Something the fourth-year veteran is embracing, in both victory and defeat.
As the mentors who took Heyward under their wing — Aaron Smith, Chris Hoke, Casey Hampton chief among them — have vanished to retirement, Heyward has made it a point to become the spokesman for a team still searching for an identity a month into the season.
It’s what leaders do.When the Steelers (2-2) allowed lowly Tampa Bay to rip off 10 fourth-quarter points in a 27-24 victory last Sunday, Heyward dutifully stood at his locker and took responsibility for the mistakes. Some of them — like the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty he received for arguing with an official — were his fault. Others, like the other 12 flags the Steelers drew, were not.
While his teammates dressed quietly in stunned silence, Heyward spoke evenly, trying to set a tone for the road ahead starting Sunday at Jacksonville (0-4).
A lot of guys have very good book sense but no football sense and vice versa,” Mitchell said. “Cam is a guy that’s smart. He knows what’s going on on the field.
A snapshot from Pittsburgh’s season-opening win over Cleveland provided proof.
Tied at 27 late in the fourth quarter, the Browns had the ball with a chance to win it. It never happened, not after the drive began with Heyward enveloping Cleveland quarterback Brian Hoyer for a sack. The Browns punted three plays later, giving Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger just enough time to win it.
