Dwayne Haskins is certainly making the most of his second chance in the NFL, this time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he’s having a ton of fun doing it.
Haskins, who carved up the Philadelphia Eagles Thursday night to the tune of 161 yards and a touchdown, asserted himself firmly into the possible No. 2 quarterback discussion with his performance, marrying his showings in training camp practices to actual game reps.
Thanks to his strong performance, Haskins is having a lot of fun playing football under Mike Tomlin, and is throwing it back to his college days a bit at Ohio State.
Speaking to reporters following his performance Thursday at Lincoln Financial Field, Haskins couldn’t help but gush about the experience of playing in a stadium again, telling reporters just how much he’s enjoying this moment.
“It was great. Probably the most fun I have had since I came here,” Haskins said. “The energy, the fans in the stadium. Guys gravitating towards me. It was a lot of fun to be out there and just put some points out there and got a win. [Steelers WR Anthony] Johnson found a great spot back in the end zone. So I just wanted to give him a chance to give him the ball so it was a great free play. Coach [Mike] Tomlin talks a lot about hunting and big plays.”
Haskins showed just how much fun he’s having in the moment, sprinting to Johnson in the end zone following the completion to chest-bump his pass catcher, displaying some emotion in a game in which he appeared cool, calm and collected in the pocket.
His success on the field can be contributed in some form or fashion to the positive atmosphere he’s working in with the Steelers. Pressure is not on him to be the man right away, which has allowed him to sit back, work on his game and come along slowly. That has allowed him to have a taste of what it was like in college at Ohio State, where everyone was supportive and all about the team, creating a real brotherhood.
“Yeah definitely, just the atmosphere and how competitive it is,” Haskins said. “It feels like it’s a brotherhood here and I’m just excited to be a part of it. Whether I’m playing or not playing, I still want to root on my teammates. Just to see how when the third team is in, the starters are cheering on the third team. Everyone on the field wants to see everyone make plays so it’s a lot of fun watching it.”
