They said Sean Spence may never play again, but Spence wouldn’t listen.
Spence’s inspirational journey, his long way back to the NFL became nearly complete on Sunday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers visited Heinz Field.
Three years ago, when Spence was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ third-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, he envisioned playing a big role on the Steelers defense for years to come. However a career threatening injury in the team’s final preseason game that year put doubts into many people’s minds that Spence would every make a contribution in the NFL.
But all the rehab and all the hard work seemed to pay off on Sunday when Spence got the start at inside linebacker and got to run through the tunnel as a starter in the NFL.
“It was amazing,” said Spence. “It felt real good coming out that tunnel and it felt like I was back in the swing of things. It was definitely a blessing. I had a long road to this point. I will never forget it.”
At the time of his injury, Steelers’ linebackers coach Keith Butler said that it would be a “miracle” if Spence played again after he shredded several ligaments and suffered nerve damage in his knee.
However Spence is back on the field after two years of rehab and despite the Steelers disappointing loss to the Buccaneers, should be a feel good story, one that shows what hard work and desire is all about.
Spence may not be the same player that he was at the University of Miami, but he can still be a useful linebacker in the NFL that could be a nice depth piece.
He finally got meaningful reps in the NFL one week ago when Ryan Shazier went down against the Carolina Panthers. He played 35 snaps in the second half that night and recorded three solo tackles.
But that was different than running out of that tunnel at Heinz Field.
Spence put the emotions of the moment aside and made the first tackle of the game when he limited Tampa running back to a two-yard gain.
Although he wasn’t on the field every snap as the Steelers spent a lot of time in their nickel and other sub packages, Spence made a couple of other plays, finishing the afternoon with three tackles.
While the moment was nice for Spence, he knows he still has a lot of work to do.
“I thought I played pretty well,” said Spence. “I missed two tackles. That’s just one of those things that I just have to keep working hard and continue to get better. We lost though and that is all that matters.”
In terms of Spence continuing to get better as a linebacker, I wouldn’t bet against him.
He’s shown that he can overcome all the odds to this point.
It’s in his nature to continue to do so.
Many felt that Spence would be lucky just to be able to walk normally again let alone play in the NFL.
Two long years of sweat and tears and hard work have finally paid off.
“It’s been a long hard road to this point,” said Spence. “I’m just going to keep working hard every day and just keep getting better.”
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
