Steelers safety Mike Mitchell feels like he was overlooked last season when he was a member of the Panthers.
Carolina’s defense was given much of the credit for their NFC South title, but most of the praise went to Greg Hardy, Luke Kuechly and others in the front seven. Mitchell feels that focus gave too little credit to the work he did in the secondary, leaving a chip on his shoulder as he fit free agency. Mitchell says he’s “at the point of my career where it’s time to prove it” and he plans to use that chip as motivation in his first season in Pittsburgh.
“I don’t really care about Pro Bowl. I want to be All-Pro. I have to do what I did last year again plus get better,” Mitchell said, via ESPN.com. “A lot of times last year people were talking about the front seven I played with and they were very talented. Sometimes you’re overlooked, but that’s just another chip to put on my shoulder and play football.”
The Steelers entered the offseason in need of some more playmakers on their defense and hope that Mitchell’s drive to prove his worth as a top safety provides some of what they’ve been lacking. If he can pull that off, chances are he won’t feel quite so unnoticed at this time next year.