PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Free agent corner Jamel Dean hasn’t played a down for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but already defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is all over him. Or at least at one time was all over him.
Graham was an assistant with the Miami Dolphins when Dean was coming out of college. As defensive coordinator he was meeting with Dean as a potential draft choice and was challenging him.
“He kind of grilled me during our formal interviews,” Dean described as he first met with Pittsburgh reporters. “I thought, I was figuring like, I heard the rumors that the coaches were like, trying to like get under your skin, but I didn't let it bother me.”
He said it didn’t trouble him, but it at least stuck with him.
What kind of grilling was Graham doing?
“They ask you a question and then they try to like, twist your words and make it seem like, get you, get you frustrated,” Dean explained. “Like, no, I didn't say that. So, you know I'm a calm guy. So, I just like, oh, whatever.”
Graham wasn’t done.
“It was one film and it was one play I guess I accidentally loafed,” Dean said when they moved on to looking at his college tape. “And then he kinda just kept drilling that like, ‘you see, you are just a lazy person’, this and that. And I was like, oh wow.”
“And then, he asked me another question like, ‘so what are you gonna do in the off season?’ And I just said like, ‘I'm gonna relax first, then I'll start working out’. Then he started saying, ‘oh, so you're lazy’. I'm like, ‘oh, come on, dude, what are you doing here?’
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The Dolphins drafted defensive tackle Christian Wilkins in the first round that season (2019) and guard Michael Deiter in the third round (traded the second-round pick) instead of Dean, who went with the 94th overall pick to Tampa Bay.
Now they are both going through their first year with the Steelers with Graham as his defensive coordinator. Did Graham remember all of this?
“Oh, yeah, so I just said, ‘oh, I'm glad we are starting off on the right foot this time’,” Dean said with a big smile. “But it was a great conversation we had, you know, great energy, just talking about life and football and what he expects and what he expects later on.”
Dean said he expects Graham to bring that great energy to the defense and be a coach that comes in early to make sure they all understand his scheme.
The 29-year-old said he loves a coach with energy. Even if he gives him a hard time.
Rodgers memory
In Dean’s second season, the 6’, 206-pound corner intercepted then Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a game in Tampa Bay and returned it for a touchdown. He has a favor to ask if the future Hall of Famer returns for a 21st season.
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“I am looking forward to him signing back because that same football, I need him to sign it,” Dean said with a smile. “So I've been waiting like five years just to be able to ask him, like, ‘hey, you remember this ball?’ Yeah, I've been meaning to sign this ball for so many years and I think I think this is a good time to do it now.”