First, can you let readers know what you’ve been doing with yourself since your time in Pittsburgh?

Well I live in State College. My wife and I moved here in 2007. This is where we met – I bought this house when I was a player and we know have four kids – two boys and two girls, 7,5, 3, and 1. So I’m busy!

I own three physical therapy clinics and work with a medical devices sales company as well, focusing on orthopedics.

How hard was the post-NFL adjustment for you?

I fell into it. I was pre-med at Penn State – I wanted to be a surgeon but didn’t pursue it after football. My college teammate asked for help with his medical sales territory. Then me and a partner started our own physical therapy company from the ground up. I was always oriented to the medical world.

I’ve always been a what’s next type of person. When the dream dies, it’s tough. Maybe it’s not how you wanted it to go, but few guys walk away on their own terms.  At that point, having a wife now, I just took a run at it.

As a Penn State alum, what are your thoughts on the program now?

Living in town here, for three years I was the vice-president of the President’s Letterman’s Club, and now I’m the President. We’ve gone through quite a bit but things have calmed down a bit now. They’re building the program  – we lost our defensive coordinator so that has happened now.

My thing is this. It’s just important for us to get good kids a good education and get them to be good football players. I feel like it’s happening now. We haven’t been used to change for a long time.

To your career…you were an undrafted free agent coming out of college. Were you surprised to go undrafted?

I was surprised to go undrafted, I didn’t have any inflated dreams – it wasn’t like I expected to go in the first round. I thought I’d go in the middle-to-late rounds. That’s what my agent and those in the know told me.

Looking back then, I guess I was  tweener, I was maybe not big enough to be a defensive end in the NFL but maybe too slow to play linebacker. I was a good football player but I didn’t have as good measurables.

What made you choose Pittsburgh as the place to sign with as an undrafted free agent? How much did it being your hometown help in that decision?

We tried to analyze it. As draft day was winding down, we started entertaining calls from coaches. Pittsburgh was my hometown yeah, but we wanted to find a fit, especially as a linebacker. We thought of all the teams – we wanted the best opportunity. And I thought the added pressure of playing in my hometown was a good thing.

Who helped mentor you and show you the ropes as a rookie?

Living in my hometown, I lived at home with my parents’ my rookie year. My buddies and teammates thought that was funny.  They’d ask what my mother made for dinner and want some too.

I was lucky to have guys who around the NFL for a long time.  Porter, Gidon, and Haggans were the outside linebackers – they were an established group. But they treated all the guys the same. Cowher, linebacker coach Archer, and the special teams coach Hayes – they didn’t care how you got there – just what you could do there. Colbert too – even though he was a North Catholic guy and I was a Central Catholic guy!

How did you deal with life on the bubble – the pressure and stress?

At that age there’s tremendous pressure on yourself. That’s a good thing – that fear of failure. In high school and college, it’s something you learn. You can only worry about the things you can control. You work as hard as you can and let the chips fall where they may. I was always at the back of the roster my entire career – I was never a superstar at Penn State either. You get used to it. There’s no four or five year scholarship in the NFL though, as rough as it sounds. Everyone has to deal with it.

How did humor play a part in your time in Pittsburgh?

The locker room was like high school or college. I really enjoyed playing there and being around each other.

They used to joke to me about MTV Cribs. They told me MTV wanted to do a special at my house but they had to ask my mother! Mike Jones, Holmes, and Fiala – there were a lot of guys with a lot of good football there. It was hyper-competitive. They were gifted and hungry.

Why do you think you stuck on the team for three years?

Just think they saw I worked hard – that I was a smart player that cared about the game. I think they sensed that. The coaches didn’t care how I got there – just what I did. Cowher and Colbert could see I came with the hard hat every day.

Looking at the NFL now, what are your thoughts on the changes the NFL has been making to the game?

As you can tell, I’m pretty old school. There’s a lot I don’t like. The game has always been about hitting and heart. If you do those things, there should be a place for you in the game.

Any thoughts for fans reading this?

I’m a Western PA kid. A Pittsburgh kid. I was very fortunate to have that experience. People out there should know that the quality of people in the Steelers organization is superb. That’s why they do so well. It’s an organization to be proud of. I wish I could have played longer and more, but it was great. I got to play with great coaches and players.

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