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Steelers' veterans to younger players: take nothing for granted

Observer-Reporter - 1/20/2017

PITTSBURGH ? Unless you're the New England Patriots, who will be appearing in their record sixth consecutive AFC Championship, reaching the conference title game isn't something that should be taken for granted.That's the warning some Steelers veterans are issuing to many of their young teammates as they prepare to travel to New England to take on the Patriots Sunday at Gillette Stadium.Though the Steelers haven't been to an AFC Championship or Super Bowl since the 2010 season, they have been in the playoffs in each of the past three years.And for a team starting three defensive rookies ? cornerback Artie Burns, safety Sean Davis and nose tackle Javon Hargrave ? and includes 23 other players who are in their first or second season in Pittsburgh, driving that point home has been a big part of preparation this week.Those veterans hope it sinks in better than it did with them.Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey remembers being told how special it was to reach this point during his rookie year in 2010 and not necessarily appreciating the moment."No, I didn't," said Pouncey, who was coming off a national championship season at Florida. "I came out of Florida and I was like, ?This is the easiest thing in the world to do, get to the AFC Championship and the Super Bowl.' I thought it was going to happen every single year. But the more you play, the more you gain an appreciation for the league and how tough it is. That's why we're so hard on the young guys, trying to instill that edge. I know the older guys did that when I first got here, too. I probably just didn't listen."Pouncey learned the hard way. Not only was he unable to play in the Super Bowl against Green Bay after suffering a sprained ankle in the AFC Championship win over the New York Jets, the Steelers haven't been back to this point in the years since.Lesson learned.Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had plenty of success early in his career. The Steelers won his first 14 starts before losing to the Patriots in the AFC Championship at the end of the 2004 season. The next year, the Steelers won a Super Bowl.Roethlisberger recalls the veterans on those teams letting everyone know how special the journey had been."My rookie year, (cornerback) Chad Scott got up and spoke to the team," Roethlisberger recalled. "(He said) ?Don't take this for granted.' He talked about how hard it was to get there, all those kinds of things. So, you listen to him. You hear it. The next year we went and won a Super Bowl. (I'm thinking) maybe it's not as hard as he talked about. As you get older and understand this league and how difficult it is, how good teams are, how bad teams could be good the next year, and vice versa, you definitely appreciate the difficulty in playing this game, playing it for a long time and getting the opportunities to make the playoffs."Look at teams that haven't made the playoffs in how many years. I am just so thankful and blessed to be a part of this organization, that has been able to make it to the playoffs, win Super Bowls. I just try to reiterate to the young guys now, just how precious this moment is."The Steelers' young starters say they are listening.Head coach Mike Tomlin has helped them."Every week is something new," Burns said. "This is just a growing experience. Coach T tells us every week there is going to be something new, something you have never seen before. It's our first rodeo. Everything we've seen is new to us. He keeps us level headed, tells us what's coming up to get us prepared for it so we can go out and do our job."At this point, though nobody in that group of young players has experienced a conference or league championship game, they have 16 regular-season, two playoff and four preseason games of experience."They're not rookies anymore," said Steelers cornerback Ross Cockrell, who is in his second season with the team and third in the NFL. "If they were in college, they'd be in the middle of their sophomore year right now, headed into their junior year. This is the real deal. They continue to work hard, even through success. That's a great testament to their character and ability."

Odds and end zones

Roethlisberger said the Steelers have a plan to signal plays in case their headphones malfunction as they did last year at New England. ... Tight end Ladarius Green, who has missed the past four games with a concussion, did not practice Thursday because of illness. He was a limited participant Wednesday. Several Steelers have dealt with a stomach flu the past two days. ... Linebacker James Harrison (shouder/pectoral) did not practice Thursday after practicing Wednesday, and running back Le'Veon Bell was excused for personal reasons. Linebacker Vince Williams (shoulder) was limited. ... Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, a former Army Ranger, has been named a finalist for the NFL's Salute to Service Award along with Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn.