ASK THE STEELERS – TONY HILLS – PART 1

Steelers.com brings you the Ask the Steelers feature. Fans submitted the questions that were asked. Please understand that we receive an incredible number of questions for each player, with many of the questions being similar, and not all of the questions can be answered. We selected as many as possible, and took your questions to the current subject to get your answers.

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.