Pittsburgh Steelers: some Darrius Heyward-Bey appreciation

The Pittsburgh Steelers still have Darrius Heyward-Bey on the roster. He’s competing for a job again. But somehow he manages to always stick around. How? Well he’s a fine player, but his strength is that he’s a great guy.

The object of this article, as the title suggests, is to lavish praise upon Steelers WR Darrius Heyward-Bey. Why would we want to do that you may wonder. Well ironically, the explanation is going to come in the form of praising Darrius Heyward-Bey.

Have you ever had a friend you took for granted? Maybe a relative or a coworker? It is not necessarily an insult to those people. In a roundabout way it’s a compliment. It means everyone knows they’ll be there and they’ll do their job. It means everyone knows they’re going to give it their all and be a good person, not for applause or attention or spite or the possibility for personal gain, but because that’s who they are and they can’t do anything else.

Darrius Heyward-Bey was drafted 7th overall out of Maryland by the Oakland Raiders in 2009. He was big and very fast. He had a solid college career. But 7th overall was way too high. He certainly deserved to be an NFL player but was in this instance a victim of the Al Davis Raiders often ridiculous offseason moves (they drafted a kicker in the first round in 2000).

Expectations were set unreasonably high through no fault of his own and he was thrust into a starting position. He was a great athlete and he got balls thrown his way. Unfortunately, both his hands and his route running were lacking. He didn’t get a chance to ease into the game in the way a player like him should have.

His rookie year he got 11 starts in 11 games but only had 124 yards. He kept at it and in his third season he did manage 975 yards and 4 touchdowns. But fell to just over 600 the next year. He was released and went to the Colts where he couldn’t keep a starting gig and, though playing all 16 games and starting 11, only ended up with 309 yards and 1 touchdown.  He was not resigned.

At this point it was apparent Darrius Heyward-Bey would probably never have 1000 yard season or 10 touchdowns.

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He was signed by the Steelers in 2014 to compete for a roster spot. He was a 27 year old former 7th overall draft pick who had to prove he was worthy of a one year deal to be the 5th WR on the depth chart and a special teams player. And he had to do the same in 2015.

Heyward-Bey could easily have walked away at this point. The guy has signed some big contracts. He’s got money. He didn’t need to play special teams. He could have retired, bitter and rich.

But instead, consider this quote from undrafted free agent Marcus Tucker, courtesy of Teresa Varley of Steelers.com, “He comes in every day, works hard. He was a first-round draft pick, but he works like he was one of the guys who still has to prove himself day-in and day-out. I love how he helps the young guys out. He is so knowledgeable about the game, as far as the receiver spot and special teams goes. He is one of the guys I look up to as far as effort, working hard and knowledge.”

Darrius Heyward-Bey, upon hearing Tucker’s comment, responded, “It lets me know I am doing something right. I look forward and always appreciate the opportunity to come here and not only get the work in for myself, but also be someone guys can lean on when they have questions about football, when they have questions about life. I have seen it all. I was a first-round draft pick, I was a starter, special teams, a guy coming off the bench. I have seen a lot in this league.”

And speaking to the his career arc he said, “I have embraced the role. It’s an adjustment, but you take the strides, you understand this is where I am in my career. This is my role, who I am right now, and I embrace it. A lot of people wake up in the morning, brush their teeth and lie to themselves. I try not to. I try to tell myself the truth so I can get better.”

Rather than angrily walk off into a swimming pool full of cash, Heyward-Bey is giving 100% with everything he does. He’s making every special teams play count and has become a serious asset in that realm. He’s also a terrific role player capable of making you pay when you forget about him or using his speed to make a trick play hurt opponents that much more. Heyward-Bey is mentoring and inspiring players who want to take his job. He doesn’t need to do these things, but he does, and we can only surmise it is because that’s who he is.

His role with the Steelers is not unlike his NFL career, if you think you can forget about him or write him off, then that’s your problem. Heyward-Bey has become a Pittsburgh fan favorite. His attitude, effort, and consistency have made him an asset to the team whose contributions exceed any stat sheet.

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When Heyward-Bey decides to hang it up someday, he won’t leave a legacy as a draft bust. He’ll be remembered as a fine player, sure, but more, and perhaps more importantly and worthy of praise, as a great guy.