Former Clemson defensive tackle Brentson Buckner loves college football. He especially loves to watch his Tigers play on Saturday afternoons. It’s a time for him to get away for three hours and just be a fan of the game.
On Sundays, where Buckner spent 12 seasons playing in the NFL, he cannot afford to be a fan because he is coaching his own players as a defensive tackles coach for the Arizona Cardinals.
“I love watching college football, but I love coaching professional football,” Buckner said. “I like the challenge. When you get a kid out of high school, you know they have a lot to learn, but I like the challenge of teaching a professional that, ‘You still have a lot of learning to do.’ That’s a challenge to me because it keeps me sharp.”
Buckner has learned coaching is all about the process. It’s about embracing it and being prepared for anything that can happen. He said that’s the biggest difference between being a player and being a coach.
“As a player, you come in and you have so much you have to do so you never see how much work the coaches put in behind closed doors,” the former Clemson standout said. “Now that I am a coach, it is about ‘How can I make this guy better this week? How can and I get him to do something he was not doing? How can I get them on the same page? How can I get them to trust me and play for me?’
“Once you learn how to do that, that’s the joy you get. Once you do it, you love going to work. It’s like a new gift every day because I am going to teach these kids something they were not doing last year or maybe they weren’t doing it yesterday, but he is going to be doing it today. Now he is excited about it.”
Buckner was an All-ACC defensive tackle for the Tigers from 1990-’93 and was drafted in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played in the NFL for 12 seasons and played in two Super Bowls for the Steelers and the Carolina Panthers.
“You learn how much you love the game because as a coach you don’t really get the limelight. You don’t look for it, but you put in the work,” he said. “When you see your players have success and getting recognition, you take a lot of pride in that.”
And Buckner takes pride in what he does as well. Though he is now in his mid-40s, he still looks like he can play in the league.
“On our defensive line, we always say, ‘Hey, we want to grind. We want to look the part.’ I never want to be that fat coach that is always yelling at his kid, ‘Run harder and get in shape!’ Then I’m standing on the sideline looking like I’m two doughnuts away from a heart attack,” Buckner said. “I try to work out and stay in shape. I know when they are tired. I know what they’re going through. I was one of those guys, too. I try to stay in shape so I can keep up with those guys.”
–Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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