First, can you let mw know a little about what you’ve been doing with yourself since you retired?
Well, I coached my son in Orlando – his team was the West Orange Bobcats and we were in the semi-finals. I’m also coaching and training athletes here in Orlando, as well as doing some TV and radio with Bmac and other guys. Staying busy man.
Speaking of coaching – who were some of the guys that influenced you as a coach and player – and how did they do so?
Dicky. That’s what we called Dick LeBeau. He didn’t have to say much. He was so well-respected and had such a calm manner. Whenever he spoke to you about doing something wrong, if you messed up in a game, he’d pull you aside. He wouldn’t yell or curse. He’d just tell you what you were doing was hurting the team. That was like being stabbed in the heart. He had this way of getting his point across without raising his voice.
And if he felt he messed up, he admitted it and told you. Lots of coaches don’t admit it – they think they have all of the answers. I’d look at that and say, there’s a Hall of Fame coach saying that. That made me want to run through a brick wall for hm.
Carnell Lake did it backwards. I mean, he started off as a linebacker, then played safety and cornerback. Usually guys move from the front to the back. He was so successful at it though.
Coaching-wise, Lake just had an eye for talent. He had a good idea who would be good and help the team. He was old school too – he didn’t yell. He just spoke the truth. He came up under LeBeau and knew the scheme. He was wise at every position, from safety to cornerback to linebacker. That was Lake.
Any other guys?
Someone people don’t talk a lot about is Ray Horton. He was one of the most intelligent ones I’ve ever been around. He told me to respect the receiver in front of you, but we play the offensive coordinator. Offensive coordinators don’t change. They might have a different nugget in a game, but most are stubborn and do what they know. They coach what they like – so to know their tendencies and formations was what we needed to study. I played against A.J. Green, Moulds, Moss, RIP Chris Henry, Ocho, Smith Sr., Dez – but, they run a certain route in a certain formation. That opened my eyes. To respect the receiver but play the coordinator.
Were you surprised to be drafted by Pittsburgh in 2003?
I was surprised to be drafted. Washington just called me and I thought I was going to be a Redskin when Pittsburgh called me and told me they were about to draft me. I was like, “Huh?”
Deshea Townsend as soon as I got off the plane. – he gave me an F-150 and told me if I wrecked it I paid for it. He said it had a GPS to help me find my way through the city. He showed me how to be a professional on and off of the field. He is the one that gave me the blueprint on how to perform on and off the field.
Anyone else help mentor you when you got there?
James Farrier helped me too – I stayed with him in the offseason and he gave me the blueprint on not trying to be too flashy. He told me it’s a big opportunity and to stay in my pocket. Not to live the lifestyle of someone who has a big contract – I was living on a rookie contract.
Bettis taught me the business side of the NFL. It’s about what have you done for me lately. You don’t get your feelings involved in the business decisions. It’s still a business.
Porter was such a well-rounded guy. Peezy – he could hang out with a janitor or a CEO. He cared for everyone and that’s why everyone loved him in the locker room. There were no clicks – we all hanged out. The offensive line and defensive lines… my closest peers were on the offensive and defensive line because I saw Porter do it.
And Dan Rooney…
Of course Papa Rooney. I don’t know why he took me under his wing. I have no idea why he cared about me but I am so grateful he did. He had an open door policy – anyone could go in and talk to him. He knew your wife, kids, girl’s names. That’s what was so good about Papa. He understood players came first.
Papa taught me about money. I wanted to start a business and he told me my legs were my business. To do it after football. To understand my body is my business and take it from there. This is a guy that drove around in a Buick LeSabre. He drove around the city in a Buick and walked to church on Sundays for exercise. Looking at how he went about things was a humbling experience.
What was life like during those years when the team was so successful?
It was 30 for 30. Between the years of ’04 and ’12, no producer could script how we lived on and off the field. We were like damn rock stars.
Cowher from the player standpoint – he had that mean mug face, but he was tougher on the coaches than the players. He was a player’s coach. He was never a starting linebacker – he was a special teams guy as a player and was very hard on special teams as a coach. He lived and played and coached in Pittsburgh. He was built to be a Steelers coach.
He let us police ourselves. He never came into the locker room and if something happened there he let us take care of it and figure it out.
How did he tell you about becoming the starter and what brought that on?
Some of the vets thought I should start and told Cowher that he should start the Young Buck. That’s what they called me. They said I was ready. Now, the head coach can always trump them, but he listened to the vets. They were on the field with me every day. They saw something in me I didn’t even see in myself.
We had every Tuesday off. We were winning championships and in the playoffs every year. We had the key to the city. Hell, we had the keys to every city. Cleveland, Atlantic City, New York… any city. You couldn’t script the lifestyle we lived in Pittsburgh.
Restaurants, clubs – we’d shut them down. Whatever we wanted the owners gave us – they let us close their places down. They gave us the key and told us to lock it up when we were done. I don’t think they’re doing that now. We’d hang out on Carson Street and talk to the police about football until four or five a,m – just talking on the street. Then we’d go to the facility and work out and get ready for practice.
How hard then was it adjusting to life after football?
It’s a high when you play – especially when you’re successful. In 2014 I retired – I missed the playoffs maybe twice. We went to three Super Bowls and won two. When you win Super Bowls in Pittsburgh it’s like a lifetime scholarship. You go back to those guys from the seventies and see that – Swann was in politics – Blount and Franco are big there.
Getting back to the adjustment. A lot of guys are used to being the man since they were small – since some were eight years old. And it gets to another level when you get to the NFL, and even another level when you’re winning Super Bowls.
Ryan Clark – he was right – you have to understand your place in life and with the people you played with who were great. Troy was great- he was Michael Jackson and we were the Jackson 5. We were the other guys and figured to get some fame too. But he didn’t want the fame. When you see that, you fall back.
It was easy though for me to leave the game because my mind was already made up.
How so?
I retired in the Cincinnati game. I broke my forearm in the Carolina game and came back for the game in Cincinnati. While I was out I asked the coaches if I could help the young guys out and sit in the film room. They were all for that. When I came back AJ Green beat me on a post for a touchdown. I wasn’t upset about it. Usually when I got beat I was hot as a mother, and when it was for a touchdown it was like the end of the world. But I wasn’t mad. That’s when I knew it was time to go. You’re not doing the team or organization justice just going through the motions. I couldn’t play like that.
I was on the sidelines and Kevin Colbert asked me what was wrong. I told him I was done. That I lost my passion. He asked me if I was serious. That’s how good our relationship was – that I could do that mid-game. He looked me in the eyes and knew I was serious. Coach T talked to me after the game and knew I was serious too. That’s what started everything,
How was that transition from Cowher to Tomlin?
Me and Cowher didn’t see eye-to-eye at that point and we talked through it. When they hired Coach it was an easy transition. I got a call from a 412-320 number late one night and that’s the Steelers facility number. I knew it was Tomlin so I picked it up and said “Hi Coach T!” He asked me how I knew it was him. We had a good talk and it took off from there, He was like a big brother to me. He was my coach, but I mean for life in general. He let me do a lot of stuff.
Like?
Well, I’m trying to think of how to say this. Porter was Cowher’s guy. But when Tomlin let me do stuff Porter was like, “I thought I had it good with Cowher!”
In training camp, he had so much trust in me. He just told me not to make him look bad. And I didn’t. He gave me a long leash and sometimes just took the leash off. He had so much trust in me.
I did so much stuff, man. Let me put it to you like this. I didn’t have to break any rules. I couldn’t break any rules, because I didn’t have any to break!
Any thoughts on the way the game has changed?
Now they want to see 38-35 games. They like points. It’s all about TV ratings now. You hear about it – it’s about overs and unders. No one wants to see a 13-10 game. When we played if you scored over 17 points against us we cursed each other out. 17 was the limit. If they scored more than 17 the coaches didn’t have to talk to us. We were already too angry.
Hey – remember to check out the West Orange Bobcats. My son doesn’t like me saying this but he has a proud dad. Check out little Ivan Taylor – he plays safety and wide receiver. Check him out!
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
