Captain Cam as he’s known by many, Pittsburgh Steelers DL Cam Heyward is the epitome of the black and gold.
Destined to be a Steelerfor life, even when their was a standoff this offseason regarding his contract situation, it never felt like Heyward would end up anywhere other than Pittsburgh.
And on Monday night against the New York Giants, that loyalty and durability was honored, as Heyward became the all-time games played leader for the defensive side of the ball:
Cam Heyward Emotional Regarding Historic Feat
“I wasn’t expecting that. It was nice,” Heyward told the media following the game. “I would’ve been fine if we had never acknowledged it…
“…I know the players that are around that, and I have so much respect for them. Donnie Shell, now I think about Ben [Roethlisberger] holding it [overall franchise record.] There’s a lot of respect there. I don’t take this game lightly. There’s a lot of luck involved. There’s a lot of staying healthy when everybody said…I was hurt all the time. I appreciate it, it’s something I can add to the books.”
For Heyward, it’s just the latest in a long line of accomplishments and accolades, but it personifies everything he is as a player. Sure the All-Pro’s, Pro Bowls, and even Walter Payton Man of the Year awards mean a great deal to his resume. But what happened Monday was a testament to what the Steekers mean to Heyward and for fans, what Heyward means to the Steelers.
Having one of the best seasons of his career fresh off multiple surgeries and at age 35, many believed Heyward’s time atop the game was gone, with some blasting the Steelers for extending him this preseason.
Well, he shows no signs of slwing down, and following the team’s recent offensive explosion, the only thing left that’s attainable for Heyward is a Lombardi Trophy.
This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.
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Shannon Sharpe calls out Jets’ Aaron Rodgers following loss to Patriots
There are plenty of people out there not cutting Aaron Rodgers any slack after Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots. Shannon Sharpe is, very clearly, one of them.
The NFL vet-turned TV personality didn’t hold back on ESPN’s “First Take” on Monday when he was asked about the New York Jets disappointing season, and was particularly critical of the team’s starting quarterback. “It couldn’t happen to a more smug, cavalier, condescending guy,” Sharpe said, looking directly into the camera. Sharpe is not the first media personality to take aim at Rodgers in light of Gang Green’s struggles. The 40-year-old QB has been largely blamed for the dysfunction and lack of chemistry on the field, and has even received blame for having a hand in the firing of head coach Robert Saleh.
(Rodgers has denied those allegations.) “Who else you gonna blame it on? You’re running out of people to fire and demote,” Sharpe continued. While Rodgers polarizing personality makes him an easy target, it’s hard to ignore that he isn’t playing at the same high level he was before missing an entire season with an Achilles injury. The only areas he ranks toward the top of the NFL in are interceptions (seven) and sacks (18). His play is mirrored in the rest of the team, which went from a 2-1 start to the season to a 2-6 record ahead of Week 9. The Jets host the Houston Texans on Thursday night.
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Report: Montreal Canadiens Division Rival Linked To Young Defenseman Arber Xhekaj
Arber Xhekaj has been a healthy scratch several times this season for the Montreal Canadiens, and now it appears he’s on the radar of the rival Ottawa Senators. The 2024/25 season has started off very inconsistently in Montreal, but even with injuries to the blue line, the team have healthy scratched young defenseman Arber Xhekaj several times. The 23-year old made his return to the lineup on Saturday night however, and after a strong warning from his Head Coach, Xhekaj excelled in a win over the St. Louis Blues. After his performance, Martin St. Louis spoke glowingly of Xhekaj, and if he continues to play like that, it’s very likely that he’ll be a part of the lineup all season long. “I thought he (Arber Xhekaj) was excellent, throughout the gameThe stuff that we talked about that kept him out, I felt like tonight he was very engaged in applying everything that we’ve been working on, talking with.
So I’m happy for him.” Despite this however, the trade speculation around Xhekaj continues, with Stu Cowan with the Montreal Gazette noting that the Ottawa Senators, due to their links to Xhekaj from his days as a Hamilton Bulldog could be a suitor. A team that would almost certainly be interested in Xhekaj is Ottawa. Senators owner Michael Andlauer is a big Xhekaj fan after the defenceman helped lead the Hamilton Bulldogs to the 2022 OHL championship. Andlauer still owns the Bulldogs, who moved to Brantford last season. It’s unclear exactly how available Xhekaj is, but with the likes of Logan Mailloux, Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher all coming through the organization, if he is available, it appears Ottawa are ready to make a strong push.
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Steelers OLB T.J. Watt Takes High Road after Being Called Out by Giants OT
Everyone heard the comments from New York Giants right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, asking for 1-on-1 reps against Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J.
Watt. And everyone was pretty sure what was going to happen. And then it did. Watt had two sacks, the second of which a drive-killing strip sack of Daniel Jones as the Steelers beat the Giants, 26-18 on Monday. Watt said afterward that he was aware of the comments made by Eluemunor, but took the high road after the victory, saying they didn’t provide any additional motivation that contribution to his performance.
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Commanders’ Hail Mary a healing moment for Washington football
Across the NFL, the finish to the Washington Commanders’ thrilling 18-15 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday will be talked about as the most memorable moment of Week 8 — and perhaps the entire 2024 season.
In Washington D.C., though, it means something more. The roar of the Landover, Maryland crowd told it all. The second that Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary pass was tipped into the hands of a waiting Noah Brown, 30 years of anguish was lifted from the collective soul of the Commanders franchise. It may legitimately have been that long since Washington football fans had last experienced a moment quite like this one. This is an organization that hasn’t won a playoff game since January 2006, hasn’t won more than 10 games in a season since 1991 and that, throughout the entire tenure of Dan Snyder’s ownership, seemed to only treat its fans to heartbreak and humiliation.
This was the type of finish that, for decades, would have been totally on-brand had it happened against the Commanders. Just envision the image of the other team euphorically celebrating such a play at (formerly) FedEx Field, in a stadium packed with equally euphoric opposing fans, while the TV camera pans to a flabbergasted Snyder in the press box. The head coach would give a clueless postgame presser full of excuses, and every local analyst would spend the next week woe-is-me-ing about how Washington can’t ever have nice things. It’s not too hard to imagine because it’s a movie Commanders fans had to watch countless times over the past few decades.
Usually, the heartbreaking moments were more of the death-by-a-thousand-knives variety, and before the final play, it seemed as if Sunday was going to be another one of those. Washington had dominated the game yet could not find the end zone aside from two would-be touchdowns that were called back by review or penalty, and it was just enough to keep the Bears within striking range. A 12-0 Washington lead evaporated into a 12-15 deficit after the Bears converted a go-ahead score with less than 30 seconds on the clock, and it seemed the Commanders were going to lose their first home game all year. Every remnant from the Snyder era is gone — the team name is different, the quarterback is different, the coach is different and even the home stadium’s sponsor is different. Yet on the field, it was still the same old story. Until it wasn’t. For D.C. diehards, the last-second miracle heave had to harken back memories of Evgeny Kuznetsov’s series-winning overtime goal in Game 6 the 2018 NHL Eastern Conference semifinals or Juan Soto’s go-ahead hit in the 2019 NL wild-card game.
It was one of those magical moments that’s not supposed to be possible for this cursed franchise, and now, a whole new world of possibilities has been unlocked. Wherever the journey goes from here, the day of October 27, 2024 will be known as the day that the Washington Commanders — now 6-2 on the season — were reborn. For the first time in a long time, it truly feels as if pride and passion have been restored to a franchise that was once among the NFL’s powerhouses. The new age of Washington football has officially begun.
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