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Long before Cameron Heyward became a multi-time All-Pro defensive cornerstone for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he faced intense scrutiny inside his own locker room. During his third season in 2013, former Steelers safety Ryan Clark admitted he openly questioned whether the first-round defensive tackle would ever reach his full potential.
Reuniting on the “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” podcast, Clark and Heyward revisited the early friction in their relationship.
"I have a very low tolerance for super talented people," Clark explained. "I think they should be great at what they do. And obviously he is, right? This dudes a Hall of Famer but at the time he was not. He was a guy with Hall of Fame talent, that wasn't on a Hall of Fame trajectory... And I was just like, man, you like you kind of sorry.”
Heyward laughed and corrected Clark, “You ain't say that. You called me a bust."
Clark acknowledged that his delivery wasn’t the best, citing a lack of relationship with Heyward. He added he knew Heyward could be really good. "And so to me it was like why is it not clicking? Like you must be sorry, and I can't recognize it," Clark said. "But I was wrong. He was not a bust."
The turning point occurred after a painful 0-4 start, following a loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. On the long flight home, Clark and legendary safety Troy Polamalu approached Heyward to address his lack of playing time directly.
Heyward recalled the pivotal encounter, "We lost that Vikings game 0 and 4. We get on the plane on the ride home and everybody should look for that come to Jesus moment and I remember you and Troy came up to me and y'all was like why are you not starting? And I was like it ain't my decision. I want to play, give me the opportunity. And I was like, 'Okay, now he knows I'm not a bust. I just gotta get the opportunity.'"
Heyward earned a starting role shortly thereafter, cementing his status as one of the franchise's greatest leaders.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Ryan Clark admits he called Cam Heyward a bust in 2013
Continue reading...
Reuniting on the “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” podcast, Clark and Heyward revisited the early friction in their relationship.
"I have a very low tolerance for super talented people," Clark explained. "I think they should be great at what they do. And obviously he is, right? This dudes a Hall of Famer but at the time he was not. He was a guy with Hall of Fame talent, that wasn't on a Hall of Fame trajectory... And I was just like, man, you like you kind of sorry.”
Heyward laughed and corrected Clark, “You ain't say that. You called me a bust."
Clark acknowledged that his delivery wasn’t the best, citing a lack of relationship with Heyward. He added he knew Heyward could be really good. "And so to me it was like why is it not clicking? Like you must be sorry, and I can't recognize it," Clark said. "But I was wrong. He was not a bust."
The turning point occurred after a painful 0-4 start, following a loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London. On the long flight home, Clark and legendary safety Troy Polamalu approached Heyward to address his lack of playing time directly.
Heyward recalled the pivotal encounter, "We lost that Vikings game 0 and 4. We get on the plane on the ride home and everybody should look for that come to Jesus moment and I remember you and Troy came up to me and y'all was like why are you not starting? And I was like it ain't my decision. I want to play, give me the opportunity. And I was like, 'Okay, now he knows I'm not a bust. I just gotta get the opportunity.'"
Heyward earned a starting role shortly thereafter, cementing his status as one of the franchise's greatest leaders.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Ryan Clark admits he called Cam Heyward a bust in 2013
Continue reading...
