“The sky is the limit for everybody,” Gay said. “The story is going to tell itself after the 2015 season. That’s our mentality around here. We don’t have any predictions. The only prediction is that we want to win the Super Bowl.”
The Steelers won the AFC North last fall for the first time since 2010, but were eliminated by rival Baltimore in the wild-card round. It wasn’t a Super Bowl appearance for the younger players on the team, but it’s something to build on.
“A lot of guys got their first taste of the playoffs,” Gay said. “Once you get a first taste of that, you’re excited about getting to the next year and getting started.”
That’s why Gay – part of the 2008 team that won the franchise’s sixth title – continues to put in the work, leading by example for the rookies who are just entering the fold. He’s getting help from some old friends along the way. Allen and Taylor, who is with the team as a volunteer coach, were spotted running sprints after the team’s offseason training workout on Wednesday.
Gay, the Steelers’ 2007 fifth-round pick, said that type of work ethic comes from Taylor.
“(Ike) never left,” Gay said. “He’s always going to be around, he’s always going to educate us. He’s only a phone call away. Anything we see or anything we need help on, he’s there for us and he told us he’s not going anywhere.”
But Taylor won’t be alongside his mates in the secondary on the field this season.
So, Gay has taken charge, leading the way for a revamped group seeking redemption.
“I’ve seen a lot of players go and I’ve seen a lot of players come in,” Gay said. “It’s the business of football, but you can’t hang your head. You have to carry on. That’s what the guys who left would want us to do and that’s what the new guys need to understand. We’re just going to press forward.”
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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
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