For the back half of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ team facility had house guests. Hard Knocks followed the team after the bye through their Wild Card loss, a never-before-seen look at the team. The first few episodes became must-see TV as the media buzzed about Mike Tomlin’s ability to hold court in the meeting room. Then, the losing began.
With a story that took a turn and the realization that the cameras capture everything, DL Cam Heyward tuned out by the season’s end.
“You’ll catch yourself when you say something like, did I really just say that on TV?” Heyward said in a Sirius Radio interview with Amber Theoharis and Kirk Morrison at this year’s Pro Bowl. “And you’re like, ‘I really hope they don’t use it.’ There’s just this voice in the background, ‘What are they going to use for this week?’ And so I just quit watching it altogether. Because I was like, I do not need to have that on my plate of just thinking about those moments.”
Heyward was one of the most frequently captured Steelers. He even let Hard Knocks into his house on Thanksgiving as he broke bread with Connor Heyward and the rest of his family. Storylines to appreciate in a post-career, capturing the bond between two brothers sharing an NFL team, but something more challenging to do during a losing streak.
They also showed him preaching accountability following their Week 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. And enough cursing to fill up a swear jar.
The cameras aren’t an excuse for the Steelers’ collapse, nor did Heyward point to them as a reason. Pittsburgh started off just fine with them in the building. They secured a major win against the Ravens in Week 11 and a shootout victory against the Cincinnati Bengals weeks later. Instead, a tough schedule and many self-errors caused the skid that ended their season.
“It was a cool experience,” Heyward said. “Just having the cameras, it’s different.”
Hard Knocks had nothing but praise for the Steelers’ hospitality. During the most recent episode of Pittsburgh’s ongoing documentary, The Standard, Director Terrell Riley was grateful for the journey.
“I don’t think there’s words to describe the access we were given to the story of the Steelers’ organization,’ Riley said during the episode. “First and foremost, we have to thank Mr. Rooney for allowing us to come in here and getting access to the building. Thanks to Coach Tomlin, thanks to everyone apart of the Steelers’ organization to allow us to come in here and do what we do.”
While Pittsburgh was a good host, don’t count on them letting Hard Knocks into the building again anytime soon.
