PITTSBURGH — A few NFL players over the years have waxed poetic about Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke. But Friedrich Nietzsche? Well, that didn't happen until Friday morning when noted Steelers philosopher Alejandro Villanueva invoked his name when comparing his friend and teammate David DeCastro to him.
Villanueva brought up the German philosopher after a rather dark and brooding Zoom interview given by DeCastro a couple of weeks ago that shed some light on his state of mind of playing an NFL season through a pandemic.
"Dave is the greatest actor of all the players when it comes to revealing his personality," Villanueva said. "Sometimes, when I'm driving with him every morning down 79, I feel like I got Friedrich Nietzsche himself sitting next to me. Some of his takes are going to be a little on the obscure side.
"For him to be down has nothing to do with his approach to the game or how he feels about football. He's a very professional person. He loves to approach things from a very meticulous and analytical way, the way he sets, the way he plays; he plays the odds. He learned from [Mike Munchak]. Munch played football like a card player. That's how he approaches the game. I wouldn't worry too much about Dave. But if you ask him if he thinks people are happy or sad, he's always going to say people are sad."
Villanueva wasn't done philosophizing. He went on to give his insights into being a left tackle in the NFL and his impending free agency, all in an entertaining style that has come to embody his seven-year professional career with the Steelers.
Villanueva served two tours in Afghanistan before stumbling into a career in the NFL. That he's played professional football this long is an amazing accomplishment. He joined the Steelers in 2014 after an unsuccessful attempt at playing defensive line for the Philadelphia Eagles during one preseason.
Villanueva learned how to play offensive tackle under the tutelage of Munchak, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who now coaches the offensive line for the Denver Broncos. He made the practice squad in 2014 and then the active roster in 2015, serving as Kelvin Beachum's backup to start the season.
When Beachum was injured six games into the season, Villanueva took over and hasn't missed a start since. One of the most impressive aspects of his career is his durability. He will start his 88th consecutive game on Monday night in Cincinnati.
Left tackle is one of the most important positions on any football team, but it's especially significant when that left tackle is protecting the blind side of a franchise quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger. Villanueva is not a trained offensive lineman. He played tight end, receiver and defensive lineman at Army. A combination of all those things created a method that is a bit unique, to say the least.
"I always dwell on the negative plays," he said. "I never dwell on anything positive. The only thing that matters to me is the next snap. Bathing in the negativity before every snap and having a mental breakdown is how I learned to play football.
"I know a lot of tackles do the same thing. Shout out to those mental sufferers out there. It's just how you play. It reminds me of jumping out of airplanes when I was in the Army. There is very little upside. The best thing that can happen when you jump out of an airplane is you survive. Playing tackle is kind of the same way. The best thing that can happen is that nothing happens."
Villanueva is in the final year of a four-year, $24 million contract he signed back in the summer of 2017. He's 32, has a degree from West Point and earned his MBA from Carnegie Mellon more than a year ago after attending night school for years. He didn't mention retirement or playing for another team, but he did sound like someone who is appreciating the moment.
"This is the 16th or 17th city I've lived in in my life," Villanueva said. "My whole life has been, 'Where are we going to go dad? Where will we be living next year? For me, [becoming a free agent is] no different. It for sure makes you appreciate everything: your friendships, your teammates, the city of Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania. It's been some interesting years in my life. I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but it's not something I'm going to dwell on. I've lived in 17 other cities. I know I probably won't live in Pittsburgh 10 years from now. It just makes you appreciate space and time and all the weird things we have going on in our lives."
