Welcome to Steelers Takeaways! – Page 102 – More than 2,000 interviews of Steelers players, coaches, front office staff PLUS interviews with Pittsburgh actors, musicians, authors and more

Exclusive with Former Patriots Offensive Lineman Dan Koppen

First, can you let me know what you’ve been doing since you retired from the NFL?

Well, I’ve been retired for a little over five years now. When you’re in the middle of your career you wake up every day knowing what you’re doing – what you’re working for and what the end goal is. That’s missing when you retire. When I retired I tried to find my second career.

After a few years I talked to a buddy of mine that was a home brewer, and we decided to take a shot at launching out own brewery. Linesilider opened in 2008 – that’s when we got into the craft beer business. It’s been fun going to work every day – we learn something new every day. It’s a lot like the farm to table kind of idea – people want to come to the source. All we sell we make right here in our tap room and brewery. It’s a family friendly environment – it’s not like a bar scene.

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Former Players Remember Sam Davis

Terry Hanratty: “Sam was a wonderful friend and a great teammate. He was very quiet – but when you got him laughing he had one of the greatest laughs of all time. He was a good person – it was just sad to see how it all came to an end.

You’re seeing it end this way for a bunch of guys – too many guys. I’ve seen too many football players end up like this.

As for Sam – he and Jon Kolb were probably the two most under-rated players in the NFL. Neither got enough credit. He was a good captain too – silent but a good leader.”

Larry Gagner: “Although Sam played behind me (and Bruce Van Dyke) for a couple of years, I wasn’t really that close to him. I do remember his first wife, Gladys, as being a wonderful, outgoing personality. Similar to Sam’s, if not a mirror image. I couldn’t have chosen a better individual (and player) to replace me after the Steelers traded me to the Giants following my automobile accident (questionable) recovery. I’m glad for Sam to have played in some Steeler Super Bowls. I’m not so joyful about how his life turned out after football. If they do autopsy on Sam’s brain, I wouldn’t be a bit surprised that a considerable amount of CTE will be found.”

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Exclusive with Former Browns Punt Returner Eric Metcalf

First, tell me what you’ve been doing since your time in the NFL?

Well, I was coaching track at the University of Washington last year. Now I’m coaching a few athletes who run professionally and consulting on shoes for Nike Track & Field -I’ve been doing that for a little while now.

Who helped influence you as a coach?

I think Wayne Tate – he’s the jump coach at Notre Dame and was my track coach at Texas. He shaped how I coach. I’ll say everybody in track and field talks to one another so you get a lot of information from a lot of different people.

How did track an field helped you as an NFL player?

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Exclusive with Former Bengals Tight End Tony McGee

First, can you tell us a bit about what you’re doing now since your time in the NFL?

Well, I own a logistics company located here in Orlando, Florida. We have a 50,000 foot warehouse and do importing, exporting, and other logistics. We have a warehouse in Los Angeles too.

I also founded BRO – it’s a foundation for disadvantaged kids like I was- helping young men by engaging and mentoring them with leadership and personal development work. Those are my two big initiatives.

How hard was the post-NFL adjustment for you?

I had a lot of opportunities when I was done with football. You’d think that would be good, right? Well, it sounds good, but it was too much. I was involved in TV, real estate, a sports complex. I played 11 years in the NFL which meant that everyone got a head start on me in business. So trying to do all of those things was more of a disaster than a good thing.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Quarterback Landry Jones, 2013-2017

First, congratulations on signing with the XFL – what drove the decision to sign there?

Well, we were going back and forth for quite a while – it was just a matter of time really. We just got to a place where both sides got together. It was something I wanted to do – to get back to playing again.

Do you know how the XFL rules differ from the NFL? I spoke with Jonathan Hayes who told me about having a specific ref for ball placement to speed up the game. Any others?

Oh yeah I didn’t know that – that would be cool – that’s a good idea. I think they allow you to throw the ball behind the line and throw it forward again. I don’t think it’d anything drastically different. I’m just looking forward to playing again . I’ve been a backup for six years and didn’t see the field a whole bunch. That’s part of the gig I know but I want to play.

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Exclusive with Steelers Offensive Lineman Zach Banner

First, tell me how the B3 Foundation you launched got started and what it does?

It’s a non-profit that works out of three locations – Takoma, Washington, Los Angeles, and Guam. Those are the three locations that I’ve lived and grown up in – including Guam – I’m the first Chamorro ever to be drafted.

I’m trying to give back to inner city youth – taking care of them. In fact we just passed out 150 backpacks in Takoma for kids. There are so many issues there with gang violence where I grew up – there and in Guam as well, where I’m working on getting an entire fifth grade class there backpacks as well.

I’ve spoken to over 40 different schools and we’ve now raised over $30,000. It’s been awesome and I want to grow it and help even more.

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Exclusive with Steelers Cornerback Mike Hilton

First, what’s the focus for you this offseason – anything specific you’re working on?

For me, it’s the mental aspect of the game. I think I missed too many plays last year and gave up too many big plays because I was thinking too much on the field. I just need to slow down and digest things more. I’m going to watch a lot of film this offseason and see and learn from the mistakes I made last year and from the plays I missed.

What made you decide to sign with Pittsburgh in 2016 as an undrafted fee agent? And how has being an undrafted free agent helped to motivate you?

They gave me the opportunity. They had me go up against their top guys – AB and JuJu – and let me show them what I was capable of. And I ran with the opportunity, They gave me that opportunity to prove myself and I feel like that’s what I needed.

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Exclusive with Steelers Cornerback Steven Nelson

First, tell me a bit about the free agency process. Why choose Pittsburgh over other interested teams? Any players help influence you?

Well, the process was pretty smooth. A couple of teams were interested – the Bills, Texans, Denver – the Chiefs were in the mix, and the Jets too. The Steelers came in late actually. The Steelers I think knew me well. We played against them in some big matchups, including the playoffs. It’s cool they came through.

There were a lot of factors that came into me choosing to sign with Pittsburgh. It’s a great football atmosphere and they’ve won a lot of championships. It’s a great opportunity for a guy like myself to go from a good organization to a great organization.

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Exclusive with Jonathan Hayes, Former Steelers Tight End 1994-1996, and Current XFL Head Coach/GM

First – congratulations – a lot of stuff happening! Tell me first how the son of a football coach gets drafted round one in the NBA?!

Well, it’s the dream of a lot of kids whether it’s athletics, music – to achieve a goal and dream like he has. It’s been a really great experience for the entire family and to share in the fun with him. He’s been a great role model for his younger siblings.

My wife was an All-American basketball player – a hell of a player – and she coached him and helped instill in him the fundamentals and foundation to succeed.

From there, the rest of it was hard work and perseverance. I’m not sure how many know his story but he wasn’t highly ranked going into his college class from high school. His first year he played AU basketball and got some experience and things started to line up for him. He played versus Zion in a tournament and blocked a few shots and pinned one of his shots against the backboard. After that tournament he got a lot of offers, and after a few more tournaments he got a lot more offers.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Jonathan Hayes, Former Steelers Tight End 1994-1996, and Current XFL Head Coach/GM”

Exclusive with Steelers Quarterback Devlin Hodges

First, tell me a bit why you chose Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent destination?

Well, I guess they were one of the only options to be honest. After the draft I wasn’t signed by anyone. I had tryout invites by Pittsburgh and the Giants a week before Pittsburgh’s. I did both – I really went to New York’s just to see what it was like before I went to Pittsburgh’s. I knew New York just drafted Daniel Jones and all. So I figured Pittsburgh had the best chance for me. I told myself to Pittsburgh was the best opportunity and to make the most of it.

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