Speaker 1: Alright, coach Tee, thanks for sitting down with us. We
Speaker 1: know it's busy here at the annual meetings. One of
Speaker 1: the things I wanted to ask, you know, as you
Speaker 1: kind of look at twenty twenty four, right the way
Speaker 1: the season started, ten wins in the first thirteen weeks,
Speaker 1: of course, go through a tough stretch at the end,
Speaker 1: last five games, not the desire result that you want.
Speaker 1: You've had time to kind of sit away from that.
Speaker 1: What do you take away from the twenty twenty four
Speaker 1: Pittsburgh Steelers.
Speaker 2: You know, if you look at the people that we played,
Speaker 2: particularly down the stretch, two Super Bowl teams Baltimore Ravens
Speaker 2: uh being in that collection, it shows that we didn't
Speaker 2: have the goods at the end. And I just see
Speaker 2: it with sober eyes as a coach, as a guy
Speaker 2: that puts the collective together, is responsible for the development
Speaker 2: of the collective over the course of the journey. We
Speaker 2: were not moving uh in the right direction in the end.
Speaker 2: That put us in that elite category. That's just truth.
Speaker 2: And so for me, it's about how do we how
Speaker 2: do we change that, How do we, you know, how
Speaker 2: do we stay in those considerations as a road against narrow.
Speaker 2: You know, we got to beat everyone if we desire
Speaker 2: to be world champ and and it wasn't us in
Speaker 2: twenty twenty four. And the way that the season ended
Speaker 2: really is just a you know, a hard, brutal realization
Speaker 2: of that truth.
Speaker 1: And so when we kind of look at what's happened,
Speaker 1: you know, with free agency and the acquisitions, you guys
Speaker 1: were busy right out the gate. So I just want
Speaker 1: to kind of talk about some of the guys that
Speaker 1: you had, especially on the offensive side. You add DK
Speaker 1: metcalf you add Addakanu gain Well, just kind of give
Speaker 1: me your thoughts on what those guys bring to the
Speaker 1: table and what they can add to the Steelers' offense.
Speaker 2: Well, for someone that you know that organizes defensive efforts
Speaker 2: for the larger part of my career, I can't underscore
Speaker 2: the significance of guy like DK. It's not only the
Speaker 2: plays that he makes, it's the schematics that a guy
Speaker 2: like him controls. We've competed against him as recently as
Speaker 2: twenty twenty three, and I just noted when you're playing
Speaker 2: DK metcalf man, it controls how you call coverage. You're
Speaker 2: very cognizant of one on one matchups, and so there's
Speaker 2: a statistical component of his contributions, but there's also an
Speaker 2: intangible component of his contributions that get distributed across an
Speaker 2: offensive unit to others that's equally as exciting. He's a
Speaker 2: difference maker. He is really significant, and so we're really
Speaker 2: excited about acquiring him and with gainwell Man, we played
Speaker 2: Philadelphia late in the year, he made some subtle yet
Speaker 2: really significant plays against US. A third down plays, third
Speaker 2: down and six, they throw him a swing route. He
Speaker 2: splits two defenders and gets a new set of downs
Speaker 2: and that ends up being a scoring drive. You know,
Speaker 2: I'm excited about getting a space player like that, a
Speaker 2: guy that can win in one on one circumstance where
Speaker 2: you could throw a swing route to him and absorb
Speaker 2: very little risk with big time potential gain. He's also
Speaker 2: a very reputable special teams contributor, not only as a
Speaker 2: return man but as a kick coverage guy. I don't
Speaker 2: think he gets enough credit for his talents in that area.
Speaker 1: Now year two for Arthar Smith and Pittsburgh, you know,
Speaker 1: having the helm of the offense, what are you looking
Speaker 1: at some of the changes and improvements for that offense?
Speaker 1: With that stasis.
Speaker 2: You know, certainly when I talk about rookies, for example,
Speaker 2: is reasonable to expect significant growth between year one and
Speaker 2: year two. But I can apply that analogy to any
Speaker 2: and all of us. As you mentioned, this is Arthur's
Speaker 2: second year in Pittsburgh, and so he's familiar with the
Speaker 2: culture within which he works. He's also familiar and more
Speaker 2: familiar with the players that we have, the ones that
Speaker 2: have been here and will continue to be here. And
Speaker 2: also he's been a component of the acquisition of the
Speaker 2: new players, guys like Kenny and d k and so
Speaker 2: it's reasonable to expect him and us as an offense
Speaker 2: and collective to take a significant step forward. I know
Speaker 2: that's our mindset as we lay in a foundation for it.
Speaker 1: And so, you know, stay on the office side of
Speaker 1: the ball. I feel like one of the things that's
Speaker 1: been significant, right You're looking at the quarterback room. Three
Speaker 1: guys from last year all have three new teams. We
Speaker 1: make the acquisitions to get a familiar face in Mason,
Speaker 1: also add a Skylar Thompson. Aaron Rodgers recently visited the
Speaker 1: team just kind of talk about the status of the
Speaker 1: quarterback room as it stands today.
Speaker 2: You know, we've been in turnover in that room. As
Speaker 2: you mentioned, none of the guys from twenty twenty four
Speaker 2: will be on our twenty twenty five roster. But I
Speaker 2: think that's one of the things that Mason Rudolph such
Speaker 2: an attractive acquisition for us. We know his talents, he's
Speaker 2: certainly capable. We like the intangible quality of him as
Speaker 2: a human, as a man, as a football worker. But
Speaker 2: I just think the familiarity is very comforting. You know,
Speaker 2: you're not always controlled, you're not always in control of continuity.
Speaker 2: All the guys that you mentioned were free agents and
Speaker 2: all on one year deals, and so that was a
Speaker 2: real reality that we're experiencing. But at the same time, man,
Speaker 2: I'm excited to be quite honest with you about about
Speaker 2: the acquisition of new talent. Uh. As you mentioned, h
Speaker 2: Aaron came and spend a day with uspan. We had
Speaker 2: an awesome day. And for a couple of guys like ourselves,
Speaker 2: me and and Aaron, to have been in the league
Speaker 2: as long as we have and to be familiar with
Speaker 2: one another, there's still no substitute for spending time together
Speaker 2: and and balancing ideas off of one another, and and
Speaker 2: and getting to know one another in a more intimate
Speaker 2: way beyond competition, and so that was exciting. The process
Speaker 2: of evaluating everyone at the position has been a fun,
Speaker 2: fun one and but fun for me is winning. And so,
Speaker 2: you know, the players that we acquire got we gotta train,
Speaker 2: we got to assimilate into our culture, and we got
Speaker 2: to get prepared to meet the challenges of competition in
Speaker 2: the fall and winter.
Speaker 1: And with that, you know, thinking about the twenty twenty
Speaker 1: four draft class, very few players did not have significant
Speaker 1: roles on the defense and offense as the year went on.
Speaker 1: Two of the guys I want to kind of focus
Speaker 1: on with the challenge and the opportunities Troy Fatano, Roman Wilson,
Speaker 1: kind of what are you expecting in them growth wise
Speaker 1: in year two?
Speaker 2: You know, and it might be seemingly unfair, but such
Speaker 2: as life, man, I expect significant growth from them and
Speaker 2: jumps from them because there are levels of participation with
Speaker 2: standing They've been a part of our culture, They've been
Speaker 2: in the building, they've been in meetings, they understand what's
Speaker 2: expected of them and just have gone through the cycle
Speaker 2: that everyone else has gone through other than playing. And
Speaker 2: there's so many examples, particularly in recent year years of
Speaker 2: of you know, sometimes a rookie year doesn't define the
Speaker 2: trajectory of your overall career. We've had guys in recent
Speaker 2: years that experience, you know, lack of playing time due
Speaker 2: to injury and their rookie year, but it hadn't shaped
Speaker 2: or defined their career. Calvin Austin is a guy that's
Speaker 2: continually ascending for us that played very little as a
Speaker 2: rookie due to injury. David DeCastro is a guy that
Speaker 2: recently retired not too many years ago, who missed a
Speaker 2: significant amount of time because of injury his rookie year
Speaker 2: and it certainly didn't define or shape his career. And
Speaker 2: so I see it through that lens. I challenged them
Speaker 2: through that lens. I'm expecting those guys to perform like
Speaker 2: second year guys and to and to and to make
Speaker 2: plays that guys that have been a lap around the
Speaker 2: track make.
Speaker 1: Obviously, coaching, I'm excited about the offensive line play and
Speaker 1: when you think about just the growth of that unit,
Speaker 1: what what are you expecting from this group come this year.
Speaker 2: I'm equally as excited. Talent acquisition is just one thing.
Speaker 2: Talent development is the next step for us and We've
Speaker 2: made the commitment over the last several years to acquire
Speaker 2: some awesome young talent at that position. Those guys have
Speaker 2: proven their capabilities. I'm excited about the prospects of continuing
Speaker 2: to move forward with that group individually and collectively, knowing
Speaker 2: the growth that has happened and will continue to happen,
Speaker 2: not only for the individuals within the group, but the
Speaker 2: longer they play together, the more comfortable they get in
Speaker 2: their shoes the end product. Particularly when you got a
Speaker 2: guy like at the center position, for example, Zach Frazer
Speaker 2: man Man, he represents himself very well a year ago.
Speaker 2: I'm excited about the prospects of what year two might be,
Speaker 2: not only because he's gonna make a significant jump, but
Speaker 2: as a hub of communication based on his position, declarations
Speaker 2: and so forth, things that we know he's gonna be
Speaker 2: able to absorb and he may be been able to
Speaker 2: absorb in a year ago, but we were just cautious
Speaker 2: in terms of some of the things that we asked
Speaker 2: a new player to do. And so there's a lot
Speaker 2: of things to be excited about within that group. And
Speaker 2: I share your optimism and just.
Speaker 1: Turn our attention to like the defensive side, of the ball.
Speaker 1: There were some big acquisitions there. Obviously you had Darius
Speaker 1: slay that was brought on Derreny Qualley, Malik Harrison, and
Speaker 1: Juan Thornhill. Just kind of talk about those additions as
Speaker 1: it pertains to the defense man.
Speaker 2: It's just great to acquire savvy veteran players their presence,
Speaker 2: not only in terms of the players that they make,
Speaker 2: but the experience that they bring and the way that
Speaker 2: it allows them to assist younger developing players. When I
Speaker 2: think about the acquisition of slay Man, I can't help
Speaker 2: but think about, you know, the byproduct of that in
Speaker 2: terms of the relationship that he could have with a
Speaker 2: Joey Porter Jr. He certainly is not responsible for Joey's
Speaker 2: growth and development, but it's great to work alongside someone
Speaker 2: that's done it at a high level for a long
Speaker 2: time or on a lot of fronts, not only in
Speaker 2: terms of exchanging of ideas, but just seeing what a
Speaker 2: what a savvy veteran process looks like, whether it's a
Speaker 2: over the course of a twelve month calendar or whether
Speaker 2: it's over the course you know of a seven day
Speaker 2: cycle getting ready for a game. Uh, And really it's
Speaker 2: it's a business model that we've been highly involved in
Speaker 2: in recent years and this year is probably nothing new.
Speaker 2: We've done business with guys like Pat Peterson in the
Speaker 2: past in the effort to allow him to be a
Speaker 2: veteran presence in a in a maturing secondary, if you will.
Speaker 2: And so that's that's what Darius brings us. But you know,
Speaker 2: all of these guys have been acquired for a reason,
Speaker 2: and there's some real tangible reasons, but we're really excited
Speaker 2: about some of the unintended consequences. Positively that comes with
Speaker 2: the acquisition of veteran guys that know what to do.
Speaker 1: And you know, with it that as we can turn
Speaker 1: our attention to like the NFL Draft now, I know
Speaker 1: we've spent time with the football staff and one of
Speaker 1: the things I know that you really love to do
Speaker 1: is go down to senior world practices and mix it
Speaker 1: up in the middle and the trenches, like get on
Speaker 1: the field level with those young prospects, just kind of
Speaker 1: talk about what you see in that group of guys,
Speaker 1: that new prospect class, and what are your expectations for
Speaker 1: those guys contributions.
Speaker 2: You know, it's I'm impressed with the general football know
Speaker 2: how of this collective, and it's probably for several reasons,
Speaker 2: you know, you know, this being you know, a post
Speaker 2: COVID group and a lot of instances, many of the
Speaker 2: members of this draft class are older maybe than they
Speaker 2: would be if if COVID didn't happen, And so you
Speaker 2: see a level of maturity that's really attractive across all
Speaker 2: positions in terms of some of the guys and the
Speaker 2: amount of experience that they have. You couple that with
Speaker 2: just the expansion of the college football season and what
Speaker 2: that provides guys in terms of growth and development. I mean,
Speaker 2: I was just with you know, guys from Texas, Ohio
Speaker 2: State and Notre Dame for example, just this past week. Uh,
Speaker 2: in some of my travels, and we identify those groups.
Speaker 2: You're talking about the groups of kids that played fifteen
Speaker 2: and sixteen games, and you know when you and I
Speaker 2: came through, man, it was like eleven game schedule. Yeah, okay,
Speaker 2: And so when you look at it from that perspective,
Speaker 2: right five additional games, Man, we're talking about big time
Speaker 2: growth and development opportunities. And I see it in the
Speaker 2: way that they conduct themselves. But I also see it
Speaker 2: in the in in their game tape, in the maturity
Speaker 2: and the development in their play, whether it's technical or
Speaker 2: or from a football intellect perspective, And so that's exciting
Speaker 2: about this group. Certainly it's a talented group, as a
Speaker 2: talented group every year, but I think the the experience UH,
Speaker 2: coupled with COVID and the additional games makes this a
Speaker 2: really interesting and attractive group.
Speaker 1: And I think one of the things that's coming up
Speaker 1: this season that's really important is the Steelers are going
Speaker 1: to travel international for the first time in ten years.
Speaker 1: You know, fans are excited about it. I know I'm
Speaker 1: excited about it. I want to get your thoughts on
Speaker 1: the opportunity of playing in Ireland.
Speaker 2: Man, I'm excited about it. All I think about, man
Speaker 2: is the late Ambassador Rooney and how excited he would
Speaker 2: be for this. And so for me, you know, I'm
Speaker 2: excited to talk to the guys about it, to educate
Speaker 2: them about it. But more important than anything else, I
Speaker 2: want them to know what a big deal is this
Speaker 2: would have been for the late Ambassador and what an
Speaker 2: opportunity it is for us to take our American game
Speaker 2: global man, and represent not only our sport but this
Speaker 2: country internationally. Man, it's just a it's a humbling experience
Speaker 2: for me and for us and excited about it.
Speaker 1: And now I know, coach, you don't have hobbies. You
Speaker 1: famously said you don't have hobbies. I mean, but you've
Speaker 1: got to do something. I mean, what like in the
Speaker 1: free time that you a little bit of free time
Speaker 1: that you had, right, what is it that you do
Speaker 1: that just kind of gets you back to base.
Speaker 2: I try to pick one thing. I get hyper focused
Speaker 2: on things and that's just my nature and so usually
Speaker 2: I'll pick one thing that becomes my off season hobby,
Speaker 2: if you will. Last off season it was boating for me.
Speaker 2: I wanted to get better at boating, managing the boat,
Speaker 2: driving a boat, all the things around. Boating is where
Speaker 2: I spend a lot of time. I enjoy learning about
Speaker 2: real estate. You know, it's another it's been another off
Speaker 2: season hobby of mine. But for me, no matter what
Speaker 2: I do, I probably like to delve into it with
Speaker 2: a little bit more intensity than the most. And so
Speaker 2: you know, I hesitate when I call it a hobby
Speaker 2: because of just how I'm wired. I haven't discovered with
Speaker 2: this season's hobby is going to be. But I've enjoyed
Speaker 2: Those are two examples of things that I've gotten focused
Speaker 2: on in recent years that's been very enjoyable for me.
Speaker 1: Well, Coach, I mean, I appreciate the time as always.
Speaker 1: Thank you for sitting down enjoy still the meetings.
Speaker 2: Coach. You know, I appreciate you. You know it