Former Hokie Terrell Edmunds steps into the limelight with two interceptions for unbeaten Pittsburgh Steelers
Aside from everyone’s pandemic worries, the 2020 NFL season can’t be going much better for Terrell Edmunds.
He’s a third-year starter at strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the league’s only unbeaten team.
As he did with Virginia Tech, he’s playing on the same team as his brother Trey, a running back who is trying to solidify an NFL spot.
Sunday, Edmunds stepped into the limelight with a pair of interceptions as the Steelers outclassed the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-3 in Florida. It had been 38 games since his only previous NFL pickoff, which came in his rookie season. The Danville native, who was chosen 28th in the 2018 draft’s first round, also made four tackles.
Even the Chuck Noll-coached teams that won four Super Bowls in a six-year span starting in January 1975 never started 10-0, but this year’s Steelers, guided by Peninsula native Mike Tomlin, have done so — though Tomlin said after the game, “The only thing perfect about this team is its record.”
Edmunds, 23, has 227 tackles in his 42-game career, along with six quarterback hits and a fumble recovery. He described his interceptions to Joe Rutter on triblive.com.
“Really, I’m just trying to help the team out the best way I can,” he said. “The first one was an overthrown ball. Tips and overthrows, as a DB, that’s what you’re asking for. The second one was just playing my zone. I made a nice drop.”
Edmunds’ first pick came with 29 seconds left in the first half and the Steelers ahead 17-3. The second interception, with 8:43 left in the game, set up Ben Roethlisberger’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Eric Ebron for the afternoon’s last score.
Some Pittsburgh fans want Edmunds to be more of a playmaker. But if nothing else, he’s reliable.
“I think his best ability is his availability when you really look at his career,” Tomlin said on triblive.com. “As a young guy, he has gained a quality experience because of it. He has taken that experience and has continually made himself a better player, really in all areas and in pass recognition. I can’t say enough about his run-game fits in the way he is playing in that element of the game here in 2020. But largely, his game has always been on the upswing because he is a young guy and is diligent and a young guy who is available.”
Next, the Steelers will take on their biggest rivals, the slumping Baltimore Ravens (6-4), in a prime-time Thanksgiving showdown at Heinz Field.
“It is an honor for us to entertain our fans and fans in general on Thursday Night Football and on Thanksgiving,” Tomlin said on steelers.com. “That’s not something that we take for granted. As a young guy who loved football, man, I grew up watching football on the holidays, and it’s an honor and it’s humbling to provide that for others and to be associated with that and the memories it creates.”
Here’s this week’s update of NFL players with Virginia connections, with jersey number, position, player, connection(s) and statistics:
NFC
6 QB Kurt Benkert (U.Va.): Not active.
59 LB LaRoy Reynolds (Maury High, UVA): Reserve; 2 tackles (both on punts).
8 QB Matt Schaub (UVA): Did not play.
17 WR Olamide Zaccheaus (UVA): Reserve; targeted once; 1 catch for 10 yards.
25 RB Trenton Cannon (Kecoughtan High, Virginia State): Reserve; 1 tackle (on a punt).
4 K Joey Slye (North Stafford High, Va. Tech): made 2 PATs and field goals of 56 and 37 yards without a miss; kicked off 5 times, all for touchbacks.
97 DE Ron’Dell Carter (James Madison): Not active.
7 QB Ben DiNucci (James Madison): Not active.
76 OL Oday Aboushi (UVA): Reserve; no stats.
93 DE Da’Shawn Hand (Woodbridge High, Alabama): Not active.
24 S Raven Greene (First Colonial High, James Madison): Reserve; 8 tackles; forced 1 fumble (resulting in a takeaway).
73 OT Yosuah Nijman (Va. Tech): Reserve; no stats.
Los Angeles Rams:
59 LB Micah Kiser (UVA): Started at ILB; 6 tackles.
Minnesota Vikings:
41 S Anthony Harris (L.C. Bird High, UVA): Started at FS; 7 tackles.
90 DE Jalyn Holmes (Lake Taylor High, Ohio State): Started; 6 tackles.
Philadelphia Eagles:
13 WR Travis Fulgham (Old Dominion): Started; targeted 7 times; 1 catch for 8 yards.
45 LS Rick Lovato (Old Dominion): Reserve; did long snapping.
23 S Rodney McLeod (UVA): Started; 4 tackles.
94 DL Josh Sweat (Oscar Smith High, Florida State): Reserve; 6 tackles (2 for a loss, including a sack for a 7-yard loss; also counts as a QB hit).
42 S K’Von Wallace (Highland Springs High, Clemson): Reserve; no stats.
Seattle Seahawks:
76 OT Duane Brown (Hermitage High, Va. Tech): Started at LT; penalized 4 yards (half the distance to the goal line) for a false start.
3 QB Russell Wilson (Collegiate School of Richmond, N.C. State, Wisconsin): Started; 23 of 28 for 197 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 119.8 passer rating; 10 carries for 42 yards, including a kneel-down to end the game; sacked 3 times for 15 yards in losses; fumbled twice (0 turnovers).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
64 G Aaron Stinnie (St. Anne’s-Belfield, James Madison): Reserve; no stats.
72 OT Josh Wells (Hanover High, James Madison): Reserve; no stats.
Washington Football Team:
93 DT Jonathan Allen (Stone Bridge High, Alabama): Started; 3 tackles; 3 QB hits.
23 CB Kendall Fuller (Va. Tech): Started; 2 tackles; defended 2 passes.
86 WR Dontrelle Inman (UVA): Not active (hamstring injury).
32 CB Jimmy Moreland (James Madison): Started; 2 tackles, including a shared sack for a 5-yard loss; 2 QB hits.
76 OT Morgan Moses (Meadowbrook High, UVA): Started at LT; no stats.
97 DT Tim Settle (*Manassas, Va. Tech): Reserve; 1 tackle (a sack for an 11-yard loss; also counts as a tackle for loss and a QB hit).
82 TE Logan Thomas (Brookville High, Va. Tech): Started; targeted 5 times; 2 catches for 6 yards; 1 carry for 2 yards.
*Settle graduated from Stonewall Jackson High, which was renamed this year to Unity Reed High).
AFC
Baltimore Ravens:
36 S Chuck Clark (King’s Fork High, Va. Tech): Started at SS; 5 tackles.
Cincinnati Bengals:
67 G Quinton Spain (Petersburg High, West Virginia): Started; flagged for holding (declined because Washington earned a touchback on a Joe Burrow fumble); forced a Washington fumble on that same play.
Cleveland Browns:
77 G Wyatt Teller (Va. Tech): Started at RG; no stats.
Denver Broncos:
35 RB Jeremy Cox (Old Dominion): Reserve; no stats.
Houston Texans:
24 RB C.J. Prosise (Petersburg native, Woodberry Forest, Notre Dame): Reserve; 3 carries for minus-4 yards; targeted twice; 2 catches for 8 yards; 1 kickoff return for 22 yards.
Indianapolis Colts:
81 TE Mo Alie-Cox (VCU): Started; targeted twice; 2 catches for 16 yards; lost 1 fumble.
14 WR Zach Pascal (Old Dominion): Started; targeted 3 times; 3 catches for 54 yards; penalized 10 yards for holding; flagged for illegal motion (declined).
46 LS Luke Rhodes (William & Mary): Reserve; did long snapping; downed a punt.
Kansas City Chiefs:
91 DL Derrick Nnadi (Ocean Lakes High, Florida State): Started at DT; 2 tackles.
22 S Juan Thornhill (Altavista High, UVA): Reserve; 1 tackle.
Las Vegas Raiders:
96 DE Clelin Ferrell (Benedictine Prep, Clemson): Missed game; on COVID-19/reserve list.
Los Angeles Chargers:
28 CB Brandon Facyson (Va. Tech): Missed the game after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
12 WR Joe Reed (Randolph-Henry High, UVA): Reserve; 1 kickoff return for 17 yards; 1 tackle (on a kickoff).
5 QB Tyrod Taylor (Hampton High, Va. Tech): Did not play.
New England Patriots:
84 WR Isaiah Ford (Va. Tech): Not active.
44 TE Dalton Keene (Va. Tech): Placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.
91 DE Deatrich Wise (Hampton Roads native, Arkansas): Started; 1 QB hit.
New York Jets:
77 OT Mekhi Becton (Highland Springs High, Louisville): Started; penalized 5 yards for a false start.
87 TE/WR Daniel Brown (Isle of Wight Academy, James Madison): Reserve; 1 tackle (on a punt).
37 CB Bryce Hall (UVA): Started; 7 tackles (1 for a loss); penalized 8 yards for pass interference.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
33 RB Trey Edmunds (Dan River High, Va. Tech, Maryland): Not active.
34 S Terrell Edmunds (Dan River High, Va. Tech): Started at SS; 4 tackles; intercepted 2 passes for a total of 11 return yards (also counts as 2 passes defended); penalized 7 yards for pass interference.
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