ASK THE STEELERS – A.Q. SHIPLEY – PART 2
Steelers.com brings you the Ask the Steelers feature. Fans submitted the questions that were asked. Please understand that we receive an incredible number of questions for each player, with many of the questions being similar, and not all of the questions can be answered. We selected as many as possible, and took your questions to the current subject to get your answers.
From Larry Bower in Florida: Is there more pressure coming to a Super Bowl champion or less because you don't have to be a savior?
A.Q. Shipley: I think there is pressure in any profession, whether you are a financial advisor or anything. In order to be successful there is going to be pressure on you. Whether you were 0-16 like the Detroit Lions last year or whether you won the Super Bowl there is pressure to come in to do well for yourself, your family and your team. You just want to do as well as you possibly can.
From George Reynolds in Pennsylvania: How valuable are the OTA's?
A.Q. Shipley: They are very valuable, especially for a young offensive lineman. It's a chance to learn the plays and calls. Being a center I have to make a lot of the calls at the line of scrimmage and this have been very valuable for me, being able to pick apart Justin Hartwig's brain, and get with Coach (Larry) Zierlein and Coach (Harold) Goodwin and try to understand the offense as much as possible before camp.
From Steve Foley in West Virginia: What was your first impression of the attitude among the team and the camaraderie?
A.Q. Shipley: It's pretty awesome. You hear so many horror stories of NFL teams where it's just a job, guys get in and out and there isn't much camaraderie and family atmosphere. Around here there is something special.
From Tawnya Carper in Pennsylvania: Who is your favorite Steeler player of all time? *
*A.Q. Shipley: Mike Webster
From Tim Peterson in Arizona: The Steelers have an impressive tradition at center. What is it like to be a part of that?
A.Q. Shipley: It's pretty awesome. I am just trying to do everything I can to learn as much as I can from Justin and Coach Zierlein and become one of the centers people talk about down the road.
From Jeff Chase in New Jersey: What kind of advice have you received so far from Justin Hartwig?
A.Q. Shipley: He has been helping me out a lot. He has been through it. He has seen a lot of the tricks of the trade. He has been able to help me out with advice from that standpoint, seeing different situations and everything.
From Thomas O'Malley in Michigan: How much of an adjustment do you think you will have coming from college to the pros?
A.Q. Shipley: I think there is a bigger physical adjustment coming from high school to college. Mentally it is a huge adjustment. Mentally they ask more of you at this point.
