First, let me know what you’ve been up to since your NFL days – your media work and new book!
My last year was with the Steelers in 2009-2010 – that was my eighth year in the NFL. A lot of things led up to it, but I’m now a talk radio host in Cincinnati – I host the Eddie and Rocky Show on 700WLW. I’m also a college football analyst for ESPN – I’ve been doing that for seven years or so now.
Outside of that I have three great kids and a great wife. I still cherish all of my NFL experiences and my learnings from them.
And your new book?
I wrote Rocky’s Rules & Playbook for Becoming Your Best in Challenging Times last year. It’s not a biography or memoir. Nothing like that. It’s really my rules for life. I’ve led a very principled life – that comes from my time playing organized sports and from my upbringing. These are the rules that helped me – the ones that were the most important for me to be my best. I thought about the 11 rules that meant the most – based off life experiences. They are really more like behaviors.
For example chapter one – “Prepare and One Day Your Chance Will Come”. These were learnings from my time in the NFL that helped me to find success.
In fact there is a Steelers tie-in with chapter one. I had a very good first season in the NFL. I was drafted by Tennessee and my rookie season I broke the franchise record for special teams tackles and played some third-down defense as well. The next season I wanted to start and had a great preseason – but there was a guy ahead of me and he wasn’t going anywhere. I was discouraged – I felt like, what was the point if I’m never going to get the chance.
But week four, this is a game Steelers fans may remember. We were playing the Steelers and the starter went down and I came in – in the middle of a Steelers drive. I intercepted Maddox that game and ran it in for a touchdown and also sacked him for a safety. I was the Defensive Player of the Week. The lesson was that if I never prepared, I would not have played well and I would never have gotten that chance again.
You did so much after your football career – how hard though was the post-NFL adjustment for you? I know it’s hard for many.
You are right – I think it’s hard for everybody. I’m sure most have said this to you – that the hardest reason is that you get used to the locker room – you are all in the foxhole together. That comradery – everyone playing for one goal. You also don’t have that structure any more. When you play you know – every day is planned out – training room at six am, breakfast at 7 am, lifting at 7:30…. You no longer have that structure after the NFL. A lot of guys get lost – myself included. Guys spend too much time reminiscing and don’t look towards the future. They spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror.
I spent a lot of time just thinking about what to do next. I set up a lot of meetings – a lot of coffees. I thought about broadcasting then – everything kept bringing me back to it. I worked high school games on Friday nights on public access tv…did internet shows just to work on it and find a bigger opportunity.
A lot of guys – they go right into broadcasting. It’s understandable – they are Pro Bowlers or Hall of Fame guys – they go right to the top. But it’s a big adjustment and they often don’t know the ins and outs and if they mess up, it’s not on public access, it’s in front of millions of people. And the fans let you know if you aren’t good. If that happens, you never get anther shot.
Doing high school games and internet shows – that helped me to do it the right way. You can screw up on public access and no one knows it! You can work on your craft that way.
Looking back on signing with the Steelers – why did you do so in 2009?
I actually write about this in the book – on chapter 10 – “Finish What You Start”.
I played seven years in the NFL – four with the Titans, two in Indianapolis and one with the Chiefs. Personally, I had a good year that last year in Kansas City – I overcame some things and played well. But they fired Peterson and Edwards and the new coaches brought in their guys, so I was out again.
That offseason no one signed me. In the preseason the Titans signed me and I played well, but back then veteran salaries had to be guaranteed if you were on the roster the start of the season. So, they released me on the last day of camp.
I was out of football for a long time. People often think my most rewarding season was the Super Bowl season in Indianapolis, but I think 2009 may have been more. After I was released I trained and stayed ready. I told my agent that I would go down swinging. You know how much you love football when you’re running wind sprints on your own on a high school field mid-October. It’s easy to love the game when you’re on a team getting paid millions.
So what happened after that?
The Steelers were having some issues on special teams in 2009. They brought me in and I played the last six games. I can’t say if I played that great – it takes time to get acclimated. The last game of the season was against the Dolphins and I had two tackles that game on special teams.
It was frustrating just getting into the groove really then the season ending. It wasn’t a very memorable season but very rewarding. And playing for the Steelers and Mike Tomlin – he was incredible to play for – he and Dick LeBeau – I’ll cherish those memories.
What makes for a good special teams player, from your perspective?
I think you have to be team-oriented. It’s not the most glamorous job. The announcers often talk about other stuff over special teams play! But it’s one-third of the team – field position is so critical. It’s dirty, hard work. But it’s about pride – you can excel at it.
What memories stand out most to you of your time in Pittsburgh?
Walking into the locker room and meeting James Harrison. I’m a blue collar, tough guy. But I remember walking in and thinking that I could definitely not whoop his ass. He was one of the few people I can say I’d be afraid of. He was a stone cold killer but a great guy. That was one of my first memories, to be candid.
And of course being a Cincinnati guy playing for Pittsburgh was good for a few laughs. The Steelers were the worst thing ever in Cincinnati, of course. And meeting Troy Polamalu. He was out that season due to injury, but he was such a gentle. contemplative guy.
It was frustrating too. That last game, we knew we needed to win and for some other things to happen for us to make the playoffs. We won, but the rest of the equation didn’t happen. I think we knew it before the game ended. It was disappointing because I felt like I could have done more – I had gotten my groove back and I felt good.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
