Rod Woodson tells of struggles with Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff

Rod Woodson was one of the greatest players to wear the black and gold, but the Hall of Famer didn’t necessarily enjoy his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The All-Pro safety never disappointed in Pittsburgh. From the first-round of the 1987 NFL Draft to his final game with the Steelers in 1996, Rod Woodson was one of the greatest. A hard-hitting playmaker defensive back who brought all the defensive football fans and the city wanted.

But it wasn’t as good Monday through Saturday as it seemed on Sundays. In a tell-all with Dan Patrick, Woodson revealed that he had plenty of struggles with the coaching staff throughout his time with the Steelers.

From coaches threatening him to not understanding the strategy these new coaches used as motivation, Woodson was fed up with the antics of the new staff from day one, and it only got worse as time went on.

Woodson recalls a moment when he knew his time in Pittsburgh needed to come to an end. During practice, one of the coaches threatened to “replace” Woodson.

"“We used to practice in Three Rivers Stadium, and the baseball diamond was there for the Pirates. Well, they used to put a tarp on the backside of it. But Bobby Brister, who was always being a jerk, would throw the ball all the way on the tarp. I would stop at the tarp and the receivers would keep running and catch the ball.I stop and he goes, ‘You better f’ing finish or I’ll replace you.’ I said, ‘what did you just say to me? You going to replace me?’I took my helmet off, walked out to the locker room, got in my car and drove to Indian. I get a phone call from Joe Gordon and he said ‘why’d you leave?’ I said, ‘if he’s my coach, trade me or I’ll quit.”"

Woodson’s problems eventually led to him no re-signing with the Steelers. After 10 seasons, the defensive back hit the free agent market and found a new home in Oakland that he enjoyed for the remainder of his career.

The Hall of Famer’s word couldn’t have come at a more ironic time, as the two biggest names in Pittsburgh seem to be having issues with the team. It may not be the coaches who are causing the problems, but many critics are pointing at Mike Tomlin for the reason things got so out of control.

It’ll be interesting to see who else comes out and speaks about their time in the Steel City. We’ve heard from many former players about the Bell and Brown situations, but this may be the first time a former Steeler sat down and told the story of poor coaching within the organization.

Tomlin is much different than Woodson’s former coaches, but nevertheless, Pittsburgh doesn’t need the negative publicity at a time like this.

Woodson’s full interview can be seen on the AT&T AUDIENCE Network.