What is the situation now for you in terms of coaching?
It’s always a challenging time – but its part of the business. Now I’m just in a bit of wait-and-see mode – it just depends on who gets what jobs. There are some promising conversations I’ve had – some potential opportunities I’m excited about.
I would love to stay in Pittsburgh. It’s been two years there now – my family loves the schools and neighborhood and it’s been terrific being a part of the organization. It’s been a special time for me, learning from Mike Tomlin and being a part of an organization that does things the right way. If the opportunity presents itself I would love to stay in Pittsburgh. It just depends on who they hire.
Who were your mentors as a coach?
I was fortunate to have incredible coaches throughout my football life. In high school at St. Ignatius Chuck Kyle was so much more than a coach – he was an exceptional leader – very spiritual – and he instilled that in us. He made an impact on the lives of the players he coached unlike anyone else I’ve ever seen. He is someone I wanted to emulate – he’s impacted thousands of young men at St. Ignatius.
Nick Restifo as well – I was coached by him at an early age. I learned the importance of quarterback play and the fundamentals with him.
At John Carroll – Joe Parella had a big impact on me. He impacted so many there – I’ll cherish that time forever.
In the NFL, playing for Tony Dungy, Tom Moore and Jim Caldwell in Indianapolis – those are three guys to learn from! The way they led was amazing – I wish I knew then that I wanted to coach. I would have taken very different notes then! Even my brief time in Green Bay with Mike McCarthy and Tom Clements was huge.
I’ve seen you talk about Peyton Manning’s impact on you as well and the way he quizzed you as a backup – what did he teach you?
It was unbelievable. Peyton allowed me to be involved in his game prep. He gave me jobs to help him. His process was so thorough and detailed – he left no stone unturned and that gave him confidence.
What were the things he had you look at?
Peyton had time to break down teams over the first part of the season but he didn’t have time for, say, the last six games. He gave me those games to see what those teams were doing and what they were changing. How they were disguising coverages and different pressures they ran. He wanted to know what was different – what they changed. He didn’t want surprises. He felt that preparation gave him the edge he needed – that influenced me to be more detailed as well. The confidence that comes from that kind of preparation as a quarterback – that frees you up as a quarterback. I try to do that for my quarterbacks now.
What is the difference in how you work with college versus NFL Quarterbacks?
It’s so different. In college you’re working with kids out of high school that don’t have a great of a base of football knowledge and defenses. With them I’m really building that foundation.
In the NFL it’s more specialized. In Pittsburgh Russell Wilson had been there and done that – he had that base of knowledge. How you coach him is different from how you coach a Justin Fields who was trying to find his way in the league.
Aaron Rodgers – his experience was so different from Will Howard’s and Mason was in between. You can’t be rigid coaching those guys. You have to be flexible in your approach and adapt your style to them. In college you’re teaching a program – “This is the program and how your mechanics should look.” In the NFL, I’m not telling Aaron Rodgers to shift from his left to right foot now in the shotgun. You do that and you lose him.
Why choose Pittsburgh as a coaching destination and why did they hire you?
For me it was obvious. It was the opportunity to coach for a great organization – and iconic franchise that won six Super Bowls and had a legacy of winning and stability.
The other major factor was being able to work with Mike Tomlin to see how he leads on a daily basis. I was excited about that.
Arthur Smith – I got to know him through mutual friends Dave Ragone and Jonathan Gannon. When Arthur was hired as the offensive coordinator my name was on his radar. I’m grateful to him for believing in me. He understood how to build a plan to put his players in a position to win.
What was asked of you in Pittsburgh – what were you asked to address most there?
Initially it was how to take Kenny Pickett’s game to the next level – how to make him the player he could be. We studied his college and early NFL film – his strengths and weaknesses – to try and find ways to help him improve. We tried to build an offense around his skillsets. But as the quarterbacks room changed and they traded Kenny, signed Russell Wilson and traded for Justin Fields – they flipped the script. Now it was a quarterback competition – one trying to recapture their career and one trying to prove themselves. It was an exciting time.
How did you work with such different players?
They were so different – we had to work on structuring our meeting room time around both – to gameplan for both. Coach Tomlin made the decision on who started – that was his job description to choose the starter. Art and I offered our opinions of course.
Coach Tomlin felt like Russ could answer the unknowns more than Justin. He told us Justin was playing as well as he’s ever played and he expected us to help Russ get to that place as well.
My heart went out to Justin – it was a tough dynamic to coach through. But we had a plan for both quarterbacks. Mike was transparent from the start to all of us – he made it as clear as it could be and Justin and Russ never made it about them.
How much of what they did was quarterback specific versus just staying true to a specific system?
It was the opposite really. With Kenny we built a system around him but then he was traded. We built it then around Russ’s strengths but incorporated enough flexibility to package specific things for Justin’s skillset. Russ was injured in camp so that enabled us to get to the drawing board early to tailor things more for Justin since they had totally different skillsets.
I give Arthur a lot of credit for his adaptability – all of those different quarterbacks had different skillsets but he adapted to them and got the most out of them. Unfortunately we ran into some tough defenses at the end. It was a unique experience to be a part of that.
What are your thoughts on Will Howard having worked with him – what does he need to do to be a starting NFL quarterback?
Will has a bright future in the NFL. He has a unique makeup – he has what you want from a leadership and intelligence standpoint. He’s a football player – he can handle a lot and processes information well and relates well to his teammates. He has a lot of traits you look for. He also plays well in the pocket and is accurate – the moment is never too big for him.
The toughest thing is he has never played a snap yet in the NFL! He’s wired the right way – he was off to a good start in camp before the injury. We were so excited to see him play. But there’s still a lot of unknowns. He has to play to prove it -and play well. He needs to take what he learned and did in college and in practice with the Steelers and take it to the next level. I do think his game translates well. He plays on time and is accurate – and he’s a big guy who can move and extend plays. Time will tell. There’s a lot to be excited about but the NFL is a black and white league. The tape doesn’t lie.
What are the attributes you think are most essential to be a successful quarterback in the NFL?
Leadership – your teammates have to believe in you. You also have to have good football intelligence and decision-making. You need to be able to balance aggression and playing smart. You don’t want a quarterback who’s checking down all of the time – you want them to take calculated risks but not to force it. That balance is critical.
Accuracy and arm talent of course are important as well. And mobility – especially for a young quarterback – as they learn the game that can help them make plays outside of the system. You don’t have to be Justin Fields – you just need to have some mobility to make plays.
What are some of your best/most memorable experiences in Pittsburgh?
This past season – the entire quarterback room worked hard – and smart. But we had fun together too – they all enjoyed showing up every day. It was an incredible dynamic in that room.
I think about the two Baltimore games – getting those two wins and Aaron’s play down the stretch helping to deliver for us. To see the joy and competitiveness in him in those games – I’ll never forget that. We just wanted to get him the opportunity to play in the postseason. I’ll cherish those things.
It’s also worth noting – and I told Mason this a number of times – Mason was incredible for that room and for Aaron specifically. He helped open Aaron up and allowed him to be himself. He just has great interpersonal skills and knew the right buttons to push and topics to bring up to make Aaron comfortable. He had a good feel for how to make Aaron feel comfortable. You can’t take that for granted. I know why they value Mason so much – he’s an incredible teammate. He was the glue in that room. A lot of their success goes to him.