First off, can you tell me how you got into coaching?
During my time playing at Maine I loved the training aspect of football – preparing to play. I was a nerd about it – I would ask my strength coach Will Beaverstein why we did this or that. He told me I should look into this as a career – I seemed so interested in it. I was a communications major then though and just shrugged it off then – I figured I’d go work for ESPN or something like that – get into broadcasting.
But my Senior year I worked with Loren Seagrave at Velocity Training – he is one of the most prominent track and field coaches around. I was picking his brain and he told me I was so inquisitive – that I should think about it as a career. I asked him how and he told me I’d need to get my Masters, intern, get certified…
While I was in camp in the NFL I’d still train guys on the side. It never felt like a job – it was more like a calling. Coaching is teaching and I had educators throughout my family – my grandmother was a teacher.
What coaches really helped you as a player to develop your coaching style now – and how?
I had a ton of coaches from Pop Warner to my time now at the University of Connecticut that I learned from. People I played for and worked with.
My high school coach Greg Burke was a big influence for me on the basics of the game. He helped me to learn and grow as a linebacker, and that’s where I spent the rest of my playing career.
My college coach Jack Cosgrove – he gave me the opportunity to play football for free and build relationships with those guys in the locker room. That was the biggest thing for me – building those relationships. That I remember more than the wins and losses.
In coaching, you run into people you played with or who knew guys you knew. I played in multiple leagues so I had a broad range of people I was in contact with. A funny example is that I worked with Lou Spanos at Connecticut for a bit. Well he was my coach when I was in Pittsburgh. When I got to Connecticut and looked over and saw him I was like “Is that you Lou?” It’s a small world and it comes full circle.
What caused you to sign with the Steelers in 2007?
I was a ‘tweener when I came out – some saw me as an outside linebacker and some as a defensive end. I was best suited to play outside linebacker in a 3-4, so it was a good fit. The Ravens would have been a good fit too. I actually signed with the Jets first but they cut me after mini-camp. I signed with Pittsburgh after that. They said they liked my film – I should have signed with them in the first place.
In training camp I roomed with Rich Kuntz – he was from ECU. He’s a strength coach now as well. I learned from guys like Foote and Farrior – I watched them and saw why they were pros.
What did they show you most?
I learned a lot about the business side of the game. It’s a “What have you done for me lately” business. Every day is a job interview and that’s how I approached it then and as a coach now. Especially with the transfer portal, no kid signs for four years. It’s year-to-year. Really, semester-to-semester. So I can relate to them having been cut and having had to move on so frequently. I’m a better man for it now.
How did you manage through all of those cuts and changes?
I was naive about the process when I got to the NFL. Now I have learned and have been able to prepare players for it. I have a good list of guys in the NFL that I’ve coached over my 10 years coaching. I was able to learn and help them integrate themselves into organizations.
Having a family now – wife and two kids – every decision I make is a team decision. But then I was single. I just had to be adaptable – and I prided myself in that. I was flexible and used every experience as an opportunity to learn. You have to step outside of your comfort zone – live in places where you don’t know anyone. That’s what it takes. Those experiences have helped me now even when I work with coaches from different backgrounds, when you have to find a middle-ground on things.
What experiences stand out most to you from your time in Pittsburgh?
The Hall of Fame game. I had never been to the Football Hall of Fame before and we got to tour it when no one else was there. Watching those guys put on the yellow jackets, you realize that you’re playing a game that has been around a long time and that will be around a long time after you. You only get a short time to make your mark on the game.
Harrison was so serious but he could crack some jokes too – not everyone saw that. Ryan Clark was a jokester – Dallas Baker too. You could be having a bad day but when you went into the locker room the guys there picked you up.
Training camp too – it is different now than it was then with the two-a-days. We had no chance to see anyone else except the guys on the team. That’s when you really bond with the guys – the meetings, rookie duties, practices…all of you are going through the same struggles. It can get monotonous but with 90 guys each with a different personality, it makes it fun. Old and young guys – some fresh from school and others savvy vets with families. You are with a wide range of people.
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