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Ike Taylor's advice to benched Steelers is 'take it personal'

The outspoken Steelers cornerback bestowed some words of wisdom on two former Steelers starters.

By Neal Coolong
Nick Laham
Steelers cornerback is adverse to the notion of not taking things personally when it comes to the grind of battling for starting positions in the NFL.

It's the opposite, in fact. Taylor's advice to demoted starters Ziggy Hood and Mike Adams, as quoted by ESPN's Scott Brown:

“Act the same. Stay the same. Have the same approach,” Taylor said. “Take it personal and once you take it personal everything else will settle in.”

Taking it "personal," or "personally," seems about all either of them can do at this point. Hood's situation is different. He'll still play a significant amount of snaps in the Steelers' Week 6 game against the Jets. Barring injury, it's possible Adams doesn't play on offense again the rest of the year.

It seems more likely the Steelers would want to start recently acquired Levi Brown, leaving reserve Kelvin Beachum with a chance to work at left guard, as the injured Ramon Foster remains uncertain to participate. Even if Beachum starts at left tackle, Adams is third on the depth chart now.

Hood and Adams represent a first (2009) and a second (2012) round draft pick, which is perhaps the toughest part of this.

Hood, a free agent in 2013, isn't likely to increase his salary next year, whether that's with the Steelers or elsewhere. He certainly won't be franchised - the tag for defensive ends was $11.1 million in 2013. Adams is in a better long-term situation than Hood is, considering, as rough as his first four starts at left tackle were, he's still under an affordable contract for two years.

If either player wants to increase the size of those contracts, they should listen to Taylor and start taking things "personal."

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