A strong outpouring flowed from the NFL community in the wake of Dan Rooney's death at the age of 84.
Current and former players, coaches, Commissioner Roger Goodell and anyone involved with the NFL understands Rooney's influence on the game, both on and off the field.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier said Thursday on NFL Network that Rooney's presence with the team would be missed and the 2017 season would be dedicated to the late owner.
"I know this whole season is going to be dedicated to Mr. Rooney and the Rooney family," Shazier said. "We already have a pretty big chip on our shoulder and we felt that we were pretty close this year and just having Mr. Rooney in the situation that has come, I know everybody in the facility right now is already thinking about what we have to do, what we need to do to win a Super Bowl for this family."
Stocked with talent on both sides of the ball, the Steelers have a good chance to give the Rooney family a seventh Lombardi trophy in Dan's honor.
