Dec 16, 2014 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – As Steelers cornerback William Gay dressed at his locker following the Pittsburgh’s 27-20 victory Sunday at Atlanta, a group of reporters waited to interview to him.

Safety Mike Mitchell, who was at the next locker, turned and made a pronouncement.

“Ya’ll need to vote for Will Gay for the Pro Bowl,” he yelled. “Gay for the Pro Bowl.”

Mitchell has a point.

Gay returned an interception for a touchdown against the Falcons. It was his third return for a score this season, setting the Steelers’ single-season team record. It was his fourth consecutive interception returned for a touchdown, spanning the past two seasons.

Only three players in NFL history – Ken Houston, Eric Allen and Jim Kearney – had four interception returns for a touchdown in one season.

While the touchdowns were important – Pittsburgh is 3-0 when Gay scores – what is more significant is Gay has been the one constant at cornerback for the Steelers (9-5), who host the Kansas City Chiefs (8-6) Sunday at Heinz Field.

Gay isn’t a guy who’s going to make a big deal about his team record. He refused to talk about his record-breaking score Sunday.

“It was great to get a team win,” he said. “That puts a smile on my face.”

In a secondary that has used six different cornerbacks because of injuries and ineffectiveness, Gay has done whatever the Steelers asked of him. The eight-year veteran has been a steadying force at cornerback, where Ike Taylor and Cortez Allen were the starters in the season opener. Taylor missed 10 games because of injuries and Allen was benched, then put on injured reserve with a fractured thumb.

Against the Falcons, Gay lined up with Brice McCain, Antwon Blake and B.W. Webb when the Steelers used a four-cornerback defensive alignment. Only Blake, a three-year veteran, was with Pittsburgh last year.

“William has bounced back from left corner and right corner, depending on who he’s playing with,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “Sometimes, he plays inside in sub-package football. It depends on who he’s playing with. From time to time, we’re going to try to make things as simple as we can for the young player.”

Wherever he lined up, Gay largely played a big role in the Steelers’ success. In addition to his team-best three interceptions, Gay has a team-best 16 pass defenses. Nobody else on the team is in double digits. And his 56 tackles rank fourth on the team.

That’s not bad for a player many Steelers fans couldn’t wait to run out of town a few years ago, when he left as a free agent for Arizona. But Gay was released by the Cardinals following the 2012 season in a salary cap-related move and quickly re-signed with the Steelers.

He’s been a valuable member since both on and off the field. Tuesday it was announced he is the team’s finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his work combating domestic violence.

Gay, whose mother was killed when he was a child in a murder-suicide, has long been an advocate for domestic violence awareness and was featured in the NFL’s television commercials devoted to the issue.

But it’s Gay’s on-field performance that garnered the most recognition.

“Will is just a silent, steady contributor,” said Tomlin. “He’s a seasoned veteran and he plays that way. He’s opportunistic. He plays a good above the neck game. But forget about the plays that he makes, he does a nice job of keeping plays at bay and minimizing negativity. He’s always in good position. His eyes are good. I’m glad he’s getting some of the recognition that he deserves for good, solid play.”

Tomlin said tight end Matt Spaeth (hyperextended elbow) and Mitchell (groin) will be watched closely in practice after being injured Sunday. … Linebacker James Harrison (knee) and Taylor (shoulder/forearm) could be available this week. … Rookie inside linebacker Ryan Shazier is healthy but Tomlin said he is happy with the play of Sean Spence and Vince Williams, who shared an inside linebacker position while Shazier was out with knee and ankle injuries.