Villanueva offers his view of Tomlin
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� Mike Tomlin has said that he first spotted his left tackle, Alejandro Villanueva, during the playing of the National Anthem before a preseason game in 2014.
Villanueva was with the Philadelphia Eagles, but was cut and then signed by the Steelers, who moved him to the offensive line and taught him the job on the practice squad.
On Sunday, Villanueva played every snap of his 17th start of the 2016 season.
He obviously played well. His team won, his quarterback was sacked only one time and his running back set a team postseason rushing record.
After the game, Villanueva emerged from the tunnel leading to the locker room, saw his coach, and said, 无毛视频淗ey, there无毛视频檚 the cheerleader!无毛视频� Tomlin laughed and said, 无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 right, I was cheering my (butt) off.无毛视频�
Villanueva had some interesting comments about the moment, and about Tomlin.
Q: Has the cheerleader thing become a rallying cry?
AV: 无毛视频淎 hundred percent. (Pause) I think that无毛视频檚 something that makes him a really good coach. Thirty-one teams didn无毛视频檛 give me a chance to play in the NFL. I无毛视频檝e been denied from the Bears, the Bengals, the Eagles. I don无毛视频檛 think there无毛视频檚 any player who无毛视频檚 ever failed three times at a rookie minicamp tryout and is still playing in the NFL. So for me, Coach Tomlin means a lot. He gave me an opportunity to learn a position in a year on the practice squad. He didn无毛视频檛 cut me when there were team needs. He invested in me and he believed in me and that无毛视频檚 the only thing I needed to go on with my career. So for me, his leadership, his mentorship, his ability to get the best out of me has meant the world to me and has allowed me to feed my family and has hopefully helped the team be a better team. He无毛视频檚 a great coach. He无毛视频檚 a great leader. Obviously, when those (Terry Bradshaw cheerleader) comments were heard in the locker room, they affected me personally because I have so much admiration and I want to defend my coach at all costs.无毛视频�
Q: Do others feel the same way?
AV: 无毛视频淚 think the whole team feels the same way. I think everybody loves Coach Tomlin. He无毛视频檚 got a personal relationship with everybody. I think if you ask 32 teams in the NFL, less than half will be able to tell you that they无毛视频檝e had a conversation with their head coach, and I think every single person in this locker room has a conversation with Coach Tomlin every single day. And that无毛视频檚 not something I take for granted, because I无毛视频檝e been in other organizations where that doesn无毛视频檛 happen. I think I无毛视频檓 very fortunate and I think this team is very, very fortunate to have Coach Tomlin as the head coach.无毛视频�
Q: Not that you needed a rallying cry, considering the inherent motivation at playoff time, but has it helped unify?
AV: 无毛视频淗e keeps the team focused regardless of the circumstance. It doesn无毛视频檛 matter if it无毛视频檚 media. It doesn无毛视频檛 matter. He无毛视频檚 done a really good job of forcing everybody to stay focused. This stuff happens on every single team. News breaks out every single year with teams all around the NFL, and that usually distracts locker rooms, divides the locker room. I think everybody无毛视频檚 really unified on this team because he无毛视频檚 so open about everything. He discusses everything in a public forum. His coaching style is extremely effective and I think it truly helps bring the best out of this team every single week.无毛视频�
Q: He无毛视频檚 said that camaraderie doesn无毛视频檛 necessarily create winning, but that winning creates camaraderie. Agree?
AV: 无毛视频淭here无毛视频檚 a mixture of both. He really wants to have us play for each other and that无毛视频檚 what he无毛视频檚 done this whole season. Teams like that are very tough to beat. Teams that play for each other are usually going to get the best out of the players. You could put in a list a number of things he does on a daily basis to get this team ready to go every single week. Little things that mean big things. Every single thing he says has a meaning and purpose. Everything is very calculated. There无毛视频檚 not a thing he would tell a player that doesn无毛视频檛 have a purpose. He无毛视频檚 not a guy that just wants to talk. He无毛视频檚 always very focused on coaching 53 players personally, so that无毛视频檚 a very tough challenge and I think he does that very well. Regardless of whether we have a position coach, I have a personal relationship with Coach Tomlin and I have expectations that I owe him, and he lets me know those things every single week.无毛视频�
Q: I took the camaraderie comment as having a built-in humility to it. He doesn无毛视频檛 take credit for anything, does he?
AV: 无毛视频淣ever does. No, he never does. He无毛视频檚 a great leader. He无毛视频檚 responsible for everything the team does or fails to do. Every single win we owe it to him. Every single loss he无毛视频檚 always taking credit for.无毛视频�