CBN Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers Lineman is a Force to be Reckoned With
By Shawn Brown
The 700 Club
CBN.com -Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Kelvin Beachum stands 6’3, 303 pounds and is the smallest offensive lineman in the NFL. He competes against larger defensive players every week. He says it’s not easy!
“Sometimes you are knocked off balance. Those are professionals too. Sometimes they give you a little, you know, a little shake-n-bake and they come right into you. You have to stop and replant yourself and really anchor down. And as a left tackle, like I said from where I’m at, considered the smallest guy in the league, I have to be able to anchor and I have to anchor quickly. I have to use my leverage.”
No one benefits from that more than Steelers’ Quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. “That’s my blind side. Before every game I go around and shake everybody’s hand and say something to somebody. Beach is the guy I always say, ‘Let’s go, Beach, you’ve got my back today.’ He always says, ‘I’ve got your back.’ It’s reassuring to know a guy who cares so much about the game and my health is back there. I think it’s a credit to him as person, as a competitor, as an athlete to be able to be a guy that’s probably the most important spot on the offensive line. For him to come in undersized, under-drafted, underpaid, everything and to excel and be our left tackle. They very easily could have drafted a left tackle with their first pick this year. They choose to go with him. Now, I’d like to think I had a little bit to do with that by going in a campaigning for him but that’s the belief that I have in him that the coaches the staff, the Rooneys we have in him because his heart is immeasurable. It’s unbelievable.”
Kelvin was drafted in the 7th round in 2012, and worked his way up to the starting position by the end of his 2nd season. How did he do it? Well, he showed me. He says it all about having a solid foundation.
Shawn Brown, CBN Sports: “You know you said something interesting. You said if you’re not anchored properly, if your feet aren’t planted properly anything can happen you can get knocked to the left or knocked to the right. In life; talk about that just a little bit.”
“If you’re not where you need to be, I talked about that earlier. If you’re not on that solid rock, Jesus is that solid rock. If you not on that solid rock, you’re easily tossed and turned. But if you have that solid anchor, that solid foundation, in Jesus Christ your life is not going to be easy but it provides a life where you have something lean on, something to hold on to. And it starts with that foundation has to be Jesus Christ. Just like on the football field; if I don’t have that foundation it’s going to be a long day.”
Kelvin’s had his share of long days. Like the time he gave up 3 sacks in a game…
Shawn: “You’re probably getting smashed by the media.”
“You are and I know what they saying. ‘Oh, he’s too small. We knew he couldn’t do it.’ You know, ‘he’s getting ran over.’ ‘He getting pushed into the pocket.’ You know, all these different excuses and a lot of different labels and a lot of different “stereotypes” that people can put on you. But you have to look past those things. You know—I know who I am, I know what I’m made of. I know what type of person I am, I know what type of resolve I have. I know where my hope is. I know who I am. I know who I am in Christ. I know who I am on this football team. I know what my role is. And I got to turn around and just do my job.”
As the Steelers fight to make it the playoffs, it doesn’t matter what opposition attempts to move Kelvin, he says he’s staying planted on solid ground.
“A firm foundation in Jesus Christ is the –the key and only element that you need to live in this present society. You have to have it. If you don’t have that foundation, you’re living on rocky ground. Jesus Christ never wavers. Men waver, society wavers, but Jesus Christ never wavers. And you have a lot of confidence knowing that the Man that you put your life—you put your life in Jesus hands, He’ll take care of you for the rest of your life.”
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