Explore popular quotes and sayings by Mike Webster.
Last updated on November 8, 2024.
Michael Lewis Webster was an American professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 1997. Nicknamed "Iron Mike", Webster anchored the Steelers' offensive line during much of their run of four Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1979 and is considered by many the greatest center in NFL history.
That's what you realize when you get older, how much you love the game and what a great game it is.
The most important thing you want is for the man across the line of scrimmage to know your name when the game is over.
I don't run very well and I'm not very agile or nimble.
I can't help it if I like cold weather. It's the hot weather I can't stand.
I have a lot of other things I want to do with my life that are outside of football.
We use the free weights because there is a balance factor involved. It's not just a stationary exercise. It's balance as well as strength, plus you go through the full range of motion with bulk weight.
I worked at what I did, I worked hard.
You only fail if you don't finish the game.
You don't try to make the Pro Bowl every year, you just try to do things to help your team win.
Friends don't always agree on things. I think you can disagree without being venomous about it. You don't stop being friends just because you disagree.
The only chance I have to be successful is if I'm in better condition than the other guy.
Coach Noll insists upon his players having a positive attitude toward the game and, looking back, I really believe that his philosophy in this area helped mold the Steelers into being the team of the 1970s.
Throughout life, a positive attitude is important because without it one has a more difficult time achieving any measure of success, whether it be in school, athletics or the working world.
You don't go into a season saying you're going to play this many more years, you take it one season at a time, one game at a time, one practice at a time.
Sometimes you can be down and struggling, but as long as you keep working at it, you win.
I have never judged myself by how anyone else has played.
I think it's important that you recognize the center position going against the 3-4 defense depends on a guy going in there and being dominant.
I've been blessed in a lot of ways.
It doesn't bother me to play on the road except in the playoffs or in domed stadiums.
I hate those domed stadiums because the air is goofed up. There's no fresh air, and you almost feel like you have claustrophobia.
I have a lot of Walter Mitty in me.
I didn't start playing football on a team until 11th grade. I only got to go out then because the coach brought me home from practice.
In football, strength can only succeed when mixed with agility, balance, speed and intelligence about what's going on around you. But, without strength, I wouldn't be here.
Over the course of your career you learn to focus and concentrate on what you have to do and block everything else out.
I'm about 255, but I'd weigh under 220 if I weren't in football. In the hot summer, I feel the extra weight is taxing on my respiratory system. I don't mind it in the winter.
I believe if you can't play at a championship level, it's time to stop playing.
In any game, you have to win up front.
I'm not a big man and never was. I came in at about 243 pounds and I played at times up to 260 so there was nothing I could have done to match the size of the defensive tackles.
In college we didn't pass block the way they do in the pros - they played the I-formation at Wisconsin.
Playing with a man over me in a 34 type defense really doesn't change what I have to do. You still have to play aggressive football and execute. No matter what the front, I think strength gives me a little edge.
My only obligation as a professional is to be prepared and be as good as I can be at my position.
There's only one way to get strong. You work at it.
I don't think age has as much to do with how long you play as conditioning.
Hitting the sled is something a lineman can do to get ready for the season. A running back can't practice, carrying the ball by himself but a lineman can work on his blocking.
As a professional, you have an obligation to rehabilitate yourself as fast as you can.
If I'm not performing on the field, if I'm not doing what's expected of me, what I say or attempt to get across to anyone else has no credence.
You get nostalgic and you'll get knocked on your butt.
I was pretty darn lucky to be selected by the Steelers. A round earlier or later in the draft and I might have been with a team that didn't make it to the Super Bowl.
I'm not a very good athlete.
I have always felt that my issues are my issues.
I always finished everything I ever started, every game.
Coach Noll is quite demanding all the time. He expects a lot from both his players and assistant coaches because that is the only way he knows how to get the job done.
The main function of strength for a lineman is usually to move somebody.
You learn more every season and that enables you to be a better player.
You can't play scared. You have to play with confidence.
The only thing that matters is performance. That's the bottom line. You're part of the team. It doesn't matter if you're in your first year or your 41st.
My biggest competition is myself and my two natures.
Every year you play you get more motivated.
We aren't showing off our muscles. We wear the tight-tailored jerseys for a technical reason. Defensive lineman are allowed to grab, so you don't want a lot of loose material.
The only way I can have a positive impact on this football team is for me to dedicate myself to doing my job.
You can lose a game with the kicking game faster than you can with offense and defense.
We lived on a potato farm my dad and three boys. My parents parted when I was young. My mother and sisters lived nearby, but not with us.
You only fail if you don't finish the game. If you finish you win. You have to measure what you started out with by what you overcome.
If you want a simple strength and conditioning program, stick to the basics. Run your 400s and 800s, and do lots of power cleans and presses and long heavy sets of squats.