On stepping up and embracing the next man up mentality:**

"I think the thing about Coach (Mike) Tomlin is he's very truthful to himself and to the players he's transparent. He doesn't hide anything and he doesn't say anything if he doesn't mean it. I've listened to a lot of coaches in the NFL and obviously a lot of coaches have to say things to motivate players that they don't truly believe. Coach Tomlin actually believes in the next man up mentality. He believes in the development program to the practice squad. I'm a practice squad product.

"He believes in players stepping up and making plays and that gives you confidence. If you bring in a guy from the outside to do the job that will kill the confidence of the guy who has been waiting to step up. So when you hear the next man up and you actually get in those starting roles, it gives you the confidence of everything that he's ever talked about."

On the best advice he received from Ben Roethlisberger:

"I had a really bad game against Kansas City, and he knew that I was coming back, that I was going to be the tackle for the team. For a guy like Ben to come up to me and tell me that he trusts me. He told me that the first NFL pass he threw was intercepted, that things were going to be okay and he was going to work through it. That was huge. For him to be joking around with me in the huddle, for him to include me as part of the conversation, that meant that he had faith in the things I can do. He was counting on me to make sure I performed to a high standard so we could all succeed as a group."