• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

DT Cameron Heyward (6x Pro Bowl, 3x All Pro, Pittsburgh Steelers)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Pittsburgh Steelers team report: Coaches like everything about Cameron Heyward
Gerry Dulac Sporting News

PITTSBURGH ? Unlike most rookies, defensive end Cameron Heyward, the team?s No. 1 draft choice, doesn?t have to worry about impressing his coaches or teammates in the third preseason game Saturday night against the Falcons.

He has done that almost from the time he arrived for training camp, displaying a tireless work ethic and uncanny athleticism for a player his size (6-5, 295). Heyward is ahead of where defensive end Ziggy Hood was as a rookie No. 1 in 2009, in part because Ohio State uses defensive schemes borrowed from alum Dick LeBeau.

46658-330-0.jpg

Rookie Cameron Heyward has been impressing Steelers coaches from the start. (AP photo)

And Heyward will probably play more than just the cursory snaps Hood received as a rookie. Defensive line coach John Mitchell said it is easy to see Heyward?s natural strength, agility and athleticism.

But what might not be readily detectable is how Heyward is almost never knocked off his feet ? a rarity for a rookie.
Click to expand...

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/sto...verything-about-cameron-heyward#ixzz1WEKzlQRv
 
Upvote 0
On the Steelers: Heyward becomes a No. 1 hit
First-round draft pick made a strong first impression while earning praise and respect
Saturday, August 27, 2011
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

heyward.1_330.jpg

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press
Rookie defensive end Cameron Heyward has turned heads early this season.

When he was 8 years old, Cameron Heyward moved with his family from Monroeville to the Atlanta suburbs because his father -- the late Craig "Ironhead" Heyward -- was a running back for the Falcons. Heyward's mother, Charlotte, and brothers, Corey and Connor, still live there.

Now Heyward has the unique distinction of playing for one hometown team and trying to stop the other when the Steelers (1-1) play their third preseason game tonight against the Atlanta Falcons (0-2) at Heinz Field.

Unlike most of the rookies, Heyward, the team's No. 1 draft choice, doesn't have to worry about impressing his coaches or teammates. He has done that almost from the time he arrived for training camp at Saint Vincent College, even though Heyward has been overly critical of his performance in the first two preseason games.

"He's going to be a good player, a really good player," said defensive end Brett Keisel, who plays ahead of Heyward on the right side of the three-man line. "The thing that impresses me the most is his work ethic. You always want to see guys with a first-round grade show why coaches and scouts gave him that grade.

"And he's certainly deserving of it."

Keisel said that is why Heyward (6 feet 5, 295) got into several scuffles at training camp with offensive linemen -- because veteran players want to test a rookie, especially the 31st overall pick in the draft. Heyward never backed down.

"I basically told him, don't let anyone do that to you," Keisel said.

Cont...
Click to expand...

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11239/1170286-66.stm#ixzz1WKH4LA3f
 
Upvote 0
Q and A with Cameron Heyward
Posted: Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Mike Bires [email protected]

Q: At this stage of the preseason, how?s the transition going from college to pro football?

A: ?It?s been a whirlwind. From Day 1, it?s a different kind of experience. I learned that right away. Obviously, I?m still a work in progress. I have a lot to improve on. I?m trying to master our playbook. I?m just trying to grow with it as much as I can.?

Q: What?s it like to play on a defensive line that includes guys like Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel and even Ziggy Hood?

A: ?It?s the best D-line in the NFL. These guys are solid pros. It?s an honor to play with them.?

Q: The other night against the Falcons, you made the highlight reel on Crezdon Butler?s interception. As he raced along the sideline 95 yards for a touchdown, you were sprinting down the field with him looking for someone to block. Do you think your coaches were impressed by your hustle?

A: ?This team is built on hustle and determination, so I know my teammates would bust their butts for me if I had the interception. And in the short time I?ve been here, I?ve learned that we just don?t want to change field position after a turnover. We want to score. So I figured I?d just help out as much as possible.?

Cont..
Click to expand...

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/s...cle_a9bffc62-d91a-5cea-a7c8-cf0c1e05fa07.html
 
Upvote 0
Steelers defensive linemen learning on go
By Ralph N. Paulk, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, September 26, 2011

INDIANAPOLIS ? At some point, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin must come to grips with the inescapable reality that his aging defensive ends, Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel, aren't the impact players they once were.

It could be argued that Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert began looking toward the future two years ago when the Steelers plucked Ziggy Hood off the draft board with the 32nd overall selection. Then, with the 31st pick this year, the Steelers opted for Cameron Heyward.

Hood and Heyward appeared worthy of the Steelers' first-round investments even as the Steelers struggled Sunday night against the surprisingly stubborn Indianapolis Colts en route to a 23-20 victory at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Hood, who started for the ailing Keisel, went most of the way with Heyward pitching in relief. Together, they were more than adequate against the run.

More importantly, they often frustrated Indianapolis quarterback Kerry Collins, who suffered a concussion in the second half and was replaced by Curtis Painter early in the fourth quarter.

Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau didn't panic when Keisel was shelved with a sprained knee last week. But his pulse probably sped up having Hood, in his third year, backed up by a rookie who spent much of his career at Ohio State playing defensive tackle.
Click to expand...

For Heyward, it was an opportunity to build on the momentum he gathered during last week's 24-0 win over Seattle. He started the night by flushing Collins out of the pocket and closed by denying running back Delone Carter access through a seemingly huge hole.

Heyward may have had even more to prove, considering he was the 12th defensive lineman chosen in the draft. He was overshadowed by Marcell Dareus (Buffalo) and Nick Fairley (Detroit), both of whom were top-10 picks.

"I did some positive things out there, but I still need to execute better," Heyward said. "Even without Peyton Manning, those guys were hungry. It was rough, but we have to find ways to win games like this."
Click to expand...

Read more: Steelers defensive linemen learning on go - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_758728.html#ixzz1Z3n1p0Ij

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPzwR6T76K0"]Everything to Prove: Episode 28 - Part 2 - YouTube[/ame]
 
Upvote 0
Steelers Power Play of the Week -- Cameron Heyward Earns His Varsity Letter

Imag0299_tiny by Michael Bean on Oct 12, 2011

Had this new series of posts started earlier in the week, we might have taken a look at Jonathan Dwyer's 76 yard run or Hines Ward's second of two touchdowns on the day during the Pittsburgh Steelers 38-17 win over the Tennessee Titans. As is, those plays (and others) have already been discussed and/or broken down with pictures already. So for this week's 'Power Play of the Week', I'm instead highlighting the second of two big plays made by rookie defensive end Cameron Heyward.

You might be thinking that we're about to look at his strip sack of Matt Hasselbeck that the Titans were fortunate to recover. We very well could have. That was an impressive play too and actually the first sack of Heyward's NFL career. However, I'm fastforwarding just a few short plays later to what should have been his second sack of the series had Hasselbeck not dumped the ball into the ground timidly and illegally.

Let's take a look:

cont...
Click to expand...

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...of-the-week-cameron-heyward-earns-his-varsity
 
Upvote 0
Steelers Q&A: Cameron Heyward
Posted: Thursday, October 13, 2011
Mike Bires Times Sports Staff

4e9784e76a15c.preview-300.jpg

AP/Gene J. Puskar
Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward stretches during camp in Latrobe.

Cameron Heyward, the Steelers' first-round pick, is a work in progress. He's a backup who started the season as the No. 4 defensive end behind starters Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel and Ziggy Hood. But due to injuries to Keisel and Smith, Heyward has played more in recent weeks and has taken advantage of his opportunities. Times football writer Mike Bires talked to Heyward about his rookie season. Following are excerpts of that conversation:

Q: This past Sunday in the win over Tennessee, you recorded the first sack of your pro career. What did that mean to you?

A: It's a great milestone. Any rookie defensive lineman always looks forward to getting that first sack. But I know my job is only just begun. I need to get better.

Q: In recent weeks, you're getting a lot more snaps. You played a total of just 20 plays not counting special teams in the first three games. But you played 29 snaps at Houston and 17 against Tennessee. How would you grade yourself?

A: I'm not playing up to my expectations. I still have so much to improve on. Like I said, I just have to keep getting better every week with every practice and every game I play in.

Q: (Former Ohio State teammate) Terrelle Pryor began practicing this week after serving a five-game suspension for the NCAA violations. What do you think he's going through right now?

A: He's got a lot to learn. We're all learning out here in this league. But he wants to get better. He wants to some day get a chance to go out there and play with his team. If he keeps the right attitude, he's going to have success.

Q: Was there ever a time at Ohio State when Terrelle didn't have the right attitude?

A: No, not at all. He just has to approach it with the mindset that, like any rookie, you have to work hard to get better. I'm 100 percent confident he will.

Q: Do you stay in touch with him?

A: Of course. Buckeyes always have to stay together. I wish him the best.

Q: The Steelers just had a big win against a 3-1 Titans team. Is there danger of a letdown against the 1-4 Jaguars?

A: We think these games are even more dangerous. Those guys from Jacksonville have nothing to lose. We have to go out and prove we're deserving of our (3-2) record and that we deserve to be included among the best teams in the NFL.
Click to expand...

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/l...cle_e5341ac8-a062-5faf-85be-54999ade8beb.html
 
Upvote 0
On the Steelers: Heyward provides glimpse of future
Injuries create spot for him to display his skills, feistiness
Saturday, October 15, 2011
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In two significant moments in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, rookie defensive end Cam Heyward ended up in the same place as he did on several feisty days in training camp at Saint Vincent College -- in the backfield.

And, just like those days in Latrobe, the Titans didn't like it, either.

Heyward, the Steelers' No. 1 draft choice, had his first NFL sack and forced fumble on a third-down play in the 38-17 victory at Heinz Field.

Three plays later, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was penalized for intentional grounding when he was about to be sacked again by Heyward..

The Steelers (3-2) are seeing more of Heyward, who is getting more playing time because of injuries on their defensive line to end Aaron Smith and nose tackle Casey Hampton -- neither of whom will play for the second game in a row Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4) play at Heinz Field.

And they like what they are seeing.

"He's making good progress," said defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. "He's always had real good pass-rush ability and he showed up in the game Sunday with good pass rushes. He's learning the package very well. We're very hopeful he'll develop along the lines of Ziggy [Hood] and contribute as the season goes along."

The Steelers saw a lot of that in training camp when Heyward often angered his own offensive linemen with his relentless pass-rush ability. On back-to-back days, he got into fights with a couple veteran tackles because he never stopped trying to collapse the pocket.

cont...
Click to expand...

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11288/1182352-66.stm#ixzz1ar143lCG
 
Upvote 0
Steelers First-and-10: Cameron Heyward
Posted: Saturday, November 12, 2011
By Mike Bires [email protected]

4ebf1c8f87244.preview-300.jpg

Photo by AP/Gene J. Puskar
Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward stretches during camp in Latrobe.

The Steelers? rookie defensive end, taken in the first round of this year?s NFL draft, took some time before practice this week to answer these decidedly non-football questions from Times pro football writer Mike Bires:

What?s it been like having a famous father like your dad, the late Craig ?Ironhead? Heyward before going on to play in the NFL?

?I was very blessed. I had a lot of opportunities to do things because of my father. Growing up with a dad like that, a dad who everyone admired, was really fun. But I will say this, as I got older, the expectations for me really rose and I always tried to live up to them.?

Are there any special mementoes of your father that you have on display?

?I have a couple pictures that are dear to my heart. I have one of his old jerseys. And my girlfriend made me a collage of all his football cards and my football cards. It?s neat to look at because there are so many great memories I have of my dad.?

cont...
Click to expand...

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/s...cle_ac6344df-d2d6-54c0-b6f4-362139b3fb50.html
 
Upvote 0
Cameron Heyward: Age: 23. Contract status: Signed for three more seasons. 2012 salary cap: $1.5 million. 2011 recap: Saw significant playing time for a rookie due to injuries to others and ended up playing in every game. A blocked kick against the Cincinnati Bengals was his most memorable play.
Click to expand...

Position analysis: Hood and Heyward are the future here, but Keisel still has a few years left in him if he can overcome the groin injury. Hood needs to take a big step forward in 2012 if he wants a big contract extension in the near future. The aging and ailing Smith should announce his retirement soon, but his stubbornness may force the Steelers' hand.
Click to expand...

http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/c...ers-face-tough-offseason-choices.html?nav=751

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VywEZ-MbpoY"]Who Mentored Cam Heyward? - YouTube[/ame]
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top