Steelers DB Beanie Bishop on Source of Motivation: ‘The Chip Never Leaves My Shoulder’

UNITY TWP, Pa. – At this point, it’s well documented that Beanie Bishop has been carrying a giant chip on his shoulder most of his life. It’s because of that chip that Bishop became a consensus All-American at WVU and has been impressing Mike Tomlin and the rest of the Steelers’ coaching staff during training camp.

“The chip never leaves my shoulder,” said Bishop before training camp practice on Sunday. “Even when I get done playing, I will always have the chip on my shoulder just because of the way that I grew up and things like that. It’s just something that never leaves me.”

These comments came just two days after Bishop experienced a big opportunity early in his NFL career – starting at nickel in his preseason debut with the Steelers. Bishop offered his own evaluation of his performance.

“I think I did a solid job,” he said. “There were some plays that I kind of left out there. Made a couple of mistakes. Things I can build off of being my first game and things like that. Next week I’m going to build off of that and correct the mistakes that I made and try not to have them again.”

How Did Beanie Bishop Perform in Preseason Debut for Steelers?

Bishop finished second on the defense in total tackles, with all four coming as solo tackles. But at the same time, the Texans also targeted Bishop’s side of the field frequently, likely trying to pick on the rookie to test him.

Bishop did show hustle, but also got beat when out in space by Texans’ receivers. The clip below shows Houston rookie tight end Cade Stover taking advantage of Bishop blitzing.

“I thought he did some good things tonight but we got a lot of work in front of us and opportunities for a young guy like him to round out his game from a detail perspective,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin in his postgame press conference about what he saw from Bishop.

Bishop will now need to keep putting in work at training camp and continue to impress Tomlin enough to earn more opportunities in games. It now remains to be seen if Bishop starts again in Pittsburgh’s next preseason game against Buffalo on Saturday, August 17.

Bishop’s camp success might be surprising for some, but it’s just the latest example of the former West Virginia Mountaineer making the most of every opportunity.

Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

“I have to come back tomorrow and prove myself again and do the same thing the next day,” Bishop said to Aaron Becker of Yardbarker at training camp on Friday. “I’m trying to take advantage of all the reps that I get. Every day I’m coming to compete for a spot just like everyone else.”

Bishop has continually reiterated his desire to prove his doubters, even NFL teams who passed on him, wrong ever since he showed up in Pittsburgh as a free agent signee of the Steelers.

“It’s one of those things that helps me every day whenever I think about getting comfortable,” Bishop expressed to WV Sports Now in May.

Bishop has actually carried a chip on his shoulder going back to when he was an undersized kid. That chip then intensified when he had to start his college career at a Group of 5 program in Western Kentucky.

“I’m 0 surprised with Beanie. He’s a football player. He may not check off all the boxes but he’s a football player,” said WVU head coach Neal Brown when asked about Bishop already making his presence felt with the Steelers.

For a related story, Zach Frazier is on the verge of starting at center of starting for the Steelers.

Find more coverage of Beanie Bishop at WV Sports Now.