Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger and cornerback, William Gay are the only two players on the team’s current roster who have a Super Bowl ring. There are some guys who have played in a Super Bowl such as wide receiver, Antonio Brown, guard, Ramon Foster, and running back, Stevan Ridley.
Although most of the Steelers’ players have not competed for a Super Bowl, plenty of them have playoff experience. 40 players have experienced the playoff atmosphere. That ranks 2nd out of the 12 playoffs teams. The Patriots rank 1st with 41. Ironically enough, the recent addition of James Harrison is the reason why the Pats have more experienced players than the Steelers.
I think that the Steelers have a nice mix of playoff experience combined with a number of guys who are hungry for their first Super Bowl ring. Brown was quoted just a year ago reminding everyone that, at this point in his career, he doesn’t care about stats.
“The goal left for me is to win the Super Bowl”, Brown said.
Brown only had 1 reception for 1 yard against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. He wasn’t elite back then, but he is now. He has one major goal to check off of his list.
“At this point in my career, it’s all about finding a way to do great things to get that Super Bowl hardware”, he reaffirmed.
Brown has been doing more than just great things this season. His injury has been a roadblock, but he is expected to be ready to go for the Divisional Round. Brown deserves the opportunity to play on the big stage. He has 44 receptions, 705 yards and 2 touchdowns in his playoff career (nine games). I have a feeling that, if 100%, he could play absolutely out of his mind over the course of the next month. Brown has been outspoken about his desire and hunger to win a Super Bowl. I expect him to play that way in the playoffs.
His words represent the feelings of many players on the team. Bell’s words last week back up Brown’s feelings from a year ago.
“I just want to win a Super Bowl”, Bell said.
Bell has only played two full playoff games in his career due to injuries. Last year, he had 167 yards rushing against the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round and 170 in the Divisional Round versus the Kansas City Chiefs. He has the chance to dominate the 2018 NFL playoffs. He is healthier than he has ever been after a full season of play and will have fresh legs come January 14th.
The team boasts enough playoff experience and desire to win.
Roethlisberger, the oldest player on the team, also gave his motivation for winning another Super Bowl. He said his offensive linemen are one of the biggest reasons why he came back this season. He wants to get them a ring. When he takes the field during the playoffs, all he has to do is look at the guys up front to get him even more motivated than I’m sure he already is.
Rookie linebacker, T.J. Watt set a goal from day one and now has the opportunity to achieve it.
“We’re here to win a Super Bowl”, Watt said in his first press conference after being drafted.
Watt will be a key piece to the Steelers Super Bowl run. Defense often wins championships, and with Ryan Shazier not playing, Watt needs to play as well as he did throughout this season.
“We are on the stairway to seven and I am here be that guy that can maybe put us over the top to get that seventh trophy. That is the goal”, Watt added back in April of 2017.
Watt set a goal of being a key piece in a Super Bowl run this season and he now has the chance to back up his claim. He will be a key component in a Steelers’ playoff run.
There is plenty of playoff experience on the roster, but younger guys like Bell need to play as if this may be there last chance to play in February. We all hope it won’t be, but nothing is certain. For the more experienced guys, the memory of coming up short in the playoffs should stick in the back of their minds.
The Steelers, as a whole, must take advantage of the experience they have and play with drive and passion, and hungrier than any of them ever have.
