First, how is the offseason gong for you – what’s the plan for you?
Oh man, lots of things going on. I’m trying to keep my weight down and stay fit. I want to stay in great shape – Spring ball is just around the corner. I want to be ready for camp – maybe get a little looser in my hips. I’m just excited for the offseason and to get ready for camp!
Did the coaches give you some areas to improve upon for next season in the exit interview?
I was there for five weeks so they got to see a lot. Coach Tomlin said he just wants me to become a more complete wide receiver. Lots of guys want to make big plays downfield, but he wants me to be good on the interior routes too – slants and in-routes. To step that up to another level.
I’m working to improve my footwork now – I have a great trainer to help me do that – to help me come out of my breaks better – stuff like that. I’m excited. Coach Tomlin gave me what I needed. I just have to put in the work with the other guys.
Speaking of those other guys -anyone help you to adjust to life in Pittsburgh – on and off the field?
Lots of guys really. I was nervous at first – I didn’t know anybody. But they all embraced me – the whole receivers room. They helped me out – in practice – and they’d hit me up at night – they made sure I knew the plays. All those things really helped.
It’s a pretty crowded, young receives room with lots of guys looking for reps and to prove themselves. How do you find your niche in all of that?
That’s right – it’s a young group, but we all work together. Randy Fichtner and Tomlin put us all in the right situation so we each know what plays we will run in advance. I’m excited for next season because we all work well together and are all putting in the work. It’s a process and takes some time.
How have the coaches tailored the plays to your skillsets?
To be honest, I tip my hat to the coaches. What we accomplished….it’s hard for an offensive coordinator when they are down to one of their last quarterbacks who is young and just learning the plays himself – while having guys coming in and out all of the time due to injuries. So I tip my hat to him. We played some great teams and fought hard. I think once we put it all together we’ll be able to attack defenses even more.
And you have some guy named Ben coming back….excited about that?
Oh definitely. To have a guy like that come back. We will definitely be able to feed off of him.
Stepping back – how shocked were you to get the call from the Steelers mid-season?
It was very surprising. I was in a different world when they called. They called at just the right time. It was a great opportunity and I was just excited to take it. They let me be myself – they gave me a chance to prove myself and be myself. They let you do your job – they didn’t overload me like some teams may do when you come in mid-season. They eased me into it. I told them when I got there what I thought I was best at and they let me blossom doing that.
You had one season under your belt – albeit most of that one on IR. How did that help you this season?
That’s the thing – most people see me as a rookie but this is my second year in the league. My first year yeah I was on IR after some time but it helped just learning how things work at this level. This year it was up and down – I played eight games or so then missed a week then I’m with the Steelers. Lots of ups and downs. Now I’m just excited for this opportunity and to end the year healthy.
How do you adjust to joining a team so late in a season?
I can’t say how I handled it since you’re just in the middle of it – you just adapt. I wanted to be able to showcase myself and to show the league that I belong here. I just wanted to be on the field and to make plays. The Steelers made that process easier – they had certain plays for me so I could go in and do what I do best.
They had a set of select plays just for me. JuJu was battling injuries -I didn’t want to come in and mess things up so that really helped me.
Being away from my family was hard too. To just up and move so quickly – that was hard – especially with a baby. I can settle in now that I moved here in the city and moved my family up with me. I’m looking forward to 2020.
Lastly – what should fans know about you that’s not football related?
Mainly, that I’m a cool, laid back kid. I’m mostly into video games and being around my family. I’m not an out-there kind of guy. I just got my family back and my baby is only three months old so I’m loving being a dad and spending time with my family. And I love Pittsburgh and the fans – they are everywhere! I’m a black and yellow guy now!
You play FIFA by the way – ready to challenge Zach Banner? He takes that pretty seriously!
Oh yeah – I’ll have to get with him definitely!
You know he even has a WWE-style FIFA belt right?
Really? Wow – yeah, that is serious. I’ll have to talk to him and play him for sure!
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
