First off, what’s the offseason looking like for you?
I’m now in Houston – in my home base, here with my wife and daughter. I take my daughter to acrobatics, soccer, gymnastics, ballet…. And on the side my wife and I always have our family over. It’s just a time to hang out.
Did the Steelers or other teams talk to you yet about returning?
Not yet – my contract is up. Hopefully the Steelers will call – I’d love to go back. Well see how it plays out. I’m on the older side I know. There’s really no rush in signing with someone. I’ve been playing a long time and I have made good money. I know how it goes too – teams like to focus on their younger guys first.
Have you thought about what’s next after football for you?
I thought about it. I’ve bene studying real estate – development and land deals. I have some investment properties. I also took a certificate course at Rice on real estate. I’m leaning towards that but there’s no rush.
Looking back – you were always a guy who could do a lot of things. Track, basketball – then safety and cornerback in football. Is there a downside to being that “Mac of all trades” kind of guy?
Yeah there can be. In Miami I transitioned from corner to safety. It felt good on defense because it kept me on the field. I could navigate the defense and call plays as a safety and play in all of the packages – so I never came out.
But I realized in free agency that even though I played cornerback and safety, the play at corner is better and you want to get paid as a corner. But teams put you in the safety bracket where you get paid less- they tell you they see you as a safety then play you all around after you sign!
As a younger player were there guys who helped mentor you on and off the field?
My rookie year as a cornerback in camp and OTAs I was struggling. E.J. Biggers 0 he really took me under his wing. He was already eight years in the league. We were all competing for a spot but he took me under his wing. He kept me on the field after practice and taught me coverage techniques and press man sills. That really impacted me.
When I was in New England I started hanging out with Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung and Dont’a Hightower – they showed me how to be a pro off the field and play a long time. All of those guys were seven-to-nine years deep. I watched their routine and copied what they did.
Having played for so many teams including New England, what did New England they do that made them so special and different then?
The difference, in my opinion, wasn’t about the coaches or schemes. They were all professional coaches and had it all down. It was more about what the guys did outside of practice. In New England they all studied outside of practice – they took it home. I didn’t get that same feeling from other teams like Pittsburgh. There were some that did in Pittsburgh but the majority of the players didn’t do it like they did in New England. They didn’t take it in like they did in New England.
What brought you to Pittsburgh?
They just called me. During the draft Mike Tomlin sat down with me – but that was in 2015. That was the only relationship I had with them. When they called I was like “Why me?” I guess maybe because I played agains them multiple times and they knew me from that.
How difficult is it coming in mid-season – and how were you able to do it so effectively and quickly and get on the field so quickly?
It’s pretty tough. I had to spend extra time to study and learn the defense – not just studying the week’s gameplan and the other team.
What went my way was that the defense was similar to what we did in Miami. We ran similar sets and drops. The terms and rules within each play were different. But once I learned the concepts it was natural to me.
The rules within each formation were the toughest. If we’re running quarters, if it’s one formation there’s a small check to make but it changes if it’s a receiver versus tight end – the calls are different. Usually you have time in camp to learn that – you get those reps. But I had limited reps having come in late.
Did you know anyone on the team that helped you?
Elandon Roberts helped me a lot with the on-field checks and run gaps. Minkah was injured when I got there – it was really me and Patrick Petersen. Patrick looked at me and said “I’ll handle the back end – you handle everything else!” I was laughing – like ‘Okay I guess!”
Any on-field moments in Pittsburgh stand out most to you?
Our last home game. I played in Pittsburgh multiple timed over my career. But in the fourth quarter we were on the field and the lights went out. I thought “Oh no, the power is out!” Then that song came on – Renegade. The crowd went wild! It was so cool being on that side of it. It really did hype me up. I was ready to go!
Any funny moments off the field?
Oh yeah the players had big fight nights in the player’s lounge. They had boxing tournaments and walked around talking about how they knocked each other out. You’d have thought they were really fighting the way they were talking – but no. They were playing a video game!
Looking at that Steelers defense – what did you like most and what would you change if you could?
I like the way the defense is set up – it’s aggressive. There were a lot of five-man blitzes and pressures.
I did try to have them add something we did in Miami. We ran an all-out blitz in Miami – we had all of the DBs on the line. I tried to get the Steelers to implement that eight-man rush idea but they were like “No way, we can’t do that!” It was way too risky for them. It was hit or miss, for sure!
Lastly, what makes you tick that has nothing to do with football?
My wife and daughter. They fill me up – they give me a bunch of true happiness. They get me glowing through the day. To see them every morning and see my daughter laughing all the time – that’s what is most special to me.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
