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19	November 2018

A crowd of reporters around his locker

Robert Nkemdiche was Womens Customized Arizona Cardinals Jerseys , asked what he learned the first two years in the NFL."I learned I was terrible," he said.He was joking. Everyone laughed.But, with a new coaching staff giving the big defensive tackle a clean slate, this is a big season for the former first-round draft pick to prove to the Cardinals that they were right to select him 29th overall out of Mississippi in 2017.There have been no breakout performances, just a big play here and there � he returned an Eli Manning fumble for a TD last season � and there have been too many mistakes, including way too many offside penalties. In 17 career games, he has 12 tackles, four of them solo, and zero sacks.He knows it is time to show he's better than that or risk forever being saddled as a "draft bust."If the mammoth player � 6-foot-4, 296 pounds � harnesses his raw skills and attends to the little things, maybe he'll even find himself starting up front."I try to stay away from the analogies of guys who are busts because everybody has their own projection of how they see guys," Cardinals first-year head coach Steve Wilks said after Monday's practice, the team's first in pads. "In a short period of time of being around Robert, I think he's a tremendous player. I think he's locked in, he's focused. I think he's doing well and I think he's going to be a good player for us this year."Nkemdiche won't call this a make-or-break season, but he has learned a lot about what it takes to succeed in the trenches at the game's highest level."It's a big step," he said of this coming season. "It's not really technically pressure. It's just me wanting to be good, me wanting to give back to these guys, and all the guys who put in work for me, and give back to the coaches, people who believe in me and really just resting that case and being the player I know I can be."There's really no pressure, just 'come on, take a step forward.'"Nkemdiche has his quirks, including colorfully braided hair and a nose ring. He likes shopping at Goodwill.Nkemdiche is not that stereotypical growling monster of a human that people believe play defensive tackle in this violent game. But he wants to be good and insists he is a severe critic of himself.He blames his two unproductive seasons on injuries and "some things I could have did better.""Just being a more polished player, as in the whole perspective and really just growing as a dude, as a person," he said. "It's cool. Things have slowed down a little bit and it's fun. I can actually see what's going on. It's not like a blur."He should take some solace in the case of Arizona teammate D.J. Humphries. The Cardinals drafted the big tackle out of Florida in the first round (24th overall) in 2015 but he didn't even suit up for a game as a rookie� the Cardinals coaches were convinced he didn't have the maturity yet to play in the league. But the next season he was the starter at right tackle and eventually was moved to the left side. Injuries limited him to five games last year www.cardinalscheapstore.com , but he has evolved into the Cardinals' best offensive lineman and anchors that unit at left tackle this year.Wilks has said he doesn't mind players with a few quirks, that he would "let Robert be Robert" as long as he continues to work hard to get better. So far, so good.The coach said after Monday's workout that he's encouraged."His commitment," Wilks said. "He's trying to do it our way. Change sometimes is hard for everyone and I think he's embraced that. He meets a lot with coach (Don) Johnson. His energy on the football field is phenomenal and he's trying to pay attention to details. You just got to make sure he's consistent and concentrates and doesn't jump offside. That's one of the concerns."So it's details, details, details for Nkemdiche, and, most importantly, some production when he's on the field."Do it on Sunday," he said. "When it's game time, show up and play ball. It's a very simple concept, just go out there and be a dog, be a disruptive force, play every play at extreme capacity."And don't jump offside. Ask the men he coaches what makes Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner tick, and you get a variation of the same response.He's a dude. A good dude. But just a dude."There's nothing special or outrageous or eccentric," guard David DeCastro said.And that might be exactly what the Steelers need after six highly productive if occasionally volatile seasons with Todd Haley calling the plays.On the surface Fichtner and his predecessor could not be more different. The sometimes combustible Haley wasn't one to hide his emotions and followed a personal mandate to wear shorts at every practice regardless of the weather.Fichtner, promoted from quarterbacks coach to coordinator in January after the team allowed Haley's contract to expire, takes a decidedly more even-keel approach.The most recent time he remembers truly losing it on the field came during the 2010 season opener against Atlanta.When Rashard Mendenhall crossed the goal line for a walk-off win, Fichtner leapt into the air and jokes he may have pulled his hamstring in the process.To be fair, the 54-year-old Fichtner can still move a little bit. He finished practice on Thursday by playfully dropping into coverage as a safety while the first-team offense went through a quick walkthrough after the defense left the field.Unlike Haley, Fichtner makes more conservative choices, at least sartorially.While Haley showed off his calves, Fichtner is usually in sweats, a long-sleeved undershirt and a pullover as he was on Wednesday even as temperatures soared into the 90s.The thing is, Fichtner didn't really look uncomfortable. Probably a good thing considering the stakes of his new gig.He takes over one of the league's most star-laden offenses, even with All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell out while waiting ... and waiting ... to sign his one-year franchise tender. All Fichtner has to do is design an attack that will produce a fifth consecutive playoff berth and � the team hopes � its first trip to the Super Bowl in eight years.Asked if he's ready to be second-guessed every Monday and Fichtner smiled."Sure, absolutely Arizona Cardinals T-Shirt , comes with it," Fichtner said. "I get it."He's been there before, just not for a while. He's a football lifer. His father Ross was a quarterback at Purdue then spent eight seasons as a cornerback for the Cleveland Browns in the 1960s. Randy didn't wander far afield.He played briefly at Purdue then went immediately into coaching after graduation. His nomadic climb up the ladder included four years at Arkansas State from 1997-2000, where he crossed paths with a young defensive backs coach whose energy and edge Fichtner couldn't help but be drawn to.So when that young defensive backs coach called in 2006 and offered Fichtner a job in the NFL, Fichtner figured there was no way he could tell Mike Tomlin no.More than a decade later, the partnership is still going and is one of the main reasons Fichtner stayed in Pittsburgh rather than chase other opportunities."That's just, my relationship with Mike," Fichtner said. "I told him when I came, I told him 'I'm coming for you' and since I've been here, I'm all-in for the (owners) and the organization also. Makes it a couple of reasons. I've always felt I've been content with jobs that I've had and I'm content and just do the best I can."Having some of the most talented players at his disposal doesn't hurt either. Fichtner has developed a strong bond with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who figures to given plenty of leeway to run the no-huddle as he pleases when the Steelers open the season in Cleveland on Sunday."I'm sure he's quite capable of making the right decisions at the right time," Fichtner said. "He's done it in the past and I don't see it being any different in the future."Still, even Roethlisberger is a bit curious how different things will be with Fichtner's voice coming through his helmet instead of Haley's."I don't know," Roethlisberger said. "We'll see. That's the question everyone wants to find out. What's Randy's personality? What are his tendencies? We'll all find out on Sunday I guess."Josh Dobbs, who credited Fichtner's tutelage for helping him supplant Landry Jones as Roethlisberger's primary backup coming out of training camp, is curious to see how willing Fichtner will be to let the creativity he shows during meetings come to life on the field.Yet for all of Fichtner's "just one of the guys" persona, Dobbs allows there's a fire underneath even if it's imperceptible on the practice field. Just start watching film with Fichtner. The joking stops, at least briefly, replaced by Fichtner's inner perfectionist."When you get in the meeting room, he flips and he's the most passionate guy every single play," Dobbs said. "It's 'Do this and it's a touchdown. This is what we can do.'"The self-described "old dude" understands he's an unknown quantity outside the locker room. He's not inside the locker room. His role has changed. His approach has not."He's probably wanted to be an OC for a long time," Dobbs said. "So to get to that position where he's the guy calling plays and game-planning and to see him not change is really good. He's the same guy, bringing energy. ... I think that shows in how he attacks the field."NOTES: Tomlin said he does not plan to outline the team's plan for Bell with Bell's representative. Bell's agent Adisa Bakari said Wednesday they wanted to discuss Bell's usage before Bell reports. "I don't communicate with agents regarding how I utilize players," Tomlin said. "I communicate with players regarding how I utilize players." ... TE Vance McDonald (foot) did not practice on Thursday and is unlikely to play against the Browns.