Before the Steelers' Week 8 win over the Dolphins, I caught Keith Butler mid-conversation with Devin Bush in the hallway at the Rooney Complex.
"You know, Devin, you only got 10 more games left as a rookie."
Bush struck immediately.
"No, coach. I got 13."
That mindset immediately perked up my ears and raised my eyebrows. Bush wasn't thinking of his first NFL season as 16 games. He saw 19 and a shiny trophy at the end — and he didn't need to think twice about it.
Ahead of the Steelers' Week 9 matchup vs. the Colts, I got to ask Bush about that mentality.
"Man, I'm always thinking about the next opportunity," Bush was telling me at his locker. "Obviously, during games, it can be easy to get stuck in a moment. I always think about the next opportunity, the next time I can do something to better myself, whether that's on the field or even off the field."
And when things don't go perfectly — as has been the case at times for Bush and this 3-4 Steelers squad in 2019?
"Pick it up, dust it off and keep moving," Bush said. "Everything isn't going to be perfect."
I tossed it right back to Butler when we met with him after Thursday's practice. He nodded his head as I posed the question, remembering the exchange with Bush. He didn't, however, get too flowery when discussing what it meant.
"That's what he should be doing," Butler said. "He should be thinking, 'Man, we're not out of it.' We lost four games. We won three. We can't afford to lose a whole lot more games and try to get in the playoffs. That's our mindset right now. We gotta do what we gotta do to get in the playoffs, then we'll see what happens."
With the Ravens at 5-2, the Steelers' challenge is significant if they are to win the division. A Wild Card spot is more reasonable, but neither scenario will look too likely if the Steelers don't take care of business at home against the Colts.
Where this upcoming tilt is concerned, I tossed it back to Bush. He's developed a knack for this whole pre-game prediction thing, so I figured we'd let it ride another week to see if he can keep the streak alive.
He called his defensive touchdown against the Chargers in Week 6.
The Steelers enjoyed a bye in Week 7, but then Bush predicted "two picks and a forced fumble" against the Dolphins in Week 8, with Terrell Edmunds registering a defensive touchdown of his own.
They did have two picks and a forced fumble (three, technically, two of which were recovered) but Edmunds didn't get his six points. Still, it was a solid breakdown and a close call, so I asked Bush to peer back into that crystal ball for Week 9:
"It's going to be a lot of sacks this game — a lot more sacks, probably about four, four to five sacks, a pick — of course a pick," Bush said. "That's what I'm predicting. I think it's my turn [to get the pick]. It's either going to be between me or a corner. It's going to be one of the two."
Predicting a defensive touchdown as Bush did vs. the Chargers could be considered luck or a general confidence in one's abilities. Calling two picks against Ryan Fitzpatrick? Easy money. That was a layup.
But this one?
The Colts have allowed just 11 sacks on the year, tied for fourth-best in the league with the Chiefs, so Bush's prediction is anything but safe this time around.
If it's right again, it might be time to take Bush's words straight to the casino pre-kickoff.
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