October 10, 2025 • 9 mins
Steelers Outside Linebacker Nick Herbig calls in to the Morning Show to discuss his emerging role on the defense and how he's preparing for the first AFC North matchup of the 2025 season this Sunday against the Browns.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
It's your radio home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, one o
two point five dv E Steelers Brown Sunday, one o'clock
here on your flagship, the.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Black and Gold, tough game coming up.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
What I don't love is the way that Steelers fans
always underestimate the Browns.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It drives me up the wall. It happens all the time.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Steelers fans used to go, Ba Baker Mayfield stinks because
he wore orange and white. You know, it's like, not
everything up there stinks unflattering. Look, well, maybe it is
the color scheme.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Maybe get a logo at least on one side of
the helmet. Okay, that might be part of it.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
But one person I know who's not overlooking them joining
us right now from the Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
What's up, ma'am?
Speaker 4 (00:54):
How are you? Did?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
I don't know if you heard what I was saying
there before we brought you on the air about Steelers
fans have this propensity to underestimate the Browns, and they go, oh,
they're the Browns.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You know, it's the Browns. We're gonna kill them.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
You know.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Dylan Gabriel's only in his second game. This is gonna
be a joke. They're traded away Flaco, and so this
perception is it's this organization and flux. But the reality
is you guys and Cleveland both just played the Vikings
to the whistle basically to decide the winner, you know
what I mean, It could have gone either way there
when when yeah, both games, you know, I see it
(01:30):
as more evenly matched an AFC North Sloburn knocker coming
up here on Sunday. How do you guys keep from
having that mindset? I know your professionals and you're like, well,
we're not idiot fans.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
But like.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Because because we're fanatic, you know, and so logic and
rationale aren't our strong suit. But that can't possibly be
the way that you guys approach this, right.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
Yeah, I mean, you know, at the end of the day,
like you know, it's professional football, and anything could happen,
like on any given day, any given Sunday, there's gonna
be a better team than you out there. So you
just have to show up every day, you know, like
the days leading up like Monday all the way to Saturday,
like all those days in between, you have to make
(02:15):
sure you're putting in the work the time. I'm getting
everything right for Sunday so you can go out and perform.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
Nick, You're obviously on a heater here lately. And I
talked to TJ. Watt about you a little bit yesterday
and he said, one of the things he's most proud
about is you're staying humble.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
How do you turn into Lawrence Taylor and stay humble?
Speaker 5 (02:36):
Man?
Speaker 4 (02:37):
I think that just you know, I see like TJ
and Alex and the way they went about business, you know,
and the level of success they both had, and being
able to keep their composure of being able to stay humble.
You know, that's been really inspirational to me. And I
think growing up like my grand my grandfather always told
(02:59):
me to be humble and walk with God. So that's
always stuck with me wherever I went. I've always tried
to stay humble and walk with God.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
The perception of your abilities in Alex Heismith when you
stepped in for him on his injury, was that, well,
Nick's a great pass rusher. Alex is a little more
adept at stopping the run. But now you've kind of
come full circle and you're a guy who can do
it all. Did it was run stopping something you specifically
worked on and how did you do that exactly?
Speaker 4 (03:30):
You know, I think that over time, you know, you
just know that you're going to have to develop certain
parts of your game that people are going to nitpick,
especially for me because I'm a smaller dude. So that
was my stigma coming out. Like everyone wanted me to
play inside linebacker to begin with, so they all thought
I was too small to be on the edge anyway.
So you know, I just always had that stigma around me.
(03:53):
So just working on that, talking to older guys, seeing
how they played it, run hot, what they do to
approach that this, you know, it's helped me.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Now it looks like Galax is coming back. So what
are we going to see? How do we work three
guys into two spots or do the Steelers work three
guys into three spots? We're going to see that three
outside linebacker package Sunday.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Yeah, I'd love to tell you, but I can't give
you all the sauce man y'all gonna have.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
But there are there are snaps for everybody, right, I mean,
you can't have enough edgress?
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Yeah, no, no doubt, no doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I mentioned it was Dylan Gabriel's second game as a
starting quarterback. Just you know, there's an advantage to that
for the Steelers and his inexperience, But is there a
disadvantage in the unknown to not having a lot of
tape on a guy like that.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Yeah, especially with a young minded quarterback that has something
to prove, you know, especially in our division. It's a
tough division, so there's always going to be stuff that
is going on that you know, we kind of haven't
seen it on tape at all. You really have one
game to go off of, so that's that's that. But
(05:04):
you know we're going to show up and do our
best on Sunday.
Speaker 5 (05:06):
I guess so first, anybody that's not gonna underestimate the
small guy, it would be you.
Speaker 4 (05:11):
Right, Yeah, yeah, I'm I never understed me a small dudes?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Are you?
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Are you starting to feel the love around Pittsburgh now?
You're noticing that everybody is like, you know, they used
to say the backup quarterback was the most popular guy
in Pittsburgh. Right now about the backup outside linebacker is
a guy that everybody's talking about.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
You hearing it in Giant Eagle.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
I mean, man, I just stay down and keep working.
You know, I still got a lot more to do.
I still feel like I haven't really done much yet.
You know, I'm trying to win a super Bowl. So
whatever that takes, you know, whatever that entails, I'm here
for it.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
Nick. Nick.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
I don't want to threaten your humility.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
But the story when you first got here and we
talked about how you were in contact with t J
Watt before you even got drafted, and he was giving
you pass rush tips and you guys were exchanging thoughts
on past rushing and things of that nature.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Because he was helping his fellow Badger.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Yes, uh yeah.
Speaker 5 (06:11):
Was your goal at the time to get in the
NFL or to be great?
Speaker 4 (06:17):
I think just to be great in general. You know,
I always dreamed about being in an NFL.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
One day.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
And while I was in college, and TJ talked to
the our outside linebacker Groom, and he was like, you know,
hit me up this y'all had any questions or not.
So I was like that, I'm gonna hit him up.
So hit him up and we bounced ideas off each other,
and you know, just to see the way that relationship
has grown and developed into what it is today, is
(06:45):
truly a blessing. I mean, I'm so thankful that he
was such a stand up dude, Like he's not just
like he's a huge superstar and a list celebrity whatever
you want to call him. And the fact that he
went out of his way to take some time to
give back and show me and teach me some stuff. Man,
(07:06):
it's just truly your blessing.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
I guess he knows what he's talking about.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Huh, yeah, I guess so. I guess we could say
that I like he has one hundred and twelve sacks
or anything.
Speaker 5 (07:17):
But you guys kind of play this similar game in
that he's not just overpowering physically. He does it with
technique and with preparation and study. It really takes more
than just ability.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Doesn't it.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Oh one thousand percent? And I think that's something I
admire about him. The way that he puts in works
like day in and day out, a lot of stuff
that you don't see on Sunday, you know, like I said,
the days in between Monday through Saturday, like what are
you doing to prepare yourself for game day? And the
way he approaches that business is second to none.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
So you said you were here to win Super Bowl
Like that is music the Stealer fanciers. And I would
imagine that your understanding of the expectation here in Steeler
Nation and just the vastness of Steeler Nations has only
grown since you've been here in Pittsburgh. How did Ireland
in that experience with the international fans of Steeler InterNations
(08:13):
coming together, how did that even inform you further as
to how big this expectation of greatness is.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Yeah, I mean it's crazy, dude, Like we really do
have the best fans in the world, and that's truly
like the whole world. Like, yeah, Stealer fans are coming
from everywhere. Man, it's crazy to see all the love
and support we get, you know, and you walk in
the building and you see those six Super Bowl trophies
there and seeing the standard is the standard? You know,
(08:42):
That's all you can think about, is like, we need
to get back to that. We need to go get
one for this city.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Well, Nick Herbig, you've definitely lived up to the next
man up Edick, no question about that. Steelers Browns one
o'clock Sunday, Akroscher Stadium. Nick Herbig from the Steelers, Nick,
thanks so much for making time for us this morning.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Go get them on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
Thank y'all, Thank y'all, have a good day.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Okay man, we'll see them
It's your radio home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, one o
two point five dv E Steelers Brown Sunday, one o'clock
here on your flagship, the.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Black and Gold, tough game coming up.
Speaker 3 (00:19):
What I don't love is the way that Steelers fans
always underestimate the Browns.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
It drives me up the wall. It happens all the time.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Steelers fans used to go, Ba Baker Mayfield stinks because
he wore orange and white. You know, it's like, not
everything up there stinks unflattering. Look, well, maybe it is
the color scheme.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Maybe get a logo at least on one side of
the helmet. Okay, that might be part of it.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
But one person I know who's not overlooking them joining
us right now from the Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
What's up, ma'am?
Speaker 4 (00:54):
How are you? Did?
Speaker 3 (00:57):
I don't know if you heard what I was saying
there before we brought you on the air about Steelers
fans have this propensity to underestimate the Browns, and they go, oh,
they're the Browns.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You know, it's the Browns. We're gonna kill them.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
You know.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Dylan Gabriel's only in his second game. This is gonna
be a joke. They're traded away Flaco, and so this
perception is it's this organization and flux. But the reality
is you guys and Cleveland both just played the Vikings
to the whistle basically to decide the winner, you know
what I mean, It could have gone either way there
when when yeah, both games, you know, I see it
(01:30):
as more evenly matched an AFC North Sloburn knocker coming
up here on Sunday. How do you guys keep from
having that mindset? I know your professionals and you're like, well,
we're not idiot fans.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
But like.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Because because we're fanatic, you know, and so logic and
rationale aren't our strong suit. But that can't possibly be
the way that you guys approach this, right.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
Yeah, I mean, you know, at the end of the day,
like you know, it's professional football, and anything could happen,
like on any given day, any given Sunday, there's gonna
be a better team than you out there. So you
just have to show up every day, you know, like
the days leading up like Monday all the way to Saturday,
like all those days in between, you have to make
(02:15):
sure you're putting in the work the time. I'm getting
everything right for Sunday so you can go out and perform.
Speaker 5 (02:20):
Nick, You're obviously on a heater here lately. And I
talked to TJ. Watt about you a little bit yesterday
and he said, one of the things he's most proud
about is you're staying humble.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
How do you turn into Lawrence Taylor and stay humble?
Speaker 5 (02:36):
Man?
Speaker 4 (02:37):
I think that just you know, I see like TJ
and Alex and the way they went about business, you know,
and the level of success they both had, and being
able to keep their composure of being able to stay humble.
You know, that's been really inspirational to me. And I
think growing up like my grand my grandfather always told
(02:59):
me to be humble and walk with God. So that's
always stuck with me wherever I went. I've always tried
to stay humble and walk with God.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
The perception of your abilities in Alex Heismith when you
stepped in for him on his injury, was that, well,
Nick's a great pass rusher. Alex is a little more
adept at stopping the run. But now you've kind of
come full circle and you're a guy who can do
it all. Did it was run stopping something you specifically
worked on and how did you do that exactly?
Speaker 4 (03:30):
You know, I think that over time, you know, you
just know that you're going to have to develop certain
parts of your game that people are going to nitpick,
especially for me because I'm a smaller dude. So that
was my stigma coming out. Like everyone wanted me to
play inside linebacker to begin with, so they all thought
I was too small to be on the edge anyway.
So you know, I just always had that stigma around me.
(03:53):
So just working on that, talking to older guys, seeing
how they played it, run hot, what they do to
approach that this, you know, it's helped me.
Speaker 5 (04:02):
Now it looks like Galax is coming back. So what
are we going to see? How do we work three
guys into two spots or do the Steelers work three
guys into three spots? We're going to see that three
outside linebacker package Sunday.
Speaker 4 (04:15):
Yeah, I'd love to tell you, but I can't give
you all the sauce man y'all gonna have.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
But there are there are snaps for everybody, right, I mean,
you can't have enough edgress?
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Yeah, no, no doubt, no doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
I mentioned it was Dylan Gabriel's second game as a
starting quarterback. Just you know, there's an advantage to that
for the Steelers and his inexperience, But is there a
disadvantage in the unknown to not having a lot of
tape on a guy like that.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
Yeah, especially with a young minded quarterback that has something
to prove, you know, especially in our division. It's a
tough division, so there's always going to be stuff that
is going on that you know, we kind of haven't
seen it on tape at all. You really have one
game to go off of, so that's that's that. But
(05:04):
you know we're going to show up and do our
best on Sunday.
Speaker 5 (05:06):
I guess so first, anybody that's not gonna underestimate the
small guy, it would be you.
Speaker 4 (05:11):
Right, Yeah, yeah, I'm I never understed me a small dudes?
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Are you?
Speaker 3 (05:17):
Are you starting to feel the love around Pittsburgh now?
You're noticing that everybody is like, you know, they used
to say the backup quarterback was the most popular guy
in Pittsburgh. Right now about the backup outside linebacker is
a guy that everybody's talking about.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
You hearing it in Giant Eagle.
Speaker 4 (05:33):
I mean, man, I just stay down and keep working.
You know, I still got a lot more to do.
I still feel like I haven't really done much yet.
You know, I'm trying to win a super Bowl. So
whatever that takes, you know, whatever that entails, I'm here
for it.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
Nick. Nick.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
I don't want to threaten your humility.
Speaker 5 (05:52):
But the story when you first got here and we
talked about how you were in contact with t J
Watt before you even got drafted, and he was giving
you pass rush tips and you guys were exchanging thoughts
on past rushing and things of that nature.
Speaker 2 (06:06):
Because he was helping his fellow Badger.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Yes, uh yeah.
Speaker 5 (06:11):
Was your goal at the time to get in the
NFL or to be great?
Speaker 4 (06:17):
I think just to be great in general. You know,
I always dreamed about being in an NFL.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
One day.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
And while I was in college, and TJ talked to
the our outside linebacker Groom, and he was like, you know,
hit me up this y'all had any questions or not.
So I was like that, I'm gonna hit him up.
So hit him up and we bounced ideas off each other,
and you know, just to see the way that relationship
has grown and developed into what it is today, is
(06:45):
truly a blessing. I mean, I'm so thankful that he
was such a stand up dude, Like he's not just
like he's a huge superstar and a list celebrity whatever
you want to call him. And the fact that he
went out of his way to take some time to
give back and show me and teach me some stuff. Man,
(07:06):
it's just truly your blessing.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
I guess he knows what he's talking about.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Huh, yeah, I guess so. I guess we could say
that I like he has one hundred and twelve sacks
or anything.
Speaker 5 (07:17):
But you guys kind of play this similar game in
that he's not just overpowering physically. He does it with
technique and with preparation and study. It really takes more
than just ability.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Doesn't it.
Speaker 4 (07:29):
Oh one thousand percent? And I think that's something I
admire about him. The way that he puts in works
like day in and day out, a lot of stuff
that you don't see on Sunday, you know, like I said,
the days in between Monday through Saturday, like what are
you doing to prepare yourself for game day? And the
way he approaches that business is second to none.
Speaker 3 (07:48):
So you said you were here to win Super Bowl
Like that is music the Stealer fanciers. And I would
imagine that your understanding of the expectation here in Steeler
Nation and just the vastness of Steeler Nations has only
grown since you've been here in Pittsburgh. How did Ireland
in that experience with the international fans of Steeler InterNations
(08:13):
coming together, how did that even inform you further as
to how big this expectation of greatness is.
Speaker 4 (08:22):
Yeah, I mean it's crazy, dude, Like we really do
have the best fans in the world, and that's truly
like the whole world. Like, yeah, Stealer fans are coming
from everywhere. Man, it's crazy to see all the love
and support we get, you know, and you walk in
the building and you see those six Super Bowl trophies
there and seeing the standard is the standard? You know,
(08:42):
That's all you can think about, is like, we need
to get back to that. We need to go get
one for this city.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
Well, Nick Herbig, you've definitely lived up to the next
man up Edick, no question about that. Steelers Browns one
o'clock Sunday, Akroscher Stadium. Nick Herbig from the Steelers, Nick,
thanks so much for making time for us this morning.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Go get them on Sunday.
Speaker 4 (09:01):
Thank y'all, Thank y'all, have a good day.
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Okay man, we'll see them
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