It has been a rough go for the Pittsburgh Steelers so far this season. They are sitting at 1-4 and there are more questions than answers at the moment. It has been brutal to watch on both sides of the ball, sans rookie quarterback, Kenny Pickett looking solid in his starting debut. One highlight of the season however, has been former franchise quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger starting up his Footbahlin podcast. In his most recent episode, he had Brett Keisel on to talk about the team, among other things.
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Roethlisberger and Keisel were teammates from Roethlisberger's rookie season until Keisel retired in 2014. The two former teammates and Roethlisberger's co-host, Spencer T'eo sat down and talked about a multitude of topics.
Keisel Talks Last Days With Steelers and Retirement
One of the most interesting things the group discussed came at the very end of the episode when Keisel was asked about the end of his career and if there was a specific moment he knew he was going to retire, or if he knew it was going to be his last season in 2014. Here was Keisel's response:
"I thought I would keep playing. When it starts to wind down it's hard. It's really hard. Especially when you're in the position you're in as a captain. As a leader, and someone when you're playing, when you watch around and you're like, 'Well, he can't do what I can do,' it's difficult to think you can't do that anymore, no matter how much you plan for it or how much you prepare for it.""I did kind of know it was coming. They drafted Cam [Heyward]. I was fortunate enough to have him in my locker room and in my meeting room for three years I think." Keisel continued. "Coach [Mike] Tomlin would say, 'These guys are leaking oil,' and I remember really taking offense to that when he said that in the meeting room, but it's true. You can't do things the way you used to no matter what."
"Age always kind of wins and it's one of those things that everyone kind of has to go through. He [Heyward] is going through it right now. He's playing like everything's good, but it's difficult. It's hard. The transition is very hard. I really think getting around your buds, being on a good schedule, having something to do that you love to do that engages you helps a ton."
Keisel didn't hold back and seems like he had a tough transition, but has really come to love his post-football life. Roethlisberger ended by saying how much he appreciated and loved Keisel as a teammate and what he means to the people and city of Pittsburgh.
He's absolutely right in this too. Keisel was a fan favorite for his career. A seventh round pick who propelled himself into a starter who contributed to multiple playoff runs as well as two Super Bowls. Keisel racked up 408 total tackles, 30 sacks, 33 TFL, 7 forced fumbles, and 2 interceptions over his 12-year career. He was also voted to his lone Pro Bowl in 2010. Keisel is a former captain as well. His stats aren't the flashiest, but he was a force on the field. I ranked him in my top 10 Steelers defensive linemen of all-time two years ago. I still firmly believe he is.
Pittsburgh Steelers DL Brett Keisel during a regular season game at Heinz Field on Sunday, December 23rd, 2012. Deeranddeerhunting.com
On top of all this, Keisel was also a big mentor to current defensive captain and multiple time All-Pro, Cam Heyward. The two have a great relationship and Heyward often credits Keisel as a big proponent of the development of not only his game, but of learning the Steeler Way. Something Heyward takes seriously and is the one who holds the torch of at this moment. Unfortunately, the last few games have been far from what the standard is considered, especially this last week when the Steelers suffered their worst defeat in over 30 years.
It was nice to hear from Keisel, and hopefully the team can turn it around and get back to the standard that was expected when he was a Steeler. This weekend brings a home matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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