Thank You For Everything, Ryan Shazier

"It's been over one thousand days since I got hurt on the field. To lose the game in a way I never envisioned has not been easy. When you play the game the way I did, you convince yourself you're Superman - that nothing can stop you. But then when I got hurt, I stopped being Superman, and that was difficult to make sense."

Damn. This just blows. What a player Ryan was, and it's a damn shame that a freak play took his gift away. This December will be three years since he got hurt in Cincinnati. Won't ever forget that night. Teammates crying on the field. Seeing Ryan pointing at his legs not being able to move them. 

I'll admit it - it was the closest I've ever gotten to crying during a football game. 

But what a story it's been for him since. As tragic as it is that he can't play football anymore, it could have been a lot worse. This man is walking again. Hell, he's even doing box jumps and jogging again. So at the end of the day, I think it's safe to say we're all just thankful that he can live his life as a husband and father without having to be constrained to a wheel chair forever. 

He was so damn good at football. 

His speed and athleticism were unmatched. He's a prototype for the "new age" middle linebacker in the NFL. We'll all miss watching him play. 

But when it's all said and done, with all the great plays he made on the field in a Steelers uniform, this will always be my favorite Ryan Shazier highlight. Less than six months after that terrible injury, he walked across the stage at the NFL Draft. 

Legend, and a Steeler for life.