August 11, 2025 • 35 mins
Labs and Tom play some sound from the locker room following the win against the Jags. Roosevelt Nix joins the booth to remember his career.
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Iheartradios Live coverage job not twenty twenty five Steelers Training Camp.
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(00:27):
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Speaker 2 (00:33):
Tom off from me and Bob Labriola back on the
training camp reports. Got a lot of locker room sound
that we're going to play here in this segment, but
before we get to it, Labs and the first one
we'll hear from is Mason Rudolph. In his postgame press conference.
He had a SoundBite along these lines. But God, that
had to feel so good for him, huh, going out
there having that seven for seven first drive finishing off
with a touchdown to Darnell Washington. You know, he had
(00:56):
that three game stretch at the end of the twenty
twenty three season with the Steelers where he got the
Steelers off the mat, helped get the Steelers off the
mat and get them into the playoffs, eventually falling to
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in a game that
I think was a little bit closer than some people
might remember it being Mason Rudolph held his own in
that game, for sure. He goes to Tennessee last year
(01:17):
Labs and it just gets a couple starts as he
and Will Howard or excuse me, Will Levis kind of
play musical chairs. There. Never really was able to get
things working out with a team that was just terrible,
the worst team in football, as they picked number one
in the draft this year, back in Pittsburgh where he's familiar,
in a great start as far as his first game action.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yeah, and you know, Mason Rudolph, as you mentioned, has
fairly regularly showed his value to the Steelers in the
roles that he has filled for the team at different
times in his career. And you know, kudos to Mason Rudolph,
(02:00):
because quarterbacks are valued in this league. They're sought after
in this league. But you have to be willing to
be able. You have to be willing to do what
the team needs from you and not what you think
you should mean to the team. If you understand what
(02:20):
I'm saying, and so you know sometimes that what it's
involved in that is putting a little bit of your
ego aside and maybe not or understanding you know, what
your ceiling is in terms of a roster spot. And
then you know, being a good teammate and a good
(02:42):
employee and preparing yourself diligently so that what if and
when you are called upon, you were able to deliver,
and that is what that is how you establish job
security in the NFL at that position. And I think
Mason Rudolph now you know, as we're seeing him, I
won't say in his advanced years in the league, but
(03:04):
you know he's not a he's not a rookie anymore.
He's not in his rookie contract or any of that
kind of stuff anymore. Mason Rudolph is he has figured
it out. He gets it, and that is a compliment.
Not everyone does. And if you don't get it, then
your time in the league maybe is not as long
(03:26):
as it could have been. So yes, kudos to Mason
Rudolph for getting it. And then, as I mentioned, you
have to be able to deliver for your team in
the role that you are in. And you know, Mason
Rudolph is not the starting quarterback for the Steelers this year.
(03:47):
He is the backup, which is an important role. Aaron
Rodgers was I won't say bench, but he was held
out of the preseason opener against Jacksonville, So Mason Rudolph
got the start, and he did exactly what you're looking
for from that guy. Played very well within himself. He
was efficient, and he got you on the scoreboard, got
(04:10):
you in the end zone, which didn't have didn't necessarily
happen a lot last season opening drive touchdowns for the Steelers.
So yes, kudos to Mason Rudolph. Good job, well done.
You know, now you just try and keep it going.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Here was Saturday night's QB one at the podium following
the win against Jacksonville.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Don't all start at once.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Well that you enjoyed that.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
You had a lot of play action too.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
Right, huh?
Speaker 4 (04:41):
It was Yeah. Arthur did a good job calling some
aggressive shots over the middle, you know, first couple of
plays and first drive, so Broman Wilson made a nice,
really nice catch to kind of get us get us going.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
So it was fun, cool for you to be back there,
really cool, really fun.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Gonna be back in the Black and gold Man, just
a lot of friends, a lot of Deer friends, and
you know, coaches that I've spent a lot of time with,
and there's just a level of comfortability there that you
can't really replace.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
There's Mason Rudolph with what ended up being kind of
just a one on one with Jerry Dulac Labs. He
kind of ran into, I think some of the same
things that Mike Tomlin ran into at the podium there
where it's just like maybe there wasn't as much of
a crew that went down as far as people to
cover the game. They were spread out in the locker
room talking to other players. And we've heard from Mason,
and we hear from Aaron Rodgers fairly often at camp
as well. You might want to pick the brains of
(05:39):
some of the other guys you don't necessarily always talk to.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Right, And Mason Rudolph, as I was mentioning, his role
is is set.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah, there's no mystery to uncover, right, there's no Right.
Jerry really asked the only relevant questions, how was the
first drive? And is it good to be back?
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yeah? And you know, and in terms of how it
was the first and I'm not criticizing the question here,
Please do not misunderstand what I'm What I mean by
this is you can look at the statistics and see
how the first drive. You know, his numbers were spectacular.
(06:15):
You know, I don't know what else to say about it.
I mean, he was he was very good. He was
exactly what they wanted, what they needed, and he delivered. Yes,
check mark Mason, Rudolph.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Well, check mark to Skyler Thompson as well, LABS, because
he threw three touchdown passes in this game, and he
looked really efficient operating the offense as well when he
took over for Mason. And I don't know if there's
a spot on this roster for Skyler Thompson, Rudolph and Rogers,
and their role is set in stone. That's your starter
with Rogers, that's your backup with Rudolph. And Will Howard
(06:47):
is a sixth round pick who the team likes and
I think want to have in shoulder pads on game
days in the sideline as that emergency third string quarterback.
Thompson's track record and what he just put out on
film on Saturday night might allow him to find himself
on another roster and not just the Steelers practice squad.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Yeah, and hey, and the Will Howard situation, I mean,
I don't know how it's going to turn on. I
really don't.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
That's injury.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Yes, So I don't know if Skyler Thompson continues to
look and perform the way he did against the Jaguars.
You know, I don't think the Steelers are gonna cut
Will Howard either in the preseason. Maybe, and I don't
think they're going to keep four quarterbacks. And what I'm
(07:38):
saying is is maybe if Skylard Thompson continues to play
the way he is and Will Howard doesn't get a
chance to practice or play through the rest of the preseason,
maybe they just put him on ir you know, because
you're you know, if you want to keep three quarterbacks,
(07:59):
hold you know, have a roster spot for a third quarterback,
you also want to, uh, you want it to be
a guy that if you need him in an emergency,
or you need him in practice, or you know, he's
available to help the team in whatever way you know
you you you might need to help. So I love it.
(08:19):
It's it seems like when training camp opened, right up
until you know Will Howard was injured, the pecking order
of the quarterbacks was, you know, it had been determined.
Aaron Rodgers was the starter, Mason Rudolph was the the backup.
Will Howard as a sixth round valley who draft pick,
(08:40):
was the number three guy who was gonna, you know,
uh sit and learn as a rookie. Now he gets
into you know, Skylar Thompson was your fourth arm and
training camp because you've got to have four arms so
you're not wearing out the other three. But now it's
still Aaron Rodgers is order and Mason Rudolph as the backup.
(09:01):
But I don't know what to tell you about the
other two guys. I really don't. And Skyler Thompson can
make uh kind of force the Steeler's hand a little bit.
I think by continuing to perform, well, we'll see how
it works out.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Here's what Skyler Thompson had to say following his performance
Saturday night.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
What's a feeling like get the first one out there
and have some success?
Speaker 6 (09:22):
Yeah, you know, I had a lot of fun today.
I think that summarizes everything. I was excited to be
out there and get some opportunities and go play some
football and just had a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Had a lot of fun today.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
What do you feel like was clicking pretty yards of
some offense.
Speaker 6 (09:35):
Man, I thought it started with Arthur just getting to
plays inefficiently and being able to operate. I thought we
had a good rhythm and tempo.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
In and out of the huddle all day to day.
And I you know, I think that kind.
Speaker 6 (09:44):
Of starts starts everything off, you know, and kind of
felt like we got into a good rhythm and guys
were just clicking and we're on the same page, and
guys were making plays and guys.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Were Obviously the plan was just to come up and
work on a passing game on asking the first.
Speaker 6 (09:53):
One man, you know, whatever coach was gonna call, I was,
I was gonna excell here, you know, So there was
no plan.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Why don't you say we're gonna throw it?
Speaker 5 (10:02):
No?
Speaker 6 (10:03):
No, I mean, like like I said, I think we were,
you know, just Arthur did a great job of just
calling and calling the game today. You know, we had
a lot of our big stuff and stuff we've been
running for a while and got the guys to feel
confident in and guys made place.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
How much extra confidence does it give to you knowing
you went up against the first stringers for the Jags tonight.
Speaker 5 (10:22):
You know, to be honest, I even I didn't even know.
Speaker 6 (10:24):
I mean I I say that, but like saw Travis
hunting out there my first drive. You know, it's kind
of going into this and didn't really, you know, matter
who was on the other side of the ball. You know,
I was very confident in what we what we had
planned and my guys and just knew I just had
to go through my reading and execute and make make
some plays.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
See.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
It was quarterback Skyler Thompson speaking to the media in
the locker room following the Steelers win against Jacksonville and
Labsy gave a lot of credit to Arthur Smith, the
offensive coordinator there, and it really was a good game
plan for a vanilla game plan because you don't really
put into too much. But he made things easy for
the offense, and the offense executed it really well.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Yeah, you want to if you can, within reason in
these preseason games, if you can do things to put
your unit your players in position to have some success,
it just helps with the evaluation process. I mean, it
just does. If you, as I said, if you're you know,
trying to bang a round hole in a square peg,
(11:25):
and you're going three and out all the time, nothing
gets accomplished, and you leave the venue of the preseason
game not knowing any more about any of your individual
players or you know, what some of the concepts and
unit strengths, or you know you might want to look
look into more in detail for the regular season. You
(11:46):
really don't have any idea about any of that, and
it's wasted. It's a wasted trip, it's wasted time. And
so yeah, I I liked a lot of what Arthur
Smith did. He didn't give away anything, you know. That's
what I was kind of trying to explain earlier about
Tarall Austin. On defense, I don't think you want to
(12:09):
show all that much yet, even if it's you know,
maybe Arthur Smith is going to be used tempo and
quick passing in games, you know, on defense, I don't
know if you really want to show too much of
how you're gonna use those three cornerbacks and try and
marry them with your pressure packages and getting after the quarterback.
(12:31):
I just don't know whether you want to do that yet.
So it's a little bit different strategy in terms of
on offense, maybe you want to try and help your
players and the unit as a whole have some success,
so you can do the evaluation. On the other side,
you don't want to show anything because you don't want
to have that on video and tip off your opponents.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
We'll talk about tight end Darnell Washington in his touchdown
when we come back, and we'll hear from Darnell as well.
He spoke to the media very briefly following the game
against Jacksonville, and still to come. Later on in the show,
we're going to talk to former Steeler Roosevelt Nick, So
keep it right here. It's the Training Camp Report, Fox
Sports Pittsburgh nine seventy AM and the Steelers Audio network.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Fox Sports Pittsburgh, Tailgator Traffic.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
This report is sponsored by iHeart Advertising.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
Iheartradios Live Coverage job Dot twenty twenty five Steelers Training
Camp is presented by Fadex where Now meets Next and
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Speaker 2 (13:58):
Labs. I think now entering his third year, Darnell Washington
has established his reputation as one of the better blocking
tight ends in the NFL. I mean, shoot, you hear
people ask if maybe they could convert him to tackle
someday because of his size and the ability he's shown there.
But he's put on quite a display in the other
area that comes with playing tight end, the pass catching
(14:18):
area of that position. He's had a really good camp.
He's looked athletic. He's made plays, you know, not just
taking dump offs in the backfield, going down the field,
toe tapping in the end zone, and it was a
very skilled play that he made on Saturday night for
his touchdown.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Yeah, I agree with everything you said, and I do
think though, when you look at Darnell Washington's stat line
in the preseason opener, I think it's kind of what
fans should expect from him in terms of a receiver
once the regular season comes around. And by that, I
(14:54):
mean he was only targeted one time, but it was
for a nineteen yarder and a touchdow Uh. I don't
think Darnold Washington is ever gonna be one of your
volume catch tight ends, you know, you're not gonna throw
it to him. You're not gonna target him in double
digits every week. You know, he's not gonna be a
six seven eight catch game kind of tight end on
(15:17):
a regular basis. Maybe there are some things that evolve
in a particular game where you go to him more.
But this this is not Travis Kelcey. You know, this
is not Mark Andrews. This is not He's not one
of those guys where you're gonna, uh, he's gonna be
a big part of the passing game, but he can
be an effective part of the passing game. And to me,
(15:41):
that's that's his niche, and I think he can be
very good at it and very valuable to the team.
Uh in that role.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Here's what Darnell had to say following the game on
Saturday night.
Speaker 7 (15:51):
The whole offense as a whole just kind of went
out there in jail tonight and Mason.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Online everybody.
Speaker 7 (15:58):
You know tonight just the first up. Know, Uh, we
did put some great stuff on film, did uh not
so great? Uh s some bad stuff on film. I'll, i'll,
i'll kind of won't say bad, but you know, it's
just some stuff that we need to work on. Uh,
if that's technique, if that's communication, uh, you know definitely
like in the run game and things like that, and
just like just the details just to act a little
(16:19):
bit a little more detailed to our stuff. But I
mean once we c click clean that up, then I
feel like, you know, sky's the limit. It's only you
know day, our first pre season game, so I we
got a long, long long ways until you know season
any things like that.
Speaker 6 (16:33):
And I mean, you guys have a really big epis
of some playing clean and mistake free probably free that
kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
How does that merry.
Speaker 6 (16:42):
With actual execution to being able to go down and
score touch on after drive?
Speaker 3 (16:45):
It's big, you know.
Speaker 7 (16:46):
Uh we talk about pre snap penalty that's jumping out sides,
that's uh, you know, things like that, even post snap
penalty holding. You know, like all that stuff can come
back and bite us, you know, in the blood at
the end.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So I feel like that's probably the bet.
Speaker 7 (17:00):
The key thing if you want to be a good
offense is eliminate all the penalties and things like that
so we can't execute the players, so we don't got
to worry about, oh, we just got a big play
all while they're calling it back because of this. So
I feel like once we clean all that out of
the hours, nor Sky's.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Alma Steelers tight end Darnell Washington following the game against
Jacksonville and Labs what you were saying before we played
that SoundBite from him in the locker room, It's so true.
You know, this isn't Travis Kelcey, this isn't Mark Andrews,
George Kittle. He's not gonna be one of the elite
of the elite tight ends. If down the road he
wants to become that, I'm not gonna hold him back,
but that's just not what you should expect right now
this year. But with the other two, Pat Freyermuth and
(17:38):
John new Smith and the ability that they can bring
to the passing game, you know, Darnell's gonna be out
there a lot, Labs. He's gonna help out in protection,
He's gonna run some routes. It's hard for me to
think this way or wrap my head around what I'm
about to say, because he's six foot seven, three hundred pounds,
it seems, but it's almost like the defense might forget
about him at some point in the game, right like
you got John whu you got pat das he might
(18:00):
be hurting you. And then all of a sudden, how
did Darnell Washington get all the way down the field
the seam rumbling for fifty yards?
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Right? And that's what I was getting to when I
was saying that he's not going to be a high
volume guy, but he can have an impact. Yes, he
is going to at different times, in different situations. He
could really hurt a defense with a catch and then
(18:29):
maybe the next time he draws a little bit more
attention from the defense. He attracts some more attention from
the defense and creates an opportunity for someone else. So
you know that also has value for the offense and
for the team. So again, you know, looking at Darnell
(18:51):
Washington's stats lines in the future, and you look at
his targets and catches, and I just would guard against
judging his performance or his impact on that alone because
I do believe you know that we talk about you know, video,
video makes the rounds, So everybody's gonna be seeing, you know,
(19:15):
Darnel Washington's play against the Jaguars. Maybe he makes you know,
another one or two over the next couple of preseason games,
similar to that. Well, now, when you get into the
regular season and teams start preparing for you, they're gonna
have to either prepare for that, for him, for that
(19:35):
or risk having that happen to them if they ignore him. So, yes,
he's a matchup problem, and he's a matchup problem, I
think for the opposition in two facets as a blocker
and as a receiver. And you know, for me right now,
(20:00):
I'm not moving him to offensive tackle because I think
that the guy can really have some impact at tight
end at that position.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Now I do as well, and I like that he
is going to also be an asset and what we've
already known that he's good at and helping in past
protection and helping out in the running game as far
as blocking is concerned. And you know, for Broderick Jones
and for his transition to left tackle being as important
as it is this year, he's got some really good
side cars the vet Isaac Camalu on his right hip
(20:30):
and most of the time, I'm sure you're going to
see number eighty on his left side. But to kind
of bring us back to what we started the show
with today, Labs, I'm encouraged with what I saw from
Broderick Jones. So, yeah, he's got the ability to you know,
turn to Isaac cm while he turned to Darnell Washington
at times and get some help. But he just might
not need it. And that is an extra bonus for
(20:50):
the Steelers. Then they can really start doing some fun
things with that offense and where they start moving bodies around.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Yeah, hopefully Baby Steps.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Getting too excited ont a preseason game.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Yeah, you know, And I'm not. I just the only
thing I the reason I talk like this is, uh,
you don't want to raise expectations to a point where
they become crushing. I get Broderick joneses in his third year.
He's a number one pick, a guy they traded up
to draft. It's time for him to produce all that stuff. Yes,
(21:26):
I'm on board with all of that, but thinking that
you can put him out there every week without any help,
He's not Anthony Munos. I mean, he's just you know,
and that's not a that's not a criticism. There aren't
any other Anthony Muno's's. That's the thing. That's why he's
in the Hall of Fame. So I just you know,
(21:48):
as I said, Baby Steps.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
No doubt about it. It is exciting to see that
first baby step happen though, and yeah, that's what we
saw against Jacksonville. And exciting to see that offensive line
because it really Matt Williams and I were talking on
the pregame show on dv Labs, it's an X factor
that offensive line in Broderick shown specifically, if they want
to do the things that they have in mind on offense,
they need that unit to allow them to do it.
(22:14):
And they did. They did on Saturday. They had really
good protection all the way down to the second and
the third team.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Yes, and you know, just to expand it a little bit,
I mean troth Faultano as well, No doubt you know
he is. I won't call him a question mark because
that's not fair, but he's not a finished product. I
think that is fair. And so I think the offensive
tackles for the Steelers are going to hold a key
(22:41):
to the success of the offensive unit, and then maybe
the offense then by extension, holds the key to the
success of the entire team. And when you look at
this the depth chart, the guys behind your two former
number one pick are respectfully journeymen. They're guys that you
(23:06):
can maybe put in for a part of a game,
or maybe a game or two if you need them,
and they can help you get through that. But if
you can't, those guys can't be expected to start ten
fifteen game regular season game for you and perform to
the level of the guys you drafted number one. I mean,
(23:27):
it's I mean, that's just that's not fair. It's delusional
to think that we're expected.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
When Labs and I come back, we will talk with
former Steeler Roosevelt Nicks. He will stop by he's up
in practice today and share some memories from his time
as a Steeler and maybe talk about some special teams
things with us. Such an important time of year for that.
It's Labs and Tom on the Training Camp Report, Fox
Sports Pittsburgh nine seventy AM and the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
I Heart Radios Live coverage'll Steelers Training Camp. He's presented
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(24:20):
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Speaker 2 (24:29):
Tom op from n and Bob Labriola. Back on the
training camp report, please to be joined now by former
Steeler Roosevelt Nicks, who's hanging out at practice today. Rosie,
thanks so much for jumping on for the next couple
of minutes.
Speaker 5 (24:39):
Man, Thanks for having me. Man.
Speaker 8 (24:41):
You know, I love being here. I love being a Steeler.
I just appreciate you guys having me today.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
Man, it's beautiful, Okay, Rosie, So let's get started. You
played for college football Kent State. They listed you as
a five eleven, two hundred and sixty pound defensive tackle.
So what was it like for you, you know, during pre
draft process when you became draft eligible? I mean, how
did scouts look at you?
Speaker 8 (25:05):
You know, it was tough. That was a tough time.
That was a lot of That was a humbling time
for me. Really, it was a deciding deciding factor in
my career on how I was going to move forward
and and and play.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
This game of football that I loved so much.
Speaker 8 (25:18):
So, you know, once I got the news or started
really setting in that it wasn't going to be d
line anymore, I just immediately started with a diet and
weight control and trying to get down as fast as
I could to a respectable weight where I could still
be strong and fast and the athletic inside the NFL.
Speaker 5 (25:37):
So I just that's the.
Speaker 8 (25:39):
First place I started, and then I started with ball
drills and kind of special teams drills and stuff like that,
and just continue to press that part of my game
and make sure it was the forefront.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
So did they talk to you about fullback or did
you make yourself into one and then present yourself to
them as a fullback.
Speaker 8 (25:56):
I made myself into a linebacker. Okay, that was when
prote's as athletes, So I was doing my prode as
an athlete, but it was signed up as a defensive
line linebacker. So you know, essentially it's just the offensive
of linebacker, but you know, you got to have some
ball catching abilities and some some top end speed, so
(26:17):
all those things I was just naturally gifted with physically
able to do. So it really wasn't that crazy of
a transition. It was more so learning offensive scheme and
playbook and applying that part to my game.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
So you were signed as a rookie free agent by Atlanta, Yeah,
and then it didn't work out there. Uh, and then
you came to Pittsburgh. Why did you pick pick Pittsburgh
or Pittsburgh pick Pittsburgh, pick me? And that's that's that's
really what it came down to. You know, when you're
undrafted guy, you don't have any film, any preseason film
or anything of that nature. You know, you got to
(26:52):
take the opportunities that are given to you. And when
Pittsburgh called me, they wanted me to work out as
a linebacker. They knew I didn't have any film, any
history with linebacker. They just really wanted to work me
out and see what they could do, see if they
can make something out of me. I did the tryout,
I did it well. I did it very well, and
they ended up signing me as a linebacker.
Speaker 8 (27:10):
But then probably within two weeks or so, coach Tomlin
was moving me to fullback. Said he wanted to see
what I could do. So that's how we ended up
at the fullback position.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
So your first summer here, it wasn't your first training camp,
but your first summer here, you come to the same
fens and culchould you think of its place.
Speaker 8 (27:29):
You know, it was new. Honestly when I went to Atlanta,
the training camp. I was only there for like a week,
a week and a half. I got equivalent a cut
on there Friday night light, so it was like a
week and a half. So I really didn't have much
time to really get in and experience the whole thing there.
But when I came here, you know, I had that
little bit of experience on my resume. It didn't quite
(27:50):
translate to real experience like I would like it to,
but it was enough to get like, Okay, this is
how you lock in, this is how you get away
from the city, and you know, become one with the
team and one with the playbook. So when I came here,
I just really entrenched myself in the ideology of the
history of Steelers and the tradition of being a stealer
(28:12):
and all those greats that have came through Saint Vincent's
before me.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
So you listed as a fullback, and if you look
at your stats, your all time stats, I got them here.
Four total carries, but you had one touchdown. Uh huh,
you had twelve total catches in one touchdown, but you
made the Pro Bowl in twenty seventeen. Yeah, how would
you describe your job in the NFL.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
My job, specifically the NF.
Speaker 8 (28:38):
My job in the NFL, specifically with the Steelers, was
to be the best role player that you can be.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
Plus more.
Speaker 8 (28:49):
Right, when I played here in Pittsburgh, I like to
say we had the best teams that didn't win.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Right.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
We had, we had ab we had been.
Speaker 8 (28:56):
We had a lot of powerful, majestical you know, football players.
And my job wasn't to be that those guys. My
job was to do some of the dirty work, to
bring in passion, to bring all of the enthusiasm, excitement,
hard hits. And I took my I took pride in that.
So that was my job.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
So Danny Smith was a special teams coach. He's still here,
He's still here. I can't wait to see him in
a minute. And so describe his style? How did how
did he present himself and the importance to special teams,
not just to you, but to every rookie who is here.
Speaker 8 (29:34):
He just let it be known. You know, you ain't
gonna be catching balls, you ain't gonna be running the ball.
You're gonna be playing special teams. And if you want
to be successful, you're gonna start on the special teams.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
You know, people don't know that.
Speaker 8 (29:45):
But one the TJ wat's first years, he was right
beside me on special teams, you know, until he graduated.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
Obviously he was always TJ.
Speaker 8 (29:53):
But you know, TJ I was on special teams like
I tell you know the youth, I tell all kids
all the time. And nowadays, like you know, special teams
is a way, you know, I know, they're changing the
rules and stuff and making it a little bit more
challenging and.
Speaker 5 (30:06):
Specific to the play.
Speaker 8 (30:08):
But you know a lot of guys ain't getting paid
hundreds of million dollars to be on special teams. Like
somebody got to do it. You know, you might as
well put your hand in the power and be willing.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
To you know.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
So what special teams? Were you on?
Speaker 5 (30:20):
All of them?
Speaker 8 (30:21):
So punk return, kick off return?
Speaker 5 (30:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (30:26):
So do you did you grow to love it or
did you just realize, hey, this is what I have
to do to have a career.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
Oh no, I loved it. It was my way to shine, right.
I wasn't catching touchdowns. You just said I touched the
ball four times in five years. Come on, I gotta
make plays. You know.
Speaker 8 (30:45):
It's time for me to get my face on the
screen with a tackle, you know what I mean? So
that was that was that was how I made my recognition,
and I loved making recognition.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
You know. So you're on the punk team. You blocked
the punt? I think I remember that several Yeah, was
it in Cleveland?
Speaker 8 (31:02):
I dropped it. I blocked a few punts. I think
I'm blocked. The one is Atlanta. Maybe I'm not sure
Carolina to make the team, but.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
You, uh, as I just mentioned, you scored two touchdowns
in the NFL, blocked a couple of punts. What was
more thrilling for you personally? Man?
Speaker 8 (31:19):
I think I think, I think scoring scoring is a
is a beautiful thing. I really wasn't too familiar with that,
and uh, every time we I score, we needed it,
So it was it was quite exhilarating to know that
you make those moments, you know.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
So take me through a situation where you blocked the punt.
How how does that happen?
Speaker 5 (31:39):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (31:40):
Is there a plan or is it just physical effort?
Is it a play like an offensive play where everybody
has a job or is it Joe break to the
to the punter.
Speaker 8 (31:49):
I mean everybody, there is always a plan, right, anybody
that's on the football field. They should have a plan right,
and then of course the next thing after the plan
is the physical ability to get that play and done right.
I think with blocking kicks and special features in the
game like that, I think it takes a little bit
of a grit more so than anything, Like you just
(32:12):
really gotta want it. You got to really just remove
all obstacles and just get it. You know, nothing can
really you got to have that attitude that nothing is
going to stop you from making this play.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
Talk to me about covering kickoffs. What's that like?
Speaker 5 (32:25):
It's like a roller coaster man. You know.
Speaker 8 (32:28):
It's like you push yourself to run as fast as
you can, dodge a few people and make a play,
you know what I mean. Like, it's really simple when
you think about it. You have a line and you
run down to catch the ball like Seaball hit ball.
Like that's really That's really what it was for me,
and that's how I approach this.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
So, so when you watch football now and they've changed
the kickoff rules, you like the rules that they've changed.
Do you think it makes it easier or harder for
guys to make the team doing what you did? How
how do you view that?
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Oh, it's definitely harder to make the team now, right.
I mean, I.
Speaker 8 (33:04):
Love the game of football so much. I respect the
game of football so much. You know, the rules are
the rules, you know. I think that with the new rules,
I don't know if my game play will been respected
as it is now. But you know, everything is changing, right.
The guys got to get used to it, so it's new.
(33:25):
I think. You know, there's people still scoring, so I
think it'll be around. But it sucks to.
Speaker 5 (33:30):
See some of the things changing, you know.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
Okay, Rosie, we'll get you out of here on this.
If you had could have the opportunity to speak to
all rookies, all rookies, explain to them what their path
is to make an NFL roster.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Explain with them what their path to make it and.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
What do they have to do.
Speaker 5 (33:55):
You got to be serious about your craft.
Speaker 8 (33:57):
You have to be a professional in all aspects of
your life.
Speaker 5 (34:01):
You have to.
Speaker 8 (34:01):
Remove the distractions, and you have to be focused on
the goal.
Speaker 5 (34:07):
Whatever that goal is.
Speaker 8 (34:08):
If it's to be in the league, if it's to
be a Hall of Fame, if it's to be a
pro bowler. You have to follow success and understand that
success leaves clues, and you have to be a student
of the game. And first and foremost, more than any
of that, you have to respect the game because it's
(34:28):
a powerful game that will humble you very quickly.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Rosie, this was awesome. Thanks so much for sitting down
with us. It was great stuff. Enjoy your time at practicing.
Joy your time hanging out with Danny smith Man.
Speaker 8 (34:39):
Thank you, brother. I'm excited to get down there, man,
I really am. I appreciate you guys having me.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Did he ever share any bubble gum with you?
Speaker 5 (34:46):
Yeah, that's my mame. Man. He got a big tub
of it. You know what I mean. You know where
he gets it, where you get it from.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
He gets it from the Pirates when they're done with
their baseball season.
Speaker 5 (34:57):
He goes back picks it all they send it to him.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
He's big time.
Speaker 5 (35:00):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go pick no dishrespect. I'm always big time.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
I know now.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
I appreciate you, guys, man, Thank you so much. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Roosevelt Nick. That's former Steeler at Roosevelt Nicks. Great hearing
from him, and that's gonna do it for LABS and
myself today on the training camp report practice. Just a
few minutes away. West Steeler and Matt Williamson are gonna
check in for the drive. They'll take you through Steelers practice.
It is in shells today, just helmets out there for
the Steelers, no pads for the penultimate practice of twenty
twenty five training camp. Labs and I are back again
(35:30):
tomorrow at noon on Fox Sports Pittsburgh nine seventy am
and the Steelers Audio Network
Iheartradios Live coverage job not twenty twenty five Steelers Training Camp.
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by us Steel.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Tom off from me and Bob Labriola back on the
training camp reports. Got a lot of locker room sound
that we're going to play here in this segment, but
before we get to it, Labs and the first one
we'll hear from is Mason Rudolph. In his postgame press conference.
He had a SoundBite along these lines. But God, that
had to feel so good for him, huh, going out
there having that seven for seven first drive finishing off
with a touchdown to Darnell Washington. You know, he had
(00:56):
that three game stretch at the end of the twenty
twenty three season with the Steelers where he got the
Steelers off the mat, helped get the Steelers off the
mat and get them into the playoffs, eventually falling to
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in a game that
I think was a little bit closer than some people
might remember it being Mason Rudolph held his own in
that game, for sure. He goes to Tennessee last year
(01:17):
Labs and it just gets a couple starts as he
and Will Howard or excuse me, Will Levis kind of
play musical chairs. There. Never really was able to get
things working out with a team that was just terrible,
the worst team in football, as they picked number one
in the draft this year, back in Pittsburgh where he's familiar,
in a great start as far as his first game action.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Yeah, and you know, Mason Rudolph, as you mentioned, has
fairly regularly showed his value to the Steelers in the
roles that he has filled for the team at different
times in his career. And you know, kudos to Mason Rudolph,
(02:00):
because quarterbacks are valued in this league. They're sought after
in this league. But you have to be willing to
be able. You have to be willing to do what
the team needs from you and not what you think
you should mean to the team. If you understand what
(02:20):
I'm saying, and so you know sometimes that what it's
involved in that is putting a little bit of your
ego aside and maybe not or understanding you know, what
your ceiling is in terms of a roster spot. And
then you know, being a good teammate and a good
(02:42):
employee and preparing yourself diligently so that what if and
when you are called upon, you were able to deliver,
and that is what that is how you establish job
security in the NFL at that position. And I think
Mason Rudolph now you know, as we're seeing him, I
won't say in his advanced years in the league, but
(03:04):
you know he's not a he's not a rookie anymore.
He's not in his rookie contract or any of that
kind of stuff anymore. Mason Rudolph is he has figured
it out. He gets it, and that is a compliment.
Not everyone does. And if you don't get it, then
your time in the league maybe is not as long
(03:26):
as it could have been. So yes, kudos to Mason
Rudolph for getting it. And then, as I mentioned, you
have to be able to deliver for your team in
the role that you are in. And you know, Mason
Rudolph is not the starting quarterback for the Steelers this year.
(03:47):
He is the backup, which is an important role. Aaron
Rodgers was I won't say bench, but he was held
out of the preseason opener against Jacksonville, So Mason Rudolph
got the start, and he did exactly what you're looking
for from that guy. Played very well within himself. He
was efficient, and he got you on the scoreboard, got
(04:10):
you in the end zone, which didn't have didn't necessarily
happen a lot last season opening drive touchdowns for the Steelers.
So yes, kudos to Mason Rudolph. Good job, well done.
You know, now you just try and keep it going.
Speaker 2 (04:28):
Here was Saturday night's QB one at the podium following
the win against Jacksonville.
Speaker 3 (04:32):
Don't all start at once.
Speaker 4 (04:36):
Well that you enjoyed that.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
You had a lot of play action too.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
Right, huh?
Speaker 4 (04:41):
It was Yeah. Arthur did a good job calling some
aggressive shots over the middle, you know, first couple of
plays and first drive, so Broman Wilson made a nice,
really nice catch to kind of get us get us going.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
So it was fun, cool for you to be back there,
really cool, really fun.
Speaker 4 (05:02):
Gonna be back in the Black and gold Man, just
a lot of friends, a lot of Deer friends, and
you know, coaches that I've spent a lot of time with,
and there's just a level of comfortability there that you
can't really replace.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
There's Mason Rudolph with what ended up being kind of
just a one on one with Jerry Dulac Labs. He
kind of ran into, I think some of the same
things that Mike Tomlin ran into at the podium there
where it's just like maybe there wasn't as much of
a crew that went down as far as people to
cover the game. They were spread out in the locker
room talking to other players. And we've heard from Mason,
and we hear from Aaron Rodgers fairly often at camp
as well. You might want to pick the brains of
(05:39):
some of the other guys you don't necessarily always talk to.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Right, And Mason Rudolph, as I was mentioning, his role
is is set.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Yeah, there's no mystery to uncover, right, there's no Right.
Jerry really asked the only relevant questions, how was the
first drive? And is it good to be back?
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Yeah? And you know, and in terms of how it
was the first and I'm not criticizing the question here,
Please do not misunderstand what I'm What I mean by
this is you can look at the statistics and see
how the first drive. You know, his numbers were spectacular.
(06:15):
You know, I don't know what else to say about it.
I mean, he was he was very good. He was
exactly what they wanted, what they needed, and he delivered. Yes,
check mark Mason, Rudolph.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
Well, check mark to Skyler Thompson as well, LABS, because
he threw three touchdown passes in this game, and he
looked really efficient operating the offense as well when he
took over for Mason. And I don't know if there's
a spot on this roster for Skyler Thompson, Rudolph and Rogers,
and their role is set in stone. That's your starter
with Rogers, that's your backup with Rudolph. And Will Howard
(06:47):
is a sixth round pick who the team likes and
I think want to have in shoulder pads on game
days in the sideline as that emergency third string quarterback.
Thompson's track record and what he just put out on
film on Saturday night might allow him to find himself
on another roster and not just the Steelers practice squad.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Yeah, and hey, and the Will Howard situation, I mean,
I don't know how it's going to turn on. I
really don't.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
That's injury.
Speaker 3 (07:17):
Yes, So I don't know if Skyler Thompson continues to
look and perform the way he did against the Jaguars.
You know, I don't think the Steelers are gonna cut
Will Howard either in the preseason. Maybe, and I don't
think they're going to keep four quarterbacks. And what I'm
(07:38):
saying is is maybe if Skylard Thompson continues to play
the way he is and Will Howard doesn't get a
chance to practice or play through the rest of the preseason,
maybe they just put him on ir you know, because
you're you know, if you want to keep three quarterbacks,
(07:59):
hold you know, have a roster spot for a third quarterback,
you also want to, uh, you want it to be
a guy that if you need him in an emergency,
or you need him in practice, or you know, he's
available to help the team in whatever way you know
you you you might need to help. So I love it.
(08:19):
It's it seems like when training camp opened, right up
until you know Will Howard was injured, the pecking order
of the quarterbacks was, you know, it had been determined.
Aaron Rodgers was the starter, Mason Rudolph was the the backup.
Will Howard as a sixth round valley who draft pick,
(08:40):
was the number three guy who was gonna, you know,
uh sit and learn as a rookie. Now he gets
into you know, Skylar Thompson was your fourth arm and
training camp because you've got to have four arms so
you're not wearing out the other three. But now it's
still Aaron Rodgers is order and Mason Rudolph as the backup.
(09:01):
But I don't know what to tell you about the
other two guys. I really don't. And Skyler Thompson can
make uh kind of force the Steeler's hand a little bit.
I think by continuing to perform, well, we'll see how
it works out.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Here's what Skyler Thompson had to say following his performance
Saturday night.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
What's a feeling like get the first one out there
and have some success?
Speaker 6 (09:22):
Yeah, you know, I had a lot of fun today.
I think that summarizes everything. I was excited to be
out there and get some opportunities and go play some
football and just had a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Had a lot of fun today.
Speaker 5 (09:32):
What do you feel like was clicking pretty yards of
some offense.
Speaker 6 (09:35):
Man, I thought it started with Arthur just getting to
plays inefficiently and being able to operate. I thought we
had a good rhythm and tempo.
Speaker 5 (09:41):
In and out of the huddle all day to day.
And I you know, I think that kind.
Speaker 6 (09:44):
Of starts starts everything off, you know, and kind of
felt like we got into a good rhythm and guys
were just clicking and we're on the same page, and
guys were making plays and guys.
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Were Obviously the plan was just to come up and
work on a passing game on asking the first.
Speaker 6 (09:53):
One man, you know, whatever coach was gonna call, I was,
I was gonna excell here, you know, So there was
no plan.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Why don't you say we're gonna throw it?
Speaker 5 (10:02):
No?
Speaker 6 (10:03):
No, I mean, like like I said, I think we were,
you know, just Arthur did a great job of just
calling and calling the game today. You know, we had
a lot of our big stuff and stuff we've been
running for a while and got the guys to feel
confident in and guys made place.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
How much extra confidence does it give to you knowing
you went up against the first stringers for the Jags tonight.
Speaker 5 (10:22):
You know, to be honest, I even I didn't even know.
Speaker 6 (10:24):
I mean I I say that, but like saw Travis
hunting out there my first drive. You know, it's kind
of going into this and didn't really, you know, matter
who was on the other side of the ball. You know,
I was very confident in what we what we had
planned and my guys and just knew I just had
to go through my reading and execute and make make
some plays.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
See.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
It was quarterback Skyler Thompson speaking to the media in
the locker room following the Steelers win against Jacksonville and
Labsy gave a lot of credit to Arthur Smith, the
offensive coordinator there, and it really was a good game
plan for a vanilla game plan because you don't really
put into too much. But he made things easy for
the offense, and the offense executed it really well.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
Yeah, you want to if you can, within reason in
these preseason games, if you can do things to put
your unit your players in position to have some success,
it just helps with the evaluation process. I mean, it
just does. If you, as I said, if you're you know,
trying to bang a round hole in a square peg,
(11:25):
and you're going three and out all the time, nothing
gets accomplished, and you leave the venue of the preseason
game not knowing any more about any of your individual
players or you know, what some of the concepts and
unit strengths, or you know you might want to look
look into more in detail for the regular season. You
(11:46):
really don't have any idea about any of that, and
it's wasted. It's a wasted trip, it's wasted time. And
so yeah, I I liked a lot of what Arthur
Smith did. He didn't give away anything, you know. That's
what I was kind of trying to explain earlier about
Tarall Austin. On defense, I don't think you want to
(12:09):
show all that much yet, even if it's you know,
maybe Arthur Smith is going to be used tempo and
quick passing in games, you know, on defense, I don't
know if you really want to show too much of
how you're gonna use those three cornerbacks and try and
marry them with your pressure packages and getting after the quarterback.
(12:31):
I just don't know whether you want to do that yet.
So it's a little bit different strategy in terms of
on offense, maybe you want to try and help your
players and the unit as a whole have some success,
so you can do the evaluation. On the other side,
you don't want to show anything because you don't want
to have that on video and tip off your opponents.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
We'll talk about tight end Darnell Washington in his touchdown
when we come back, and we'll hear from Darnell as well.
He spoke to the media very briefly following the game
against Jacksonville, and still to come. Later on in the show,
we're going to talk to former Steeler Roosevelt Nick, So
keep it right here. It's the Training Camp Report, Fox
Sports Pittsburgh nine seventy AM and the Steelers Audio network.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
Fox Sports Pittsburgh, Tailgator Traffic.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
This report is sponsored by iHeart Advertising.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
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Speaker 2 (13:58):
Labs. I think now entering his third year, Darnell Washington
has established his reputation as one of the better blocking
tight ends in the NFL. I mean, shoot, you hear
people ask if maybe they could convert him to tackle
someday because of his size and the ability he's shown there.
But he's put on quite a display in the other
area that comes with playing tight end, the pass catching
(14:18):
area of that position. He's had a really good camp.
He's looked athletic. He's made plays, you know, not just
taking dump offs in the backfield, going down the field,
toe tapping in the end zone, and it was a
very skilled play that he made on Saturday night for
his touchdown.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Yeah, I agree with everything you said, and I do
think though, when you look at Darnell Washington's stat line
in the preseason opener, I think it's kind of what
fans should expect from him in terms of a receiver
once the regular season comes around. And by that, I
(14:54):
mean he was only targeted one time, but it was
for a nineteen yarder and a touchdow Uh. I don't
think Darnold Washington is ever gonna be one of your
volume catch tight ends, you know, you're not gonna throw
it to him. You're not gonna target him in double
digits every week. You know, he's not gonna be a
six seven eight catch game kind of tight end on
(15:17):
a regular basis. Maybe there are some things that evolve
in a particular game where you go to him more.
But this this is not Travis Kelcey. You know, this
is not Mark Andrews. This is not He's not one
of those guys where you're gonna, uh, he's gonna be
a big part of the passing game, but he can
be an effective part of the passing game. And to me,
(15:41):
that's that's his niche, and I think he can be
very good at it and very valuable to the team.
Uh in that role.
Speaker 2 (15:49):
Here's what Darnell had to say following the game on
Saturday night.
Speaker 7 (15:51):
The whole offense as a whole just kind of went
out there in jail tonight and Mason.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Online everybody.
Speaker 7 (15:58):
You know tonight just the first up. Know, Uh, we
did put some great stuff on film, did uh not
so great? Uh s some bad stuff on film. I'll, i'll,
i'll kind of won't say bad, but you know, it's
just some stuff that we need to work on. Uh,
if that's technique, if that's communication, uh, you know definitely
like in the run game and things like that, and
just like just the details just to act a little
(16:19):
bit a little more detailed to our stuff. But I
mean once we c click clean that up, then I
feel like, you know, sky's the limit. It's only you
know day, our first pre season game, so I we
got a long, long long ways until you know season
any things like that.
Speaker 6 (16:33):
And I mean, you guys have a really big epis
of some playing clean and mistake free probably free that
kind of stuff.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
How does that merry.
Speaker 6 (16:42):
With actual execution to being able to go down and
score touch on after drive?
Speaker 3 (16:45):
It's big, you know.
Speaker 7 (16:46):
Uh we talk about pre snap penalty that's jumping out sides,
that's uh, you know, things like that, even post snap
penalty holding. You know, like all that stuff can come
back and bite us, you know, in the blood at
the end.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So I feel like that's probably the bet.
Speaker 7 (17:00):
The key thing if you want to be a good
offense is eliminate all the penalties and things like that
so we can't execute the players, so we don't got
to worry about, oh, we just got a big play
all while they're calling it back because of this. So
I feel like once we clean all that out of
the hours, nor Sky's.
Speaker 2 (17:16):
Alma Steelers tight end Darnell Washington following the game against
Jacksonville and Labs what you were saying before we played
that SoundBite from him in the locker room, It's so true.
You know, this isn't Travis Kelcey, this isn't Mark Andrews,
George Kittle. He's not gonna be one of the elite
of the elite tight ends. If down the road he
wants to become that, I'm not gonna hold him back,
but that's just not what you should expect right now
this year. But with the other two, Pat Freyermuth and
(17:38):
John new Smith and the ability that they can bring
to the passing game, you know, Darnell's gonna be out
there a lot, Labs. He's gonna help out in protection,
He's gonna run some routes. It's hard for me to
think this way or wrap my head around what I'm
about to say, because he's six foot seven, three hundred pounds,
it seems, but it's almost like the defense might forget
about him at some point in the game, right like
you got John whu you got pat das he might
(18:00):
be hurting you. And then all of a sudden, how
did Darnell Washington get all the way down the field
the seam rumbling for fifty yards?
Speaker 3 (18:07):
Right? And that's what I was getting to when I
was saying that he's not going to be a high
volume guy, but he can have an impact. Yes, he
is going to at different times, in different situations. He
could really hurt a defense with a catch and then
(18:29):
maybe the next time he draws a little bit more
attention from the defense. He attracts some more attention from
the defense and creates an opportunity for someone else. So
you know that also has value for the offense and
for the team. So again, you know, looking at Darnell
(18:51):
Washington's stats lines in the future, and you look at
his targets and catches, and I just would guard against
judging his performance or his impact on that alone because
I do believe you know that we talk about you know, video,
video makes the rounds, So everybody's gonna be seeing, you know,
(19:15):
Darnel Washington's play against the Jaguars. Maybe he makes you know,
another one or two over the next couple of preseason games,
similar to that. Well, now, when you get into the
regular season and teams start preparing for you, they're gonna
have to either prepare for that, for him, for that
(19:35):
or risk having that happen to them if they ignore him. So, yes,
he's a matchup problem, and he's a matchup problem, I
think for the opposition in two facets as a blocker
and as a receiver. And you know, for me right now,
(20:00):
I'm not moving him to offensive tackle because I think
that the guy can really have some impact at tight
end at that position.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Now I do as well, and I like that he
is going to also be an asset and what we've
already known that he's good at and helping in past
protection and helping out in the running game as far
as blocking is concerned. And you know, for Broderick Jones
and for his transition to left tackle being as important
as it is this year, he's got some really good
side cars the vet Isaac Camalu on his right hip
(20:30):
and most of the time, I'm sure you're going to
see number eighty on his left side. But to kind
of bring us back to what we started the show
with today, Labs, I'm encouraged with what I saw from
Broderick Jones. So, yeah, he's got the ability to you know,
turn to Isaac cm while he turned to Darnell Washington
at times and get some help. But he just might
not need it. And that is an extra bonus for
(20:50):
the Steelers. Then they can really start doing some fun
things with that offense and where they start moving bodies around.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Yeah, hopefully Baby Steps.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Getting too excited ont a preseason game.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Yeah, you know, And I'm not. I just the only
thing I the reason I talk like this is, uh,
you don't want to raise expectations to a point where
they become crushing. I get Broderick joneses in his third year.
He's a number one pick, a guy they traded up
to draft. It's time for him to produce all that stuff. Yes,
(21:26):
I'm on board with all of that, but thinking that
you can put him out there every week without any help,
He's not Anthony Munos. I mean, he's just you know,
and that's not a that's not a criticism. There aren't
any other Anthony Muno's's. That's the thing. That's why he's
in the Hall of Fame. So I just you know,
(21:48):
as I said, Baby Steps.
Speaker 2 (21:52):
No doubt about it. It is exciting to see that
first baby step happen though, and yeah, that's what we
saw against Jacksonville. And exciting to see that offensive line
because it really Matt Williams and I were talking on
the pregame show on dv Labs, it's an X factor
that offensive line in Broderick shown specifically, if they want
to do the things that they have in mind on offense,
they need that unit to allow them to do it.
(22:14):
And they did. They did on Saturday. They had really
good protection all the way down to the second and
the third team.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
Yes, and you know, just to expand it a little bit,
I mean troth Faultano as well, No doubt you know
he is. I won't call him a question mark because
that's not fair, but he's not a finished product. I
think that is fair. And so I think the offensive
tackles for the Steelers are going to hold a key
(22:41):
to the success of the offensive unit, and then maybe
the offense then by extension, holds the key to the
success of the entire team. And when you look at
this the depth chart, the guys behind your two former
number one pick are respectfully journeymen. They're guys that you
(23:06):
can maybe put in for a part of a game,
or maybe a game or two if you need them,
and they can help you get through that. But if
you can't, those guys can't be expected to start ten
fifteen game regular season game for you and perform to
the level of the guys you drafted number one. I mean,
(23:27):
it's I mean, that's just that's not fair. It's delusional
to think that we're expected.
Speaker 2 (23:33):
When Labs and I come back, we will talk with
former Steeler Roosevelt Nicks. He will stop by he's up
in practice today and share some memories from his time
as a Steeler and maybe talk about some special teams
things with us. Such an important time of year for that.
It's Labs and Tom on the Training Camp Report, Fox
Sports Pittsburgh nine seventy AM and the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
I Heart Radios Live coverage'll Steelers Training Camp. He's presented
by Petex where Now meets Next and also brought to
you by First National Bank, by Kalucy, Chevrolet Fire and
Workers Union Number three, by Easy Home Exteriors by S
and T Bank, we Max Select Realty, by Tom's Appliances,
(24:20):
The Pittsburgh Steelers Pro shot by Always See flagging and
traffic control and by US steel.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Tom op from n and Bob Labriola. Back on the
training camp report, please to be joined now by former
Steeler Roosevelt Nicks, who's hanging out at practice today. Rosie,
thanks so much for jumping on for the next couple
of minutes.
Speaker 5 (24:39):
Man, Thanks for having me. Man.
Speaker 8 (24:41):
You know, I love being here. I love being a Steeler.
I just appreciate you guys having me today.
Speaker 3 (24:45):
Man, it's beautiful, Okay, Rosie, So let's get started. You
played for college football Kent State. They listed you as
a five eleven, two hundred and sixty pound defensive tackle.
So what was it like for you, you know, during pre
draft process when you became draft eligible? I mean, how
did scouts look at you?
Speaker 8 (25:05):
You know, it was tough. That was a tough time.
That was a lot of That was a humbling time
for me. Really, it was a deciding deciding factor in
my career on how I was going to move forward
and and and play.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
This game of football that I loved so much.
Speaker 8 (25:18):
So, you know, once I got the news or started
really setting in that it wasn't going to be d
line anymore, I just immediately started with a diet and
weight control and trying to get down as fast as
I could to a respectable weight where I could still
be strong and fast and the athletic inside the NFL.
Speaker 5 (25:37):
So I just that's the.
Speaker 8 (25:39):
First place I started, and then I started with ball
drills and kind of special teams drills and stuff like that,
and just continue to press that part of my game
and make sure it was the forefront.
Speaker 3 (25:48):
So did they talk to you about fullback or did
you make yourself into one and then present yourself to
them as a fullback.
Speaker 8 (25:56):
I made myself into a linebacker. Okay, that was when
prote's as athletes, So I was doing my prode as
an athlete, but it was signed up as a defensive
line linebacker. So you know, essentially it's just the offensive
of linebacker, but you know, you got to have some
ball catching abilities and some some top end speed, so
(26:17):
all those things I was just naturally gifted with physically
able to do. So it really wasn't that crazy of
a transition. It was more so learning offensive scheme and
playbook and applying that part to my game.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
So you were signed as a rookie free agent by Atlanta, Yeah,
and then it didn't work out there. Uh, and then
you came to Pittsburgh. Why did you pick pick Pittsburgh
or Pittsburgh pick Pittsburgh, pick me? And that's that's that's
really what it came down to. You know, when you're
undrafted guy, you don't have any film, any preseason film
or anything of that nature. You know, you got to
(26:52):
take the opportunities that are given to you. And when
Pittsburgh called me, they wanted me to work out as
a linebacker. They knew I didn't have any film, any
history with linebacker. They just really wanted to work me
out and see what they could do, see if they
can make something out of me. I did the tryout,
I did it well. I did it very well, and
they ended up signing me as a linebacker.
Speaker 8 (27:10):
But then probably within two weeks or so, coach Tomlin
was moving me to fullback. Said he wanted to see
what I could do. So that's how we ended up
at the fullback position.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
So your first summer here, it wasn't your first training camp,
but your first summer here, you come to the same
fens and culchould you think of its place.
Speaker 8 (27:29):
You know, it was new. Honestly when I went to Atlanta,
the training camp. I was only there for like a week,
a week and a half. I got equivalent a cut
on there Friday night light, so it was like a
week and a half. So I really didn't have much
time to really get in and experience the whole thing there.
But when I came here, you know, I had that
little bit of experience on my resume. It didn't quite
(27:50):
translate to real experience like I would like it to,
but it was enough to get like, Okay, this is
how you lock in, this is how you get away
from the city, and you know, become one with the
team and one with the playbook. So when I came here,
I just really entrenched myself in the ideology of the
history of Steelers and the tradition of being a stealer
(28:12):
and all those greats that have came through Saint Vincent's
before me.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
So you listed as a fullback, and if you look
at your stats, your all time stats, I got them here.
Four total carries, but you had one touchdown. Uh huh,
you had twelve total catches in one touchdown, but you
made the Pro Bowl in twenty seventeen. Yeah, how would
you describe your job in the NFL.
Speaker 5 (28:36):
My job, specifically the NF.
Speaker 8 (28:38):
My job in the NFL, specifically with the Steelers, was
to be the best role player that you can be.
Speaker 5 (28:48):
Plus more.
Speaker 8 (28:49):
Right, when I played here in Pittsburgh, I like to
say we had the best teams that didn't win.
Speaker 3 (28:54):
Right.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
We had, we had ab we had been.
Speaker 8 (28:56):
We had a lot of powerful, majestical you know, football players.
And my job wasn't to be that those guys. My
job was to do some of the dirty work, to
bring in passion, to bring all of the enthusiasm, excitement,
hard hits. And I took my I took pride in that.
So that was my job.
Speaker 3 (29:17):
So Danny Smith was a special teams coach. He's still here,
He's still here. I can't wait to see him in
a minute. And so describe his style? How did how
did he present himself and the importance to special teams,
not just to you, but to every rookie who is here.
Speaker 8 (29:34):
He just let it be known. You know, you ain't
gonna be catching balls, you ain't gonna be running the ball.
You're gonna be playing special teams. And if you want
to be successful, you're gonna start on the special teams.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
You know, people don't know that.
Speaker 8 (29:45):
But one the TJ wat's first years, he was right
beside me on special teams, you know, until he graduated.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
Obviously he was always TJ.
Speaker 8 (29:53):
But you know, TJ I was on special teams like
I tell you know the youth, I tell all kids
all the time. And nowadays, like you know, special teams
is a way, you know, I know, they're changing the
rules and stuff and making it a little bit more
challenging and.
Speaker 5 (30:06):
Specific to the play.
Speaker 8 (30:08):
But you know a lot of guys ain't getting paid
hundreds of million dollars to be on special teams. Like
somebody got to do it. You know, you might as
well put your hand in the power and be willing.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
To you know.
Speaker 3 (30:18):
So what special teams? Were you on?
Speaker 5 (30:20):
All of them?
Speaker 8 (30:21):
So punk return, kick off return?
Speaker 5 (30:25):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (30:26):
So do you did you grow to love it or
did you just realize, hey, this is what I have
to do to have a career.
Speaker 5 (30:34):
Oh no, I loved it. It was my way to shine, right.
I wasn't catching touchdowns. You just said I touched the
ball four times in five years. Come on, I gotta
make plays. You know.
Speaker 8 (30:45):
It's time for me to get my face on the
screen with a tackle, you know what I mean? So
that was that was that was how I made my recognition,
and I loved making recognition.
Speaker 3 (30:54):
You know. So you're on the punk team. You blocked
the punt? I think I remember that several Yeah, was
it in Cleveland?
Speaker 8 (31:02):
I dropped it. I blocked a few punts. I think
I'm blocked. The one is Atlanta. Maybe I'm not sure
Carolina to make the team, but.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
You, uh, as I just mentioned, you scored two touchdowns
in the NFL, blocked a couple of punts. What was
more thrilling for you personally? Man?
Speaker 8 (31:19):
I think I think, I think scoring scoring is a
is a beautiful thing. I really wasn't too familiar with that,
and uh, every time we I score, we needed it,
So it was it was quite exhilarating to know that
you make those moments, you know.
Speaker 3 (31:34):
So take me through a situation where you blocked the punt.
How how does that happen?
Speaker 5 (31:39):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (31:40):
Is there a plan or is it just physical effort?
Is it a play like an offensive play where everybody
has a job or is it Joe break to the
to the punter.
Speaker 8 (31:49):
I mean everybody, there is always a plan, right, anybody
that's on the football field. They should have a plan right,
and then of course the next thing after the plan
is the physical ability to get that play and done right.
I think with blocking kicks and special features in the
game like that, I think it takes a little bit
of a grit more so than anything, Like you just
(32:12):
really gotta want it. You got to really just remove
all obstacles and just get it. You know, nothing can
really you got to have that attitude that nothing is
going to stop you from making this play.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
Talk to me about covering kickoffs. What's that like?
Speaker 5 (32:25):
It's like a roller coaster man. You know.
Speaker 8 (32:28):
It's like you push yourself to run as fast as
you can, dodge a few people and make a play,
you know what I mean. Like, it's really simple when
you think about it. You have a line and you
run down to catch the ball like Seaball hit ball.
Like that's really That's really what it was for me,
and that's how I approach this.
Speaker 3 (32:45):
So, so when you watch football now and they've changed
the kickoff rules, you like the rules that they've changed.
Do you think it makes it easier or harder for
guys to make the team doing what you did? How
how do you view that?
Speaker 5 (33:00):
Oh, it's definitely harder to make the team now, right.
I mean, I.
Speaker 8 (33:04):
Love the game of football so much. I respect the
game of football so much. You know, the rules are
the rules, you know. I think that with the new rules,
I don't know if my game play will been respected
as it is now. But you know, everything is changing, right.
The guys got to get used to it, so it's new.
(33:25):
I think. You know, there's people still scoring, so I
think it'll be around. But it sucks to.
Speaker 5 (33:30):
See some of the things changing, you know.
Speaker 3 (33:32):
Okay, Rosie, we'll get you out of here on this.
If you had could have the opportunity to speak to
all rookies, all rookies, explain to them what their path
is to make an NFL roster.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Explain with them what their path to make it and.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
What do they have to do.
Speaker 5 (33:55):
You got to be serious about your craft.
Speaker 8 (33:57):
You have to be a professional in all aspects of
your life.
Speaker 5 (34:01):
You have to.
Speaker 8 (34:01):
Remove the distractions, and you have to be focused on
the goal.
Speaker 5 (34:07):
Whatever that goal is.
Speaker 8 (34:08):
If it's to be in the league, if it's to
be a Hall of Fame, if it's to be a
pro bowler. You have to follow success and understand that
success leaves clues, and you have to be a student
of the game. And first and foremost, more than any
of that, you have to respect the game because it's
(34:28):
a powerful game that will humble you very quickly.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Rosie, this was awesome. Thanks so much for sitting down
with us. It was great stuff. Enjoy your time at practicing.
Joy your time hanging out with Danny smith Man.
Speaker 8 (34:39):
Thank you, brother. I'm excited to get down there, man,
I really am. I appreciate you guys having me.
Speaker 3 (34:44):
Did he ever share any bubble gum with you?
Speaker 5 (34:46):
Yeah, that's my mame. Man. He got a big tub
of it. You know what I mean. You know where
he gets it, where you get it from.
Speaker 3 (34:52):
He gets it from the Pirates when they're done with
their baseball season.
Speaker 5 (34:57):
He goes back picks it all they send it to him.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
He's big time.
Speaker 5 (35:00):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go pick no dishrespect. I'm always big time.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
I know now.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
I appreciate you, guys, man, Thank you so much. Thank you.
Speaker 2 (35:09):
Roosevelt Nick. That's former Steeler at Roosevelt Nicks. Great hearing
from him, and that's gonna do it for LABS and
myself today on the training camp report practice. Just a
few minutes away. West Steeler and Matt Williamson are gonna
check in for the drive. They'll take you through Steelers practice.
It is in shells today, just helmets out there for
the Steelers, no pads for the penultimate practice of twenty
twenty five training camp. Labs and I are back again
(35:30):
tomorrow at noon on Fox Sports Pittsburgh nine seventy am
and the Steelers Audio Network
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