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If you haven't done so, and need a little levity after OD'ing on three straight days of draft coverage, watch his presser on DeMarcus Ayers.
I knew he was a somewhat brash, outspoken guy, but didn't realize what a wry sense of humor he has. Love his spirit and energy. Damn, we've got some good position coaches.
You can watch it here > http://www.steelers.com/videos/vide...us-Ayers/43b565eb-d6d3-4174-98b7-2f74fe796eb8
Couple of highlights:
Is Eli Rodgers in contention (as a punt returner)?
Eli Rodgers is in the mix. Eli Rodgers is in the building, Eli Rodgers has a pair of Steelers shorts so he thinks he is a Steeler but I have yet to see him in a game. He’s a suspect at this time. We’ll see.
Re: Decorating a player:
You keep using this term decorated but who decorated these guys? You read something in the media and they are all decorated. None of them are decorated in this league. They haven’t run down on a kick yet so they haven’t done a thing. We’ll decorate him after he makes a tackle against the Washington Redskins on Monday night.
On reserve linebackers automatically being good ST players
But as soon as we draft a linebacker, not just a Pittsburgh Steelers, but as soon as a linebacker is drafted at the National Football League, automatically they are special team guys. There are a lot of guys who cannot do that. Then the next step is if he is a two-down linebacker, we take him out on third-down. Okay, then he is a good special teams player. He can’t cover a hook of pass coverage, so let’s give him more distance on a kickoff or a punt and he will get that.
Is straight line speed overrated in a returner?
To be honest with you, and I’m a little bit old fashioned in a lot of ways, I don’t know where when we started in one of the most crazy things in all of football, whether it be in high school or college or professional football, we wear about 15-pounds of pads with helmets, shoulder pads and pads and girdles and thighs and knees and then we time these guys in track shoes and their underwear. I don’t know where we went wrong with that.
I think if we took a lot of guys at 7/11, they would run fast, but if the cop is chasing them they would be a little faster. I think some of our players are like that. Don’t make the insinuation that they’re all getting chased by the cops. I didn’t say that. I’m just saying in that environment when you have a defensive guy or punt team chasing these guys, they’re pretty quick. This guy falls in that category.
How will the kickoff rule change affect the kick return game?
My opinion of it? I don’t have one. I’ll be honest with you. I wasn’t in the meeting when they changed the rule. They didn’t ask me my vote. I don’t spend a lot of time forming an opinion. That’s the rule. That’s what we’re going to do. That’s just the way I go. Mr. Rooney didn’t come to me and say, “What do you think?” So I don’t give a lot of time thinking about it.
Are you excited for the beginning of the season?
I can’t wait to play. I love when the players are here. I’m not a good office guy. I’m not a good offseason guy. I don’t have any hobbies. I love football. I love coaching players. I tell them that. It’s a little corny when I’m around them sometimes like that. But when they’re in here, I get goosebumps and I love being around them. I love coaching. I love teaching. I love the team we have. I can’t wait to get started.
