Former Steelers OL Willie Colon Is Absolutely Ruthless Claiming Patrick Peterson, Levi Wallace Are "Stealing Money"

The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be playing terrible football by all accounts, yet somehow their defense finds a way to keep them in games long enough for the offense to get their act together and pull out a late win. The team has limped into second place in the AFC North with a 4-2 record through seven weeks. While the defense is getting a lot of well-deserved credit for some exceptional gameplay, including scoring two touchdowns to win over the Cleveland Browns during Week 2, there are also some questionable areas, like the secondary. 

The Steelers revamped their cornerback room during the offseason and it left Levi Wallace and Pittsburgh newcomer Patrick Peterson as the starters heading into the season. Whether it is just the personnel or the changes to the secondary, the group looks inconsistent at best, despite Wallace and Peterson each having at least one interception this season so far. This has one former Steelers player trashing them on a recent podcast.

Willie Colon, a former offensive guard for the Steelers, spoke about the team on an episode of The Carton Show. He said he is not happy with how the two cornerbacks are performing, despite the defense keeping the team relevant. 

"They gotta be better in the secondary because Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson, they're stealing money right now."

It seems fair for the two corners to take this kind of criticism. During the first six games of the 2023 season, Wallace and Peterson ranked among the worst corners in the NFL. They combined to allow 684 receiving yards on 46 receptions with eight touchdowns. Pro Football Focus graded Peterson a 54.6 and Wallace a 46.3.  

It also seems fair to recognize that the Steelers are attempting to make changes in the secondary. During the Week 7 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin moved Peterson around the secondary more. That was something that was discussed as the plan for Peterson prior to the start of the season. 

This move also allowed Joey Porter Jr., the rookie out of Penn State, to take the field more. During the game against the Rams, Porter played more snaps than ever before, 53 to be exact, which accounted for 78% of the defensive snaps. PFF has Porter graded much higher, at 80.4, however, he has not played nearly as much as the two veterans.    

The Steelers Secondary Isn't The Only Weakness

According to Colon, he also has concerns about how the Steelers run defense will stack up against Travis Etienne, who has been getting hotter as the season has progressed. Etienne has rushed 127 times for 504 yards and seven touchdowns through seven games. 

"I'm worried about anything, it's this run defense from the Pittsburgh Steelers because Travis Etienne is starting to come alive. For me, if I'm the run defense for this Pittsburgh Steelers, you're going to have to knuckle up. I'm not worried about the pass rush, you know they can get home. Overall, this Steelers defense knows how to win," said Colon.

Craig Carton tells Colon that he just can't understand how the Steelers keep winning. He said he feels like this game is a more important one for the Steelers than it is for the Jaguars. The Steelers need to prove to the world that they can actually win games while the Jaguars have won five straight and it will be easy to excuse them dropping one. 

"I still don't think Willie, and I'm sorry to say it, that the Steelers are a very good team. I'm saying that more, obviously, on the offensive side of the ball than defense. It's one of those things where I don't know how Mike Tomlin does it, but I am going to pick against Pittsburgh every week because I can't figure out how they keep winning games when I know in my heart that they're not very good," said Carton.

Per Fox Sports, Colon's complaints about the defense check out. Their total defense ranks 30th in the NFL with 383.5 average yards and 13 touchdowns. The passing defense is ranked 25th and the rushing defense is ranked 28th. This is a hard pill to swallow considering T.J. Watt is routinely being called the best player on the planet.

Of course, a lot of this is just opinions. The Steelers have been counted out in pretty much every single game this season and they have found ways to shock the world during roughly 66% of the season. They meet a Jaguars team that is on the rise and Trevor Lawrence is finally finding his footing in the NFL, but it would be unfair to count them out. When the Steelers are down, quarterback Kenny Pickett manages to find a way to get it done.  

Do you agree with Colon? Are Peterson and Wallace just stealing money from the NFL? What do you think is the biggest issue with the Steelers defense? Click to comment below. 

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