After a Christmas Day loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, one in which there were a number of guys running wide open at Acrisure Stadium, the Pittsburgh Steelers had some in-fighting occur through the media. Safety DeShon Elliott stated after the 29-10 loss that guys needed to do their “fricking jobs” while team captain Cameron Heyward said the defense is screwed when one guy doesn’t do his job.
Even linebacker Patrick Queen was frustrated, stating that nobody is doing anything about the communication issues that have occurred in the last three weeks and played a key role in the Steelers dropping three games in ugly fashion.
Those comments led to former Steelers safety and current ESPN analyst Ryan Clark blasting some of the new faces like Elliott and Queen for not keeping things in-house and addressing problems behind closed doors.
For Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin though, the bickering was a good thing because it shows that they care. Speaking with reporters Monday ahead of the Steelers’ Week 18 Saturday night showdown with the Bengals, Tomlin stated that the comments to the media are a non-issue moving forward.
“You know, I didn’t do much about it, man. They bicker because they care, and we weren’t playing well. And oftentimes the solutions is born outta conflict and confrontation, particularly when you’re in the business that we’re in,” Tomlin said, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “And so we’re not gonna let an issue like that be a big issue. It’s really not. Guys expressing truth and working to seek solutions, and sometimes emotions are involved in that.
“And so, most of the time when you get out of those circumstances, you’re able to move on as a collective, and I feel like we certainly have done that.”
While former players on the outside looking in like Clark might not have liked it, considering that’s now how it was done when he was playing, there’s not much one can do once the comments are made. In the case of Tomlin, he seemingly handled it properly, letting the guys have their say publicly.
Yes, guys are frustrated and things are ugly right now. Sometimes you need that conflict to get things figured out. Now that the Steelers had their mini-bye week of sorts, hopefully they can iron out the issues ahead of the regular-season finale against the Bengals.
One of the biggest issues the Steelers have had defensively in the last three weeks is those communication issues and guys not doing their jobs.
Some of those issued occurring with key guys out of the lineup. Even on Christmas with key guys back in the lineup though, those issues were occurring. For Tomlin, those issues could be tied to personnel switches. But now, with everyone back — including cornerback Joey Porter Jr. — those issues should subside.
“Oftentimes those lapses that you mentioned are occurring because of personnel switches. DeShon himself has missed a block of games in recent weeks. Donte Jackson has missed some time,” Tomlin said. “Joey Porter’s missed some time, and so what you’ve been looking at is some of those personal changes that you suggest.
“And so that’s one of the reasons why I’m excited about having all the guys at our disposal in preparation this week.”
Having everyone at their disposal defensively will be huge, especially against a red-hot Bengals offense. It is led by quarterback Joe Burrow, who is putting up some absurd numbers and has helped will the Bengals back into the AFC playoff picture.
Though it will be a tall task for the Steelers on Saturday at 8 PM/ET at Acrisure Stadium, the Steelers are seemingly coming into the week refreshed after their mini-bye week.
“I feel really good about what I felt from them today. We were very transparent about what needs to be done and our course of action in an effort to create it,” Tomlin said regarding the team’s mentality. “But again, I think we show mentality with our urgency and how we work. And so I’m excited about getting back on the grass tomorrow and starting the process.
“But some bright eyes, man, some rested faces, felt real good about what we’re able to get done in a classroom like setting this morning.”
We’ll see if that reset and getting back into the classroom-like setting helps the Steelers get back on track defensively. They’ll need ito Saturday night in primetime.
