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With training camp just around the corner, football fans are anxiously awaiting the return of NFL football, even it if means meaningless preseason games. And as fans prepare themselves for next season, the discussion of who they are most excited to see is a hot-button topic.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, there are many options in regards to who fans are excited to see in the black and gold in 2017. It could be a free agent acquisition, a 2017 NFL Draft pick or even a returning player, and this is not an easy decision when picking just one player to be “the guy” who fans are extremely pumped to see this year.
In fact, I took to our official Twitter feed (@btsteelcurtain) to ask fans who they were most excited to see next season. Check out the results of the poll which ran for 24 hours, and had over 700 votes.
Which #Steelers player are you most excited for this season?
— BTSC Steelers (@btsteelcurtain) July 6, 2017
There were those who suggested other players like Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown, but, in my opinion, true excitement should surround a player who has yet to, or hasn’t recently, made an impact on the team. Hence the options of rookies T.J. Watt and JuJu Smith-Schuster, and the return of reinstated Martavis Bryant.
As the poll suggests, fans are extremely excited to see No. 10 back on the gridiron making ridiculous plays for the Pittsburgh offense, and it is hard to disagree with this selection.
While Watt and Smith-Schuster will play a role in the team’s success, it likely won’t come close to the role Bryant will fill. Yes, he will have to stay clean, and in the good graces of the NFL league office, but when he is on the field and healthy, he is the definition of a difference maker.
It is Bryant who forces opposing defenses to have to play a more straight-up style of defense, rather than overloading one side to prevent Antonio Brown from beating them, something which happened regularly in 2016 without Bryant in the lineup.
So, Steelers fans have spoken, and they are most excited to see Martavis Bryant back in the lineup next season, but what do you think? Do you agree with the selection, or is it someone else? Feel free to let us know in the comment section below!