Former Pittsburgh Steelers lineman, Ramon Foster signed with the reigning Super Bowl Champion Steelers in 2009 as an undrafted rookie free agent after a successful collegiate career at the University of Tennessee. Foster played well enough that offseason to earn a spot on the 53-man roster, but that journey came with facing one of the league's best defensive fronts all summer in Latrobe, PA.
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Ramon Foster joined the Pittsburgh Steelers after playing for the University of Tennessee.
On The Two Percent Podcast, Foster recalled one of his first days of padded practice in the summer of 2009.
"So, I had a bad day... I got worked by some older dudes."
Foster admitted that he didn't watch much football because he was too busy trying to make it to the league, but he quickly found out that the Steelers' defense wasn't to be messed with.
"I end up going up against some dudes with some Hall of Fame caliber guys and I just got put in a blender."
The defense at that time, led by Dick LeBeau, had talents such as Casey Hampton, James Harrison, Brett Keisel, LaMarr Woodley, James Farrior and Lawrence Timmons in a front seven that opposing offenses feared... and Foster (for the summer at least). When the team got together to watch film of the day's practice the night after Foster was "put in a blender," Head Coach Mike Tomlin put up a picture of Foster with a special message above it -- "Don't take it," it read. Tomlin then showed every clip of Foster getting beat in practice in front of the entire team.
"He's a transparent coach, he's going to tell you where you are," Foster said about Tomlin and that moment.
Foster was embarrassed and was continuously reminded by Tomlin just about every single day for about three years. It's safe to say that Foster is glad that he was reminded because that meant that the undrafted rookie was still on the roster.
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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin awaits patiently for the start of Super Bowl XLV.
Steelers' Foster Went On To Enjoy 11 Successful Seasons
Not every player gets to spend a decade or more in the NFL or reach the pinnacle of the sport and play in a Super Bowl. Foster did both, which is impressive for any player, especially an undrafted rookie free agent. In his second season with the team, they made it back to the Super Bowl when they faced the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. Foster was a starter on one of the best offensive lines in football at the peak of his career, along with Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, Marcus Gilbert and Alejandro Villanueva. That offensive line was the heartbeat of the team, as they were in charge of protecting legendary quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.
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Steelers guard Ramon Foster and Ben Roethlisberger during an AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Dolphins at Heinz Field, Jan 8, 2017.
The tough love Tomlin gave to Foster in the early stages of his career is something we still see Tomlin do today. He is a straight-shooter, but his criticism has good intention to it. He's a head coach that wants to get the absolute best out of his guys and Foster understood that. While Foster was embarrassed in the moment, Tomlin's words motivated him to not get "put in a blender" like he did that day in the summer of 2009.
Earlier in the interview, Foster talked about a practice early in his collegiate career where he made a technical mistake and was sent to run laps around the field. He said that running those laps made him really emphasize the little parts of the position and how important they are for the rest of his career. His ability to respond to criticism for his mistakes is one of the reasons he went from three-star recruit, to undrafted, to an 11-year NFL career with 145 starts on the Steelers' offensive line.
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