Aug 2, 2016 5 min read

LATROBE – After the Steelers selected Rod Woodson in the first round of the 1987 draft, they dressed him in a Superman costume for a publicity shot.

Woodson was not exactly an otherworldly being on the football field, he was as close to a Superman-like player as anyone.

In a game filled with extraordinary performers, athletes such as Woodson don’t come along often.

That’s what is so intriguing about Steelers inside linebacker Ryan Shazier.

You want speed? Witness Shazier running down receiver Eli Rogers from behind at a recent training camp practice at Saint Vincent College using his 4.4-40-yard time to make up ground.

You want power? Witness Shazier running through 235-pound Cameron Stingily during a backs on backers drill, putting the offensive player on his back as he made his way to the quarterback.

The Steelers feel the third-year linebacker is ready to soar this season.

Like the fictional Superman, however, Shazier has had his own forms of Kryptonite – staying healthy and knowing the playbook.

He can’t do much about the first as he’s suffered some fluky injuries in his first two seasons, missing 11 games.

As for the latter, Shazier might have shed that weakness.

“I definitely feel like I know a lot more now. I’m not going to say everything, because the coach could throw something in that we’ve never done before,” Shazier said. “But the base of our defense, I feel like I know everything. If I make a mistake, I know in the middle of my mistake what I did.”

Those mistakes have been fewer and farther between and there were some flashes of greatness in 2015.

He had a 15-tackle game against San Francisco early last season in which he also had a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery. Then there was a 13-tackle game against Baltimore and another against Cincinnati in the playoffs, a game in which he also forced two fumbles, recovering one, and broke up a pass deep downfield.

The expectation is that Shazier will have those kind of games on a more consistent basis now and become the star the Steelers felt he would be when they selected him with the 15th pick in the 2014 draft.

“I definitely feel like it’s my year,” Shazier said. “I think everybody has been waiting to see me break out for a while. I keep having that injury bug. Things happen that makes you stay humble. I feel like this year is definitely going to be my year and I’m going to be up there with the best of them.”

The coaching staff has that expectation of the young linebacker as well. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler has continued to add responsibilities for Shazier. His first season, it was being a starter from Day 1. Last year, he had defensive play calling duties added.

This year, the expectation is that Shazier will become a Pro Bowl performer.

“I think all of us should have that expectation of him,” Butler said. “He’s shown the ability to move, probably better than anybody at that position. He’s going to continue to learn. I’ve always said that linebackers’ most productive years are three to four through seven to eight. That’s where the knowledge of the game and talent are usually melded at that time.

“When they come in, they’ve got talent. But they don’t know what the heck they’re doing. And then in about three years, they figure out what they’re doing and they still have their talent for six or seven years. We think he’s going to start melding that knowledge with his talent.”

It’s been on display early in training camp as Shazier has looked like the best player on the field. On a team that includes offensive stars such as Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, that’s saying something.

During the backs on backers drill Sunday when Shazier was dominating the play, it caused head coach Mike Tomlin to proclaim, “5-0 (Shazier’s number) looks like a man.”

But, can he be Superman?

“(Butler) wants us to take care of what we can take care of,” Shazier said. “He doesn’t want us trying to do too much. He doesn’t want anyone out there trying to be Superman. Just do your job.”

Shazier’s job is to use his speed to be as disruptive as possible.

Some feel the 6-1, 230-pound linebacker is too small to play in a bigger-man’s game and that has led to some of the injury issues. But that hasn’t been the case. More often than not, it’s been an issue of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“People say, Ryan, you have to get bigger,” said Steelers outside linebackers coach Joey Porter. “Shoot, Ryan’s one of the fastest linebackers in the game. He’s not going to be a big guy. But his asset is how fast he is. He has to use that.”

Odds and end zones

The NFL Network is reporting that second-year cornerback Senquez Golson has a Lis Franc injury in his foot and could miss 12 weeks. Golson, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, suffered this latest injury at practice Monday. … The Steelers announced the times for their joint practices with the Detroit Lions next week at Saint Vincent College. On Tuesday, the two teams will practice at 2:55 p.m. On Wednesday, they will practice from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Both sessions are open to the public. … After being off Tuesday, the Steelers will return to practice at 2:55 p.m., Wednesday. It is open to the public.