First off, what have you been up to since your time in the NFL?
Since I’ve been out of football I got involved in the oil and gas injury – Texas being what it is. I was curious about it so got into the well-side in South Texas first then moved into the nitrogen side. I’ve been doing that for the last three years.
Was the transition to post-NFL life difficult?
It was a little bit. You play the game for so long you don’t learn a lot about other things. I played since second grade until I was 28 – I didn’t know what was next. After 2015 I went and played in Canada for two years but hurt my shoulder in 2015 versus Chicago. I couldn’t get healthy in time for the NFL so went to Canada.
I dealt with injuries throughout my career – in the NFL and college. So I wasn’t too disappointed when it was over- I knew what my body was going through. I just had to figure out what was next.
Were you surprised to be drafted by Pittsburgh?
I didn’t communicate at all pre-draft. I had a few friends over the house – I knew I wasn’t going the first few rounds but I wanted to get the most out of it. I spoke to some teams at the combine but not Pittsburgh. When I was drafted they had me on speaker phone – the coaching staff called – Tomlin, Dick LeBeau, the DB coach…It was a dream come true to be drafted.
Did any of the guys there take you under their wing? How so?
A handful of guys helped. They were one of the top-rated defenses before that. Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Ike Taylor, Keenan Lewis, Curtis Brown…Will Allen….there were a lot of seasoned guys there. They had a culture you don’t see in many organizations.
They taught me to trust the guy next to you and to take criticism constructively. They aren’t talking down to you – they are trying to help you get better.
What did you notice most about your time there?
They took a lot of pride under Tomlin – the atmosphere was very competitive. Every day, every play. They showed it day in and day out.
All the matchups were tough – Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown – they were tough. When I first got there they wanted me to play inside. They had Ike and Keenan on the outside – to make a splash I needed to learn to play the slot. But they also brought in Will Allen to play there so that made making the team difficult.
How did you make that move to the inside?
Everyone is an athlete. Understanding how to read the high and low hats of the offensive linemen – how to read screens and learn to play the run versus the pass. Learning all of that and reacting quickly – you have less time to do that versus playing on the outside.
Any good camp memories for you?
There’s nothing fun in Latrobe! You’re sleeping on three-to-four inch mats – you’re locked in. Those are the most important times though – it’s about football and the playbook. That has all of your attention. You can dig in – you need that time where you have no distractions.
Terry Hawthorne was my roommate – we were cool. We were both in the same position to try and make the roster. We both had to grind. Mini-camp and the OTAs honestly stuck out to me more. They didn’t bring in many defensive backs then. We were going every other rep – there were three of us defensive backs and six receivers.
As a seventh-round pick – what are your thoughts about having rather been undrafted and choosing a team that fit you better than a veteran team like Pittsburgh?
I can understand that. If you know what the team has you can make a choice. The Steelers were stacked at corner with Ike, Keenan, Curtis…I struggled to figure out where I could fit in with those guys. So I can see how it could make sense to want to go undrafted and choose.
Seeing the game today, would you rather have played today or when you played?
It’s a difficult question. Playing then – my issues were about health – that’s where my mindset was. I think I was on eggshells due to my injury history. Today though – you get more options as a defensive back – you get better chances due to specialization.
What happened when you were released?
When I was released – they decided to keep the vets. They signed Robert Golden for special teams. When they released me there wasn’t a conversation. After that I signed with the Giants the next day. I worked with their defensive backs coach in New York so that was an easy choice for me.
In preseason the games were all over the place. There were so many miscues on the field but that wasn’t usually our fault – it looked worse than it was. Sometimes we didn’t even get the plays on defense before the snap!
Any last thoughts on your time there?
The culture in Pittsburgh is real – the fans and the team. The city was terrific – they all showed you love. There was a place where I got my spicy ranch wings and they knew me by name. No matter where you stood on the team – just walking in stores they’d show you love.