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When you think of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, some of the typical players come to mind. Guys like Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman who have been shutdown corners for years will always have that respect and newer stars like Carolina’s Josh Norman, who are more outspoken, will always get the jump on publicity. That being said, it becomes hard for some cornerbacks to get that notoriety, no matter how well they play.
This is the case with Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback William Gay.
Gay has been a consistent player for the Steelers over the past three seasons and has been vital in stabilizing an otherwise shaky secondary. He’s been the one player Pittsburgh could count on each week, but unfortunately the struggles of the secondary have overshadowed Gay’s excellent play.
Believe it or not, statistically Gay has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league this year.
For the season, Gay finished with 58 tackles, one sack, and two interceptions. Now those are very average numbers for a starting cornerback, but there is one stat that tells just how solid he has been this season. That stat is touchdowns given up in coverage.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gay was actually the only cornerback in the NFL not to allow a touchdown to his man this season. That now gives Gay the longest streak in the NFL for not giving up a touchdown. Denver’s Chris Harris formerly held the mark, but the Steelers’ own Antonio Brown beat him for two touchdowns back in Week 15 to end the streak.
That means of the 29 times the Steelers’ secondary was beaten for touchdowns, not once was it Gay’s man that got the score. It truly is an amazing feat when you consider the struggles the Pittsburgh defense has had this year. But you won’t find Gay bragging about his outstanding season. At the end of the day, he knows that it is about the success of the defense as a whole and not just him.
“We were born and raised to compete. So anytime you get to face a great opponent, you just wanna win,” Gay said defending the secondary after the Steelers week 14 game against Denver. “We let the media talk about how great one side of the ball (offense) is. All we wanna do is come out and try to get a win, and move on.”
There is certainly no denying Gay’s willingness to succeed and compete. That drive and leadership has helped get the Steelers to this point and it will be needed even more if they are going to make a run in the playoffs. He will need to continue being the shutdown cornerback for Pittsburgh that he has become.
Gay’s importance to the Steelers is even more magnified with the struggles of Antwon Blake. Blake actually managed to break records as well this season, just not for a good reason.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Blake broke the PFF records for yards allowed in coverage (1,074) and missed tackles (2
this year. That means out of all the years PFF has kept cornerback stats, Blake managed to perform the worst of them all this season. As you can expect, he finished the season with a grade of 32.3 from PFF, which was near the bottom for all qualifying cornerbacks.
Now unfortunately, the struggles by Blake and the others in the secondary has made Gay’s excellent season an afterthought. The main focus is how to fix these problems instead of how good Gay has been.
But don’t overlook how special Gay has been this year. He’s produced a season that Pittsburgh has not seen from a cornerback in quite some time. And quietly he has become exactly what Pittsburgh needed.
A shutdown cornerback, and one of the best in the NFL.
This is the case with Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback William Gay.
Gay has been a consistent player for the Steelers over the past three seasons and has been vital in stabilizing an otherwise shaky secondary. He’s been the one player Pittsburgh could count on each week, but unfortunately the struggles of the secondary have overshadowed Gay’s excellent play.
Believe it or not, statistically Gay has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league this year.
For the season, Gay finished with 58 tackles, one sack, and two interceptions. Now those are very average numbers for a starting cornerback, but there is one stat that tells just how solid he has been this season. That stat is touchdowns given up in coverage.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gay was actually the only cornerback in the NFL not to allow a touchdown to his man this season. That now gives Gay the longest streak in the NFL for not giving up a touchdown. Denver’s Chris Harris formerly held the mark, but the Steelers’ own Antonio Brown beat him for two touchdowns back in Week 15 to end the streak.
That means of the 29 times the Steelers’ secondary was beaten for touchdowns, not once was it Gay’s man that got the score. It truly is an amazing feat when you consider the struggles the Pittsburgh defense has had this year. But you won’t find Gay bragging about his outstanding season. At the end of the day, he knows that it is about the success of the defense as a whole and not just him.
“We were born and raised to compete. So anytime you get to face a great opponent, you just wanna win,” Gay said defending the secondary after the Steelers week 14 game against Denver. “We let the media talk about how great one side of the ball (offense) is. All we wanna do is come out and try to get a win, and move on.”
There is certainly no denying Gay’s willingness to succeed and compete. That drive and leadership has helped get the Steelers to this point and it will be needed even more if they are going to make a run in the playoffs. He will need to continue being the shutdown cornerback for Pittsburgh that he has become.
Gay’s importance to the Steelers is even more magnified with the struggles of Antwon Blake. Blake actually managed to break records as well this season, just not for a good reason.
According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Blake broke the PFF records for yards allowed in coverage (1,074) and missed tackles (2
this year. That means out of all the years PFF has kept cornerback stats, Blake managed to perform the worst of them all this season. As you can expect, he finished the season with a grade of 32.3 from PFF, which was near the bottom for all qualifying cornerbacks.Now unfortunately, the struggles by Blake and the others in the secondary has made Gay’s excellent season an afterthought. The main focus is how to fix these problems instead of how good Gay has been.
But don’t overlook how special Gay has been this year. He’s produced a season that Pittsburgh has not seen from a cornerback in quite some time. And quietly he has become exactly what Pittsburgh needed.
A shutdown cornerback, and one of the best in the NFL.
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