The hype and excitement of his first NFL game, his first NFL touchdown passes, and first NFL win had worn off a little bit for quarterback Landry Jones when the team gathered on Monday to look at film, but you couldn't blame him for still having a big smile on his face as he walked around the team's practice facility.
"Oh, man. It was kind of surreal," said Jones of his performance against the Arizona Cardinals. "It was just fun getting back in there and getting to play again. It was just fun to get back out there and play again, play meaningful snaps.
"My wife and I talked (after the game) about how we both feel so blessed to be here. To actually get in and get to play, it was fun to look back on and it was a great win for the team."
Jones is in his third season with the Steelers and Sunday was his first regular season game, stepping in after Mike Vick went out with a hamstring injury. He said he has thought about what it would be like to finally play in a regular season game, joking that he had 'a lot of years to think about.'
"It's just different, because you actually feel like you contributed something," said Jones. "I've been here for three years now and haven't gotten to play. I feel like I have contributed, but not in a way I felt like I could. It's fun to get in here and know you actually had a part in the game."
The extent of Vick's hamstring injury, and whether or not Ben Roethlisberger will return this week, have yet to be determined, but Jones said he will be ready if his number is called.
"It would be great," said Jones. "I don't know what's going to happen with Mike or Ben, but it would be awesome to get a whole week of practice in and go into the game really prepared."
Jones had plenty of time in the preseason to prepare, seeing extensive playing time and Coach Mike Tomlin even joked that he probably got more snaps in the preseason than anybody in the history of the NFL. But it was those snaps that prepared him for what he did against the Cardinals.
"That was huge," said Jones. "The more experience, the better you're going to be out there. I thought I played well in the preseason, so that kind of helped my confidence too."
