PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – In not even the Kevin Bacon six degrees of separation, it was former Steelers helping a former Steeler and now that former Steeler will start for the Steelers on Sunday.
Got it? Here's another way of explaining it. Former Steelers punter Brad Wing said he thought his football days were over at age 32. He figured he would never play again until he got an opportunity in the XFL this year and kicked for the San Antonio Brahmas, a team coached by former Steelers Hines Ward (head coach) and Joey Porter (linebackers coach).
Wing, who played for the Steelers for one season in 2014, will be the Steelers punter Sunday in Houston nine years after leaving due to the groin injury to starter Pressley Harvin.
This opportunity started last May as Wing was trolling through Instagram and saw there was a specialist combine happening this past October for the new football leagues. He said he thought he would try and do it and was signed by San Antonio. In 10 games, he averaged 47.9 yards a kick, including a long of 72 yards.
That got him the tryout in Pittsburgh and now he'll be back in black and gold for the first time in nearly a decade. Along with Ward and Porter, some of his teammates last time he played for the Steelers-Ben Roethlisberger, Heath Miller, LeVeon Bell, Antonio Brown, Arthur Moats, Troy Polamalu and Shaun Suisham was the kicker.
"I love this place," Wing said on Friday. "I've always loved this place, even when I went to play elsewhere. It's a special place. I stayed in contact with a lot of people here. So to be brought back in and not even signing, or the opportunity to sign, just seeing the faces has been amazing. Anything on top of that, it's been awesome."
Porter was a defensive assistant with the Steelers when Wing was here the first time. He said it's crazy that Porter's son is now on this team. Wing said Joey, Junior visited his dad while coaching in San Antonio and met him prior to joining him in the locker room this week.
The smile on the left-footed Wing's face was the giveaway to his feelings about being back, not just with the Steelers, but back in the NFL for the first time since 2017 when he kicked for the Giants.
