Yesterday, we wrote a chunk of the site’s recent interview with former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Levon Kirkland. We shared several stories of his NFL career and evolution to playing the position but there was so much more in our conversation I wasn’t able to include in the post.
I wanted to share two more quotes from our conversation with Kirkland on two topics he spoke passionately about: playing for Coach Dick LeBeau, the team’s defensive coordinator for two of Kirkland’s seasons, and the importance of carrying on the team’s tradition, especially for those playing linebackers.
I won’t add my commentary and just make this post a Q&A format so you hear Kirkland’s entire answer.
Question: On Playing For Coach Dick LeBeau
Kirkland: “Coach LeBeau was a guy that you just kind of, you were a LeBeau Soldier. That’s what we called ourselves. The one thing I liked about, he did the Christmas Carol, the Night Before Christmas. And you have these men who are in their twenties, thirties, and we’re listening like we’re five-year olds. He does such a good job. He’s such a charismatic kind of coach. And he was also a coach who played in the league so he understood the players.
“One of the things I liked about Coach LeBeau was he treated you like a man. Back then, you had coaches that would kind of yell at the players. Old-school military type of deal. He wasn’t like that. He knew how to talk to you, but more importantly, I thought he was a really great teacher. And I think what makes a really good coach is a guy who can articulate the scheme and really could coach you to become a better player. And I thought that’s what he did very well. And the defense, we really believed in him. And so it showed up on the field. That’s the way we played because we believed in him.”
Question: On The Steelers’ Culture
Kirkland’s Answer: “We had pride as far as the team is concerned. I think we took ownership for our play. You were accountable, too. You had to be accountable. You had guys like Greg Lloyd and Rod Woodson that if you didn’t play up to their standards, then you couldn’t play on the field.
“And that says something. If you are a player and that player likes you, especially one of the top players, Hall of Fame players, and those guys want you to be on the field with them, that says a whole lot.”
Bonus Question: On If He Still Thinks About The Super Bowl Loss To Dallas
Kirkland’s Answer: “I think about that loss all the time. And then sometimes I even say, man, I even replay it like we won. Sometimes I pretend that we won. I could never watch it the whole way because I know the end results and it was tough. It really was. And so it is something that you never forget. You never forget being in the Super Bowl and whether you, I’m sure if you won it was probably incredible. And you wonder what that feeling would’ve been like to win that game.”
