ASK THE STEELERS – ZIGGY HOOD – 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 Peter Topa in Pennsylvania: Do you feel you are ready to challenge other veterans for a starting position?
Ziggy Hood: No, not at all. The guys in front of me, and the guys in front of them, are better right now. Right now I am sitting on the bench just learning.
From Sam DeBoard in West Virginia: Is the Steelers defensive scheme hard for rookies to learn in one year?
Ziggy Hood: It seems challenging at first. Once you get the gist of it, and Coach (John) Mitchell has done a great job of explaining how it works, it is easier. It started to click as the weeks went by.
From Randy Atkins in California: What is it like to have a defensive coordinator like Dick LeBeau?
Ziggy Hood: That is history in the making. He is a Hall of Fame coach. As far as I see he is someone I can learn a lot from. He is so valuable to this team. Other players look at him as a positive role model and not just a coach on the team.
From Greg Cairo in Florida: After watching tape on you, the one thing that stood out over everything else was your non-stop motor. To what do you attribute this?
Ziggy Hood: I like to have heart. I want to play for the guys next to me. I want to go out there and give it everything I've got. I don't want to come in here on Monday morning and look at film and be disgusted at my performance.
From Rick Paul in North Carolina: The Steelers have an amazing history on the defensive line back to the days of the Steel Curtain. What is it like to be a part of that?
Ziggy Hood: Right now it's a big reputation I am trying to live up to. It's going to be hard to ever have to fill the shoes of guys like Brett Keisel, Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith. Those guys have done something many others might not get the chance to. I am trying to live through their footsteps and do what they do.
From Shane Gorham in Illinois: How long do you think it will take you to adjust to end or tackle in the 3-4 scheme?
Ziggy Hood: it will take some time. Defensive end and nose tackle are a little bit different. If you have the heart and determination to do it you can get it done.
From David Martin in Texas: Is there a player in the NFL right now that you would compare yourself to?
Ziggy Hood: Tommie Harris of the Chicago Bears. Right now I would probably compare myself to Aaron Smith. I am trying to mimic everything he does. I want to do that because he has been so successful.
