Former Steelers Linebacker Robert Spillane Receives Fascinating Label On Sunday Night Football

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had an extremely weak inside linebacker room over the last several seasons. This includes players such as Myles Jack, first-round bust Devin Bush, and Robert Spillane. Spillane had his ups and downs during his time in Pittsburgh, but more often then not, he seemed to be a liability when he was on the field rather than an asset. The Steelers chose not to re-sign Spillane after the 2022 season, and he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. 

Former Steelers Linebacker Is "Someone To Build A Franchise Around"

Spillane is a defensive captain for the Raiders, who has had a decent season so far in 2023. In the Week 3 matchup between the Steelers and their former linebacker, he had seven total tackles in the game which the Raiders lost by a score of 23-18. They lost this game after Spillane made some comments during the week about how he was looking forward to giving the Steelers a taste of their own medicine. 

The Raiders have had a rough season so far. They're record currently sits at 5-5, and they recently fired their Head Coach Josh McDaniels. In addition to firing the head coach, their general manager and offensive coordinator were also let go. They named former NFL linebacker Antonio Pierce their interim head coach for the remainder of the 2023 season and have won back to back games since this change was made. In the middle of the Raiders Week 10 matchup on Sunday Night Football on NBC against the New York Jets, commentators Cris Collinsworth and Mike Tirico shared what Pierce told them about Spillane. 

"The one guy that we talked about with Antonio Pierce was Robert Spillane. He said Spillane is the leader of the defense, 'A guy I want to build the franchise around. The guy that I know will always be there on the defensive side,' and we both looked at each other and went, 'Really?'"

This commentary came after Spillane made a crucial stop on a Jets third down about halfway through the second quarter, and the Jets were winning 9-3. The Jets gave the ball to Breece Hall on a third-down-and-one, and Spillane burst through the line of scrimmage and crushed Hall before he even had a chance. Spillane continued his good game by intercepting Jets quarterback Zach Wilson with just over a minute left to help seal the victory for the Raiders.

Spillane was often criticized by Steelers fans during his time in Pittsburgh. His most memorable positive highlight was probably stuffing Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry at the goal line during the 2020 season. At the end of 2020 season, Spillane put up a horrible performance against the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round of the postseason. He led the team in tackles that game, but many Steelers fans will remember him continuously getting beat in coverage over the middle of the field which was a huge factor in the Browns getting the win.

Spillane signed with the Steelers in 2019 and stayed with the team through 2022. His best season in Pittsburgh was 2020. He recorded 45 total tackles on the year, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and four pass break ups to go along with one interception. Spillane did this while playing in only 14 games and starting just seven times. Spillane never had another stellar season like this in Pittsburgh again, and the team lost him to free agency after the 2022 season. 

So far in Spillane's first season in Las Vegas, he has 81 total tackles, two-and-a-half sacks, and three interceptions. He has been a bright spot for the Raiders in a season that is not going the way the franchise had initially hoped. Pittsburgh fans are definitely all wishing for him to continue to succeed, but hearing him being called a franchise player on national TV is not something any football fan could have expected.