Allgemeines » With stars such as Ben Roethlisberger

PITTSBURGH (AP) — With stars such as Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown Ben Roethlisberger Jersey , Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster admitted he was a little surprised to be voted as the team’s most valuable player.But a breakout second season earned Smith-Schuster the respect of his teammates and MVP honors for the 2018 season.“I didn’t think that it was going to be me,” Smith-Schuster said on Thursday. “With the numbers they put up, you would think that it’s always one of those guys.”Smith-Schuster, the Steelers’ second-round pick in 2017, is tied for fifth in the league with 106 catches and fourth in the NFL with 1,389 receiving yards, while also scoring six touchdowns.The dynamic 22-year-old is the youngest NFL player to reach 100 receptions in a season. He caught 11 passes for 115 yards last Sunday at New Orleans despite battling a groin injury sustained in practice.“He’s been very consistent, and he’s battled through injury, on again, off again all year,” Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said.“He’s learned how to be a pro and I think his teammates realize that about him. He’s brought a lot of energy to our group.”Smith-Schuster, a former USC star, enjoyed a dynamic rookie season with 58 receptions for 917 yards and seven touchdowns, but he’s outdone himself in 2018.Smith-Schuster’s 1,389 yards are the seventh most in single-season team history and his eight 100-yard receiving games — third most in the league through Week 16 — are tied for the second most by a Steeler, behind Brown T. J. Watt Jersey , in single-season team history.Smith-Schuster reached 1,500 yards in his 21st game and caught his 150th pass in his 28th, setting a franchise record in both categories for the fewest to the mark.Now, he’s 111 yards shy from a 1,500-yard season and four receptions from becoming the third player in team history — joining Brown and Hines Ward — with 110 catches in a season.Smith-Schuster said the Steelers MVP award meant more than a Pro Bowl snub earlier this month.“My teammates and people in my locker room voted for me,” Smith-Schuster said. “It means a lot that they have my back.”The 36-year-old Roethlisberger, in his 15th season, is also in the midst of career milestones.Roethlisberger, who was voted team MVP in 2009, needs 158 yards Sunday against Cincinnati to break his franchise record for most passing yards in a season and become the sixth NFL quarterback to reach 5,000 yards in a season.Brown, a four-time team MVP, is also enjoying another strong season. He leads the league with 15 touchdowns, is tied for seventh with 104 receptions and ninth with 1,297 receiving yards.Smith-Schuster said he appreciated the support from his teammates.“You talk about guys who have been in the league for 10 years-plus,” Smith-Schuster said. “I’m only 22 years old and this is only my second year in the league. To have their respect Joshua Dobbs Jersey , it’s awesome.”Smith-Schuster said he sought to build a better rapport with Roethlisberger entering his second season. He wanted to establish a similar chemistry with Roethlisberger that the Super Bowl-winning quarterback has shared with Brown for several seasons.“It’s pretty cool that I was a kid watching (Roethlisberger and Brown) go at it every week and put those numbers up,” Smith-Schuster said. “To be part of it and to do what they’re doing is pretty cool.”Now, Smith-Schuster, like Roethlisberger and Brown, can call himself a Steelers team MVP.“You always want to see a big jump from the first year to the second, and then the bigger jump is in the third year,” Steelers receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey said. “I think he’s already taken that third-year jump and he’s going to continue to get better.”NOTES: Brown missed Thursday’s practice with a knee injury. Safety Sean Davis (quad) and linebacker Vince Williams (toe) also didn’t practice on Thursday. RB James Conner, who missed the past three games with an ankle injury, practiced for the second straight day. For Ryan Shazier, things haven’t necessarily gone as planned since he left Ohio State University and was drafted in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. After some early career struggles, Shazier looked to be on top of his game before the Monday Night game in Cincinnati vs. the Bengals when he lay on the Paul Brown Stadium turf unable to move his lower extremities.Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, the dynamic play maker was facing a slew of questions. The most important being, “Will I ever be able to play this game again?” This wasn’t a knee injury, or injuring a shoulder, but a much dire situation that impacted not only his career Derwin Gray Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey , but his life.Shazier has laid low since the injury in 2017, working hard and continuing to promise his return to the gridiron at some point. Fans often show signs of disgust when Shazier talks about playing the game he loves again, but it hasn’t deterred Shazier from having a goal in sight, and a proverbial light and the end of the tunnel.During the lead up to Super Bowl 53, Shazier spoke to the media, and Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley, about his current status, his plans and what lies ahead with No. 50 in Pittsburgh. When reading through the many quotes from Shazier, the one which stood out the most was how Shazier struggles to just be around the team. Not that he doesn’t love the game, his teammates or the organization, but mainly how he has been stripped of what made his truly great as a player.“It’s very difficult for me just being there,” said Shazier. “It motivates me and pushes me more and more every day. I am not going to lie. Before every game I hear the National Anthem, knowing when I hear the National Anthem it’s time to play. It eats me inside. Sometimes I might start crying when the National Anthem is on. It’s tough sometimes.“I know I am still motivating those guys because they see me pushing every single day. It pushes them too. Sometimes it hurts because I might see our defense went on a slump and we didn’t have any turnovers and I knew I could have gone out there and made something happen or made a play. At the end of the day I just have to give them the knowledge I have and try to help them every single day I can.”The struggles are multifaceted with Shazier, but what fans really want to know is if he still views playing again as the ultimate goal.“I definitely want to play. I try to tell people at the end of the day, just because I got hurt, doesn’t mean I lost the love of the game of football Derwin Gray Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey ,” said Shazier. “I love football so much. I just care about the game. I really feel like the game has taken me places I never expected to go. I am putting my everything into it. I feel like I was the best linebacker in the league. I don’t want to leave that as my legacy. I feel like I have so much to show.”His progress is undeniable, and Shazier feels he still has so much to show/prove in the coming days, weeks and years.“My doctor said I am further than they expected me to be,” said Shazier. “The rehab, the recovery and the pace I have been doing, there are no doors closed. He said you have to keep working, keep grinding. How hard you work is a possibility if you can make it back or not.”Shazier feels confident a contract will be negotiated with the Steelers, keeping him in Pittsburgh one way or another. Either as a player, or coach, but mainly so he can continue his rehabilitation with the doctors and trainers who have helped him get to this point. In the meantime, the Steelers are still trying to fill the gigantic void left by Shazier’s absence, and there is never any doubt how the Steelers faithful are pulling for Shazier to have a full recovery from his horrible injury.Always SHALIEVE!