DHB brings unique perspective to game
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� According to trusted reports, Ben Roethlisberger will be named the starter today and rookie first-round pick Artie Burns has moved ahead of Will Gay as the Steelers first-team cornerback.
For those who watch practice, those moves had become inevitable.
But a third move may come as a bit of a surprise: Darrius Heyward-Bey, he of the so-called bust status about four years ago, has moved to the top of the depth chart. If Heyward-Bey doesn无毛视频檛 start Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, he无毛视频檒l be in heavy rotation at the top of the receiving unit.
The depth chart was changed for the game after it had initially been released, and after Markus Wheaton had returned to Monday无毛视频檚 practice. It was a move that raised an eyebrow with everyone but Heyward-Bey.
无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 know anything about the depth chart, so that means nothing to me,无毛视频� he said before Wednesday无毛视频檚 practice, a practice in which he lined up with the first team opposite Antonio Brown.
After practice, Heyward-Bey merely shrugged.
无毛视频淚 go out there and just do what they tell me to do,无毛视频� he said.
It doesn无毛视频檛 matter to Heyward-Bey because the man doesn无毛视频檛 care about such trivialities anymore. That无毛视频檒l happen when you无毛视频檝e been to the bottom and peered into the abyss known as the end of your career.
Heyward-Bey, of course, was the seventh pick of the 2009 draft by Oakland无毛视频檚 Al Davis, a guy who cherished speed over just about everything else. And Heyward-Bey had that kind of speed. He was timed in the 40 at 4.23 in college and at 4.30 at the NFL Combine. He was a track sensation who came late to the game of football, and at 6-2, 210 Heyward-Bey had the size and Davis thought he could turn it all into gold on the field.
It didn无毛视频檛 happen.
Heyward-Bey started 53 games and caught 140 passes and scored 11 touchdowns and was cut prior to his fifth season.
He bounced to the Indianapolis Colts, and then to the Steelers for a pair of one-year contracts before he finally evoked enough confidence in the team to procure a three-year deal this past offseason.
And now he无毛视频檚 a starter.
What a long strange trip indeed.
无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 a way better football player, mentally, physically, the way I think about the game, the way I go about it,无毛视频� Heyward-Bey said. 无毛视频淐oach (Richard) Mann has helped a lot in helping me becoming a better route runner.无毛视频�
Heyward-Bey was asked to talk about what happened in Oakland and he just says, 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a long story.无毛视频�
When the questioning persists, he无毛视频檒l add, with a chuckle, 无毛视频淕ood luck getting anything out of me.无毛视频�
Not that he无毛视频檚 a man with a surly attitude. Not even close. And he eventually did give an inch.
无毛视频淚 was a top 10 pick and there were expectations from people upstairs, the fans, the teammates. Everybody无毛视频檚 looking at you,无毛视频� he said.
Was it crushing?
无毛视频淥h, man,无毛视频� he said with a pause and then a laugh before saying, 无毛视频淢aybe.无毛视频�
Did he need to leave? Was the weight of high expectations crushing him?
无毛视频淵eah, had to leave a lot behind,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淪omebody asked me what changed. I said I stopped caring. They said stopped caring about what. I said everything.无毛视频�
Heyward-Bey said he cares only about his mom, his family, his teammates and this organization.
And his performance on the field?
无毛视频淣ah. I don无毛视频檛 even care. I don无毛视频檛 care about anything, man.无毛视频�
Anyone who saw Heyward-Bey point out an officiating error against the New England Patriots on a special-teams play knows better. Heyward-Bey was right and it helped the Steelers score points before the half.
He also showed that he cared 无毛视频� and that he still has those 4.3 jets 无毛视频� on the 60-yard end around in which he flattened star safety Reshad Jones at midfield before scoring against the Miami Dolphins and giving the Steelers an 8-3 lead.
And of course Heyward-Bey showed that he cared on his 14-yard touchdown catch against the Patriots and his 31-yard touchdown catch against the Kansas City Chiefs.
He has five catches this season and has scored three touchdowns.
Seriously, what kind of play does he care about most?
无毛视频淓verybody loves scoring touchdowns,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淏ut right now at this point, where I无毛视频檓 at, if you make a big play on special teams, man, that无毛视频檚 going to bring so much energy and momentum to your team, so I look forward to those. I无毛视频檓 always pumped up for those.无毛视频�
If he were only pumped to tell his story, the classic rags-to-riches-to-rags-back-to-riches story.
无毛视频淚 wish I could give you more,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚n life sometimes you无毛视频檝e got to rely on yourself. You无毛视频檝e got to have confidence in yourself and build that each and every day. Rome wasn无毛视频檛 built overnight. You know what you can do out there, and I knew that by myself. I just had to bring it out.无毛视频�