First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing with yourself since you’ve retired?
Well, I have four kids, so being a daddy and a husband now is my number one thing. Dealing with my health has been the toughest thing. I’ve had a lot of physical issues- two back fusions, a hip replacement. Things like that. I’ll just leave it at that – it’s all been football-related.
Outside of the physical issues, how hard has the post-NFL adjustment been?
Well, one thing I wanted to start off with, just to be upfront. I went to the Steelers at the high-point of my career. I was really excited to get things going there. It was a good team with a good defense. I had The Bus behind me.
I tore my labrum in my shoulder that year, and I didn’t tell anyone that I was injured. My coaches knew, but I was trying to fight through it. I was able to be accurate in the first quarter or so of games, but then the pain would kick in. I felt like I let the team and fans down because of it. I felt bad because no one knew that.
Do you wish the coaches would have let players and fans know, to take the heat off a bit?
Well, it’s not an excuse. It was just reality. I had such high hopes for that part of my career. It was such a good organization – with good players. It was a lot like the Giants where I played beforehand. Heck, they are even related.
It was a privilege to play for the Steelers. As a player you want to play for good people. And the team cared about it’s players. I was fortunate to be a part of it.
Is that why you chose to become a Steeler in free agency?
I came to Pittsburgh for all of the things I mentioned yes. And Cowher – I was a big believer in him. And the Rooneys and Kevin Colbert too. They ensured we had good talent around the team every year.
Cowher told me I’d have the ability to compete with Kordell for a starting job. That’s all I could ask for. I just wanted the opportunity. I was confident that I could compete when healthy and win the job. It was a good system and I felt like I could do good things in it.
And Steelers Nation – they are the most loyal fans in the world. They’re known worldwide. I grew up watching those Steelers-Dallas Super Bowls. Even though I grew up in Chicago I was a Steelers fan.
How was the relationship between you and Kordell, knowing you were both vying for the same job?
Kordell -I love him. What happens in the quarterback room – we all know and understand the reality. We’re all competing for one job, and only one can start. That’s the thing that stinks about playing quarterback. Only one plays.
All that being said, we were able to support one another. We were professional enough to support each other and be honest about what was going on. That set the framework and groundwork for the quarterback room. It allowed it to be a place where we could all get better and support each other. We upheld that. Kordell was great to me and I hope I was the same for him.
It’s hard enough to win in the NFL. You have to be together as a group. You have to be tight in the locker room.
Was it difficult winning the locker room over considering they were already close with Kordell and you were trying to take over that starting job?
That’s a great question. The best thing about the Steelers is that they are all professionals in the locker room. And people don’t realize how small those locker room are. There are only 53 guys – in college there are 120.
During the week we’d all get together, go out for dinner – that kind of stuff. We were all going to war together. We all came together – it was a tight-knit group. They were good people. Sometimes you need folks to watch your back and take care of each other and there were lots of guys like that in that locker room.
Every year too guys come and go and there’s turnover in the locker room. The identity of the locker room changes some every year. I was fortunate enough to be a part of the challenge in that. To help keep the locker room tight.
Any fun or poignant moments from you time there you remember?
I don’t remember off-hand a lot of funny stories. Bettis and I were always laughing. He was hilarious. And some guys would get thrown in the cold tub now and then.
But I’ll just say that the relationships on the team were special. We didn’t win the way we wanted too, and a lot had to do with my injury. I didn’t play up to the standard I wanted to, and that was a disappointment. I had to have rotator cuff surgery after the season. And even after it was time for me to go and they put Kordell in, everyone understood it.
Was it hard for you how the fans reacted how it all turned out?
Fans don’t know these things. They never know to what degree someone’s trying to suck it up and play while hurt. We’re trained as players to persevere. Injuries are realities. But at some point it crosses the line and you are playing when you can’t do what you are supposed to do. You can’t always just tough it out as players.
I was glad that, given all of those things and adversity, we stuck together as players and played 100%.
I remember when Plaxico was a rookie. I was throwing outs to him and he was dropping them. That wasn’t like Plaxico, and I knew that. I found out later he was playing with a busted hand. Knowing that changes the way you think about a player. Fans need to be aware that guys may be giving 150% but may not be 100%.
Does it bother you then, those fan responses?
A little grace may be appropriate. But I get it – the fans just want the job done. I do too – I get that.
But they also need to have some understanding of the realities too. That’s what stood out to me. That experience of not being able to be my best. But the way guys stuck together through adversity – that stands out to me even more.
What are your thoughts about the organization today?
I love the Steelers. I love the organization and people there still. Colbert does a great job of managing the team. And he’s a good guy. He really cares about the guys and creates stability with the team.
Its a stable organization. They’ve had three coaches in 40 years. That’s crazy. That tells you the kind of stability they have. And it matters. It helps you to know as a coach you have time to develop players – you don’t have to rush people. And as players it helps you to now you have that time to develop. That’s critical to long-term success. They don’t panic when things get tough. They know they’ll be ups and downs, and they plan for that. That’s why it’s such a good organization.
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