First, can you let readers know what you are doing with yourself since your time in the NFL?

Well,  I got to spend five years in the NFL fulfilling a childhood dream. I had good parents – it all started there, My dad was my high school coach and he told me I had a chance to go to college for free – that I should take advantage of that. Which I did.. I have s dual degree from Pitt and got a chance to play in the NFL. My dad said that at some point my NFL career will end – I needed a fallback plan. I took advantage of some internships though the NFL. I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I felt I could have the most impact working on leadership development and was introduced to the CEO of the company I work for now, Buddy Hobart at Solutions21. My thoughts on leadership were pretty much aligned with the business. .

Any coaching influences affect you most as a leadership development professional?

Well it’s the old adage – any advice is good advice – if it helps. I’ve had really good and really bad coaches. But you take something from everybody. Whether you like it or don’t like it. And my dad was a big influence as a coach. He was one of the big names in high school coaching in Western PA.  At the high school level,  coaches are like father figures.

It really is a combination of a lot of things. There are a lot of tools you can apply to coaching and leadership. But it’s how you apply those tools. There are helicopter parents that micro-manage and the same holds true on the business world –  that’s no way to lead.  People like to go for the flavor of the month – like two-day seminars or skinny pills.  I feel like I’m in-between. You don’t get a player from point A to point B with a two-day seminar. You have to find the most effective way to get people doing what they need to do, which is customized to every person.

Transitioning to football – you started off your college career at Pitt.  Why Pitt?

It was one of those things where my dad helped influence how we chose the schools. I had offers from nearly every school, but my dad didn’t want the recruiting process to become a circus.  which I am very thankful for and agree with.  I was in High school and didn’t need nor earn the type of circus that surrounds signing day.  We narrowed it down to five schools. When I was at Pitt for a quarterback-receivers camp, I woke up in my dorm and just knew it was the place. I called my mom and dad and we committed that day. It was real spur of the moment.

Like the book Blink?

Exactly. I never thought of it like that, but that’s exactly right.

Looking back on your time at Pitt, what are your thoughts – any regrets on the choice and how did the Flacco situation affect you., if at all?

Not at all!  Actually, Joe and I HAVE a good relationship – we still talk. Joe just didn’t want to sit – but there was no animosity with Joe.  He is a great player!

The only thing that stinks is going through a coaching change. That happened right before the Fiesta Bowl.  Walt was fired right before the BCS game. I didn’t like a lot of the AD”s decisions. Utah was a great team and maybe they beat us anyway, but the distraction hurt.

In sports that stuff happens. We got a great new coach in Wannstedt – and we had a great offensive coordinator in Matt Cavanaugh – maybe the best coach I ever had. But it takes a while for things to get rolling. It doesn’t happen early – it takes time TO build a culture. You can’t do it in one season.

Do you still follow Pitt? What are your thoughts of the job Narduzzi is doing?

I watch and will be a Pitt Panther regardless of the coach.  I don’t know Coach Narduzzi well. I’d like to be involved but for some reason They haven’t reached out to me  They have good young players and are keeping the hometown guys – the WPIAL guys. We didn’t  do that good of a job with that when I was there. He’s doing a tremendous job winning close games. That’s the way Pitt football used to be – winning tough, close games. That means the coach is doing the right thing. You don’t win those close games without player buy-in.

Despite your success there you went undrafted. Why do you think that was and how did you react to that?

It was surprising. I knew there was always a chance. I had a great agent in Ralph Cindrich.  He was an awesome guy. I thought I did well enough to get drafted, It was a tough two days – with family around… But that’s part of the business. I have to giggle when people say their business is different – more competitive. The most competitive industry is the NFL. You can be fired if they don’t like your haircut. You have to learn quickly to survive. It’s not for the weak-minded. Not if you want to be successful – you won’t last long. So, I was pissed off but I got over it.

I ended up signing with New Orleans and played under one of the best offensive minds in Sean Peyton and behind a Hall of Fame quarterback in Drew Brees.

You played for a number of teams and in two leagues over our career. How did you handle that stress and what do you say to those that view the sport as all glory?

It’s like anything – there’s a mass of people that watch and say they could do it better. Maybe they could, but they didn’t go through the trials and adversity to be there. It’s easy to be an armchair quarterback.

That’s why the game is so appealing. It’s a twelve-billion dollar industry. I don’t think people know that I earned a decent but not great living for those five years. You get paid for seventeen weeks and only make a living doing it for a short time.

As for how I handled it. You still have to earn your pay and validate your place. It’s a highly competitive industry – you have to compete every day. One bad practice and you can be fired – and you can’t dwell on it or it can effect the next one. And it’s about how you prepare for being a backup or third-string quarterback when you may  ever get a chance to play. I made it five years – double the average time for players. I’m proud to have made it work for that long.

In 2009 you retuned to Pittsburgh, signing with them as a free agent. How exciting was that for you and how did that come about?

I was only there for a half-season, but it was an awesome experience to put on a Steelers uniform. When you grow up playing close to them in high school you dream of putting on the Black and Gold.  Being noticed on the sidelines by those that watched you play high school was great.

The Rooneys, COACH Tomlin…they were awesome. Mr. Rooney – Dan and Art both – were supportive of me since high school. To be able to be a part of it was cool.

How did they reach out to you?

They called my agent – I was actually watching the game when Charlie {Batch} got hurt versus Kansas City. Ben was already hurt and the thought crossed my mind that they needed a quarterback. I was unemployed…then my agent called me and told me they called and wanted me to come in for a workout.

Was it tough coming in mid-season to bond with the team and learn the system?

I played college next to those guys and practiced near them every day. Gay, James Harrison, Spaeth…I even knew Ben as a rookie. So I knew half of that locker room. It wasn’t very different for me. I felt at home. I just had to learn the offense – but it wasn’t like it was my first season in the NFL.

In 2011 you actually were the starting quarterback against Pittsburgh. How did you approach that game?

I was fighting for my job. Beating the Steelers would have given me credibility and extended my career. I wanted to kick their ass! Between the white lines, all you want to do is win. They knew me and there was a lot of smack talk. It was all in fun.

We had a chance to win – we were driving for the winning touchdown but there was a miscommunication between me and the receiver. I thought he was going out and he went in and Keenan Lewis picked it off. I guess it wasn’t in the cards. We had a chance to beat a great hometown team.

What are your thoughts on the game today – and any last thoughts for readers?

I feel with all of the talk about concussions it’s like there is an attack on football. Football is a tough game – it’s not for everybody. It’s a gladiator-type sport. Not many that play it don’t come out bruised and battered. There are opportunities to advance safety and protect players as we evolve and the way it handles injuries. ACL injuries are no longer a death sentence. Concussions are injuries too – they happen just like anything else. They can be treated. The NFL leadership just needs to find ways to deal with them more effectively.

But football made me who I am – my work ethic, morality, values…how to deal with adversity. All I am is because of that sport. If kids can get out of it what I did – well its a great thing to be involved with. And you don’t need to be a Hall of Fame player to learn from it. That’s the great thing about the game.

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