Short of perhaps Ben Roethlisberger, is there a more popular person in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ locker room right now than Tyson Alualu? The 11th-year veteran has been heaped praise in the media on a weekly basis by teammates and coaches alike in his first season in replacing Javon Hargrave as the team’s primary nose tackle.
And even though everyone is very happy to have witnessed him play so well and have so much success so far, the biggest thing is that nobody has shown even a remote level of surprise—least of all his closest linemates, Stephon Tuitt and, more recently, Cameron Heyward, who offered his praise on Thursday with Mark Madden on 105.