ASK THE STEELERS – FRANK SUMMERS – PART 3
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 Dante Brown in New York: What kind of advice are you getting from the veteran running backs?
Frank Summers: They are helping me out on plays, suggesting certain things, giving me tips on how to remember certain things. Overall they help me with just how to go about this business.
From Peter Gordon in Georgia: How overwhelming is it to have to learn the playbook?
Frank Summers: It's just like any time you start football at another team, whether it's high school or college, it's always overwhelming at first but okay once you get your feet wet you know what you are doing. Anywhere you go, the beginning process of learning is tough. But once you know what you are doing you fit right it. It's stuff you have done before, it's just different terminology or ways of going about doing it. It's like you going to a different country and trying to learn a new language. You know English and you know what something means in English, but you have to learn it in that language.
From Todd Smith in New Jersey: Did you have a running back that you looked up to growing up or tried to emulate when you were coming through football?
Frank Summers: No I didn't. I took certain things out of certain running backs and tried to implement them in myself. I never tried to be one certain running back. I would see LaDainian Tomlinson and how he could catch the ball and I would say he is a complete back so I need to work on catching the ball. You look at someone like Willie Parker and you see how fast he is and I think I have to be that fast so I can break one so I need to work on my speed. Then you look at someone like Jerome Bettis and see how hard he runs and I know I want to run that hard and break those tackles and make those tough yards. All of those things combined I have tried to do.
From Mark Glower in Ohio: What will be the biggest adjustment coming from college to the pros?
Frank Summers: It's a business. Coach Tomin said to me, you are a P-R-O, you're a pro. You have to treat it that way. The one day you aren't working as hard, somebody else is. You aren't on scholarship anymore, you aren't guaranteed anything. You can be gone just like that. You don't take anything for granted. You work your hardest and never slack off.
**From Dan Potts in Pennsylvania: Have you heard yet how passionate Steelers fans are about the team and are you looking forward to playing for a team with that kind of atmosphere?
Frank Summers:** I think I got a feeling, but something is telling me it's more than what I think it is. I think it's 10 times more than what I can imagine it is. I am very excited. I can't wait. I know they are the best fans in the country. I am excited to take the field in the black and gold.
From Steven Carrigan in Canada: How does it feel to know that fans are already excited to see you play?
Frank Summers: It makes me excited. Expectations come with that. I take it in stride. When I am working out and get tired, I remember the fans have expectations for me, I have expectations for myself, I have to live up to it. I have to just keep working, keep grinding and do everything in my control to become a better football player to help this team.
From Steve Foley in West Virginia: What was your first impression of the attitude among the team and the camaraderie?
Frank Summers: I felt like I was at home. It was nice. Everyone was nice, said hi, spoke and introduced themselves. It was a humbling experience coming in here with these guys coming off a Super Bowl win. A lot of these guys were here for the first one as well. It was very humbling.
