Despite playing his 14th NFL season, Cam Heyward has shown no signs of slowing down. He looked like a man on a mission against the Cleveland Browns. With the Pittsburgh Steelers entering the home stretch of the season, they needed to handle business against the Browns. Heyward made sure to leave his mark on the game with two sacks. According to Heyward, that big performance may have also been because of the Steelers honoring the newest members of their Hall of Honor during this game.
“I got to see them Saturday,” Heyward said after the game via the team’s YouTube channel. “Coach [Dick] LeBeau, he was texting me last year during the season, just trying to keep my head up. I still talk to him to this day and so I’m thankful of that relationship.
“I’m thankful that I got to have a [defensive coordinator] who was at Ohio State as well. I was just thankful to be in the room when he was around. Also, watching a guy like Casey Hampton, a leader, a glue guy. Watching those guys go into the Hall of Honor, you gotta play good in front of that crowd. We relish that moment.”
The inductees this year included Hampton, LeBeau, Jason Gildon, and Willie Parker. All three are cemented in Steelers history as legends, and they got some well-deserved recognition at halftime against the Browns. Like Heyward says, though, he has a more special connection to Hampton and LeBeau.
While he’s the team’s veteran now, back in 2011, Heyward was just a baby-faced rookie. He was walking on to a defense stacked with talented, yet aging players. Hampton was with the Steelers from 2001 to 2012, so Heyward was able to catch the final few years of his career. While they’re very different players, getting to experience playing alongside Hampton had to do a lot for Heyward.
And what more needs to be said about LeBeau. As the Steelers’ defensive coordinator in the 2000s, he helped lead Pittsburgh to two Super Bowl victories. He was with the team from 2004 to 2014, so again, Heyward was able to catch the tail-end of his time with the Steelers. That had to be an invaluable experience. There are very few people who have more extensive knowledge about football than LeBeau.
Heyward had to make both of them proud today. He had a monster game, looking like he hasn’t lost a step at all due to age. That’s not surprising, though. All year, Heyward has continued to make plays. Currently, it’s looking like he could put up another double-digit sack season. At 35-years old, that would be remarkable. Heyward definitely used every lesson he learned from those legends to their full capabilities.
