After the Pittsburgh Steelers lost to the Buffalo Bills last Sunday, ending their 2023 season, RB Najee Harris opened up on what he thought needs to change before the 2024 season. The major point he made was that the team needed more structure and in-house rules, not coaching staff changes. The reason? He thinks that players need to be more committed and disciplined.
When head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media during his end-of-season press conference on Thursday, he was asked about changes to how the team operates. While he did not speak to specific changes, he was open to them, according to video from the team.
“That’s what these exit interviews are about,” Tomlin said. “One man’s perspective is just one man’s perspective, but I meet with everyone, and somewhere in there lies reality. I’m always open to changing and doing what’s necessary in an effort to move this collective forward, in an effort to be world champs next year.”
Tomlin was pressed with a follow-up question about whether he felt that changes were necessary.
“There certainly need to be changes,” Tomlin said. “We can’t do the same things and expect a different result. I’m open and willing to that certainly.”
In a season that saw the Steelers ride a roller coaster of emotions (and in the standings) before making the playoffs and playing Buffalo, some of the standout moments were not the kind Super Bowl contenders want to have. When the Steelers dropped their second consecutive game to a team that was eight games under .500 at kickoff (the New England Patriots), it came after RB Jaylen Warren said he believed that the Steelers had overlooked the Arizona Cardinals less than a week earlier. That loss to the Patriots dropped Pittsburgh to 7-6.
The following week, WR George Pickens showed little effort on a Warren run that could have ended in a touchdown with a quality block. The Steelers ended up losing that game to the Indianapolis Colts, bringing the team’s record to 7-7. If playoff hopes weren’t in jeopardy before that game, people were hammering the panic button after it. Pickens’ effort in the loss led to him being called out by both local and national media. In fact, Pickens found himself in the spotlight for both high-quality performances and lackluster effort throughout the season.
Then against the Cincinnati Bengals just the next week, Pickens had a career day to help lead the Steelers to a win that started a three-game winning streak to end the regular season. It highlighted the immense potential and talent Pickens had that can be unlocked by discipline and commitment. Whether Harris was calling out Pickens specifically or not, we’ll probably never know.
It’s likely that Harris was calling out a lot of players with his comments. While Pickens might have been the most high-profile case, the Steelers didn’t lose to the Cardinals and Patriots in back-to-back weeks due to the performance of one wide receiver. That’s a collective effort to fall flat on their faces against teams that had 2-10 records ahead of their respective kickoffs.
What exactly those changes to the structure and rules will be is unknown at the moment. As Tomlin continues to take feedback through the exit interview process, those changes will become clearer. The fact that Tomlin is readily admitting that changes need to be made reaffirms that Harris’ thoughts are not simply “just one man’s perspective.”
