http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...r-moats-chief-award-pfwa/stories/201612290163
Safety Sean Davis wins Steelers rookie of the year award
December 29, 2016 5:44 PM
By Ray Fittipaldo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Steelers knew Sean Davis had versatility when they selected him in the second round of the draft. They knew he had elite playmaking skills as well. What they found out along the way during his rookie season is that he also possesses great resiliency.
Those qualities helped Davis earn the Joe Greene Great Performance Award from the local chapter of the Professional Football Writers of America. The award honors the Steelers’ rookie of the year, and Davis beat out fellow defenders Artie Burns and Javon Hargrave, other members of the rookie draft class who have earned starting jobs in their first NFL seasons.
Davis became the first Steelers defensive back to start a season opener since Chad Scott in 1997 when he started at cornerback against the Redskins. He transitioned back to his natural safety position later in the season and has started at strong safety for the past six games.
Davis survived a midseason benching and a big gaffe that cost the Steelers a game against Dallas to win the award. After Davis struggled playing slot corner, defensive coordinator Keith Butler pulled him from the defense and had him concentrate solely on learning the safety position in practice. After sitting out a few games, he was gradually worked in at safety, alternating series with veteran Robert Golden.
Davis was on the field for the final drive against the Cowboys when he grabbed Jason Witten’s face mask and was called for a 15-yard penalty, which allowed the Cowboys to score the go-ahead touchdown with seconds remaining. The loss dropped the Steelers to 4-5.
“It wasn’t the start I had envisioned,” Davis said. “I worked through adversity. I never give up. I know what I’m capable of. I’m an optimistic guy. I never freak out.”
Butler didn’t freak out over Davis’ mistake against the Cowboys, either. The very next week in Cleveland, Davis made his first career start at safety. Since the switch, Davis has played every defensive snap and the Steelers won six consecutive games to win the AFC North division championship.
“He’s gotten a lot better,” Butler said. “I’ve said this for a long time. You have to learn from your mistakes, and he does a good job of that. Try not to make the same mistake twice. You learn from it and get better, and he’s done a good job of that.”
Davis had plenty of competition for the award. The Steelers used their first three picks in the draft on defensive players, and all three are starters entering the playoffs. Together, they have combined to start 28 games.
Burns, the team’s first-round pick out of Miami, has started eight games at cornerback and leads all Steelers players with three interceptions. Hargrave, the third-round pick out of South Carolina State, has started 12 games on the defensive line and has two sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
“This is a great class,” Davis said. “Any of us could be up here. For me to be up here, it’s humbling. It’s awesome.”
The 2016 rookie draft class is one of the most impactful in years for the Steelers. The 2014 class of Ryan Shazier, Stephon Tuitt and Martavis Bryant is comparable, but Shazier only started five games due to injuries and Tuitt started four games at the end of the season. Bryant won the award with 549 receiving yards and eight touchdowns after he missed the first five games of the season.
Certainly, this is the most impactful rookie defensive class in a couple of decades. Three of the top four picks in 1993 were defensive players, including Deon Figures and Chad Brown in the first two rounds, followed by Kevin Henry in the fourth round. They combined to start 14 games.
The 1992 rookie class included Levon Kirkland, Joel Steed and Darren Perry. They combined to start 20 games, 16 by Perry and four by Steed. Kirkland, who later became a two-time Pro Bowl player, did not start as a rookie.
The previous time the Steelers relied so heavily on their defensive rookies was 1989, when Carnell Lake, Jerry Olsavsky and Jerrol Williams combined to start 26 games in their first NFL seasons.
All of the aforementioned rookie classes played on playoff teams. In a week and a half, Davis, Burns and Hargrave will get to experience that together as well.
“I feel like I’ve been in a pretty cool situation,” Davis said. “I was Artie’s roommate throughout OTAs. Now with Jay-Hay, every time we travel we’re roommates. We all want to dominate. As rookies, to think like that, I think that’s special. We’re making plays because we think like champions. We all have a similar mindset and the same goals.”
Moats wins Chief award
The local chapter of the Professional Football Writers also recognized Arthur Moats for his cooperation with the media. The award is named after Steelers founder Art Rooney and is given annually to a member of the Steelers organization who best exemplifies the Chief’s special spirit of cooperation in assisting local writers in their duties.
