Forget what Leo Durocher said, nice guys don’t always finish last
When rain washed “Friday Night Lights” off the Steelers practice schedule, I had some time the next day to riff in my laptop about some of the nicest people I had come across throughout training camp.
Nice guys still matter in football.
PRESSLEY HARVIN
The 2020 Ray Guy Award winner as the best punter in college football, Harvin was drafted by the Steelers – and struggled. Those struggles came to a head in Week 15 at home against the Tennessee Titans, when he punted for a net average of 30.2 and was booed – in front of his terminally ill father, who died a few days later. On Christmas.
Harvin woke up Christmas morning to hear the bad news and informed the Steelers he wouldn’t be traveling with them to Kansas City for a game the next day. He missed two games, returned for the regular-season finale – the day after his grandmother passed.
Harvin finished the season with sub-par averages of 42.6 gross (31st in the league) and 38.0 net (29th), but in the spring, his special teams coach, Danny Smith, raved about Harvin’s improvement. I happened upon Harvin at Saint Vincent College and we talked about his difficulties in 2021.
