Ask Tony Hills

From Lou Ellis in Newark, New Jersey: What was it like waiting to be drafted?
Tony Hills: It was a long process. I felt relaxed though. I had piece of mind knowing the body of work I put in during my four years at Texas was about to pay off. I just was waiting to find out where I was going to be.

From Dan Abrahams in Elyria, Ohio: What was your reaction when you got the call from the Steelers telling you they drafted you?
Tony Hills: It was a sigh of relief. I was just thanking God that finally somebody called. When it was the Steelers I was really happy to be in that situation. The success they have had over the years, recently winning the Super Bowl and then Coach (Mike) Tomlin bringing them back to the playoffs. There was so much excitement going on in Pittsburgh so I was happy about that.

From Jamie Miller in Morgantown, West Virginia: Did you have any idea that they were interested in you beforehand?
Tony Hills: I did not. I spoke to them and had am meeting with them at the combine. They were one of my interviews. But I had a bunch of other interviews too so I tried not to read into it too much. When Coach (Larry) Zierlein came to work me out I thought maybe I could end up there.

From Jacob Biggerstaff in Normal, Illinois: Did having to wait until the fourth round give you any extra motivation to prove yourself?
Tony Hills: Definitely. You always play the game to be the best. It’s motivation, but so is just getting in there and proving myself and showing I belong there. I am going to go in there and do whatever I can to help the team.

From SSG Michael Molinaro stationed in Camp Liberty (Baghdad), Iraq: What was your favorite moment during your college career?
Tony Hills: When we beat Central Florida my senior year. We had a very young team. It was a game with a lot of adversity. I saw a lot of my teammates grow up in that game and make big plays. It was one of those things where you see all of your hard work pay off.

From Tom Kelly in Cranberry, Pennsylvania: Who in your opinion was the toughest opponent you faced?
Tony Hills: That’s a hard question to answer. As far as defensive ends were concerned they were all pretty good. I think Nathan Peterson from Oklahoma State gave me the most problems.

From Jake Kurnot in Dunbar, Pennsylvania: Now that you have gone through your first minicamp, what are your initial impressions of the Steelers offense?
Tony Hills: It’s a power offense. You know they are going to run the ball. As far as pass protection they use a system to where there is a lot of man-on-man blocking but you also have help from the interior guys and running backs. I can’t wait to get in and learn it. I am anxious to produce.

From Tom Grant in Chicago, Illinois: You protected Vince Young and college and Ben Roethlisberger is your quarterback. Both of them like to scramble and use their legs. What kind of adjustments do you have to make on the fly when your quarterback starts to improvise?
Tony Hills: It’s one of those things that you just have to find out how to read him. You see what the situation is, if they are blitzing off the edge does he like to duck under or try to outrun it. It just depends on who you are blocking. If he is a ducker you want to take the closest person to him. If he tries to scramble outside you might want to take the widest person. I have played with a lot of scrambling quarterbacks and it is something I am used to.

From Thomas Kross in Culpeper, Virginia: How quickly do you think you can adjust to the nuisances of the NFL - pass protection schemes, etc.?
Tony Hills: I am going to try to get adjusted as quick as possible. It’s a lot different from college. You get to spend all of your waking hours studying football. I am hoping by studying and working with the coaches and veteran players I can get it down fast.

From John Baloga in Dupont, Pennsylvania: It was documented that you had some lower leg circulatory problems that had been corrected by surgery. Are there any lingering effects of that injury that may limit your mobility?
Tony Hills: Not at all. I have been saying it for four years but the best way to show that I am fine is to go out and prove it.

From Chuck Dettling in Atmore, Alabama: How important is it to have your Texas teammate Limas Sweed, and Casey Hampton, also from your alma mater, on the team?
Tony Hills: It will definitely help a lot because you go in knowing some people. That helps with the comfort factor. Casey has been there, has been successful and knows the organization in and out. He can give me pointers on what I need to do to be success at this level. Then you have the comfort level of having your college teammate who you played with for four years and I lived with in the summer. We worked out together all of the time. It gives you that extra push and when times get hard you can lean on each other.

From Paul Lytle in Greensburg, Pennsylvania: What would you say is your strength, run blocking or pass protection?
Tony Hills: I am trying to make both of them my strengths right now. I try to be as balanced as I can because they are both important.

From Andrew Williams in Sarasota, Florida: Which side do you prefer to play on, the right on the left?
Tony Hills: Definitely the left because it is what I played the last four years. That is the quarterbacks blind side so it’s a lot of responsibility to make sure you protect him. I am always up to challenges.

From Ben Jewel in Louisville, Kentucky: Is it strange coming in as a rookie and basically starting over again like when you were a freshman?
Tony Hills: Definitely. I have never been in this situation before. I was never in Pittsburgh before mini-camp. You see how things are run for the couple of days that we are there. Everything was at a fast past. You get what you can on the fly and do the best you can. It will be a lot different in training camp when they have more time to spend with us.