First, what is the offseason plan for you – what did the coaches tell you/ask of you heading into next season and in your exit interview?
I’m just focusing on the playbook – and just started jogging again. I took a vacation after the season – maybe I deserved it, maybe not. I feel like I didn’t deserve it – I didn’t meet my expectations for the year. But that’s life – that’s how you grow.
I just want to do the best I can to be my best for the Steelers.
The coaches – they just told me to make sure I didn’t have any off-field issues. To stay out of trouble. I’m not sure why – probably said that to everyone. I’m not a guy to get into trouble so that’s no big deal. The biggest thing for me now is just continuing to learn the playbook. I have a good understanding of what the coaches want want from me now and I’m willing to give it to them.
What was the hardest adjustment for you in year one and what helped you improve on it?
With the epidemic, the hardest part was finding a schedule. Having meetings in Zoom – it’s hard to stay focused when you’re not meeting in person. Practice is what makes football fun – football is football so that made it hard.
Me as a person, I just want to know what’s happening next. Understanding the down and distance stuff – learning how to watch and study film to know what t expect was also a big adjustment.
Who helped mentor you – on and off the field -and how did they do so?
Of course! The whole secondary honestly helped. The epidemic stopped us from meeting together so I asked guys a lot of questions. You can learn more form the other players than from the coaches. I appreciated that.
Cam Sutton and Mike Hilton – Cam especially – he took me under his wing the most. I’m so appreciative of that. He played every spot – safety, corner, nickel – so he was able to help me a lot. I’d talk to Minkah to understand what he saw as a safety. How he looked at things. And I did the same with Haden for the cornerback aspect. He and I are from the same area and I followed him so much and loved watching him to his thing. So I would ask him a lot of questions too.
But Cam – he was the guy show showed me the NFL ropes – on and off the field.
Was it frustrating at first vying for reps? How did playing on the practice squad help your development?
The practice squad helped me a lot. It helped me to learn how to get my angles right and get leverage while checking receivers. It’s a one day at a time mindset when I was there. I was excited to learn the NFL game while I was on the squad.
Me and James Pierre – I appreciated him. He was my right hand and I was his left hand there. Carlos Davis too. As a rookie you don’t know how many times you’ll see a guy before they may or may not be on the practice squad anymore. You don’t know what happens in the big house – that’s what I like calling the offices where the coaches work!
You got more playing time as the season progressed – what do you think went best for you – where do you think you shined when given the chances?
I think understanding what the coaches wanted. They talked to me and said I was looking like I was down and moody at times. After they told me that I saw what they meant but I didn’t know it before then. I started connecting more with people after that – smiling more. I wanted to show them I wanted to be there. I can be quiet at times and get into my own zone. I’m glad they told me.
You played a lot in the slot despite being slotted initially as a safety/hybrid type of guy. What makes playing there so tough and what enabled you to play well there?
I like the slot – I can play in and out. I like playing above and coming downhill on the run too as a safety 0- being that last resort. Tackling is very important to me – I like being that last man.
With the slot, you can blitz, cover, play man or zone. You can play around and be yourself and bring your swag to the game.
As a versatile guy – is it a double-edged sword? Does versatility mean more opportunity but less chance to perfect one area of your game? How do you combat that?
I don’t think of it like that really. I just put things on my shoulders and keep moving. I didn’t see that as a problem – it wasn’t hard for me. Practice let you take things one thing at a time. That helped me a lot. You can ask guys what they saw and slow things down that way.
How did it work for you – did you split time in the linebacker and defensive backs rooms? Where was “home” for you and how did you practice on both facets of your game as a “hybrid”?
I was never in the linebacker room this year like Allen was. Maybe next year – I hope so. This year I met one-on-one with Tom Bradley for individual meetings if I needed extra time.
Positionally, where would you like to end up on the team? Is safety your ultimate goal? And do you think about free agency and the impact it may have on what you may be able to do next season?
I like the slot – you can do anything from the slot- zone, man…
I don’t think about free agency in terms of what it means to me. I know Cam and Mike are free agents and I want to keep both of those guys. I don’t want to lose anyone! I want to keep my brothers! It’ll hurt when the time comes – I don’t think about what it means to me if anyone leaves.
Matt Canada – what should fans expect from him do you think?
Excitement. Thrill. He’s very into the game. He talked to me a lot in college – I really believed in him – we had a good connection.
He’ll run a lot of motion and jet sweeps. He wants to confuse defenses and keep them off-balance. When we practiced against his offense last year it helped us out a lot to be ready for other offenses. It helped our defense out a lot. I think his schemes can turn the tables.
What are some of the experiences/memories – on and off the field – that stand out most to you so far of your time in Pittsburgh and why?
Ha – I won’t lie. The funniest moment was when Big Ben told Mason not to park in his spot or he’d have his car towed – with no wheels. Ben is so quiet – when he said something it surprised me. He was laughing for sure – but you knew he was serious too!
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