Welcome to Steelers Takeaways! – Page 69 – More than 1,000 interviews of Steelers players, coaches, front office staff, media and more with those that played in the 50’s through today’s current roster.

Exclusive, Former Steelers Defensive Lineman Al Woods, 2010, 2011-2103

You opted out this year after signing with Jacksonville. What brought on that decision for you?

The reason why is that my wife is pregnant – she’s due in March. My entire season I would have been worried about her – and my daughter too who has asthma. I didn’t feel comfortable – I couldn’t focus on football – I’d have been worried about them both all season.

So that was the reason for opting out. I got a lot going on in my life now still, with kids in school, a pregnant wife – and I have a couple of businesses I’m hands on with too.

Continue reading “Exclusive, Former Steelers Defensive Lineman Al Woods, 2010, 2011-2103”

Exclusive with Former Steelers Quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, 2013-2016

First – I feel funny asking you this since you have so much going on all the time, but what is top of mind you want to let folks know about now?

Well, presently I have my weekly radio show during the NFL season on NFL Radio – every Thursday and Friday. The main thing I’m doing though is my work with Pro Football Focus. I help oversee the quarterback grading – every week I grade ever NFL pass – some college players too. That takes up a lot of my time!

You also have some other ventures…

True yeah – I have a restaurant called Social in Toledo and Pilgrimage Hospice in Pittsburgh. I started the hospice while I was still playing. I wanted to give back to the area and the community – it made good sense to me. I wanted to give back to the city I love. My wife is a nurse.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Running Back David Hughes, 1988

First, let me know what you’re doing with yourself now and how you got involved in that?

After the NFL, I was in a ministry in Seattle but I could sense my time was coming to an end there. I figured I’d just go back into the workforce. It was nothing bad – just sometimes God moves you on to other things. I let the pastor know – he didn’t understand, but I knew it was the right thing.

An idea came to me after that – one my wife and I thought of originally when we were in Idaho 15 years before. It was to work with student athletes. They had a higher level of expectations on them because they had to perform on the field and in the classroom.

My wife and I wrote down some notes on the idea and talked to the schools and pastors in the community to see what resources were available to these kids – many of who had difficult backgrounds. But after a few months we looked at each other and thought – there were so many resources available to them – what could we do?

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Running Back David Hughes, 1988”

Exclusive: Hunter BIttinger of Stripe Hype on the Bengals

First, there has to be some optimism with this Bengals team with the play of Burrow and the win over the Titans last week?

It’s definitely an upward trend. The win over the Titans was Zac Taylor’s first against a quality team. The offensive line is improving – Burrow has gotten better in helping them too. He’s mastering the playbook like he did at LSU and not taking unnecessary hits now like he was early on. I think they’ve only had two punts in the last three games.

Starting with the defense – eight turnovers overall and a struggling pass rush. What’s going on there and any upside you can expect?

Yeah, the defense is a huge question. Some weeks it shows up and some weeks it doesn’t.

Continue reading “Exclusive: Hunter BIttinger of Stripe Hype on the Bengals”

Exclusive with Former Bengals Defensive Lineman Tim Krumrie

First, let me know what you’ve been doing with yourself since your time in the NFL?

Well, I’ve had a lot of issues with concussions and head injuries. I’m retired – living here in Cincinnati.

First, any fun memories of the Steelers-Bengals rivalry?

The best story I have is that Mike Webster and I were both University of Wisconsin guys. So there was that rivalry between us – two Badgers going at it.

We knew each other and were both so competitive. Mike was a man’s center. Some centers were finesse guys and some were physical guys. Mike was a physical guy. We used to scout each other during the games we played against each other. We’d give each other pluses or minuses on every play. He’d tell me he got me on the play, but I’d tell him they still didn’t get any yards, so we’d argue over pluses and minuses every play.

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Exclusive with Tom Rooney, Owner, The Rooney Sports & Entertainment Group

First, let me know how you get started in the entertainment business as a member of a sports-oriented family?

I was in a rock bank in high school – The UFOs! I got the bug from that I think.

I really started out as a newspaper guy but the paper I started at folded a year after I started working there. I could have gone to the Press or Post-Gazette after – in fact I covered local high-school sports on the weekends for the Press as a freelancer.

While I was doing that the editor of the local Washington, PA paper called me and told me that the Meadows needed some PR help. They needed someone to write some articles for the horse racing trade magazines. They liked my articles and offered me a job.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Tom Rooney, Owner, The Rooney Sports & Entertainment Group”

Exclusive with K.D. Drummond of Cowboys News Wire

First, what positives do you take away from a more competitive game last week versus the Eagles, albeit still a Dallas loss?

I think a couple of things. They got better production from their defensive line – it may have been their best performance since their week one game against the Rams. But you have to take that with a grain of salt as they were playing an NFC East rival. They were familiar with the system and the players so that helps.

DeMarcus Lawrence did have his best game of the season, but that wasn’t against Lane Johnson. The play of Trevon Diggs was a good sign of things to come. He’s had a rollercoaster year too – he sometimes gets caught looking at the backfield.

Continue reading “Exclusive with K.D. Drummond of Cowboys News Wire”

Exclusive with Dallas Cowboys Safety Cliff Harris

You won Super Bowls, are in the Hall of Fame, and now have an award and a football field named after you, wrote two books…. you made a big impact on the game. Do you think about that a lot?

First, it’s such a weird time now. I went to a small, Baptist college in Arkansas. When I played there we may have had at most 5,000 people at the stadium, and that’s including people packing in on the side of the stadium. I remember one time playing in Texas Stadium backpeddling during a play and thinking “I don’t hear any noise. It was quiet.” Then I pulled myself back together and focused on the play.”

As for my career. Wow. It creeps up on you. Life is so strange. My junior year at Hot Springs High School I was second-string JV quarterback. My dad got re-assigned to a different town and I ended up being the starting quarterback and our team went undefeated. From there – five Super Bowls, Hall of Fame,… I think to myself “What?” If you polled the guys from that Hot Spring team and asked which player they thought would go to the NFL, I guarantee it wasn’t going to be me!

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Exclusive: Former Dallas Cowboys Linebacker Thomas “Hollywood” Henderson

First, can you let us know what you’re up to now and how you’re doing?

I’ve been doing the speaking and motivational thing now for 35 years, though the pandemic has dried things up a little. I also manage a non-profit – I helped build a football stadium for the community I grew up in so do fundraising for that.

I also wrote two books – Out of Control, and In Control.

And most importantly. as of the eight of this month, it’ll be my anniversary of staying clean and sober for over two decades now.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Coordinator & Wide Receivers Coach Ray Sherman (1998, 2013)

First, can you let us know what you’ve been doing with yourself lately?

I’ve been staying busy – trying to get my workouts in and spending time with my family. I train guys too as they get ready for the combine and training camps – I work with a group of guys that call me when they have some guys they want me to work with.

Still want to coach?

I’ll tell you, I still feel like I can coach. I feel great and follow the game to keep my mind sharp. If somebody wanted me I think I could help. I feel that way still – I love the game and have a lot left to give to the game.

Continue reading “Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Coordinator & Wide Receivers Coach Ray Sherman (1998, 2013)”