Oh Mama, I’m in fear for my life from the long arm of the law. Lawman has put an end to my running, and I’m so far from my home.
‘Oh Mama, I can hear you a-cryin’, you’re so scared and all alone, Hangman is comin’ down from the gallows, and I don’t have very long. (Yeah!)’
You all know what comes next in the fourth quarter of home games at Acrisure Stadium when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
More often than not, a splash play is coming for the Steelers defense. Lately, fans have debated ad nauseam on social media the usage of “Renegade” at home games and the effect it does or does not have on the opponents.
But veteran outside linebacker Alex Highsmith cherishes the moment. During an appearance on the “Green Light Podcast” with former NFL defensive end Chris Long, Highsmith talked about those moments when the music hits, and the stadium erupts in the fourth quarter, saying that it’s a “feeling like no other” for the players on the field.
“That’s a great feeling. I mean, our stadium gets loud, too, and especially like you said, the fourth quarter when we play Renegade, I think that’s a feeling like no other,” Highsmith said to Long, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “And it’s just sometimes those moments like, you know as a pass rusher, you can feel when a play’s about to be made. And I think all of us on that line really, really feel that all the time. T.J. [Watt] talks a lot about it, Cam [Heyward] as well.”
There truly is nothing like it inside the stadium when the Jumbotron goes black, the opening bar hits from Styx, and the “Oh Mama” filters through. It sends a crowd into a frenzy no matter the weather and sends a charge through everyone involved.
Especially the players on the field.
Some opponents have prepared for it in the past, blaring the song during practices and pumping in noise for key situations to try and prepare as much as possible for the setting and then having success in the moment in the game. But there is no denying the impact it has and the environment it creates, not only for the home crowd but also for the players on the field for the Steelers.
More often than not, a special play is happening after Renegade plays, especially with this version of the defense.
With Highsmith coming off the edge along with T.J. Watt on the other side and Cameron Heyward pushing up the middle, it’s a clear and present danger for offenses, especially quarterbacks.
If players like Highsmith, Watt, and Heyward can feel a play is about to be made in their favor, imagine what the opponents feel when that music hits and the stadium erupts.
I get chills just thinking about it.
(Yeah!)
Check out the full interview between Long and Highsmith below.
