Isaiah Johnson: “Joe Haden – he showed me how to be a leader – how he was able to do that for so long in the NFL. One thing I was just told a lot was to be a professional. To “Be you.” It’s easy to do in that environment. They helped show me how to be a professional.”
Kam Kelly: “When I got to the Steelers Joe Haden was my biggest mentor. He was a true pro – he studied and knew the game. He was invested in his career and I learned how to manage my time and approach to the game – on and off the field – from him.”
James Pierre: “Haden and Nelson for sure – I just want to learn all I can from them – and from any of the younger guys too. It doesn’t matter if they are younger or older – I just want to learn. With Haden and Nelson I want to see their film prep – how they watch film and dissect it – how they learn different things.”
Lamont Wade: “Minkah and Haden for sure. Just because they handle themselves so professionally – they handle things the right way. Just working with them and learning from them – seeing how they approach the game and how to be a real professional.”
Antoine Brooks: “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.”
Herb Waters: “I knew Joe Haden was one of the best defensive backs in the league. Playing with him last year paid dividends for me. It was great building a relationship with him last year.”
Justin Layne: “I was excited to learn from guys like Joe Haden, who’s been one of the best players in the league for a long time. His knowledge of the game is huge and I’m looking forward to learning from him.”
Justin Thoms: “Going up against Joe Haden every day – someone I watched growing up. Artie Burns… Being on the practice squad was pretty special. Playing against those guys every day you’ll beat them sometimes too – they made me better. Iron sharpens iron.”
Alexander Myres: “Just being around Joe (Haden) and picking his brain, it’s made a huge difference in my game.”
Trey Johnson: “I always looked up to Joe Haden.”