Iron sharpens iron
The upside of promised roster turnover and subsequent transition 无毛视频� 45 percent turnover from last season无毛视频檚 final game 无毛视频� is that Steelers training camp turned into a playground for overachievers.
They came to camp in shape, kept their mouths shut, and they put their good habits on display. Figuring out who was first-on, last-off was a futile exercise, because there were just so many of them.
But it is one of the great athletic habits, isn无毛视频檛 it? That无毛视频檚 the topic I hoped to bring up to one of the overachievers who made this Steelers team, so I figured I would ask Kion Wilson about it right after practice.
So I figured I would wait him out and catch him after all of the youngsters were done with their post-practice extra sessions, but 无毛视频� whoa 无毛视频� Wilson ran right past me, ahead of the rest of the players, and into the locker room first.
OK, first off the field today.
Did he have to go to the bathroom or something?
无毛视频淣o,无毛视频� Wilson said later with a shy smile. 无毛视频淚 always run off the field.无毛视频�
That seemed counter-intuitive to all I had watched from this hard-working, quiet and smart inside linebacker. But Wilson had a good explanation.
无毛视频淲henever I have an opportunity 无毛视频� if the coaches don无毛视频檛 have anything else for us 无毛视频� it无毛视频檚 something I always like to do,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚 dedicate it to my brothers who passed. Ever since that day, I thank God for allowing me to have the strength to run off the field, and I dedicate that back to my brothers.无毛视频�
无毛视频淗ey, the work isn无毛视频檛 done,无毛视频� he added. 无毛视频淚 still come in and lift, and I still do my recovery work. I still get upstairs. But that无毛视频檚 just one thing that I dedicate to them.无毛视频�
Wilson grew up in a rough part of Miami. His father was murdered when he was three, and two of his brothers were murdered right before Kion started his senior season at South Florida.
无毛视频淢y older brother was the father figure,无毛视频� Wilson said. 无毛视频淗e raised us. He helped pay the bills while my mom worked, as well. We were really a close-knit family. I used it as motivation that season.无毛视频�
And what a season it was. Wilson led South Florida in tackles, was named first-team Big East by the coaches, and was unanimously voted Defensive MVP by his teammates. And some of his defensive teammates were pretty deserving of the award themselves. In fact, Jason Pierre-Paul, Nate Allen, Jerome Murphy and George Selvie were all drafted, and all made NFL teams once again, some four years later.
Wilson wasn无毛视频檛 drafted, but he signed with San Diego in 2010, made the team and played in three games, and was cut the following camp. He then signed with Carolina and played in 5 games in 2011, but was cut the following camp.
With the help of a friend, Rich Martin, whom Wilson calls his 无毛视频淕odpop,无毛视频� Kion persevered through a football-less 2012 season.
无毛视频淚 got into insurance adjusting,无毛视频� Wilson said. 无毛视频淚 had to pay bills, so I went up to New York. I worked Hurricane Sandy. I put out more money than I did bring in. My Godpop asked me to come work for him. Now, I know I had to pay bills, so I get certified, I get the license, and he helped me get everything. He kept me afloat while I was out of football. Just from the mental aspect, the physical aspect, he无毛视频檚 just one of the greatest leaders that I know.无毛视频�
Wilson got back into football when he signed with the Steelers this past January. And of course, his eight preseason tackles, a sack, two other QB pressures and most importantly his play on special teams gave him a home, the same home 无毛视频� Pittsburgh 无毛视频� that his uncle, former Pitt great Elliott Walker, had some 40 years ago.
无毛视频淚t is a small world,无毛视频� Wilson said with a chuckle. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 down in Miami, working right now.无毛视频�
Wilson shared a story about his Uncle Elliott, who used to babysit Kion and his siblings: 无毛视频淗e was babysitting us, and I said, 无毛视频楿ncle Elliott, I want apple juice.无毛视频� He said, 无毛视频楧o you think I made it to the NFL from drinking apple juice? I used to drink hot water from the sink 无毛视频� scalding hot water from the sink.无毛视频�
无毛视频淪o I would go to the sink and turn the sink on until the water started coming out gray. I would get hot water and I would drink it out of the faucet, and I would say, 无毛视频楽ee Uncle Elliott, I无毛视频檓 going to make it to the NFL just like you.'无毛视频�
Uncle Elliott was obviously joking. But Kion wasn无毛视频檛.
Wilson would later move away to Jacksonville to attend high school. And while he missed his uncle, it may have been the smartest move his mother ever made. It got young Kion out of that neighborhood.
无毛视频淚t wasn无毛视频檛 the best area,无毛视频� Wilson said. 无毛视频淚 feel like I无毛视频檝e been through so many things in my life to shape who I am now. I try to always remember where I am from, but I无毛视频檓 always striving to get better, striving to do better, striving to be better. That无毛视频檚 just how I look at life.无毛视频�
That work ethic has paid off in the past, but this time, with the Steelers, Wilson was able to add a little bit of guidance that was extremely helpful.
无毛视频淲hen I was out of the game last year, me and Rich would talk day in and day out about what coaches wanted,无毛视频� Wilson said. 无毛视频淩ich would always keep me focused on what coaches wanted. And when coach Tomlin said 无毛视频榮pecial teams,无毛视频� that became my approach.
无毛视频淵ou know, that无毛视频檚 the funny part, because the other places I have been, it has never been said, 无毛视频極h we like that; we don无毛视频檛 like that. That无毛视频檚 a good job here; a bad job there.无毛视频� It has never been said, but here it was flat out: 无毛视频榃e want the guy who无毛视频檚 going to be the stud on special teams.无毛视频� And that无毛视频檚 it. So I took that as my approach. I took that as my fuel and knew that was the route I had to take.无毛视频�
Clearly, the fuel worked. And there无毛视频檚 just enough left to run off the field, because some fires should never be allowed to go out.