Cameron Heyward thought he already had a Super Bowl ring. At worst, an appearance.
After all, when he was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2011 draft, the former Ohio State striker joined a team a few months away from the Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers for the third time in six seasons the franchise played on the main stage of the NFL.
Almost a decade later, Heyward is a gray-haired 31-year-old veteran with four Pro Bowls and a few All-Pro teams, but he still doesn’t have a ring to put on his finger.
“I’m more towards the end than the beginning,” said Heyward. “I’m not saying that I’m going to retire next year, but I’m in a situation where I only have a few more cracks. You look at that when I got here – we went to the playoffs and lost to Denver. You think we will at least make it to the playoffs every time.
“It has been a battle and it hasn’t happened that way.”
Heyward is one of the few Steelers players left over when the franchise lost the playoffs in the 2012-13 seasons and repeated that two-year absence in 2018-19. The Steelers have done postseason five times since losing to the Packers at Super Bowl XLV, but have only returned to the AFC championship game once. It’s a race the Steelers would like to end this season as they prepare to face the Cleveland Browns in the wild card round on Sunday at Heinz Field.
For Heyward, he hasn’t experienced a victory in the postseason since 2015, when the Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in that bizarre submission at Paul Brown Stadium. Heyward was on injury reserve the following season, when the Steelers won two playoff games before losing to the New England Patriots in the conference title game.
“For me, there are not many opportunities left, and I really have to take advantage of that,” he said. “It is a privilege to reach the playoffs. See the last two seasons. I thought we had very good teams, but we didn’t make it. I will taste it. ”
He is not alone. Ben Roethlisberger, entering the postseason two months before his 39º birthday, is the only Steelers player with any Super Bowl experience. Center Maurkice Pouncey was a newcomer in 2010, but lost the Super Bowl due to an ankle injury.
“I think every player should approach this playoff game as if it could be the last playoff game,” said Roethlisberger. “We use examples of players and coaches who have been in this league for a long time and who have never been in the postseason, never been to a Super Bowl.
“I think it is prudent for each player to follow this mindset and approach. I know I am because nothing is guaranteed in this game. ”
Roethlisberger’s 21 games of playoff experience are 14 more than any other player on the 53 player list. Roethlisberger will have a post-season record of 13-8 in Sunday night’s game, and his start will take him past his idol, John Elway. The only defenders to start more postseason games are Joe Montana (23), Brett Favre (24), Peyton Manning (27) and Tom Brady (41).
Roethlisberger can move up to third place on the all-time list if he can guide the Steelers to the Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida.
At least twice in the past few weeks, Roethlisberger has assembled offensive Steelers players to remind them of the bets that await them.
“There are a lot of guys who don’t understand what it is about,” said Roethlisberger. “I get it. When I was young, people tried to explain it to me to take advantage of it. You’re thinking, ‘I’m young, I’m going back’. It’s not guaranteed. I think all the veteran guys, as we’re losing our careers, we understand that we don’t know what’s coming or if there will be a close for some guys. ”
The Steelers are almost equally divided in terms of players with experience in playoffs and players without. There are 19 players in the squad of 53 players who were about three years ago when the Steelers were defeated by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 45-42, at home in the wild card round. Seven players have playoff experience with other teams, leaving 27 without any.
“Older players are leading the charge,” said All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who will make his playoff debut on Sunday. “They’ve been around for a while. They are telling us that the details are important. We have to do everything we are doing. Do not think about the off season or hit the body. You will regret not having given 110 (%) now (when it arrives) the off-season. ”
Cornerback Joe Haden, who entered the NFL in 2010, has just one game of postseason experience – that defeat to Jacksonville. Your chance of reaching a second playoff game will depend on whether the Steelers beat Browns, your old team. Haden remains on the reserve / covid-19 list and will not play on Sunday.
“I know he really wanted to be a part of that game,” said Heyward. “I told him that our goal is to bring him back to the divisional round. It is up to us to take care of our business. ”
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who will appear in his second playoff game, said that Heyward sent each Steelers player a chart listing the winnings for each playoff round. Each Steelers player could win as much as $ 33,000 for competing in the wild card round up to $ 255,000 if they win the Super Bowl ($ 190,000 if they lose).
“I think it was really cool to show what we’re playing for,” said Smith-Schuster. “That amount of money … can help a lot.”
While the playoff winnings can provide a great bonus for a young player on their initial four-year contract or for a player who plays on an annual contract, it is not the primary motivating factor for veterans.
Guard David DeCastro, who turns 31 on Monday, is at a similar stage in his career as Heyward and Pouncey. He joined the Steelers in 2012 and did not appear in the postseason until his third season.
“I made good money. I had a lot of fun and made great friends. The only thing I have left is the Super Bowl, ”said DeCastro. “The experience of what it would be like for the team, the city, the fans, it would be incredible to do that. I would love to see it, I would really love to be a part of it. ”
Joe Rutter is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Joe by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
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Sports | Steelers / NFL