the Mountaineers. It took him a couple of weeks, but after that he felt comfortable. The rookie says Herbig, Isaac Seumalo and Russell Wilson have been great mentors to him, offering him advise along the way.
Pro Football Focus ranks Frazier, even with only 14 games in the league, as the fifth best center in the NFL and third best in the AFC. Praising him specifically as one of the best run blockers in the game.
Some big names have won this award since its inception in 1984
· WR Louis Lipps (1984)
· S Carnell Lake (1989)
· TE Eric Green (1990)
· LB Chad Brown (1993)
· QB Kordell Stewart (1995)
· G Alan Faneca (1998)
· S Troy Polamalu (2003)
· QB Ben Roethlisberger (2004)
· TE Heath Miller (2005)
· WR Santonio Holmes (2006)
· C Maurkice Pouncey (2010)
· RB Le’Veon Bell (2013)
The last 5 to win the award
· LB Devin Bush
· WR Chase Claypool
· RB Najee Harris
· QB Kenny Pickett
· CB Joey Porter, Junior