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View Full Version : Q&A with ESPN's Merril Hoge



Count Steeler
05-12-2014, 03:47 PM
Though he holds no team records, never had a 1,000-yard season, nor did he make a Pro Bowl in his seven-year stint with the Steelers, Merril Hoge's bruising rushing style -- and name that sounded perfect in a Pittsburgh accent (Muuurrrrrl) -- made him a fan favorite, a status he enjoys to this day as evidenced by the smattering of No. 33 jerseys regularly seen in the Heinz Field stands and parking lots.
The ESPN analyst, 49, has survived concussions and cancer and has become a spokesman for The New York Institute for Regenerative Medicine after employing their non-surgical therapies, which used Mr. Hoge’s own stem cells to fully recover from a 75% tear in his elbow ligament in just eight weeks.
He'll be back in town Saturday at Southpointe to host his annual golf tournament along with former Steelers Hines Ward and Max Starks.
Q: What did you think of the Steelers selection of linebacker Ryan Shazier from Ohio State?
HOGE: I've studied him and the thing that would make him intriguing for the Steelers and their concepts and what they like to do is the guy is explosive. He is fast. When they were a really dominant defense, their linebackers were the most violent in football. And part of being violent is attacking the line of scrimmage. He'll be a very interesting guy, especially with him and [Lawrence] Timmons. They could be the fastest two inside linebackers in football. Now, I didn't find him to be a particularly dominating physical presence. That'll be something he'll have to develop and get better at. He could get engulfed and people could push him around. In the 3-4, you can't hide him as much. You can't protect him from the guards, and with the defensive line issues they've had, it will be challenging. But I understand it from the overall blitzing/pressure concept that Dick [LeBeau] has been a genius at for years. From that perspective, he's pretty dynamic.
Q: You were a 10th round draft choice in 1987. With only seven rounds now, how would a Merril Hoge find his way to the NFL today?
HOGE: I'm grateful they had the rounds they had back then. I remember when the scout who evaluated me called me and said they were going to pick me, it was no different than what you hear for a first-rounder. He told me about their needs, where I fit, what they didn't have and what they were planning to build, and that I had a good chance to make the team, even though I was a 10th-rounder. If it were to happen today, I probably wouldn't end up in Pittsburgh. I could almost guarantee that because a lot of your [undrafted] free agents come more from the region, and being in the west -- I was projected to go to the Raiders. How scary would that have been? Oh my gosh. I wouldn't have fit in as a Raider. I fit in as a Steeler, but I wouldn't have fit in as a Raider. I was right where I needed to be. ... I was the luckiest draft pick ever to end up in a great city with great fans.
Q: Do you remember your first interactions with Chuck Noll or Art Rooney Sr.?
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2014/05/12/Q-amp-A-WITH-MERRIL-HOGE/stories/201405120037#ixzz31XJw5fdw

stillers4me
05-12-2014, 04:13 PM
Great article! Thanks for posting it. :drink:

crcsnail
05-12-2014, 04:20 PM
Thx for posting . One of my favourite players of the time . Always gave his all .

Moose
05-12-2014, 06:54 PM
A good read..... thanks for posting !

86WARD
05-12-2014, 07:31 PM
Good read. One of my favorite players. Wrote him a letter when I was 16 and he mailed me One back with an autograph photo.