Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle, Cam Heyward co-hosts a podcast called "Not Just Football" with Hayden Walsh. This week, they had a special guest. In fact, he is the first guest to make a second appearance on the show, Cam's younger brother, Connor Heyward. The younger Heyward has become known as a bit of a "Swiss Army Knife" of a player. He's played a little fullback, tight end, receiver, and running back. He throws in a healthy dose of solid blocking to round out his evolving talents.
Yahoo! Sports
On this week's show, the brothers discussed how Connor scored his first touchdown as an NFL player during the Week 13 match-up against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Steelers Brotherly Love
The Heyward's aren't the only set of brothers on the Steelers roster, but they had a special connection to the game against the Falcons. Their father, Craig "Ironhead" Heyward had spent part of his career playing in Atlanta and even scored a similar touchdown. In addition, the family considers Georgia to be their home.
During the podcast, the younger Heyward detailed the emotions behind the touchdown and how it all transpired.
A Heyward Play-By-Play
Cam asked Connor to set up how the touchdown transpired and Connor said that it all started with Steelers tight end, Pat Freiermuth, having a big catch and run. Heyward had to be subbed in to give Freiermuth a bit of a breather.
Heyward recounted:
"I was [the] number three receiver on the inside and it was a two-safety look and when that happens, I have to split the safeties, and Kenny [Pickett] throwing the ball and he put the ball on the money."
Cam felt he needed to add more meat to that story and let listeners know that Freiermuth had broken several tackles, got free, and was able to pick up a 45-50 yard run (it was 57 yards total). That much-needed run helped set up the touchdown for Connor. Cam elaborated and said the route they used is one that Connor has run so many times, including when he played for Michigan State. It is the kind of route that you know is going to take you to the back of the endzone.
ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 31: Connor Heyward #11 of the Michigan State Spartans runs a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on October 31, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
When asked how quickly he realized that he was open, Connor said he knew it immediately - that if the Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett, threw him the ball, he would score. Connor wasn't sure he saw that he was open, but he did. Cam added that he hopes he does it a lot more.
Cam mentioned the crowd noise and how folks erupted when he scored, Connor said he heard none of it - it all happened so fast and he was so laser-focused on what he was doing. He said it felt like the whole thing was happening in slow motion.
He was asked how worried he was about his feet and making sure that he stayed in bounds for the catch. Connor responded:
"No, I wasn't worried... already worked on all the time, every Friday, you practice like you play and you know we've been in a lot of situations like that. We worked two-point conversions all the time and being in the end zone, so I felt pretty prepared."
Both Cam and Walsh expressed some disappointment that Connor didn't have a touchdown dance ready to go for his first score. He said he isn't really a dancer and can't see himself doing that in the future either. Regardless, he said, it all happened so quickly, the score didn't even quite register until Zach Gentry and Najee Harris were hugging and congratulating him.
When asked about the future of this offense. Connor said he believes they are playing much better football and helping to give the defense the rest they need to perform. He said all areas are getting better, but they need to be able to do more in the red zone and turn 3 points into 6. As a whole, he expanded, and the offense is working on reducing penalties and sustaining drives.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
One thing that is for sure is that we will see more of Connor Heyward on this Steelers offense.
How do you think Connor Heyward impacts the game? Should Pickett be looking to target him more often? Who is your favorite set of brothers on the Steelers? Click to comment below!
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