DHB brings unique perspective to game
PITTSBURGH 鈥� According to trusted reports, Ben Roethlisberger will be named the starter today and rookie first-round pick Artie Burns has moved ahead of Will Gay as the Steelers first-team cornerback.
For those who watch practice, those moves had become inevitable.
But a third move may come as a bit of a surprise: Darrius Heyward-Bey, he of the so-called bust status about four years ago, has moved to the top of the depth chart. If Heyward-Bey doesn鈥檛 start Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, he鈥檒l be in heavy rotation at the top of the receiving unit.
The depth chart was changed for the game after it had initially been released, and after Markus Wheaton had returned to Monday鈥檚 practice. It was a move that raised an eyebrow with everyone but Heyward-Bey.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know anything about the depth chart, so that means nothing to me,鈥� he said before Wednesday鈥檚 practice, a practice in which he lined up with the first team opposite Antonio Brown.
After practice, Heyward-Bey merely shrugged.
鈥淚 go out there and just do what they tell me to do,鈥� he said.
It doesn鈥檛 matter to Heyward-Bey because the man doesn鈥檛 care about such trivialities anymore. That鈥檒l happen when you鈥檝e been to the bottom and peered into the abyss known as the end of your career.
Heyward-Bey, of course, was the seventh pick of the 2009 draft by Oakland鈥檚 Al Davis, a guy who cherished speed over just about everything else. And Heyward-Bey had that kind of speed. He was timed in the 40 at 4.23 in college and at 4.30 at the NFL Combine. He was a track sensation who came late to the game of football, and at 6-2, 210 Heyward-Bey had the size and Davis thought he could turn it all into gold on the field.
It didn鈥檛 happen.
Heyward-Bey started 53 games and caught 140 passes and scored 11 touchdowns and was cut prior to his fifth season.
He bounced to the Indianapolis Colts, and then to the Steelers for a pair of one-year contracts before he finally evoked enough confidence in the team to procure a three-year deal this past offseason.
And now he鈥檚 a starter.
What a long strange trip indeed.
鈥淚鈥檓 a way better football player, mentally, physically, the way I think about the game, the way I go about it,鈥� Heyward-Bey said. 鈥淐oach (Richard) Mann has helped a lot in helping me becoming a better route runner.鈥�
Heyward-Bey was asked to talk about what happened in Oakland and he just says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 a long story.鈥�
When the questioning persists, he鈥檒l add, with a chuckle, 鈥淕ood luck getting anything out of me.鈥�
Not that he鈥檚 a man with a surly attitude. Not even close. And he eventually did give an inch.
鈥淚 was a top 10 pick and there were expectations from people upstairs, the fans, the teammates. Everybody鈥檚 looking at you,鈥� he said.
Was it crushing?
鈥淥h, man,鈥� he said with a pause and then a laugh before saying, 鈥淢aybe.鈥�
Did he need to leave? Was the weight of high expectations crushing him?
鈥淵eah, had to leave a lot behind,鈥� he said. 鈥淪omebody asked me what changed. I said I stopped caring. They said stopped caring about what. I said everything.鈥�
Heyward-Bey said he cares only about his mom, his family, his teammates and this organization.
And his performance on the field?
鈥淣ah. I don鈥檛 even care. I don鈥檛 care about anything, man.鈥�
Anyone who saw Heyward-Bey point out an officiating error against the New England Patriots on a special-teams play knows better. Heyward-Bey was right and it helped the Steelers score points before the half.
He also showed that he cared 鈥� and that he still has those 4.3 jets 鈥� on the 60-yard end around in which he flattened star safety Reshad Jones at midfield before scoring against the Miami Dolphins and giving the Steelers an 8-3 lead.
And of course Heyward-Bey showed that he cared on his 14-yard touchdown catch against the Patriots and his 31-yard touchdown catch against the Kansas City Chiefs.
He has five catches this season and has scored three touchdowns.
Seriously, what kind of play does he care about most?
鈥淓verybody loves scoring touchdowns,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut right now at this point, where I鈥檓 at, if you make a big play on special teams, man, that鈥檚 going to bring so much energy and momentum to your team, so I look forward to those. I鈥檓 always pumped up for those.鈥�
If he were only pumped to tell his story, the classic rags-to-riches-to-rags-back-to-riches story.
鈥淚 wish I could give you more,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n life sometimes you鈥檝e got to rely on yourself. You鈥檝e got to have confidence in yourself and build that each and every day. Rome wasn鈥檛 built overnight. You know what you can do out there, and I knew that by myself. I just had to bring it out.鈥�