You don’t need me to tell you this but it’s been a disappointing season for Ryan Shazier. Largely stemming from injuries, which some fans ridiculed him over last week in which Shazier suffered an obvious concussion, limiting his ability to stack positive gains.
As we’ve written before, this is uncharted territory for the second-year player. He got nicked up in college but never missed a game. Now, he’s only played in 16 of 27 career games since coming to the NFL. It adds to the mental rigors that already exist for any player making that adjustment, no matter the success he has.
“I’m going to continue to rehab and do whatever I can to make sure my body’s right but I’m not going to press on those issues any more,” Shazier told Mike Prisuta of Steelers.com.
Shazier missed four games with a shoulder/nerve injury earlier this season. He left early in the second quarter Sunday but in a rare moment of injury good news, does appear likely to play against the Indianapolis Colts. He’s listed as probable on the final injury report of the week.
He took his frustration out on social media several times over that process, almost understandable for a player who was surely bombarded by mean-spirited messages from so-called fans.
Talking to Prisuta, he just wants to put all that behind him and go out and play.
“I’m going to stop worrying about it and go out there and play like I normally play.”
On the year, Shazier has 48 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ struggling defense will certainly need him down the stretch to make a final playoff push.
