First, what have you been up to since your time in Pittsburgh?
I’m working at the University of Miami now in their athletic department working on players development. I also have a shoe apparel company – Carella – where we create our own shoes. We have our own soles and silhouettes and create luxury shoes without the luxury prices. They are elegant but available for the average consumer.
It’s been fun. I’ve always been a creative person – I’ve enjoyed art, fashion, photography – so it’s cool to pursue during my journey now that I’m down playing.
Was that post-NFL adjustment difficult?
I was always one of those guys that viewed it as football wasn’t going to last forever. That was always in the back of my mind – how to transition out of football when I was done playing.
While I was playing I did some internships with the NFL Players Association. I worked in licensing and merchandising and in videography and broadcasting. That opened my eyes to some of the things I could do. Ace Media – I worked with them on their Circle K Coffee commercial campaign where we had a tiny camera and replaced a coffee store with Circle K products to see how consumers reacted. That was a lot of fun.
You spent some time with the Jets and Tampa Bay before signing with Pittsburgh – how did those teams differ from Pittsburgh?
Those were three different organizations. As a rookie your viewpoint is that teams do things the same way, but that is false.
New York was a shock because we were in the middle of nowhere – in some small city two hours away from Manhattan. The staff was great but two weeks in the GM was fired – that gave me a good look at the business side of the NFL.
Tampa – I watched them create a whole new system there when they moved from Jameis Winston to Tom Brady. The Super Bowl team was pretty much the same team from the year before – but Arians and Bowles created a new system that was awesome to see.
Tampa won the Super Bowl the year after I left. In college my team won the championship a year after I left too. I was hoping my luck would change in Pittsburgh and we’d win a championship that year I was there! Unfortunately we lost against Cleveland – but that was the first time I was in the playoffs.
Tampa – that was more in and out for players – do your job then you go. They Jets were a bit in disarray. Pittsburgh was unique – they were known for winning and grit. They had a saying that “The standard was the standard.” Those that figure out what the standard is stay on – those that don’t end up going. I guess I didn’t get it!
But the best way to describe Pittsburgh is that it was like college, but in the NFL. In the best way possible. It was a family atmosphere. The pillars had been there for so long that there was a real tradition there, like being in college. Like LSU. I have nothing bad to say about Pittsburgh except the weather, being a Florida guy!
Who took you under their wing when you got to Pittsburgh and what did they show you?
Everybody was absolutely great. That was a Covid year so it was all a bit grey. We didn’t have a good outlook on what the season or even life in general would look like. We couldn’t go to the facility so all of the players were led by the vets. They understood the structure and standard and took accountability. They structured their own workouts and hosted other players.
I think that’s why we went on the run we did in the season. So many vets understood the system and structure and passed on that knowledge. Guys like Cam and Joe Haden were huge – they showed me the ropes. All the DBs were great and didn’t shy away from encouraging us.
What made you decide to sign with the Steelers – how did that happen?
Pittsburgh and I had a good relationship during the draft. The Steelers always went to LSU and met with us and took us out. Colbert, Mike T. and Phil Kreidler – they came down to our pro days. I figured when I was in Tampa I could either stay or go to Pittsburgh. In hindsight I should have stayed to win a Super Bowl, but being in Pittsburgh changed my life – there were so many good guys I met there.
What was your biggest learning curve in Pittsburgh?
The verbiage was difficult. In Tampa Bowles’ playbook was so large – it was like an encyclopedia. In Pittsburgh they had the same system for so long that the verbiage stayed older. For newer guys it was like it was so old it was new. It took a few weeks for me to get it down. But once I did you could see the system was meant for guys to make plays and not think too much. Teryl Austin did a great job of preparing us.
Who were some of the guys you enjoyed matching up against in practices?
Going up against JuJu everyday – going at it with him. And RayRay McCloud- we used to go at it. He was so quick and fast I was learning how to use my length to cover a guy like that. I worked on my technique with him. Chase – they were still figuring out how to use him – inside versus outside. I tell everyone that was one of the best groups of receivers in the NFL at the time.
What are some of the best memories you have of your time there?
The craziest was the stretch where we were supposed to play Baltimore over Thanksgiving. We had a regular workout getting ready for the short week and game on Thursday when, on Wednesday, Coach T. told us Baltimore had an outbreak so we’d be playing on Friday. We were trying to structure our week with our families and get mentally prepared. Then we were told the game would be Sunday instead of Friday. Then we were told “No, it will be on Monday.” Well, Monday came around and we were told it’d be on Tuesday, then Wednesday.
It was such a weird time. It was all in disarray at that point.
How did you handle that as a team?
It’s annoying. You try to set your mindset to play and prepare. It’s like watching the guy turn into the Hulk then telling him he has to stay in his room. It was a rollercoaster.
Any off-field moments stand out?
I used to live on a cul-de-sac with Jayrone Elliott, Ulysees Gilbert and Ola Adeniyi. We all had houses near each other. Every day after practice we’d have huge Madden tournaments. After practice we’d go to Target to get some human interaction, then Chick-Fil-A then go to one of our houses and try to kick each other’s asses in Madden.
Who was the best player?
Oh we’d all have a different answer! Everyone thinks they are the best player. We weren’t allowed to play as the Steelers. Jaylen Samuels was an elite Madden player – he had the cheat codes. He could figure out how to make defensive linemen drop into cover 3!
Jayrone – he was the guy who played most like an asshole! He wanted to embarrass you and mess with you, even if he was winning by a lot. He’d kick an onside kick at the start of the game when you were just sitting down and getting ready. Ola – he’d run crazy offenses – read and run-and-shoot offenses. He’d use Lamar Jackson all the time. Diontae – he knew how to use the receivers – they’d make one-handed, crazy catches.
We all turned into big kids. We’d get back home and by five o’clock we’d play for five hours, until 10:00. Five straight hours of Madden and trash talk most nights!
You were there for Ben’s second-to-last season. What was that like for you and the team?
It was crazy – may locker was two-to-three lockers down from Ben’s. JuJu was on my left, Diontae on my right – Pouncey, then Ben. I had one cool interaction with him that I remember. I got there early and he was there, and I was watching Joe Rogan at my locker. I left it on while I was getting ready to go from the hot tub to the cold tub when I walked back and saw him standing in front of my locker, watching Joe Rogan. He asked if I was a Joe Rogan guy and I told him “Yeah!” We stood there going down Joe Rogan conspiracy theory rabbit-holes together.
I caught two picks from him in practice one day. I still have those balls.
You didn’t ask him to sign them, did you?
Oh no way! I wasn’t going to do that!
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