The Pittsburgh Steelers face the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night, and there’s an emerging star on the Steelers offense in wide receiver Mike Wallace, although he seems to be a forgotten man in discussions of NFL receivers.
When you ask football fans to talk about the top receivers in the NFL, the list typically includes Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, DeSean Jackson, and Wes Welker. Wallace rarely makes the top five, and although he’s only in his third year, he certainly warrants consideration as an elite receiver for what he’s accomplished.
While he isn’t getting the same attention at the water cooler, he has been making his impact felt on the field. In 2009, he was a three-time Rookie of the Week. In 2010, he led the league with seven 100-yard receiving games. And this year, he has 977 receiving yards and 8 TDs, sixth in the league in yardage and tied for fifth in TDs with Wes Welker, among others.
And he is ahead of players like Larry Fitzgerald and Desean Jackson (as well as Andre Johnson, although Johnson has been injured) in receiving yards this year. And last season, he had more receiving yards (1,257) than Larry Fitzgerald, DeSean Jackson, Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson and Wes Welker. And throw in the mix that he is one of the fastest men in the NFL.
So why is he never in the discussion of top receivers in the league?
Maybe it’s because he doesn’t have a cool nickname, like Megatron? Maybe it’s because the Steelers are a blue collar team, and prima donna receivers don’t last long in Pittsburgh? (Just ask Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes.) Or maybe it’s because both he and the Steelers just care more about winning than individual accolades.
“We have guys making plays despite me not getting the ball,” Wallace said. “That’s fine with me.”
As quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said, “I’ll spread it around as much as I can but I tell those guys, `Listen, it’s about winning.’”
“This part of the year isn’t about making receivers happy catching balls, it’s about winning football games. That’s all that matters.”
Browns coach Pat Shurmer knows what he’s up against this week, and it’s not just Wallace’s speed that he’s concerned about. “He has skill and ability to just run right by you,” Shurmer said. “I think that is the first thing that defensive coaches look at when they are trying to defend a skill player, and I think he has developed into a fine route runner. So then now, when you stay behind him, you know they can throw it in front of you, and I think that is a big challenge.”
Roethlisberger and Wallace face the Browns top rated passing defense this week on Thursday night, but the way the Steelers air assault has been playing, they are up to the challenge.
