7.2 Tyler Matakevich

[Jooser]

Second coming of Jerry O? This guys looks like a thumper! LOL

[SidSmythe]

Looks like he could be a very good Special Team guy with a nose for the ball.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Second coming of Jerry O? This guys looks like a thumper! LOL

Jerry O will certainly enjoy coaching him. The two should be attached at the hip all throughout Latrobe.

[buccoray61]

Walk on who became a 4 year starter.

[AzStillers1989]

Walk on who became a 4 year starter.

great stuff. hopeing for the same from him with the steelers in the nfl.

[SidSmythe]

Ed B on TWITTER - Check that. Bronko Nagurski Trophy, won by Matakevich, is for nation's best defensive player, not just LB

Also pointed out he had 3 sacks vs. Penn St.

[Jooser]

He looks nasty! I like the pickup.

[8467thekraken]

It's guys like this that you want. May not have "the measurables", but he has it where it counts the most.

This may come off weird, but you can just see it in his eyes. That intensity. That hunger and drive. He has that won't-be-denied jet fuel.

Favorite pick of the draft.

[Jooser]

Yeah Kraken, I'm liking him too He'll be one to watch at Latrobe. I think he'll open some eyes and make some headaches.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Goodbye to the Zumwalt?

[Slapstick]

Goodbye to the Zumwalt?

We hardly knew him!

[phillyesq]

I watched most of Temple's games and really liked this guy. He was the heart and soul of a tough defense. He's not an athletic freak like most of the guys drafted but he is a football player. He may not be the biggest hitter, but he is a solid tackler. As I said in the other thread, it wouldn't shock me if he was the special teams captain in a few years.

[Slapstick]

If we can get another Clint Kriewaldt with that pick, it is successful...

[Iron City Inc.]

Spence is where the bar is set I would say for this former Owl. Spence was a solid little player both on special teams and as a back up. If he can contribute on special teams and be the 4th inside backer we did well.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Don't make the same mistake twice
Posted 4 hours ago


Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

LB Tyler Matakevich prides himself on learning from mistakes.

It wasn’t that long ago that seventh-round draft pick Tyler Matakevich, the linebacker from Temple, was taking part in the team’s rookie minicamp. And like most of his fellow rookies, when he first hit the field, it was a bit overwhelming.

“I had no idea what was going on,” admitted Matakevich. “I was just running around.”

Fast forward to a month later, as the second week of OTAs are in full swing, and it’s a completely different feeling for Matakevich. His comfort level has soared, and while he isn’t where he wants to be yet, he is light years away from his first days on the field.

“I am starting to pick it up,” said Matakevich. “The coaches are helping me out. The vets are helping me out when I am out there, letting me know when I am wrong. That is the biggest thing right now, just making sure I am doing the right things and playing fast.”

Matakevich knows the best way for him to learn is from his own mistakes. He is going to make them. Every rookie does; veterans as well. But the most important thing is to not make the same mistake twice.

“I am still making some mistakes, but that is part of learning,” said Matakevich. “You just have to get out there, get in the meeting room, get them corrected and come back out here and don’t make the same mistakes.

“With me I am one of those guys that if I make a mistake, I know it and I won’t do it wrong again. There are a lot of things I have to learn. I am trying to get in here, do everything right and try to play fast.”

Helping to keep the mistakes at a minimum are Matakevich’s teammates, who understand what it was like to be a rookie and are all willing to help out.

“All of them are helping me out,” said Matakevich. “When I am out there, I am out there with Steven (Johnson) and we piggy back off each other. Then having Lawrence Timmons around, you see how good he is and why he is a pro. I am trying to follow those guys to be like them.

“I am trying to soak everything in I can and be the best I can be.”

He is also getting a quick lesson in what it means to be a Steelers player on and off the field. The rookies have already been out in the community multiple times, including a visit to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and the Mel Blount Youth Home.

“You have to take a lot of pride into getting out into the community and showing them who you are,” said Matakevich. “I did that at Temple and I feel like Coach (Mike) Tomlin and the Steelers organization is the same way. It’s something I enjoy and look forward to doing.”

[URL]http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Dont-make-the-same-mistake-twice/0d0d587d-73e7-4cc3-b6df-359c991892ec[/URL]