Thursday Super Quotations: Steelers

From Tampa, Florida

The Steelers last meeting with the media came in the Sun Dome, the basketball arena for the University of South Florida. These things usually happen at the hotel where the team is staying, but Pittsburgh is practicing at South Florida this week, so that’s where the press sessions went down.

Here’s some of the best of a pretty dry session, in what has been a pretty dry Super Bowl as far as inflammatory comments.

HEAD COACH MIKE TOMLIN, on how a tough schedule prepared the Steelers for the postseason:

“If it doesn’t kill you, it strengthens you. These games are fun; they are. I think our team learned a lot about ourselves in the midst of it. I think that we grew, and that’s what it’s about. When you are fortunate enough to win enough of those games, I think it prepares you for January football. I believe we have a team that doesn’t blink in the face of adversity, because we’ve had quite a bit and found ways to see our way through. It also provides opportunities for guys to step up and deliver, and you can’t create or get enough of those opportunities along the way in preparation for what we face on Sunday.”

TOMLIN, on his relationship with Tony Dungy:

“Specifically regarding Tony (Dungy) and what he’s meant to my growth and development as a coach, I learned many lessons from him, but probably more than anything, was just how accepting he was of people who he worked with – their different approaches – to teaching and conveying his message. His willingness to listen, his servant leadership capabilities – those are some of the key things that stand out having had an opportunity to work with him for a year.”

WR SANTONIO HOLMES, on the tradition of chasing rabbits in his hometown of Belle Glade, Florida:

“Growing up there, it was real tough. There weren’t many jobs or opportunities for jobs. If your parents are out working in the field, there is no opportunity for you to go out and find a job because you have to stay home and take care of your brothers and sisters. We didn’t have many opportunities to do things other than play football and chase rabbits. We did it because it helped us get money. Now, people are saying these guys are really fast because they chase rabbits. I never thought of it that way. Running in the muck, the soil that’s down there, it’s not like a football field. You have divots all over the ground that you have to maneuver through while you’re running. I think it strengthened my legs, but a lot of the guys that chased rabbits also ran track. That probably helped elevate their speed too.

“We probably caught between 40 and 80 rabbits a day, depending on how many come out of the field or how many people are chasing them at a time. If you’re there with two or three guys, you can catch that many in a day. We would go out around seven in the morning and not get home until 6:30 at night. That was our job, what we did to make money. Our parents didn’t have enough money to supply our needs. We wanted shoes and clothes, so we went out and did it on our own.”

LB JAMES FARRIOR, on the commitment to each other within the team:

“I think it starts with the Rooney family. They preach family atmosphere. They want us to be a close unit. I think you build your team chemistry in the offseason. That’s where you get all of the guys together and you’re not really working so much on football. All of the guys are just around each other every day and you get a good feel for how everyone is and how they are doing. We all care about one another on this team, as far as the players and coaches, and we love to go out and play for each other. That’s what builds that chemistry. There’s a bond that you have throughout the season.”

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR DICK LEBEAU, on what he thinks about the recent surge of younger head coaches:

“I think all coaching is a young man’s job really. I don’t think there’s any question about that. I’ve been blessed. But, is it a young man’s job? I think invariably most coaches are going to say yes. There is something to be said in all walks of employment for experience. The older you are, hopefully, you are more experienced, but sometimes you wonder. But, you should get better every year. Hopefully that is the case.”

LEBEAU, on when he first got to Pittsburgh and how much of a melting pot of defensive ideas it was with him, Dom Capers and Bill Cowher:

“Well, there’s no question that it was a melting pot. All three of us had been defensive coordinators. Coach Cowher had the final voice because he was the head coach and Dom Capers was our defensive coordinator. I certainly was not a prime mover at first, but we didn’t talk much about the fire zones early. But as we got in to where people were comfortable with what we were going to do, we began to get into some different pressures and we had success with them. So, it was just an out-pouring of a lot of guys who had some good defensive exposure.”