A meeting that began with Merril Hoge fearful of getting chewed up by head coach Chuck Noll ended with one of his favorite memories of the man. And an important lesson about showing effort and heart. Joining 102.5 DVE earlier this week, Hoge shared the story of Noll watching back a preseason punt where Hoge missed the initial tackle.
“We kicked the ball to [the returner],” Hoge told the show. ” When he catches the ball, he just makes one move. And I move, I slide right by him. I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh’…I get up and he’s dancing, going sideways. I come running up behind him and I literally tried to break him in half. I bring my right hand down. I’m behind his pads on his shoulder pads and I tackle him.”
Hoge served as the personal protector, the quarterback of the punt team. The one entrusted to handle everything pre-snap. For a young guy and former 10th-round pick like him, it was a big opportunity and any margin for error, including a missed tackle, was significant.
The next day, Noll led the team through the meeting room. He immediately turned on the clip of the play, leading Hoge to dread being called out in front of the team.
In modern day under Mike Tomlin, it’s called “making the news.” And no one wants to be on it. Hoge thought he was about to make the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Noll focused the play on him but not for the initial miss.
“He shows me coming all the way down and I’m miss him. And I go off the screen, ’cause that’s how far I missed him. He keeps the poker where I come back on the screen ’cause I eventually tackle him. He takes the clicker and he comes all the way to our tackling…he stands up. He goes, ‘If you want to make this team, you need to play like that. And he walked out.”
A tactician, Noll himself knew about not being the biggest or most athletic. As a guard for Paul Brown’s Cleveland Browns, Noll punched above his weight by becoming one of the first “messengers,” getting the call from the sideline to deliver it to the quarterback in the huddle. It allowed him to carve out a longer career than he otherwise would’ve had before breaking into coaching.
It became a huge confidence booster for Hoge. A reminder that even NFL players make mistakes. But showing effort and physicality to come back and finish the play is important to a young guy trying to catch the coaching staff’s attention and make it through training camp. It’s a mantra that still holds true today in Pittsburgh, a team that prioritizes special teams contributions as much as any NFL club.
“When I saw that, I was like, okay, I got shot. That was actually my first sign of hope during training camp.”
Hoge would spend more than just one summer with the team. Seven years in Pittsburgh and one in Chicago before concussions ended his playing days. Hoge’s do-it-all ability was valuable as runner, blocker, receiver, and special teamer. He turned that into an analyst and brief scouting career with the Steelers. Hoge started a string of 10th-round gems for the team before the NFL condensed the draft. In 1988, the team selected OT John Jackson and in 1989, they unearthed LB Jerry Olsavsky.
For Hoge, it began with a missed tackle. It ended with his coach’s approval and a heck of a career.
