Welcome to Steelers Takeaways! – More than 2,000 interviews of Steelers players, coaches, front office staff PLUS interviews with Pittsburgh actors, musicians, authors and more

Exclusive with Former Steelers Defensive Lineman Eric Taylor, 2004-2005

First off, what are you up to now since your football days?

I run a gym here in my hometown and am a sports performance coach. I work with kids, adults and teams who want help.

I learned from a lot of my coaches about hard work and dedication to the craft. That was the biggest thing for me – I was a good player but I didn’t understand how important that side of things was when you got to the NFL. In college it was line up, beat your man and make a play. In the NFL you had to know what the linebacker, safety, other defensive linemen all were doing. I try to instill that in the kids I work with now – put the time in and go get it.

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Exclusive with Former NFL Agent Packers VP, Author and Analyst Andrew Brandt

First, you have a lot going on – MySunday7, media analyst, the new book S marter About Sports: My Life Navigating Athletes, Agents, Media, and the Business , NIL work, teaching….how are you juggling it all and what projects do you want everyone to be most aware of?

I’ve been teaching law full-time for the last 12 years – now my current project I want to work on is writing a sports law textbook. A real textbook weaving in my case law experience – that’s a concurrent project I have now.

That jives with the book – it covers the long, winding road through my career – the stops along the way and the lessons learned and gleaned – how to negotiate and operate through the sports business world.

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Exclusive with Former Pitt Soccer Coach, Pittsburgh Miner and Pittsburgh Spirit Player Joe Luxbacher

First off, what are you up to now?

I’m retired but in name only! I’m involved in youth and high school soccer in Western, PA. I coached for 30 years at Pitt and retired 10 years ago. But when people know you are still around they call you! Now I can pick and choose what I want to do and enjoy working with the kids.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Lineman Keavon Milton, 2016-2017

First off, what have you been up to since your playing days?

I’m currently in law enforcement – I’ve been here for six years now. After I was done playing with the Steelers I went to the CFL for a bit and played for the B.C. Lions, then I applied to the police academy. I had my degree in criminal justice and knew that while I was still able-bodied, I wanted to do something that wasn’t sitting behind a desk.

As an offensive lineman I was used to blocking and protecting people – so I knew I wanted to do something either with the police or fire department. I wanted to use my size for a good calling. God blessed me with this size for a reason! I’ve been loving it since I applied in 2019.

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Exclusive with Pittsburgh/Penn State Quarterback Chuck Fusina

First off, how did playing in Western PA influence you as a quarterback?

It had a big impact. I grew up in McKees Rocks. It was a working-class, tough town that loved Friday night football. I was an only child – my dad died young. My mother was wonderful – she let me do what I wanted and play the game I loved. I had a lot of support from the city and have great memories from growing up. I was lucky to have the chance to play in front of so many people and college coaches and to sign with Penn State.

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In His Own Words: John Goodman

I have had a great post football career living in Edmond, Oklahoma for the last 30 yrs. My wife Trish and I have raised 3 great kids. John Ryan, Nikki and Chelsea is the youngest. All my kids are grown and went to the same Elementary, Middle, and High Schools.

After Graduation all attended The University of Oklahoma (of course). We are all big Sooner fans and season ticket holders. My youngest daughter Chelsea ran track at OU and met her husband while attending school. He played football for OU and was drafted 4th overall by the Philadelphia Eagles. His name is Lane Johnson. They have two kids and one on the way, and my son has one beautiful daughter. He and his wife Stephanie live in Seattle.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers/Pitt LB Cheyton Pine

First off, what are you up to now – coaching at the high school level correct?

Last year I was coaching for St. Vincents – I was there for a year and we had some All-Conference players there. I tried to become a head coach – applied to a couple of different schools but they wanted more experience. Now I’m coaching 7-on-7 football with the PA Goblins– we’re a nationally ranked 7-on-7 team.

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Exclusive with Steelers Defensive Lineman Ed McAleney, 1976

First off, what have you been up to since your playing career?

I got my degree in Pulp and Pivot Technology – so I went into commercial and residential landscaping after football. As I got older I went more into earthworks – septic systems and building and fixing roads. I like working with my hands.

Was the post-football adjustment difficult?

I played for 10 years – I was ready – my body was telling me it was time ot get ready to stop. At the end of my career I was at 285 pounds – I was smart enough to start gradually dropping weight. I didn’t do it immediately – but I got to a healthy weight and maintained that. A lot of guys don’t do that and end up with a lot of stuff – heart conditions and stuff like that. I also did some coaching, donated to the community and public speaking ….I stayed active.

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Steelers QB Competitions: Over 25 Steelers Quarterbacks Discuss the Ups and Downs

Anthony Wright: “I remember going into the last preseason game. It was late in the game and Tomczak and Pete Gonzalez were battling it out for a spot. I looked at Coach Gilbride to see if I was going to get a chance to go in and play. He looked back at me and said “You’re not going in. But don’t worry – that’s a good thing.”

So I learned mid-game that I had made the team. I remember how much of a load off of my shoulders that was.”

Jim Miller: “Again, three way battles do not work. You’re young, and you’re getting a one-third of the reps which are limited to begin with in the offseason. You need them all no matter who is starting. Unless you’re like five years in the offense and know it like the back of your hand.”

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Quarterback Cornelius Benton, 1992

Can you let us know first off what you did career-wise after football?

That’s a difficult question. When I was released by the Steelers I went to Ottawa in the CFL. I was there a short while but I lost my taste for playing. When I was released I figured I’d give it a shot, but I was raised to move forward and take that next step in life when the time comes.

I came back home to Florida and started a business at first and coached at my high school for a year, trying to figure out what to do in life.

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