David Bruton, Jr. would like nothing more than to show Steelers' Cody Wallace just how much he did not appreciate that cheap shot in Week 15.

You know the one:

Steelers' Cody Wallace comes in late and hits David Bruton in the head pic.twitter.com/UwwyxmQIIZ — The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) December 20, 2015

Unfortunately, Bruton - on Injured Reserve because of a fractured fibula he incurred a few plays before that low blow to his head from Wallace - won't be able to tell the Steelers' center personally.

But the safety definitely has a message for the man who left his feet, dove headfirst into Bruton's helmet after the play was over, and received nothing more than a $23,000 slap on the wrist:

"Good luck out there on Sunday."

No veiled threat. No mean-spirited wish for injury.

Just a bonafide warning - Bruton's teammates have his back this coming week and that means a little extra attention to No. 72 on the field.

"[Wallace] is going to be sore after the game, that's how I see it," fellow safety Darian Stewart said earlier this week, adding that it won't "be anything cheap" and will be only between the whistles, but it's not going to be pretty. "He come out on a screen, he better not come at 2-6. I'm cutting him. That's where I am at with it because the (expletive) really (expletive) me off last time. You got me mad right now just thinking about it."

After those comments hit the press, some Steelers players tried to make a case that the Broncos placed a bounty on Wallace's head.

Not even close, says Bruton.

"Nobody said anything like that," he told MHR Thursday. "It's like [Stewart] said, just between the whistles, just inside the lines. But they have my back. They understood the absurdity of that play and the absurdity of [Wallace] only getting a fine. Honestly, I'm honored by that."

Cody could have broken my neck. They've suspended guys for a lot less. -David Bruton, Jr.

But it was his teammates who were honored by Bruton's grit all season to play tough every single game, especially in Pittsburgh where No. 30 played three more quarters on basically a broken leg.

"I think it's not about me being tough... just about me being out there with my guys and just giving them all that I have," Bruton said after that Week 15 game. "I gave 110 percent. I basically gave a leg for my guys, literally. Just a tribute to the fact that I love the team and love being a part of it."

Though Bruton is unable to "be a part of it" for the rest of this season, the Notre Dame graduate is thankful the hit didn't result in something irreparable.

"Cody could have broken my neck," Bruton says, adding that the NFL's response with a pitiful fine was not nearly good enough. "They have suspended guys for less. There's no consistency within the rules, within player safety. It falls to the refs and they do the best they can in the game, but when the NFL gets a chance for final judgment, there's just no consistency."

In fact, Bruton would be the first to condemn the tackle last weekend on Steelers' Antonio Brown that gave the Pro-Bowl wide receiver a concussion and looked like Brown was knocked out for a second. This morning Brown was ruled out of Sunday's playoffs game against the Broncos.

#NFL, if you want to be taken seriously for head injury protection, EJECT players for stupid/dangerous cheap shots. https://t.co/GzguUwSCD6 — L.Lattimore-Volkmann (@docllv) January 10, 2016

But despite the NFL's lack of consistent discipline across the league, Bruton is confident his teammates will play smart and not allow their anger over the Wallace hit and lack of better discipline to overpower their decision-making during the game Sunday.

"We've been talking about this all season," Bruton said of the defense's costly penalties early in the season that often gave opposing offenses good field position or sustained drives. "We've harped on it and preached it, and the guys know that the game is the most important thing, that the game is bigger than just one guy."

Everybody is amped up, and it will be an extra-physical game. But I know our guys are going to play smart. -David Bruton, Jr.

All the same, Bruton is looking forward to a physical game that he knows the Broncos defense will dominate.

"Everybody is amped up, and it will be an extra-physical game. I encourage that," Bruton said, noting that the entire team seems more focused and in-tune to what they need to do this weekend. "But I know our guys are going to be smart."

Bruton, who is off crutches and will be on the sidelines during the game, has faith his defense will do a much better job handling the Steelers' offense this time around, no matter who is suiting up for the black and yellow.

So he has a message for his teammates too:

"The first step is this win. Leave it all on the field; you can rest up later. That's what we have to do to hoist that Lombardi."