Yeah, Tuzar Skipper knows. He heard you.
From the second Skipper was cut before the Steelers' Week 1 matchup vs. the Patriots, Steeler Nation wanted him to come back. And why not?
Skipper posted five sacks and two forced fumbles in preseason action, immediately standing out as a player who just wanted it. For a young, unproven player like the 24-year-old rookie Skipper, that matters.
Only in this case, it didn't matter enough, as the Steelers elected to roll with Anthony Chickillo and Ola Adeniyi as backup outside linebackers. Bye-bye Skipper. The Giants promptly scooped him up, and Skipper had cameos there in six games, registering a half-sack, a fumble recovery, two tackles and a quarterback hit. He wound up on their practice squad before the Steelers came knocking once again ahead of their Week 12 showdown vs. the division-rival Bengals.
And, man, is he happy to be back:
"It's awesome, man, you know, having the fans love me and things like that. It's what a kid asks for," Skipper was telling me Friday at the Rooney Complex after practice. "Coming from a little school to a big town, big city, and just instantly 100,000 fans just calling [your name]. It's a dream come true. Dream come true."
The dynamic's changed now. Before, Skipper had to be hungry because his spot on the 53-man roster wasn't secured. Now, he's there and he'll see the field on Sunday, but the challenge doesn't diminish. It just changes.
"I just gotta keep working," Skipper said. "Preseason's a little different, and then the regular season's totally different. Now you're in there with the real sharks and things like that. So you just gotta continue to perfect your craft and you continue to work and don't take any opportunity for granted."
Specifically, Skipper's expected to help simulate opponents in practice and to contribute on special teams. If he sees some snaps on defense in relief of Watt or Dupree, he's ready for that, too.
"I'm here for whatever they need me to do — special teams, practice, I don't really care," Skipper said. "Whatever they need me to do, I'm here to help the team win and help the team have a successful season."
While the path to the Steelers' active roster wasn't a smooth one for Skipper, he feels he's better for the experience. This is who he wants to be, anyway, he tells me: A tough, gritty player who refuses to quit. So far, so good on that front.
"[I want to be known as] just being resilient. Keep coming after it. I get knocked down, I'm still gonna get up," Skipper was saying. "That's really what I want the fans to know, I want coaches to know, I want anybody who's heard about Tuzar Skipper to know. He may get knocked down, but he's definitely going to get back up. We've all heard the quote, 'It's not about how many times you get knocked down, it's about how many times you get up.' That's where I fall in. I'm just going to keep getting up.
"I may have two black eyes, a swollen lip, but I'm still going to get up."
Two black eyes, swollen lip and still fighting? Sounds like these 2019 Steelers are indeed a perfect fit for a guy like Skipper.
