First off, what are you up to now? What’s next?
We’ll see. I don’t know what’s next. I know I’m not done coaching. No one knows what’s next so we’ll see. But I know I’m not done.
What made you decide to get into coaching?
My love of the game. When I played I thought like a coach – I approached things like a coach. I just didn’t know anything about coaching. I was detailed and understood what we were trying to do and what the other teams were trying to do as a player.
It all started with B.A. {Bruce Arians}. He got me started. I didn’t think about it before then – I didn’t understand what coaching was about. B.A. saw it in me first and got me started in Arizona.
Including B.A., who are your coaching influences and mentors – and how so?
Mike Tomlin – being around him was huge for me. He came into my life at the right time. To see football the way he handles it – the way he handles the team every day. He and B.A. were both huge influences to me. Dick LeBeau too. They were great coaches. I just tried to learn as much as I could from them. To watch Tomlin’s approach – it was so unique the way he went about trying to win the right way.
What made them so special – what specifically did you appreciate about them?
Their honesty. They have a passion for coaching and were straightforward. You never had to guess with them. They told you what they needed from you. You just had to be ready and deliver. That honesty is a big deal for a player. It was a special group.
How much of coaching for you is having players follow a set scheme versus adapting the scheme to players – as a coach how do you walk that line?
It’s not really tough the way I see it. I’m on the offensive side of the ball so I think it’s easier as an offensive coordinator. It’s all based on the quarterback. In Tampa Bay we had Jameis {Winston} then Tom {Brady}. It was all based on them and what they did well. It was the same system – you just have to figure out what each does well and do that more than not. You just have to know enough to be able to help the quarterback and put them in a position to have success.
Looking back, what made you decide to sign with the Steelers as a free agent?
Charlie {Batch} got hurt and they needed a quarterback. I had the chance to meet Tomlin and B.A. and it felt like the perfect spot for me to learn and be around a winning environment. With that experience there – I have no idea where I’d be if not for my time there. It was a special building – from Omar Khan and Kevin Colbert to the ownership.
I got the opportunity to see it all and be a part of it. The resources there – the coaching – it was amazing. It was unique – the family culture. The ability to talk to Mr. Rooney whenever you wanted. Those were real relationships with the people there in the building. It’s not like that everywhere.
It seems like you and Batch both shared a lot of MAC school-to-NFL similarities with Ben – how were you able to help him and was that part of the reasoning for signing?
Not many people know it but Ben and I were friends from college. We played each other and rooted for each other when we played other teams. We were big fans of each other.
I called Ben when he was drafted – he came out one year after I did. I told him that from what I heard around the league he was going to love it there in Pittsburgh. We were used to being underdogs. When we played bigger schools like Iowa, Clemson, South Carolina .. we rooted for each other to beat those other teams. They used to call us mid-majors – they had no problem calling us that then!
How did you prepare as a backup quarterback during game weeks – what did you do to stay ready knowing you had so few reps with the team in practice during the week?
The key was doing nothing different than you’d do as a starter. You do it exactly the same. I prepared like I was the starter. I never did anything different. The hard part was on Sundays when you don’t play! Then you have to go back next week and repeat it all again.
I used the scout team reps – I grabbed Antonio Brown, Randle El, Sanders…I used them all on the scout team. Tomlin let me grab those guys and we practiced hard against our own defense. That was the number one defense in the league – but they couldn’t hit me in practice! So that made it better!
On gamedays how as a backup do you stay involved – any examples?
It’s all about being that extra set of eyes and another voice for Ben. We had that relationship. Ben was so special – he was better than people think. The things you saw him do on Sundays we saw him do throughout the week.
What made him special – what would surprise fans about him?
His awareness – his ability to see the whole field. I tell people that Ben and Mahomes are similar players, they just played in different times. Both see the All-22 well. Ben’s vision was special and unique. To see him in college then in the pros – it was good to be around him and learn from him. That was my first time around a legitimate Hall of Fame guy. To see how he was wired, then to go do the same with Tom. It made a huge difference to me as a coach, to see how those guys prepared.
What was that first Super Bowl experience like for you – what do you remember most and how did it shape you when you got to Tampa Bay?
I have two of those rings – one in Pittsburgh then one in Tampa Bay! Just to get there – it felt like in Pittsburgh that we were primed for it. I never saw a team so ready and focused on winning a Super Bowl. We had a lot of bumps and bruises and speed bumps along the way. We answered a lot of adversity. When you achieve something that big that’s often the case. We overcame a lot and we did it week in and week out.
By the time I got to Tampa Bay I had been to two Super Bowls – I saw how things were supposed to work. I saw how it all operated. That’s what I mean when I say I learned so much in Pittsburgh that catapulted me into coaching. It carried over as a coach.
The way Tomlin approached the Super Bowl, he was just Mike Tomlin. What you see is what you get. You love playing for guys like that. Regardless of your background or ability, you always knew you were going to be given the chance to be the best version of yourself. Coaching is a people business and playing for LeBeau, B.A., Tomlin and Randy {Fichtner} was unreal.
Were you surprised when they traded for you in 2010 – how did you find out and what say if any did you have in that?
No, I wasn’t surprised. I had an idea it was going to happen. I was just happy I was going back. Pittsburgh felt like the first time I was in the NFL. Just the fellowship and relationships with the players and coaches. I was happy to be going back. I didn’t have anything to do with the decision but I was happy it was made!
How difficult was it suffering through so many of those injuries in Pittsburgh – and how is your health now?
I’m as healthy as I can be I guess. After 10 years in the NFL it’s going to leave some bruises. It’s a violent game. Unfortunately injuries show up in this thing and you can get on the bad end of it. That’s the game. But I love the moments and experiences I had playing it. I appreciate them all.
I came a long way from Southeast DC. I never lose sight of that. I look at the whole picture and remind myself of how far I came.
What are some of the best/funniest/most poignant memories of your time in Pittsburgh?
There’s not one thing – as I say, those memories stay in the locker room! It’s the relationships – the togetherness. The culture and family atmosphere. The way the vets approached things. They knew what the task was and how to go about it. When you have all of that you have the opportunity to win Super Bowls.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
