Though he’s never played inside Heinz Field as a member of the home team, new Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive lineman James Daniels says the experienced gained on Nov. 8, 2021 on Monday Night Football was just a precursor for the experience he’s in for these next three seasons.
Seeing the passionate fans up close and personal inside Heinz Field that night has Daniels, just 24 years old and already a veteran of 48 career games, embracing what’s ahead for him, stating to Mike Prisuta of Steelers.com during a sit-down following his official signing that he’s excited to be able to play in front of some of the best fans in the world.
“It was exciting cuz I’ve never played or ever been to a Steelers game before that night,” Daniels said Prisuta, according to video via Steelers.com. “I had only been to a Pitt college football game. And so…I mean it was a Monday night game, electric environment. Heinz Field looks really cool from the inside.
“I mean, the fans were just wild and it was a very electric environment. You can tell with the fans… I’ve been seeing it today, like how highly people talk about the organization here; it’s a very historic organization. I’m just excited that I’m able to play for them.”
While Daniels hasn’t been in town long at all after signing his three-year, $26.5 million contract, he told Prisuta that he’s picked up rather quickly how passionate the fan base is in general, which fits Pittsburgh to a T. That passion and that energy the fan base brings to the table for the Steelers is what has Daniels looking forward to running out of the tunnel and stepping onto the field as a member of the black and gold.
Not only is it the people around the city that Daniels has noticed are passionate, it’s the people inside the building as well, especially those that have been around a long time and are all pushing for the same goal each and every season.
“People are passionate. Yeah, people are passionate,” Daniels said to Prisuta. “There’s been very long-tenured people around the building that have worked here, are from Pittsburgh or lived their entire life in Pittsburgh. And they’ve been working here for 20-plus, 15-plus, 10-plus years. You don’t see that in many organizations, especially in NFL when the turnover is very high.
“And so I’m just excited that I’m with people who care about their job and have ties to like where they’re working for. And everyone’s on the same goal.”
