HR 1: Former Steelers LB Vince Williams Joins The Standard

Ed Troup and Brian Batko are joined in studio by former Steelers linebacker Vince Williams. Vince reflects on his eight-year NFL career, his journey to Florida State and ultimately Pittsburgh, and why he continues to call Western Pennsylvania home while raising his family and coaching local youth football.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Mccaff forgets a fake big rush, he's in his end
zone and he throws the ball. It's gonna be intercepted
with that football running to the cold line, kerk touchdown
and that is pitsligions on that wounded duck. Thanx took
great pressure on the play.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
A true fan favorite who spent eight hard hitting seasons
anchoring the defense for the Black and Gold. From a
six round draft pick out of Florida State to a
cornerstone leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers' locker room, he is
the definition of a throwback, smash mouth football player. Welcome
into the mid week edition of The Steelers Standard here
on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the Steelers Audio Network.

(00:42):
I am at Troop alongside Double B Brian Baco Brian.
Our show open today is an easy one because joining
us here on the Standard today, making his S and
R debut is the one and only former Pittsburgh Steeler
linebacker Vince Williams. What's going on?

Speaker 3 (01:00):
Oh man, I'm having a good time. Thank you guys
for having me.

Speaker 4 (01:03):
And we got them in studio too, ed, so it's
it's great. I mean a man, who's I mean you
heard the clip there you know, a little pick six
against Cam Newton, but man who's also picked off Tom
Brady tackled Derrick Henry Sack Lamar Jackson.

Speaker 5 (01:15):
So yes, thanks for coming in, Vince.

Speaker 3 (01:17):
Appreciate it. Man.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
Vince, your resume is a lot deeper than Brian and
I is when it comes to the game of football,
that's for sure. Talk about the experience here today. We
walcome you into the SNR family to do the show
with us Today media radio, something that you dabbled in
a little bit, it sounds like, until today, but now
now you're in studio, you're in the building.

Speaker 3 (01:37):
Absolutely. Man. I did several podcasts with some of my friends.
They hit me up, and after I did it, you know,
everybody was like, Vince Man, you have such an interesting perspective.
You should probably get in the radio and maybe start
your own podcast. I figured, uh, going back to the family,
going back to Still the Nation would be a good
place to start. So we'll see how I do. One
hundred percent.

Speaker 4 (01:53):
And you're a one helmet guy, So I mean, there's
some guys on the team right now who the stealer
to talking about wanting to be a one helmet gay
and you lived that life, and I covered you for
a season when I was with the Post because or
I guess a couple of seasons, but one season in
the locker room. We were talking in the back and
you were always insightful at that time. You know, in
the last two or three years of your career, you
certainly became kind of one of the you know, heart

(02:15):
and soul leaders of that team. So it's gonna be
great to get your perspective on the current team and
then also take some trips down memory lane.

Speaker 5 (02:21):
Let's do it, betch.

Speaker 2 (02:23):
Let's start with this. What are you up to these days?

Speaker 3 (02:25):
Oh, I'm actually just coaching football, still not actually at
the professional level. I coach youth football and I'm actually
the defensive coordinator for Pine Richland Middle School football.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
Shout out to Pine Richland up in Gipsonia. And also
on the high school staff too, helping them out as
well with some linebacker work too.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah, I'm an assistant linebacker coach next to the assistant
to the assistant and I don't do too much work
with the high school kids, you know. I just stick
to the youth and the younger guys.

Speaker 5 (02:48):
Assistant to the regional manager.

Speaker 2 (02:49):
And you have five sons, right, Yeah, I have five
sons and two of them are twins that are in
middle school right.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Now, twin boys, Cameron and Cayden. They're wrestlers as well.
They also you know, football.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
It's funny, Brian, I mentioned the Vince off air when
we first met. I said, hey, I'm down in Cannon
Mac and I start talking about football and he looks
at me and starts talking about wrestling, because Canon Mack
is a huge wrestling schools, you know, known for that
more than anything. And my boys have never wrestled, but
much respect and wrestling and football. They pretty much go
hand in hand, right. I Mean a lot of people say,
if you're gonna be serious about one or the other,

(03:22):
do both.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
Absolutely. I think it's a lot of correlation. It's a
lot of good learning lessons that you can have. I
think if you have an athlete that's a kid who
is lacking a little physicality and they're scared of getting
in there, then I think putting them in wrestling is
great for them to start off. Because once you know
they put you in that square circle, they lock you up.
You know, there's no escaping. You kind of got to
get to it. I think it just helps them build
that confidence.

Speaker 4 (03:42):
Yeah, my kid does karate, my six year old. And
I was going to say, Vince, I mean you've got
five sons. Ed's got all boys. I've got two kids,
boy and a girl, and you know, so you would
have the boys thing going on. I live in the
North Hills as well, so you're gonna fit in just
fine with us on the show. We got a lot
of common ground, a lot of common My six year
old likes to he does karate and then afterward they

(04:03):
have like five to ten minutes to kill and he's
usually finding some kidding class to wrestle. But I don't
know if he's ready for the actual proper getting the ring,
Like you said, We're gonna have to assess that as
we go for sure, Vince.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
You grew up in Davenport, Florida, right, Yeah, I went
to Florida State.

Speaker 4 (04:16):
I've got my ACC football hat on just to be
very welcoming to him. I covered pit for a couple
of seasons before the Steelers. This was like one of
their ACC media Day giveaways.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
Was Bobby Bowden your coach when you were at Florida State?
Did he recruit you?

Speaker 3 (04:28):
Yeah? Bob Bowden to recruit me. I was actually I
think I'm pretty sure this was told to me. I
was the last person that Bobby Bowden offered face to face.
I was the last kid that he came into the
home visit for offered me inside of my.

Speaker 5 (04:41):
Home, last living room, Bobby Bowden stepped in.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
Yeah, that's crazy.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
I mean, the legend Bobby Bowden. I mean that had
to be quite the experience to be able to be
recruited by coach Bowden and then eventually play for him.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
Absolutely, man, I tell people all the time, I grew
up in central Florida and I was a Florida State fan,
So I was destined to be an underdog. I mean,
Polk County is a huge Florida pipeline, the University of
Florida pipeline. Pretty much everybody from central Florida Gator fans,
So being a Florida State fan at that young age,
I was always underdog. I was rooting for the team
that nobody wanted to see.

Speaker 4 (05:14):
When you were trolling a little bit too, I guess
the people around you a little bit. I feel like
that's not surprising Danny Steelers fans who watched you, and
it probably some of your former teammates who locked horns
with you in training camp. We'll definitely have to get
to some Latrub's stories and memories later in the show,
given that that's sort of right around the corner about
six weeks. But I want to ask you while we're
on this topic, what made you want to put roots

(05:35):
down in Western Pa and stay here after you're playing
career events. Because a lot of guys go back to
wherever they came from, and obviously some decide to stay.
What was it about this area that you said, you
know what I'm gonna I want to put some roots
down here and stick around, at least for now.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
Honestly, it's just the people, you know, playing for Still
a Nation for so long, playing in front of Still
in the Nation for so long, the way they accepted me.
This place really just truly started to feel like home. And
you know, as you're growing up and you're raising kids,
you start to think about things other than just sunshine
and Disney World. And I just really related to the
people that I was staying around a lot more than

(06:10):
I did when I was going back home and I
was visiting, and it just made me feel welcoming and
I moved to Pine Richland. Actually, Kevin Kolbert, he was
convinced to go to the north because I was thinking
about actually moving the South Hills as I was working
through my first contract, and he was like, viz boy house,
And I'm like, keV, if you don't, if we don't
get this.

Speaker 6 (06:29):
Deal, pay me.

Speaker 5 (06:30):
Then He's like, where are you living back then?

Speaker 4 (06:33):
Like what were you just kind of in the city,
Like I was living in the city.

Speaker 3 (06:37):
I had a little towerhouse in the city.

Speaker 4 (06:39):
I guess that's a natural maturation process for Steelers who
get that second deal. It's like, all right, get out
of the city limits now and go go get something
nice and up in the north or the south, right.

Speaker 3 (06:48):
Yeah, So I actually moved up there. Me and my
wife was up there for a couple of years and
we loved it. It was like, man, this is a
great place to raise a family. If you guys don't
know about Pine Richland School District, they're amazing. They have
beautiful area, beautiful area, great resources, and I just felt
like putting down those roots would be fantastic.

Speaker 2 (07:06):
For and Brian, I'm sure you've been there too, because
before you were on the Steelers beat with the Post Gazette.
You covered Whippield football much like I've done over the years.
Great high school stadium up at Pine Richland two. I mean,
it is one of the best, and it hosts the
six A championship game. Now I know this past year
I did that six A championship game Central Catholic North
Alleghany Pine Richland in five A. Now up there too,

(07:27):
and being able to coach not only your sons, because
I know that's special events. I've just went through that
the last four or five years. My time's ending though,
I don't have that x NFL resume to be able
to continue on, and nobody wants me to continue the coach.
This is where I belong right here on the mic.
But for you, though, to be able to give back

(07:47):
not only just to your sons, to be around them
to coach football, but the other players too. You were
telling me you've been with this group that you have
right now since they were six years old.

Speaker 3 (07:54):
Right. Yeah. I actually started as soon as I got
out the NFL. I knew that I wanted to be
a coach when I first found out. When I first
started thinking about being a coach, it actually came from
Dick lebo we were sitting in a meeting and we
were going over some ex's and o's because I was
going to be the Green Dot that week. And then
after the conversation, he was like, Vince, you have a
unique understanding of the football. You should probably be a coach.
And when somebody like Dick Lebou tells you that you

(08:15):
should be a coach, you should probably think about being
a coach. And then later in my career, Mike Tommlan
was like, you know, Vince, you should probably get into coaching.
You're pretty good at this, Like, you know, you have
a lot to say, You're a pretty good teacher. So
after I got out of it, I was like, you know,
I'm not really prepared to go into the professional space,
but I do have some young kids and I'm interested
in And I was already working around in the neighborhoods

(08:35):
and talking to kids and training kids in my neighborhoods.
So I just started doing it for the actual football league.
I was like, man, this is fun. I'm having a
lot of fun with this. It's such it's so grassroots,
and the kids are such wet clay at that age,
and I was seeing so much trash on social media
and how these people were coaching kids, and I'm like,
they're gonna get somebody hurt. And you know, if I

(08:58):
can step in and be a part of, you know,
the positive reinforcement that comes with team sports, like many
of the things that made me successful in my life.
You know, you know, you guys know I wasn't the
best athlete, but I had a tremendous work ethic. I
was very charismatic. I was a great teammate. I cared
about the people I played with. I was a very
accountable player, And I think those are the things that

(09:18):
I try to pour back into my younger kids, and
being able to get them at such a young age
and build them up like that, they'll be able to
take those football lessons and it'll just make them great
young men and young women as they start going outside
of football and sport.

Speaker 2 (09:30):
You know, Vince, I think you bring up a really
interesting point. And you know, guys like Brian and I,
you look at us, and even for you for that
most part, with all due respect, you know, we're not
all built like these athletes that you know just have
the genetics behind them, right. I mean, there's some guys
like I remember as a kid when I saw Greg
Lloyd at Steelers training camp. I mean, just enormous biceps,
this big, you know, playing linebacker for the Steelers. He

(09:53):
still had to put the work in no disrespect, but
he was also I headed the game because of genetics,
and he was there. He was you know, he had
the side trying to get Some of us don't all
have that size. But if you have that X factor
like you did, and some kids out there need that
X factor to put the extra time, the extra effort in,
they can still make it just like you did.

Speaker 3 (10:10):
Right, Absolutely, I tell people that all the time. I
was like, you know, they have this. We used to
see a commercial about the NCAA. We always thought it
was corny. It was like ninety percent of student athletst
is gonna go professional and something else. But when you
think about it as a as an older and I
wouldn't say an older man, but a more mature man,
like they're absolutely right.

Speaker 4 (10:29):
Like you know, a lot going pro in something other
than sports, prolling something other than sports, and even after sports, yep,
you're gonna go pro and something else, Like football doesn't
last forever and basketball doesn't either, either other sport lasts forever,
so eventually you eventually you will be going pro and
something else. And it's a lot of the same things
that help you as an athlete, help you in life,

(10:49):
attention to detail, discipline, all of that kind of stuff.
And the Steelers while you were there, at least Vince,
I mean, they they tried to bring in guys with
that mentality, right, They tried to bring in with that
mindset to fit that culture that obviously Mike Tomlin kept
up from Bill Kauer, but one that dates back from
Coward to Chuck Nolan through all those Super seventies teams.

Speaker 5 (11:10):
Didn't they Oh for sure.

Speaker 3 (11:11):
You know a lot of people will look at me
and think that I'm a Tomlin guy, and I am.
I'm a huge fan of Mike Tomlin. I think he's
a terrific coach. But you also got to understand that
the history goes way back beyond Mike Tomlin. It goes
back beyond Bill Coward, like it's going to continue to
go like this is bigger than any coach that we've had,
although we've had few coaches. The standard is the standard

(11:33):
was not invented by Mike Tomlin, and I was invented
by Bill Coward. These are actioms that we've built the Pittsburghs.
There was football off of since it started.

Speaker 4 (11:41):
It may have been verbalized by him in that way,
but it was, you know, the ethos of it goes
back way before.

Speaker 3 (11:46):
Way way bigger than them. Like they were saying that
even when I was a child, before I was a child,
like fans of the original Steel Curtain, you know, they
knew what the standard was. The standard was, and I
think they're going to do a great job of continuing
that legacy and keeping it going.

Speaker 2 (12:00):
What was your NFL team that you were for when
you were growing up in Florida.

Speaker 3 (12:03):
I was a Pittsburgh Steels fan. Get out, Really, I
was a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Wow. I became a Pittsburgh
Steels fan because my high school trainer I met him.
He's the godfather of Ike Taylor. His name's Tom Shaw. Okay, yeah,
I know people probably heard this story, like Ike kind
of got me drafted to the Steelers. He was the
person that made the introduction to Kevin Kolbert and I

(12:24):
just trained with Ike Taylor and several other Pittsburgh Steelers
since I was probably like fourteen years old and ever
since then. They kind of put that those standards into
me at a young age. I tell them all the time,
like it's funny because they're like, this, man, you're such
a stealer. I'm like, well, yeah, because you guys kind
of made me one. Yeah, Like you guys kind of
brought me up in the way of the stealer. And

(12:45):
I adopted those philosophies when I was very young and impressionable.
So by the time I got to be able to
be drafted, I looked like a steller already because I
had been trained to be one.

Speaker 4 (12:55):
Well, Ike was shadow GM and you know, he was
for the late Dan Rooney, and you know, I remember
doing an interview with like one time and he was
talking about how he'd, you know, love to be a
GM someday and he would, you know, be in Omar
Conzi er sometimes. And you can draft this guy like
he's got some character concerns and we got him, we'll

(13:15):
raise him, we'll bring him up.

Speaker 5 (13:16):
He's still on the team at that time.

Speaker 4 (13:17):
So some guys he missed out on, but some guys
like yourself, he managed to be heard and you know,
got his guy in the building.

Speaker 5 (13:23):
And the rest is history.

Speaker 3 (13:24):
For sure. That's exactly how I work.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
We're talking with Vince Williams, who's joining us here on
the Standard today. We're gonna spend the first hour just
talking about Vince's career, and our second hour Brian and
Vince will get into more of the current state of
the Pittsburgh Steelers and Vince were anxious to get your
take on that it's a new regime. You mentioned coach
t coach Tomlin, that nineteen year coaching career for him
ending now. Mike McCarthy and his staff is in with

(13:49):
the Pittsburgh Steelers getting through their first OTA sessions, which
will wrap up this week on the South Side Mini
camp behind him in front of them Steelers' training camp
in Vince, you don't know this, but I grew up
about a half hour from Latrobe, so spent a lot
of times as a kid watching the Steelers up at
training camp. We have about a minute left here in

(14:10):
this segments. We'll tease that for the next segment. But
Latrobe's a special place.

Speaker 3 (14:13):
Right Oh, absolutely, man. I think desination training camps are
still the way to go. I think it's the ultimate
way to build team coaraderie. Everybody's out there, there's no AC,
it's hot, it's luggy iron and sharpening ironing. You guys
are competing every single day and you're away from all
the distractions. It's a beautiful thing to get into. Man.

Speaker 2 (14:32):
Man, that's absolutely for sure. Brian, I've covered a penny
of them. Have you had air conditioning when you've been
up at Steeler Camp? But you've commuted over the years.

Speaker 4 (14:39):
I mostly have commuted, but I've stayed over in the
dorms once or twice. And yeah, it's not glamorous, but it.

Speaker 5 (14:45):
Gets the job done.

Speaker 3 (14:46):
Vince.

Speaker 2 (14:47):
I remember as a kid watching the video of players
coming in with air conditioners. They were carrying them into
Rooney Hall. Back then. I don't think it was Rooney
Haul back then, by the way. I think it was
just your traditional dorm rooms with no AC. But now
I think they have air condition right.

Speaker 3 (15:00):
Yeah, they have air condition I just looked about it
from time to time. I mean, the conditions are fine,
but it does feel like the old school, feel like
remember the Titans type field. Yeah, that you'er in and
it is a little nostalgic.

Speaker 2 (15:12):
Hey keep that story going. It's like I walk through,
you know, eighteen inches of snow to school.

Speaker 5 (15:18):
You know it's one of those times.

Speaker 2 (15:19):
Yeah, yeah, So they keep that forever.

Speaker 6 (15:21):
Man.

Speaker 2 (15:21):
There was no air conditioning when I played for the Steelers.
When we come back, we'll get into a little bit
more of Vince's playing career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Still
need to talk about Florida State too. Playing for Bobby
Bowden just just just an awesome, awesome part of the
Vince Williams story. For sure. He's Vince Williams. He's Brian Bachol.
I'm at Troupe. It is the Steeler standard here on
Steelers Nation Radio, part of the Steelers Audio Network.

Speaker 7 (15:41):
I used to have cable Internet, but I'm a one
hundred percent kind of fan, so i switched to Verizon FiOS.
It's one hundred percent fiber internet that's super reliable. So
I streamed one hundred percent of the NFL Draft live
with the ultra low lag and after what went down
in the first round, still getting video calls from my
best friend rubbing it in that he called all the picks.

Speaker 5 (15:58):
I told you they were building the old line.

Speaker 8 (16:00):
I went to bet good five or Internet with a
Verizon FiOS because when it comes to your team, it's
one hundred percent or nothing. Call one, need three three
for a rhizoon to switch today.

Speaker 9 (16:09):
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Speaker 6 (16:23):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (16:24):
What if we just got out of here and grab
some bud Lights.

Speaker 10 (16:26):
So man, we're on air for four more hours.

Speaker 5 (16:28):
I'll figure it out. Sounds good to me.

Speaker 10 (16:31):
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Speaker 6 (16:47):
Daulphin under center play A should pick big ruff. He's
gonna be.

Speaker 1 (16:51):
Hit at sack Pit's what Yips gets to him at
about the thirty five yard line.

Speaker 2 (16:56):
A blast from the past, that's for sure. Vince william
former Pittsburgh Steeler, joining us here today on the Steelers Standard.
Glad you could join us here on Steelers Nation Radio,
part of the Steelers Audio Network. I am a troop
alongside Double b Brian Baco Vince your playing career in Pittsburgh,

(17:17):
as we were talking about during the first segment today,
you had to work your way in. You were a
six round draft pick two hundred and sixth overall in
the twenty thirteen NFL Draft. You come into a defense
that under dickle Bow, as you mentioned, legendary, legendary defensive coordinator. Defensively,
Steelers always historically built around this defense. You had to
work your way up, and you did that rather quickly.

(17:39):
It became an inside force for this Pittsburgh Steelers defense
alongside which turned into be a very good friend of
yours still to this day.

Speaker 3 (17:46):
Ryan Shazier, Oh yeah, man, So I mean, basically I
was even ready to start when I started starting. The
only reason I even got the opportunity was Larry Foot
got injured. He ended up tearing his bicep in that
first Titans game, which immediately voted me into being in
a position to be able to start. So it didn't
know working out, but yeah, I was just throwust into
the lineup. I had to go out there and earn

(18:07):
it and go and yeah, it just worked out for him.
It was great.

Speaker 5 (18:13):
We heard coming back there Barry and Andy Dalton.

Speaker 3 (18:15):
I wonder which.

Speaker 4 (18:16):
Quarterback got sacked by the Steelers the most in his career.
I mean, Brady played forever, but you know he also
was getting rid of it quick. Honestly, Andy Dalton's probably
up there. Joe Flacco's probably up there. I don't know
if there's a way to look that up, but that's
what comes in my weird, curious brain when I hear
a highlight like that.

Speaker 3 (18:33):
I mean, if you think about it, there were a
couple of years when we were breaking the record every
other year in Saxon, NFL.

Speaker 4 (18:38):
So if you were at AFC North quarterback in that time,
got you're in trouble, you probably you probably hit the
dirt a lot.

Speaker 3 (18:43):
Yeah, what was.

Speaker 2 (18:44):
Your reaction when your phone rang and the Pittsburgh Steelers
were drafting you.

Speaker 3 (18:48):
I tell this story all the time, Man, I was
so pissed. I didn't I didn't even know. I don't
know if I can say it on the radio, but
I was so upset because I had took a couple
of pre draft visits. I mean, for people who were
Vince Williams fans, you guys knew I didn't really start
getting a lot of buzz in the draft until I
went to the Senior Bowl. When I was at the
Senior Bowl, the teams that coached the Senior Bowl were
the Lions. So I was around the Lions every day

(19:10):
and they grew very fond of me, and they invited
me up for a visit and they were like, man, Vince,
we really enjoyed having you down there. You have great
leadership skills. You played with a lot of physicality. We
feel like our defense was lacking that last year. If
you're available from the third to the fourth round, we're
gonna pick you. They sent me home with a box
full of stuff to give them my family. They showed

(19:30):
me around the areas in the Detroit areas where I
should probably get a house to live. So I was like, man,
I'm gonna play for the Lions. This is great. And
draft they came and they drafted someone else, so I
don't remember.

Speaker 4 (19:43):
So I was gonna say some players I know, they like,
I feel like this has become cliche.

Speaker 5 (19:46):
And you got your guys.

Speaker 4 (19:47):
You're like, I got my list of all ten guys
at my position drafted ahead of me. You weren't really one.

Speaker 3 (19:55):
I'm not the type of person I don't hold brudges.
I don't take things personal like that.

Speaker 5 (19:58):
I might look it up though, while I had my
laptop pumping. I'm sitting here.

Speaker 3 (20:01):
But yeah, so I just I let that go and
I just cut the TV off. I went back. I
was in the back room. I was playing Call of Duty.

Speaker 2 (20:09):
Picked up the Xbox or PlayStation.

Speaker 3 (20:12):
Called Yeah. I ignored it. I didn't answer. Then my
agent called me and was like, answer your phone. And
then I answered the phone. It was Mike tom He
was like, are you ready to be at Pittsburg. Still.
I was like, man, it's the sixth round, sure whatever,
All right, Well it was great.

Speaker 2 (20:26):
Let's let's let's go to that next playing for for
coach T for coach Mike Tomlin. And we're big fans too, Vince.
Obviously not the relationship with you, because you're you know,
former player and got drafted by coach T and played
your entire career underneath him. But you know, when you're
on the outside looking in. From our standpoint, everybody always
says that Mike Tomlin could be a CEO at a

(20:49):
company the way he runs an organization. We got a
little bit again, we're not in the locker room. But
we got a little bit of a glimpse of that
last year on the NFL Hard Knocks for the AFC North.
Actually's probably been two years now, yeah, Brian Wilson, Yeah, exactly.
So we got to see him run team meetings a bit,
you know, with all that, which I'm sure him and
most probably did not want to, did not want those

(21:09):
cameras enter to see that. But it backed up that
validation that this guy outside of the game of football
is just a tremendous leader.

Speaker 3 (21:16):
Yeah. Man, Mike T's a tremendous leader. He's a great motivator.
I think a lot of people always slight them because
they say he's a player's coach. But I think what
he's able to get out of people that may not
that maybe that some may be considered marginal. I think
what he's able to do with those marginal players is terrific.
I tell people all the time, like, I don't think
anybody has made more with less than coach Mike Tomlin.

(21:39):
I mean his ability to just speak life in the players,
speak life in the situations, and to get more out
of situations you would expect is terrific.

Speaker 4 (21:47):
It was your seventh and by the way to tie
up lu sends Lions. They took a DN named Devin
Taylor in the fourth, then they took a punter. Come
how are the Lions doing around that time? I'm just
saying very anyway, So, did this was your seventh year
at this point, you'd already known the way that Mike

(22:09):
Tomlin can extract all that from a team and push
the buttons he needs to push. But did it crystallize
for you in that twenty nineteen season, Because that was
my first year on the beat, and you guys go
from Ben hurting his elbow in week two to Mason
getting in there, to Duck Hodges getting in there and
finding a way to just stay above water that season.

(22:30):
I mean, here, you're someone who looks back and says,
if you ever kind of question what Mike Tomlin could do,
just look at that season in the way things could
have gone off the rails and he kind of kept
it together.

Speaker 3 (22:40):
I tell people that all the time. I mean, for
the most part, what it truly is is that at
the Steelers, even before Mike Tomlin, we don't believe in
second stringers or backups. This is not a concept that
we're familiar with in the Steelers organization, every single person
that is in that building, we truly believe is capable
of starting and winning football games. And if you don't
believe that as a personal, as a player personally, then

(23:02):
that's just your own failure and you'll soon be replaced.
Like we're gonna get you up out of there.

Speaker 6 (23:06):
Not gonna work.

Speaker 3 (23:06):
It's not gonna work. You're not gonna fit in around
a whole bunch of high or overachievers and people that
see themselves and view themselves as starters.

Speaker 2 (23:14):
So the next man up mentality truly is next man up.

Speaker 3 (23:18):
Those are the only people that we even want to
do business with. That's why our practices are pretty competitive.
That's why we we we josts with each other, we
joke with each other, we make fun of each other
all the time. We're constantly trying to outshine and outdo
each other. And it's a very competitive environment because the
people that we try to build bring into the building.
And it's that way on purpose. So when things happen

(23:38):
because in the NFL, I don't know if people know,
just in football general, it's a ninety nine percent injury rate,
you're gonna eventually end up getting hurt. There's gonna be
injuries on your team, and when that happens, you got
to have a guy that not only is ready to
step up, but he believes in himself. Duck is one
of the most confident people you've ever seen. Look at him.
I'm gonna we're gonna say, we're gonna man Duck out
kick this coverage.

Speaker 4 (23:59):
But he's like Sam Martin getting But that doesn't If
you know Duck, that doesn't surprise him.

Speaker 3 (24:05):
It doesn't surprise you. He's he's Duck, like Duck, Doug
thinks he's six y five. Those are the type of
people that you want to do business with. These are
the type of people that you bring into the building.
I always tell people like people say that the Stellers have
an unbelievable ability to find low round draft guys and

(24:27):
make them in the stars. Well that's not really what
it is. What it is is they don't pigeonhole you.
Nobody looked at Vince Williams, the slow thumping inside linebacker,
and was like, how can I make this guy superstar?
Only the Steelers did that. Everybody else is gonna pigeonhole you.
They're gonna say what you can do. They're gonna not
focus on what you can't do. The only stillers were
even when I was in college. I never played third

(24:48):
downs my entire time in college, so they see me,
they were like, oh, Vince, you're a big thump and
bill linebacker. You're just gonna play first and second downs.
We're gonna put a defensive back on the field cover.
I never covered until I got to the NFL. Wow,
and they were like, can you cover? And I'm like,
I never did it before. They was like, well, we're
gonna teach you how to do and just see how
will you doing this gets you as good as you
can get at it, and then you know, go do

(25:08):
the best that you can. But they were the first
people to actually believe in me and to give me
the opportunity to even get better at a skill I
had been pigeonholed before. And they don't do that with anybody.
Just because you're this, don't mean you can't be this.

Speaker 2 (25:20):
You know. It's an interesting double bat. It's an interesting
perspective of what Vince just told us. That the mentality
around the organization that next man up is so true
that you as a starter, have confidence that if the
guy next to you, or you go down, the next
guy up will just fill right in and come in
and be able to pick up the ball or tackle

(25:42):
the tackler who whatever if your offense or defense, and
continue to march on. That's that's an interesting perspective and
I think that's what would make this organization special.

Speaker 4 (25:50):
Tom used to always say he can say it, but
the guys have to make it a reality, like they're
the ones who actually have to go out there and
live it. And that was definitely a season where that
happened for sure.

Speaker 6 (26:00):
Well.

Speaker 2 (26:00):
And it's one of those things too that so often
as fans and even in media, it's easy to come
on this mic and start I don't want to say
trashing a guy, but saying oh, he's awful on third down,
or he's this, or that, he's still one of the
very best on that field, even though he may be
struggling in an NFL game, he's still well ahead of
the majority that didn't make it to the NFL level.

(26:21):
And you can say this. I always say that about
baseball because so often people will criticize in the parts
well deservingly so I've gotten a lot of that over
the years, but still those guys on that roster, those
fifteen or sixteen players are still fifteen or sixteen the
best in the world.

Speaker 3 (26:35):
Well yeah, but I don't buy into that narrative. As
a professional, you're a professional for a reason. You know,
you get compensated at a tremendous amount. So who you
should be compared to are your contemporaries and are the
people that you have to go out there and compete against.
And there is a standard, and that standard is winning.
And if you're falling below the line, then you're not
immune to judgment. You should be judged. You should be
judged critically because you're a professional in what you're tasked

(26:58):
to do. You're not doing any job, I mean, obviously
being a professional athlete, you're entertainer. So your job is
going to be displayed in front of millions. Nobody's you know,
has a microscope over to do to state farm, right, right, exactly, nobody.
You are one of the best, but you're also competing
against the best, and you should go out there and
you should you know, you should try to win.

Speaker 4 (27:17):
It's a very forward facing job, that's for sure. What's
your take on kind of and this sort of touches
on what we just talked about, with you going to
the Steelers when you could have gone to Detroit or
one of the other thirty teams. The circumstance that you
get put in as a player, how much do you
think that affects what that can do for a guy's career.
I guess it's kind of like nature versus nurture when

(27:37):
you talk about, you know, parenting or raising a kid,
or you someone who always thought I would have made
it anywhere I went, or it was great that this
is the situation that I landed in, you know what
I mean?

Speaker 6 (27:48):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (27:49):
Yeah, for sure, I never would have been Vince Williams
without the Pittsburgh still his organization. I can honestly say that,
and I only say that because the year that I
came out of Florida State, we sent thirteen people to
the NFL off the Florida State team and keep it
in close contact with those guys and having a group
chat and understanding that the organization that I was at
was very different and ran very differently, and the opportunities

(28:11):
I was presented with were very different compared to some
of the other opportunities that my former teammates were presented with,
and I just I was thankful that I got to
be a part of the Stiller's organization. And even when
I after I had eight and a half sacks and
I was about to sign my large deal, my agent
was like, Vince, you know, if you hit the open market,
you could probably make a lot more than what the

(28:31):
Stellers are going to pay you. And I was like, yeah,
but then I wouldn't be a stealer and I wouldn't
be a part of this. I think being a part
of this is a big thing, because not only the
way they treat you, but also the infrastructure they surround
you with is really just conduced to the personal success.

Speaker 4 (28:46):
Yeah, the continuity, the stability. I mean, you're you end
up in some other places and coaches faces are changing
year in and year out, Personnel is changing year in and
year out, and that's probably not necessarily the best, you know,
not the most conducive to development professionally or individually.

Speaker 2 (29:04):
Our second hour, we're going to get into more of
the current Pittsburgh Steelers, but you just brought up an
interesting point about remaining a Pittsburgh Steeler not testing the
open market. Because Nick Herbig we've had a lot of
conversation on this show about this spring, mainly because we
didn't want to lose him as a Steeler because of
how gifted of a linebacker that he is. But at

(29:26):
the same time, going into the final year before he
signed his deal last year, Brian and I had a
lot of discussion of maybe he plays out the twenty
twenty six sies and bets on himself, and then next
year next spring, when he becomes a free agent, he
can go out and sign a massive contract with another
NFL team, or maybe the Steelers potentially bring him back.
We weren't sure how that looked, but he signed at
one hundred million dollar contract last week and now he's

(29:47):
a Pittsburgh Steeler for the next four years.

Speaker 3 (29:49):
Man, I'm extremely happy for Herbick. I'm just going to
get on my soapbox real quick and just seeing please
praise is because I watched two years ago. I actually
came and I was an assistant defensive line coach for the
Pittsburgh Steelers. I came back into the building and watching
Herberg work with TJ every single day, watch him chomping
at the bit in the hours that he put in
to be in a great pass rushing, a great outside

(30:11):
live reckerd. How seriously he took it in the emotion
that he played with, and he was already starting to
become the heart and soul for that new group, and
you could see it kind of transition into that. And
we're not gonna I mean, I'm not TJ. Watt is
a walking Hall of Famer. He is a gold jacket
right now waiting on him and Can and he's already
in there. But the new guard, the younger players. How

(30:32):
old is Herbert. I think he's twenty four years old.

Speaker 4 (30:34):
Yeah, he was the youngest player on the team when
they drafted him by a few months. I think, so
he was a three year guy at Wisconsin.

Speaker 3 (30:40):
I might say something a little controversial here, but I mean,
I don't think Herbig earned one hundred billion dollars, but
I definitely one hundred percent think that he deserves one
hundred million dollars. And I think what he's gonna do
in the future, we're gonna look like we got him
for steal. I think it was a great deal because
he's so young. We're going into a new season of coaching,
a new season of team, and I think he can

(31:02):
be a dude that can be a leader for quite
a long time. And you know, we love our edge
rushers here, we love getting atter the quarterback. So I
think he can be the key piece of cornerstone of
in a new face of the organization as some of
the older dudes are starting to kind of transition. I
think he'll be a new, young, upstart guy. You know
how we have to read the who rode circle. Yeah,
for the linebacker he's gonna be. You can just tell

(31:25):
like those he'll be the guy that are going in
the middle of the who rode circle and he'll be
the person that will make a huge play and gavialized
whole defense and he'll be the person making those plays.
We're in aegate. I can just see it coming now.

Speaker 4 (31:36):
Yeah, somebody's got to take the baton. That's part of
the Steelers' legacy, is that lineage. And you're yeah, you're right, Vince,
Because people always talk about on the other side of
the coin when it comes to aging players and it's like, wow,
you can't pay him for what he's done. You got
to pay him for what you still think he's gonna do.

Speaker 3 (31:49):
Well.

Speaker 4 (31:49):
The flip side of that is someone like Herbig who
you're You're not paying for past performance necessarily, you're paying
for what you think the guy is going to do
down the road.

Speaker 2 (31:56):
Let's jump into more Nick Herbig conversation and get more
of Vince thoughts on that and the entire It's a
good place for us to start. You're a linebacker linebacker group,
that room probably a good place for us to talk
about with the current Pittsburgh Steelers. We'll get into that
and more whenever we come back. He's Vince Williams, He's
Brian Bacco. I'm ed Troop. It is the Steeler standard
here on Steelers Nation Radio, part of the Steelers Audio Network.

Speaker 7 (32:19):
I used to have cable Internet, but I'm a one
hundred percent kind of fan, so i switched to Verizon FiOS.
It's one hundred percent fiber internet that's super reliable. So
I streamed one hundred percent of the NFL Draft live
with the ultra low lag and after what went down
in the first round, still getting video calls from my
best friend rubbing it in that he called all the pigs.

Speaker 5 (32:36):
I told you they were building their own line. I
went to bet goot.

Speaker 8 (32:38):
One percent fiber internet with Verizon FiOS because when it
comes to your team, it's one hundred percent or nothing,
called one of three three for raison to switch today, can.

Speaker 5 (32:46):
Get that hot dog costume ready?

Speaker 3 (32:48):
Bruh.

Speaker 9 (32:50):
And now a word from our sponsor, bud Light. There's
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Speaker 8 (33:00):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (33:01):
What if we just got out of here and grab
some bud Lights.

Speaker 10 (33:03):
So man, we're on air for four more hours. I'll
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Speaker 6 (33:22):
Gun Portles chased out of the bucket.

Speaker 1 (33:24):
No, he isn't down, he goes Pitch Williams on the
scene and Vince's second sack of the season.

Speaker 6 (33:29):
What's Jacksonville on their side of the field?

Speaker 2 (33:32):
Back here on the Steelers standard, I am a troop
alongside Double B Brian Becko. We have Vince Williams in
the studio with us for the entire show today, both
hours we're talking with Vince former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Vince.
I could spend probably a whole week with you just
talking about your playing career, but we know we brought

(33:54):
you in to talk about the current Pittsburgh Steelers, so
we will talk about the current edition of the Pittsburgh
Dealers here in twenty twenty six. But real quick, who
was and I'm curious about this. I'm gonna give you
two questions. We'll start with the first, though, who was
the best offensive player that you faced in your career?

Speaker 3 (34:10):
I mean, that's kind of when you say the best,
what do you mean you wanted the most talented, the
most talented Megatron without a doubt, Calvin Johnson was the
most talented football playoff ever stepped on the football field.
With right after him, I would have to say Rob Gronkowski.
I think Gronk is severely underrated. I don't think people
understand what they're looking at when we look at him,
Like you walk on the football field and Gronk is

(34:33):
like six seven, two eighty and he's fast, and he
has hands that look like baseball mits.

Speaker 5 (34:39):
And he as a screwless so he's crazy.

Speaker 3 (34:42):
He's grouse. And then Tom Brady. The Tom Brady gets
some going, so Gronk starts gronking out. He's like, oh,
and then Tom Brady's like, they can't stop you, Gronk.
They can't mess with you. They're little, You're a giant Gronk.

Speaker 4 (34:55):
And he's like and you're in the middle of the
dem It's like, all right, what are we gonna do
with this now?

Speaker 3 (34:59):
Calvin Johnson pretty much lebron James in football pads. He
ran three routes. He were in a hitch, a post,
and a go. But you know they're coming.

Speaker 2 (35:06):
Yeah, And I'm guessing you had to cover Gronk multiple
times in your in your spot. Did you ever to
pull back into coverage on Gronk? Did you ever, Mega Toronto?
Did you ever ever?

Speaker 3 (35:15):
I just watched some abuse people think and it's like,
thank god.

Speaker 2 (35:18):
Lying back of the day you're doing on the outside
covering him.

Speaker 3 (35:21):
Yeah, I'm like, that's gonna be terrible. Yeah, But Bronk,
I used to you to hold him all the time.
It's like you're holding me vance. I'm like, they're gonna
throw fifteen flags a day, but I'm gonna hold you
every play.

Speaker 2 (35:31):
Uh. Ron Gronkowski Pittsburgh guy. His senior year played at
Woodland Hills. Yeah, so you know, a little little note
there towards the end of his high school football playing career.
So we'll blame him.

Speaker 5 (35:40):
We'll claim him Buffalo guy originally, right, but yeah, the.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
Whi we claim him because he finished up here right h.
On the other side, best defensive player that you played
with during your career, it.

Speaker 3 (35:51):
Has to be Troy, Troy, Oryan, Troy Orion gotta be
one of those guys, just h the innate ability for
them to make plays. I think Troy and Ryan had
the best offensive skill sets I've seen at defensive players,
because most of the time when people end up putting
playing on the defense side of the ball. You know,
you coach, you if you said that the more skilled people,

(36:13):
the people that are the best with the ball in
their hand, they play offense. You know. But when you
have a guy like Troy and Ryan who were fantastic
at catching the ball and fantastic at getting their hands
on the ball, you rarely see those type of guys
on the defensive side of the ball. But they were
just tremendous with their ball skills of being able to
get access to the ball and cause turnovers and you know, man,

(36:34):
the turnovers was worth so much when you're talking about possessions.

Speaker 4 (36:37):
Yeah, that innates spatial ability to It's usually being put
to use by a guy who's running with the ball
in his hands, but when you have it on the
defensive side, now you've got a one to one type
of player. You have a favorite playing your career events.
I mean we've been playing some of the clips. I mean,
is there one that comes to mind or you sort
of like, eah, really look at it that way.

Speaker 3 (36:56):
The Tom Brady pick is a good one.

Speaker 4 (36:58):
That's one that you just lay in bed at night
and just think to yourself, I picked I picked off
the goat.

Speaker 3 (37:02):
But I just I think about it sometimes I'm like,
that's kind of crazy.

Speaker 6 (37:07):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (37:07):
Did you get to keep that football?

Speaker 3 (37:08):
Yeah? I got it.

Speaker 2 (37:09):
That's awesome.

Speaker 3 (37:10):
I let my kids throw it around and play with it.
I'm not a keep say type of person. I'm a
person that really I like to live in the moment.
I think memories are just memories.

Speaker 6 (37:17):
Yea.

Speaker 4 (37:18):
I've always said if I caught a foul ball or
if I caught a home run ball at a baseball game,
for like the road team I throw it back. I
think the story would be better than what am I
going to do with this ball from some random guy.
That's how I look at it. I'd be telling my
kids to spike the Tom Brady football with you, but
that's dirty.

Speaker 2 (37:34):
I think it's awesome that your kids are playing with
the Tom Brady football that you intercepted. That's that that
that that's great, Vince. I want to talk about the
the inside linebacker spot and how it's evolved over the years,
because prior to your playing days, the inside linebacker role
was the big bruising and which you are too, but
the the Levon Kirklands of the world, right that played

(37:56):
for the Steelers. That's stuff in the run, not too
much of a average linebacker. Then enter a guy like
Ryan Shazier, which I was blown away. What made him
so good and again anxious to get your take on
this as well, That he could cover sideline, the sideline
like nobody's business, from one end to the other. You
were able to do that too. You were the run stuffer,
but you were also that linebacker as well. That's what

(38:17):
made you both so good. In today's world, I feel
like a lot of the linebackers are now built like that,
but back when you were coming on the scene, it
was a transition period right from that big, bruising linebacker
to the more speed.

Speaker 3 (38:27):
You know, a lot of people say that, but I
don't really think no Steelers have ever played that way.
To be honest with you, I think Levin Kirkland was
more of a one of one, simply like I was
a one of one. They did have thumping linebackers, but
if you think historically Jack hamp Jack Lambert, Andy Russell,
all these dudes were smaller, more skillful, a lot of interceptions,
very sideline and sideline, very very fast, playing behind that

(38:49):
aggressive three four front, being able to scrape sideline, the
sideline and make a lot of plays. I think that
the Stellers have traditionally always had people like that at
their positions. If you look at James Ferrier, he wasn't
a very big guy. Larry footlery small. Lawrence Timmins was
more bigger and come to the thump and roll, but
he was also a very very fast guy to be
able to go sideline and sideline. So I think I'm

(39:09):
actually the anomaly when you're looking at guys like that,
I think me and Kirkland are the opposite of what
people traditionally think about it. Usually the Steelers keep speed
at the linebacker position and dudes that can go sideline
and sideline.

Speaker 5 (39:21):
Oh, big Cam, he used to call you mini DT.

Speaker 4 (39:23):
Right, you're basically coming in there plugging holes whenever you
needed to. So, but that that position though, really since
you retired, Vince has been kind of a revolving door
for this team and this franchise. I mean, Patrick Queen's
going into year three, Peyton Wilson going into year three,
so they're hoping for some stability there is it. Can
you put your finger on why that's been I mean

(39:45):
that obviously in some cases it could be individual evaluations
that didn't pan out. Or is it how much that
defense asks of you and how difficult it can be
to wear all those hats?

Speaker 3 (39:54):
Yeah, I can answer it's pretty much. For how difficult
that position is, it takes, It takes a lot. It's
it's huge responsibility to play middle linebacker for the Pittsburgh
still is because of what they asked you to do.
At any given moment, you could be a man the
man against a number three receiver, and offenses will put
anybody at that number three receiver spot and you just
have to guard them so at any moment you can
have that, you can have that happen to you. Also,

(40:17):
you're responsible for all the checks, all of the adjustments,
and the Pittsburgh Steelers run a pretty complicated defense that
changes off of adjustments and motions quite a bit. So
it takes a lot. A lot of people don't like
to do it when you can literally go to a
Fangio scheme, which is a great scheme, and you could
just sit in quarters all day, or you can go
and you can play Cover three. You could just sit

(40:37):
in the curl hook all day. Like I always laugh
because me and Ryan Shazier used to watch Bobby Wagner
play and we're like, man, it has to be so
fun to sit in the hook curl and guard the
a gap. It make thirteen tackles.

Speaker 4 (40:51):
Again, not that Wagner's not a great player, but it
takes some of the pressure off of it.

Speaker 3 (40:56):
It has to be so great just to be able
to do that. While we have to play Cover two,
Cover three, quarters, man the man on anybody that we
go man and man against, like, so I think the
middle linebacker job for the Pittsburgh Steelers ask a ton
out of the people that play it, and you're gonna
be in the building more because you're gonna have to
learn more and you're gonna have to You gotta have
to have a tremendous amount of versatility in your skill

(41:18):
set in order to be successful.

Speaker 2 (41:21):
And being that green dot carries a tremendous amount of responsibility.
Is it different wearing that green dot here in Pittsburgh
as opposed to other NFL teams?

Speaker 3 (41:29):
I want it's just a little bit more responsibility. Okay,
that's all it is. You really got to know the
ins and outs of the defense. You got to focus
and specialize on that. And uh, if you're not geared
up or played it up for the person who wants
to deal with that level of type of responsibility, then
you're gonna fail. It takes a great deal of maturity too,
to lead a bunch of alphas. You know, a lot
of times when you're looking at the sideline, the calls

(41:49):
are coming in and players aren't getting the calls that
they want, or they feel like they're putting in a
multitude of bad positions repeatedly. You know, they get frustrated.
I remember a lot of times. I was one game
we were playing where we were just stay. We just stayed,
and man the man probably six plays in a row,
and then Joe Hayden and Steve Nelson just started chirping like,
hey man, god dog, y'all gonna let me we're playing

(42:10):
zero every play and I'm like, hey, chill, let me right,
or like they'll call a plan.

Speaker 11 (42:16):
I'm like, coach, nah, like we can't do that again, Coach,
like they're going crazy out here. We gotta we gotta,
we gotta call the waders, and we gotta give him
a break. Let's go some three, Let's go some two,
because there they getting upset.

Speaker 4 (42:29):
You know, you're almost part player, a part mediator sometimes
when it comes to some of that. I did live
on Kirkling and said on that I think it was
Kim Hayward's podcast that like, you know, Greg Lloyd tried
to big dog him before and he had to chirp
back at him, and eventually Lloyd came over after the
game was like, that's what you need to do with
that position, like it not like necessarily he was testing him,
but like, yes, that's how you should respond to me.
Don't just Coward. I mean, you're the middle linebacker. You

(42:50):
gotta call some shots.

Speaker 3 (42:51):
Well, yeah, I mean I think Mike Toman gave me
and Ryan a lot of autonomy at that position too,
because he's seen the dedication and how much time we
were putting into the meetings and into the system, and
Coach Butts really trusted us too. So sometimes it's not
that we were just making our own calls on the
fly that would never happen. But sometimes he would say
stuff and we're like, ah, He's like, what do you mean,
what do you think? I'm like, then I really you

(43:14):
know what I mean. It's probably probably something different, probably
something we can different, we can go, but it's just
hard to get to that level of continuity, that love
of understanding. I think I was fortunate that I got
to see exactly how it was done through the Larry
Foot lens of it, so I kind of got to
grow with it. I think we've had a lot of
turnover at that position. I think it's something that just
takes kind of time.

Speaker 2 (43:34):
Yeah, you mentioned James Ferrier, Larry Foot, We're talking Levon Kirkland.
I mean, we can just continue to down the list
of guys that played in your spot and you're on
that list two events, we'll pump your tires for you.
You don't have to do it yourself, but you're definitely
in that conversation. But since it has been a tough go,
I mean, Devin Bush is one that the Steelers traded
up to go get. Now he's kind of had a

(43:56):
little bit of a resurgence. He had a nice year
last year with the Browns, and now he's with the
troit I think, right, the Lions or Chicago, Okay, the
right the vision, just wrong team. But you know, it
didn't work too much for Bush. Now, he was injured
a bit too at the beginning of his career. But
you know, there's a guy that was a first round
draft pick, then there's a guy like you that was
a six round draft pick. You fought through it, you
made it, you were very effective, and you know he

(44:17):
had his struggles as he went through.

Speaker 3 (44:19):
I think it just speaks to if you go back,
you guys can go back and check a tweet that
I said, Well, I was like, Devin Bush will be
fine and he'll have a real certainness because he came
in the league and he was twenty one years old.
He was very young. He just knew he was raw,
He was immature, and I think that given some time,
he would have grew and developed into the type of player.
But this is why we go back and we talk
about how the New Age game is making people play

(44:41):
probably before they're ready to play. When you have a
guy that comes in and he's just ready to play,
like a Ryan or TJ. Watt. Even Cam Hayward didn't
start when we first got him. If you guys can
remember that, even Troy didn't start when we first got him.
But we thrust it, you know, Devin into that role
thinking that he was going to be like TJ. He
was going to be like Ryan. Those dudes were. They

(45:01):
were thirty year old twenty year olds, if that makes sense.
They were very mature for their age. They came in ready.
I think that if you would have just gave him
some time in order to develop into that, he would
have been fine. I said the same thing about Robert Splaine.
I was like, I think Robert Splaine is a terrific
Pittsburgh still his linebacker. I wish we would have signed him.
Now you have this guy leaving the building going to

(45:22):
have a great deal success for the of the Patriots
and he was freaking team captain in the Super Bowl.
You can't tell me that guy can't play football. I
just think they need time to develop. The defense has
a lot of.

Speaker 5 (45:36):
Intricacies.

Speaker 4 (45:36):
Intricacies it takes time to learn well, and then you
get into like the chicken or egg thing of Okay,
well maybe this guy didn't take to it, so now
let's get a new guy in there. But the way
you're talking about it's a very it's a process and
you got to have the time and probably learn on
the job a little bit and go through the process
to get better at it. But that's tough to do
when you're go grab this guy at the trade deadline,

(45:58):
plug him in hope he can pick it up, or
we'll go draft this guy now this year, and it
unfortunately it Fortunately it seems like they've stabilized things a
bit now with the current inside linebackers, but unfortunately, in
that in between window, it was a lot of playing
whack a mole.

Speaker 3 (46:13):
I guess yeah, you got to grow them up. We
had the same conversation with Mark barn and John Bosticle.
When they came in, they looked at me and it
was like Vince, this is this is a lot, yeah,
And I'm like, it's a lot, what I mean, But
you got to be able to get it done, and
I think time helps people be able to get that done.

Speaker 2 (46:28):
It's also you know, for a long period of time
with the Steelers organization and their draft picks that they
brought in, the younger, younger guys didn't have to play
right away because there were veterans in front of them
were established. They they got away from that the last
five or six years and drafted the first couple of rounds,
Brian and Vince, guys that had to step in on

(46:48):
day one and contribute. And thus you go through those
growing pains that you just mentioned with a Devin Bush
that comes in here that eventually becomes a good linebacker
in the NFL, but early on had to go through
those growing pains. So I think it's a good point
by you that you know, sometimes you need time just
to develop and time to get those battle scars underneath
your helmet a little bit right before you really take

(47:08):
off in your NFL career.

Speaker 3 (47:10):
Absolutely, I mean, coming in that first year, you have
no idea what it takes to be an NFL player
because the college game is built off of raw athleticism.
It's so much easier to dominate when you're just better
than everybody that you play against. Sure, when you play
for the Pittsburgh Steelers, don't you don't go against those
I'm not dissing anybody in the Big Ten, but you

(47:30):
don't have a Northwestern on your schedule. You don't have
a Purdue on your schedule, you know what I mean.
You don't have people that you're just so much better
than that you can just go out there and they
don't really have the type of talent that you.

Speaker 5 (47:41):
Have, and it comes more cerebral game.

Speaker 3 (47:43):
It becomes more cerebral game and also taking care of
your body. You have bigger people moving faster. The collisions
are harder where you be able to run around stuff.
You can't run around stuff, so it's much The hashes
are smaller, so that makes a game much more close
quarters combat. You're more sore, you're more tired. It's just
a lot to deal with and you don't know it.
So basically, the unknown, like coming into your second year

(48:04):
or your third year or your fourth year, wheen you kind
of know how to prepare and what to do, is
such a big advantage compared to a new dude coming
into the situation regards side talented that person is, and
you're just dealing with all these things for the very
first time.

Speaker 2 (48:15):
Vince, don't worry. You will not offend Brian, Brian and
I from a big ten standpoint, he went the pit.
I grew up a pit football fan. So you're in
an acc room, my friend along with you, so you're good.
There's no Penn Steak guys in here, so you don't
have to worry about that. That's going to wrap up
our number one when we come back our number two.
Let's get Vince's thoughts on the current Pittsburgh Steelers. Lots
to talk about there. As the Steelers wrap up their

(48:36):
final week of OTA's they break for a little over
a month before they report to Latrobe on July twenty eighth.
He's Vince Williams, He's double B Brian Bacco. I'm at Trupe.
It is the Steelers standard here on Steelers Nation Radio,
part of the Steelers Audio Network.