First off, what are you up to now?
Right now I’m just here taking care of my family and doing a lot of traveling. I’m open to getting back to the NFL or another sport if a spot opens up and working with good people.
You played first – at James Madison University – how important was that playing experience to your roles in the NFL?
It helped a lot. Playing and being in that team environment – you learn that you have to rely on your teammates no matter how good you are. That was instilled in me early on. At JMU I became very interested in scouting and evaluation. We had a few players scouts were coming in to see and I talked to them about what it took to be a scout. One suggested I write detailed scouting reports of teammates that had been drafted already and send them to coaches along with my resume. That helped me to plug in to future coaches and relate to them, having played.
You started off with the NFL in 1997 on their NFL Management Council analyzing contracts and cap compliance – how did you get started in that role?
After my Senior season, in my exit meeting with Head Coach Alex Wood, he suggested that I try and work in the league office and sent my resume to Gene Washington. Gene passed my resume on to Lal Heneghan who worked on the council and said he would help me get a job with a team. But as he got to know me he had me interview for the council job and I got that. They basically ran the league for the commissioner – it was a great place to start and learn the business from the ground up.
We reviewed and approved all team contracts and input them into the system. The CBA and salary cap were still new to teams then – it was only four years into the cap. So it was a great opportunity to learn and network with the teams since they were always calling with questions.
What were the biggest issues you found in the work? What were the big mistakes teams were making?
There was the 25% rule for rookie contracts and 30% rule for veteran contracts and there were questions about that. Teams often made the same mistake – I think they knew they would have contracts disapproved – it was just easier for them to have us do the work to fix them.
You worked for the Jaguars and Rams afterwards – managing football administration and operations over that time. Was the goal to really learn all you could across the team operations to become a GM?
That was the goal yes – to become a GM. I believed in myself and was getting good feedback. Now I was learning from the team side and understanding how to manage and run a team. Especially with the Rams – Jay Zigman there encouraged me to spread my wings and learn the scouting side. I became an ex-facto Assistant GM there.
A lot of my counterparts were one-dimensional. I played and had an early interest in scouting and the Rams allowed me to do that. They told me to take my laptop and cellphone with me to make sure I could stay in touch, but to go and learn how to be a scout too.
How did you end up with the Steelers in 2013 as their football administration coordinator and what did that role consist of?
In 2000 Dan Ferens was getting ready to leave the Steelers to go to the Texans. Mark Hart called me to come in and interview to replace Dan, but I had just agreed to the Rams job a day earlier. I told him I would have loved the job but I couldn’t go back on my word and recommended Omar to him.
Fast-forward to 2011. That was the lockout year – when the offseason started up again they needed someone who could manage a number of transactions in a short period of time – Omar had the foresight to understand that and hired me. Art and Dan liked the job I did and at the time Omar was getting a lot of interviews for GM jobs, so Art created a position for me to keep me there in case Omar left.
What did the Steelers do differently in terms of roster building that made them unique, from your perspective?
Their culture was different. They developed that culture in the 70s and did a great job of maintaining that culture with the people they hired and players they drafted. The scouting principles they taught the scouts in Pittsburgh were the same ones we were teaching in St. Louis – they were just much more developed in Pittsburgh. That was validating to see what we were doing in St. Louis was the right thing. Pittsburgh was just on another level that way. They put character higher on their priorities and did a lot of background checks on players.
What does that mean when you say “culture”?
Its a misused term for sure. The Steelers have been living it since the 70s and it was about defined systems and the intangibles they wanted players to have. What made Pittsburgh different is that they valued character more in player evaluations than other teams. Kevin was great in getting the draft board right and where players should be with character in mind. The scouts also had more input on who they took – in St. Louis and Jacksonville the coaches were deferred to more.
How did you navigate the contract negotiations without alienating players and coaches – how do you say no effectively?
That’s the job. Its not the fun part of the job but you just have to take the information from everyone and do what’s best for the organization. As for managing the coaches – you present options for them. “I know you want this guy, but for the same price, you can have this guy and that guy…”
With the players, you have to be honest. It’s a dishonest business. I remember in Jacksonville we had a veteran cornerback whose contract was up. He was getting mixed signals from his agent and the coaches. He finally came up and just asked me flat out what was going on. I told him that we liked him but wanted to try and improve the position. He was thankful – now he knew where he stood. He appreciated the direct answer and was able then to really look around for another team.
Tomlin was great at that kind of transparency. Coughlin was too – though he took a lot of flak for it. But players thanked him for it later.
What data/information did the Steelers utilize in their assessments and how much did the coaches influence decisions?
Personnel meetings were important – you have to get to know your team first – what traits coaches want for each position. When Lovie Smith was first hired by the Rams one of the first things he did was meet with the scouts to explain to them his defense and the type of player the Tampa 2 needs. That was so helpful – we could better sign guys that could be plugged in to practice immediately.
Getting on the same page as the coaches on traits and schemes – not just on the contract stuff – that was so important. And after you do that with your own team you work on other team’s free agents as well to be able to present options to coaches.
What were some of the toughest negotiations you were involved with and what made them so?
A certain running back that held out all season! I have to say we were all on the same page then – Tomlin was with us. We drafted James Conner and he was ready and willing to step in and had a good season. Maybe it would have been different if LeVeon was there – who knows? But it takes two to dance as they say and LeVeon wasn’t interested in negotiating.
Did you draft Conner because you were concerned about Bell?
No – we liked James. He was a Pitt guy and a good kid. We wanted to bring in another back since LeVeon was carrying such a big workload.
Part of your role was “team logistics” – what did that mean exactly and what role did you play in that?
That involved planning the away game trips and training camp. All the travel and hotels. It was the most thankless and nerve-wracking job. In Pittsburgh we had 75 away games with no instances.
What were some of the bigger issues the team had to face over your time when it came to continuing to build competitive rosters?
I remember when I got there it was a veteran defense – the focus was on rebuilding the defense. The offensive line was starting to gel – we wanted to keep that together but we wanted to stagger the contracts so they weren’t all up for free agency at the same time.
We were also very aware of the contract hierarchy. There were a lot of Pro Bowl players on the roster and we were trying to be very careful about setting precedents. Players are all very aware of what each other are making – there’s a lot of ego and bragging rights around contracts.
Were there some negotiations that stand out most to you?
Le’Veon was the only knock-out, drag-out one. Some came to the wire before the season began – I think DeCastro’s did. Sometimes it’s just a staring contest. At those times you have to look for common ground but you had to do what was best for the team. Pittsburgh was different though. Their signing bonuses were often higher – when we extended players’ contracts we rarely cut or traded them. We maybe held on to them too long but we cared about them.
What do you say when people say that’s being too loyal to the players?
You can’t be too loyal. It’s a cutthroat business and sometimes yes, you do have to rip the Band-Aid off when a player declines. The best decisions are not always the most popular ones. But being loyal also helped us to sign and retain players too. They trusted us. Kevin and the Rooneys – they cared about the players and the players knew it. It was the closest team than any other I’ve known.
What did Omar Kahn do differently from what you saw, having been there for seven years – what did the Steelers change in how they approached things?
Kevin was on the road more scouting. He liked to see players during the season when he could. Omar and I would run the office when he did that.
I know there are some personal things that have driven you as well – the pride in your Hispanic heritage and the tragic loss of your sister to youth suicide. How have you been able to use your NFL experiences as a platform to help others?
The NFL allows for players and coaches and executive to have a platform. When they started the My Cause My Cleats program I asked if I could participate as an executive. I had dress shoes not cleats, but I wanted to represent Soloman Thomas’ cause – his sister also died of suicide – so I repped that for two years.
And for Hispanic Heritage Month, I put that on the forefront when I was in Carolina. My wife found a local charity – Latin American Working for Achievement – that I ended up sitting on the board for. My mother was from Argentina and we set up a scholarship in her name. The NFL also had me do an interview to discuss my heritage.
It was a great platform to bring those causes to light.
Lastly, what advice would you give those who want to be NFL executives today?
I get asked that a lot. I tell people to prepare for sacrifice – personal and financial. The most competent people don’t always get the best jobs. It’s a great business though and I am glad to have been a part of it. You just have to sacrifice and be prepared to outwork everyone else.