Antwon Blake glanced at the wall outside of the Steelers' locker room and the smile came quick. It wasn't the first time in the last 24 hours he has given the wall, a wall adorned with pictures of the highlights of Monday night's win over the Chargers, a second look.
He quickly glanced again, as it was hard not to notice the 36 x 30 print of him in celebratory mode as he crossed the goal line following a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown, the first of his NFL career.
"Every week I hope my picture is on the wall because it means I did something key in the game," said Blake. "As far as celebrating it, I know as a defense, as a team in general, we try to have fun out there. I learned a long time ago when you have fun on the field good things tend to happen."
With the Steelers down 7-3 late in the third quarter Blake picked off Chargers' quarterback Philip Rivers and headed straight for the end zone. It was a long jaunt, but he wasn't going to be denied.
"In those types of situations, especially running 70 yards, you have to be aware of the pursuit that is behind you," said Blake. "Those guys are not going to give up. You definitely have to be aware that somebody is coming to get you."
And the celebration afterwards, one that included a few nice moves, you couldn't blame him.
"It felt amazing," said Blake. "Just being able to make a play for my team, especially when we needed it at a critical moment like that. It was a blessing for sure.
"As a defensive back we pray for those types of plays every week. To finally get one, especially my first one in the NFL, it was a surreal feeling."
The key now, though, is to not let up. The one thing Steelers' players have preached is their desire to stack wins. They have a chance to do that on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals at Heinz Field.
"It's very important to build on it," said Blake. "We need to go on a roll from here. We can't let anymore get away from us. It was a close one we lost last week and a close one we won this week. That is life in the NFL.
"It's going to be a fight most weeks and we just have to keep building off of that."
