Kicking things off – what have you been up to since your time in the NFL?
I’m back at home giving back to the youth here. I’m raising my son and giving back as much as possible – giving the youth here the knowledge of the game that I got by playing. They have the drive – I’m just helping them with a little bit of coaching – helping at the rec center and with travel ball. Just some one-on-one training – nothing serious. I’m not doing it for the money.
Are there coaches that you model yourself after now as a coach?
Oh yeah. I give exactly what I learned. I had some good coaches that taught me what to expect from them. Its not about the rah-rah. It’s about the reality of the sport. A lot of kids don’t understand what happens behind closed doors- what coaches want from you. I try to teach them what I was taught – how to understand what to expect in certain situations.
Rick Minter at Marshall – he’s coaching now with the Chargers. He taught me how to break down and study film. I’m so thankful for him.
Why did you decide to sign with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent?
They had a great tradition. They were just in the Super Bowl and valued linebackers. They were a team that loved defense. There were a lot of vets there to learn from too. With all of those vets it was a dream come true. I was blessed to share a locker room with all of them. I don’t think you’ll see a defense like that again for a long time.
Were there guys who helped you the most and took you under their wing?
Larry Foote and Deebo (James Harrison) helped a lot. Deebo was quiet but he gave you snippets. Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu were cool. It was a family vibe – if you needed help they helped you. No one was insecure about their spot. They helped the young guys and you don’t see that often in the NFL.
What was the biggest adjustment for you?
Learning how to be a professional. In college everything is set up for you. They give you your itinerary. In the NFL you have to be a pro and figure things out on your own. You have to create your own itinerary. You can’t just go in and learn the playbook during OTAs. You have to study it and know it coming in. Once you walk through those doors it’s game on.
What stands out most from your time there?
Everyone came to work. There was some goofing around but when it was time to work they were grinding. There was a lot of respect for each other. In some places it’s intense because guys are all battling with each other all the time. But the Steelers had their system locked in. The veterans knew when to switch things on and off and they could do that because they were there for so long. They knew when they could joke around and when to grind. As a rookie you can get caught up in that but you have to realize that they are vets and know the system and are all already locked in. As a rookie you can’t get caught up in that – you can’t turn it off and on like they can – that’s a sure way to get cut. You have to be locked in the whole time and earn their respect. Once you do that the load comes off a bit. But you can’t be like them right away – that’s the easiest way to get cut.
There were some jokers there. Ryan Clark was a big joker – you wouldn’t think that seeing how serious he is on The Pivot, but he was a big joker then.
Any other specific moments stand out to you?
I stayed to myself a lot as a rookie. But I remember being the locker room and seeing Maurkice Pouncey – my locker was near his. We went straight from the draft to camp because of the lockout. Everything was new to me. Seeing all of those guys in the locker room and being near the starting offensive linemen and Ben. I thought they had their own area – I was wondering what we were all doing in the same area together.
Seeing those guys up close that you watched on TV – I wouldn’t say I was starstruck, but seeing them right there – it all became very serious now. That was a highlight moment for me – seeing that all for the first time. Knowing “I’m here.”
What happened during your time in camp there?
I tore my hamstring and ended up on IR. That is the dark side of the business of the game. I won’t go too deep into it. But you have to know how to deal with injuries as a player from the business side of things. There are loopholes teams can use on players with injuries to let them go. They can play games with you that can put you in jeopardy if you think you can’t play. They do what they do and you have to do what you need to do as well.
What did happen to you?
I tore my hamstring in one-on-ones – Charlie Batch told me then not to play. If I was hurt not to risk hurting it more. But there’s a lot of pressure to try as an undrafted free agent. You want to make the team but also don’t want to hurt yourself even more. It’s not fair but it’s part of the game.
But the good side is I went to the Colts after that and had some success there.
You mentioned earlier about the chemistry the team had. What drove that – how did that occur and develop from your perspective?
The offensive line had crazy chemistry. There was good chemistry across the team. That’s because guys made it a point to spend time with each other on and off the field. They got to know each other and vibe with each other and got comfortable with each other. If another player yells at you to do something right, if you’re not comfortable with them it’s just like “Who are you to yell at me?” It doesn’t work. But if you’re comfortable with each other it helps when you’re trying to make guys accountable. But that stuff doesn’t just happen. You get that vibe by spending real time together. I’m not sure you can ever see that duplicated like that again.