There’s no harm in looking ahead toward the ultimate goal.
As Mike Hilton was telling me Monday after the Steelers’ practice at Rooney Sports Complex, “It’s like seeing the ball coming your way. You’ve got to believe its yours. You’ve got to be thinking that way. So yeah, for sure, I’m thinking about it.”
Super Bowl LII, he meant.
And why not?
These guys didn’t look past the Bengals and Ravens when they had the Patriots coming after that, and they sure won’t look past the Jaguars given the painfully fresh memory of that 30-9, five-interception loss Oct. 8 at Heinz Field. It’s not in the group’s DNA. They’ll emerge from that tunnel positively ablaze, singularly focused.
That said, I also picked up all over again Monday a sense of … not just wanting to be champions but needing it. There’s no talk of windows in this room, no two-year or three-year opportunities. The franchise quarterback is 35 years old. There’s a generational trio of talent on offense. All concerned except for Ryan Shazier are healthy, now that Antonio Brown was a full participant at this practice. The bye week allowed for ample rest and recovery. All systems are go.
“Got to do it,” Stephon Tuitt told me. “Just got to.”
There was a lot of that.
“I’ve been saying this to you for months, and now you’re finally listening,” Ramon Foster joked with me, or at least I think it was in jest. “We’ll meet you in Minneapolis. Because that’s where we’re heading. One step at a time, but that’s where we’re heading.”
“You only get so many chances,” Bud Dupree told me. “This is when you do it, right now. It’s all out there. Just have to get it.”
Get used to this. They aren’t exactly timid. But then, show me the timid team that winds up wearing rings.
Much more to come on the Steelers in a full column at midnight.
