The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently in the midst of an 11-day layoff following a three-game losing streak, and the downtime has provoked multiple social media messages from veteran members of the organization.
Linebacker Patrick Queen sent teammates a two-word message on Instagram on December 26, while quarterback Russell Wilson was as optimistic as ever on December 27 — stating, “Love my teammates! Best days are ahead!”
Veteran defensive lineman and team leader Cameron Heyward posted on his Instagram story on Friday too, but his message was much longer. He quoted American clergyman and author Edward Everett Hale, who said:
I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do.
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward Reiterates Postgame Message on Social Media
The cryptic quote, in a nutshell, echoed Heyward’s postgame message. As a whole, it’s time for the Steelers locker room to show some accountability and do their jobs.
“When we talk about execution, we talk about communicating, [and] there’s somebody free — 10 guys do the job and one guy doesn’t, we’re screwed,” Heyward told reporters on Christmas Day.
And although he expressed confidence that his defense could turn things around, Heyward reiterated that Pittsburgh’s success comes down to “guys following their assignments.”
“You can [expletive] and moan about being on a tough week, everything that’s going on, but you didn’t see [the Kansas City Chiefs] do that,” the long-time Steeler noted. “You make the plays when you can, and you execute regardless of what’s going on in the game.”
Heyward did clarify that he’s not saying his teammates don’t “want it.”
“It’s not want, it’s just — when you come into these games, you can hope and pray but if you don’t execute, it doesn’t matter at all,” he explained after Week 17.
“Last three weeks we’ve played like [expletive], simple as that,” Heyward went on. “I own that. Every player’s got to own that in here… You can’t squander opportunities whether it’s turnovers, whether it’s getting off the field, whether it’s scoring touchdowns. It is a multitude of things, and it has reared its big head.”
The defensive lineman concluded that the recent Steelers miscues have been “dumbfounding.”
Pittsburgh Columnist Mark Madden Blames Mike Tomlin for ‘Classic Steelers Collapse’
TribLIVE columnist Mark Madden weighed in on what he called another “classic Steelers collapse” on December 27, and he blamed head coach Mike Tomlin for the losing streak.
“Nobody should be surprised [that the Steelers fell flat against the Chiefs],” Madden wrote. “It’s a truth that’s been there all along hiding in plain sight. This is exactly what figured to happen.
“The Steelers have a flawed roster. The Steelers are poorly coached. This is the fourth time in the past six years that the Steelers have lost three straight in December. It’s the fifth time in the past seven years that the Steelers have lost three straight after Thanksgiving. That’s because other teams improve over the course of a season. The Steelers don’t.”
Madden went on to label the Steelers’ coaching staff “stooges and yes-men” that report back to Tomlin. Adding that Tomlin himself has “no nuance to his coaching.”
“The Steelers just show up, play like the Steelers and hope that’s good enough,” he continued later. Criticizing their drafting, wasting of recent first-round picks and Tomlin’s above-.500 streak — which he described as hollow.
“The Steelers’ philosophy of football is outdated,” Madden said, rounding out his rant. “They’re diesel fuel in a high-octane era. The Steelers emphasize running the ball and defense. But they’re bad at the former, overrated at the latter.”
“No playoff wins in seven years. Three in 13,” he concluded. “But Tomlin is a great coach. Just because. The Steelers are a great organization. Just because. Results don’t matter. Evidence gets ignored. Every franchise wants to be like the Steelers. Except the good ones.”
With everyone melting down around Pittsburgh, it will be on team leaders like Tomlin and Heyward to change the narrative. That shift must begin in Week 18.
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Steelers Team Leader Cameron Heyward Posts Suggestive Quote After Chiefs Loss