Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, Arthur Moats is the perfect example of an unlikely NFL success story. A 2010 sixth-round pick out of James Madison University by the Buffalo Bills, Moats wasn't necessarily expected to be a full-time starter. He spent four seasons with the Bills being moved around the defense, from defensive end to inside linebacker to outside linebacker.
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Pittsburgh Steelers' former linebacker, Arthur Moats.
In 2014, the Steelers signed Moats to a one-year contract after negotiations with the Bills broke down. Moats recently joined current Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz on his show, The Christian Kuntz Podcast. While on the show, Moats was asked about his transition to Pittsburgh. He wasn't initially excited, saying he had a sour taste in his mouth from Buffalo, and then, from the start, nothing went as he had expected and he arrived in Pittsburgh frustrated. But he was willing to give it a shot because he and Head Coach Mike Tomlin are from the same area near Hampton, Virginia.
Moats shared that when the Steelers said they wanted to bring him in for a visit, he had an image of flying first-class and being wined and dined because those were the stories he'd heard from other players. But Pittsburgh told him they wanted him to drive to town since it was just a few hours. He said he was already aggravated by Buffalo not working out and now they want him to drive.
"I remember I'm driving there, and I pull up, and he's [Mike Tomlin] like, 'Yeah, we're not here. We're at the owner's meeting.' I'm like, you mean to tell me I drove from Buffalo, and y'all aren't even here? So we got off to a bad foot from my first impression."
He said he was so frustrated he didn't allow himself to be impressed by all of the Lombardi Trophies on display. Tomlin did have someone meet Moats and take him to have his physical done.
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Steelers' Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger.
Moats said he was still aggravated, feeling like Tomlin had slighted him, and smarting from Buffalo's rejection. All that changed when he started to meet his potential new teammates.
"At the time, Troy Polamalu was here. It's like, 'Oh boy, that is Troy Polamalu, dang, that's baby Jesus.' Then you look the other way, and it's like, 'Oh man, that's Ben Roethlisberger. I ain't never had a quarterback like that in my life.' You start to see the pictures and everything, and I'm like, I can make this work. You really start to see the culture, walking around, you see the pictures, you see the Super Bowl trophies, you see these names and you're like, if you can play linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, there is nothing nobody can ever say to you about what you are as an athlete, or what you are as a player because only the best of the best have ever played here."
During his time in Buffalo, Moats said that the Steelers and Bills had played several times. But the first time he came to Heinz Field was in 2013, and he was amazed by everything— he playing of Renegade and Antonio Brown's big punt return. He said the Bills lost that game, but that flashed back in his mind when he was on that visit and understood that it's all part of Pittsburgh's "mystique." Of course, Moats grew to revere Tomlin as most players do and forgave him for that day.
Steelers' Arthur Moats On Emulating Joey Porter Sr.
Moats said that despite growing up a Dallas Cowboys fan, he had always admired the Steelers' defense—so much so that he emulated their players as he was coming up. One in particular was Joey Porter Sr. Moats said he even added Porter's celebration kick to his game and wore his number 55 in Pittsburgh. When he arrived and saw that Porter would be one of his coaches, he couldn't believe his luck.
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Steelers' Joey Porter Sr.
It wasn't just Porter. It was also James Harrison. Moats said that when he was with the Bills, he watched all the film he could get on Harrison and did everything he could to play like he did. When he arrived in Pittsburgh, Harrison took him under his wing, insisting he get up at 5 AM daily to lift weights and instructing him on how to condition.
We usually only hear how badly players want to play for Tomlin. Are you surprised Moats was initially frustrated with him? Click to comment below.
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