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The gig might not be as glamorous as fellow New Orleans-area native Jacoby Jones' appearance on "Dancing With the Stars." But Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor is also showing off his versatile skill set by moonlighting during his offseason downtime.

Taylor is working as the color analyst on radio broadcasts for the Arena Football League's Pittsburgh Power. The Abramson and Louisiana-Lafayette product will be back home in New Orleans for Friday night's game against the New Orleans VooDoo in the Superdome.

"I really didn't know what to expect. But I thought I'd just go for the ride and see where it takes me," said Taylor, who has also co-hosted a popular sports-talk radio show in Pittsburgh, the "Ike Taylor Show," for the last two years. "This is a lot of good experience and good exposure."

I immediately put Taylor to work myself this week, asking for his insight on two of the newest New Orleans Saints players - former teammate cornerback Keenan Lewis and former rival tight end Benjamin Watson.

"(Lewis) has a lot of pride as a corner. He's somebody who's going to be up for the challenge," Taylor said of Lewis, a fellow New Orleans native who signed a five-year, $26.3 million deal with the Saints after a breakout season opposite Taylor in the Steelers' secondary last year.

"In his one year of starting, he has an understanding of what it takes to start. What it takes to be a professional," Taylor said. "A lot of people might say it's a lot of pressure going back to your hometown. But that just depends on the individual. ... He came up under my roof, so he's going to be ready for any challenge.

"He's going to want to check the best receiver, he's going to want to shut 'em down, and he's going to want to make a name for himself. Show people, 'That's what you paid me for, so get ready to sit back and enjoy the show.'

"He's just always up for the challenge. He doesn't want to get beat. He's the kind of guy who likes for people to say what he can't do. ... They got a good lock-down corner in Keenan. Hopefully he can develop into one. Time will tell, but I think he can. ... He's got all the attributes."

Read more: Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback/analyst Ike Taylor shares his thoughts on newest New Orleans Saints | NOLA.com

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