First, what you are doing with yourself now?
Well, I took a position at a gym here – The House – here in Michigan. I’m managing the sports performance and training there with my former college quarterback Jaranta Lewis.
After I was cut from the Hamilton Tigercats the opportunity just opened up. I took the job and have been excited about the opportunity.
How hard is the post-NFL adjustment for you?
I’ll tell you – it is definitely a struggle for me. I urge guys now to make the transition subtly – while you are still playing. Do it while you are still playing. You simply don’t know when your day is coming. If someone told me in October I’d be cut from Hamilton I would have done things very differently.
You need a backup plan. Me – I was an all-in person. If someone told me I would have needed a backup plan I would have told them they must be talking about someone else – some guy who sucked. Not me! But it happens. I was in a dark place – I thought about a lot of things and was in a contemplative state about what to do next after that.
I knew I could do more than some of the other guys still playing. There were guys playing that I knew didn’t earn that opportunity. I couldn’t find answers on why this was happening. I was always an underdog. It was always a struggle to get where I was.
So how did you manage it?
I just started doing things. Started working. Most importantly, I got back into the fundamentals of who I was – a faith-based man. I thought I was all about football. I had to unwire it from my mind. My identity isn’t football. I’m not my jersey number and the man inside the helmet and what I did on the field. I had to remember playing football has nothing to do with who I am as an individual, or my character or integrity.
Getting back to that core helped me. I started helping my grandfather at church – I now play the keyboard there on Sundays which has been cool.
Stepping back – how did your time start in Pittsburgh?
I was undrafted in 2016. I came out from a small division II university – Northern Michigan. I had no idea how I was going to make it to the NFL though I did well in college. But because I went to a small division II school I wasn’t invited to the combine. They did have regional combines then though so I went to those and ran the 11th fastest time in the country.
I took those numbers and shipped them off to different people – including to Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. We knew he had scouts coming to talk to him about his quarterback who was coming out. They didn’t have any receivers coming out for the draft that season so they had me come in to throw some passes to for the scouts. Tomlin and other guys were there – I went out but no one really talked to me – this division II kid. I didn’t think I had a chance after that.
What happened then?
After the draft Denzel Martin called me and asked if I ever thought about being a Pittsburgh Steeler. I said “Huh? Yeah!” They had me come to rookie minicamp and I was the last guy there of everyone. I was the last in drills and had a jersey that was way too large, but I was grinding away.
Two of the receivers in front of me got injured and dropped out. That gave me an opportunity to get some reps. Haley was the Offensive Coordinator then and the first play I ran I ran by the cornerback. Haley said “Hey ’87. Do that again.” I saw him start to whisper and wink at the quarterback and knew they were going to throw the ball to me. So I did the same thing and ran by the defender again and the quarterback laid it out and I made a diving catch. No one touched me so I had the wherewithal to get up and run it into the endzone.
What did they say to you after that?
The next day I’m in the meeting room and I’m way in back. I mean they have to crack the door open so my chair can fit so I can see inside and take notes.
Well I look in and there’s one play on the board – the catch I made from the day before. Tomlin got up and spoke to the guys and told them that when he talks about finishing plays and not taking time to warm up, this is what he meant. “Look at 87 – he finished the play!” Then he asked where I was and I got up and waved my hands from the back. “87, what’s your name?” he asked and I told him. “So he said “Ok M.T.! What school are you from?” I told him Northern Michigan and he said “Where the heck is that?” and everyone laughed.
But, I didn’t get a chance to make many more plays after that.
So what did you do?
Well, Sunday came and I think I’m going home. My mother – she was a huge Mike Tomlin fan and Mother’s Day was coming up, so I figured since it was my last day I’d ask Tomlin to say happy Mother’s Day to her before I was gone.
I ran into the locker room and got my phone and told Coach Tomlin my mother was a huge fan and asked if we could call her. He said “Yeah, no problem.” I called and put her on speaker and told her someone here wanted to say hi to her. Then he goes “Hey, it’s Mike Tomlin from the Pittsburgh Steelers!” She starts breaking down crying. He mutes the phone and asks me her name. I say “Cynthia.” He said “Not her first name! Her last!” I tell him and he says “Hi Mrs. Tucker, calm down. I just wanted to tell you Happy Mother’s Day and that you raised a good, young gentleman! We’re going to give him an opportunity to make the team and sign him to our 90-man roster!” So, now I break down crying too! it was quite the scene.
Did anyone help mentor you once you got there?
Darrius Heyward-Bey was magnanimous in helping the younger guys get acclimated to being pros. He gave us an understanding of how to go about the business. What he did as a mentor – you can’t put a price on that.
Markus Wheaton and AB helped too. AB not so much in taking us under his wing as much as just showing how to be a hard worker and grinder. He never took a rep off – every rep was like a Super Bowl rep in his brain. You can’t be around that kind of energy and not gravitate towards that and learn from that. He showed us that work ethic.
What do you remember most about that time on the practice squad?
I won’t lie – I love football. I just loved showing up with the attitude that I was going to do my best to get guys ready for Sunday. I cherished and embraced that role.
I matched up against Mike Hilton every day – we made each other better. And against guys like Burns and Sean Davis. Even the linebacker group with guys like Moats and Dupree. Even Deebo – he body-slammed me once and I was like “Bro, what are you doing?”
I relished the roles they gave me. I was usually playing the shifty guy, like OBJ or Jarvis Landry. Those types of roles helped show me what they thought of me and challenged me to study film on them so I could learn how they played and what they did – so I could play that role to the best of my ability.
Any fun stories stand out to you?
One story I wanted to share. Ryan Shazier was the fastest on that team, for sure. And one day all the wide receivers were in the locker room – Coates, AB, Wheaton, Eli Rogers, DHB… They were all talking about how fast they were – who was the fastest. “I ran this and that at the combine….” “I did this in track… Blah, blah, blah … they were all getting their rocks off.
Then all of the sudden from the back of the locker room Vince Williams – I love Vince – yells “Shay {Ryan Shazier} would beat all of your asses in a race!”
Well, they all start putting money in to bet on it – $1,500 each. Not me – that was my entire signing bonus! But they all raced. It was every receiver and Shazier. And Shazier easily smoked them all. I used to joke with him that he was aerodynamic – he had no hair – so it was cheating! But his straight-line speed – there was no one faster. It was insane to see a guy that size run that fast. There were some freaks in the NFL.
What happened in that 2018 season? It seemed you were on the cusp of making the 53?
I thought I was going to make the team, but I got rolled up in a preseason game versus the Titans and sprained my ankle. When you’re a guy the team hasn’t invested in and is on the bubble like I was, you’re expendable. I was cut and decided to take the year off to get better and work my way back into the NFL. But that didn’t happen so in 2019 I signed with Hamilton. They wanted me before the Steelers but I wanted to play for the Steelers.
Any other thoughts before I let you go?
I loved my time in Pittsburgh. They were easily the best fans. They aren’t delusional like a lot of other teams’ fans!
So I can tell you’re not on Twitter a lot then!
Ha! Well keep them grounded – don’t let them got delusional like other teams’ fans!
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
