Steelers Storytime: 1 Offensive Lineman Lost Focus On Fundamentals And Had To Face Enraged Teammates

The Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled to find an excellent, long-term center since losing 2x First Team All-Pro Maurkice Pouncey. Mason Cole has handled this critical position since 2022 after Kendrick Green imploded in 2021. It is not an easy position to master and requires nearly perfect chemistry between the center and the quarterback. A former Steelers offensive guard recently shared a story about a time when a backup center got chewed out in the huddle. 

It was 2019 and the Steelers were coming off a less-than-impressive 2018 season where they missed the playoffs. The AFC was being run by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, and all roads to the Super Bowl, when the Steelers even had a shot, went through Foxboro. 

This pretty much made the Patriots public enemy number one and meant that the Steelers would play them at least once a season. That year, they got the defending champs early, in fact, it was the first game of the season on a Sunday night. The Steelers played awful football, just awful. It is a hard game to watch because it felt like nothing went right the entire game. 

During a game that is going so poorly, sometimes all you can do is minimize the number of mistakes you make, and the Steelers couldn't even do that. Ramon Foster recently shared on the podcast he co-hosts with Dejan Kovacevic on DK Pittsburgh Sports called The Ramon Foster Show, that center B.J. Finney had such a huge blunder, he still gets teased about it. 

Foster was asked during the show if the offensive line ever gives a teammate grief in the huddle for a mistake they make. He said that it is usually for young guys that need to be more focused if they screw up, or aren't paying attention.

"It happened on our offensive line. I got the most infamous one for you, everybody moved except for the center. B.J. [Finney] got ripped on that one, we let him have it, he got ripped for that one. That B.J. play embarrassed all of us but he was more embarrassed, but it was one of them situations where he didn't own up to it. He was like, 'Well I thought I was like...' No, you didn't think! We all heard it!"

In the play Foster is referring to, the Steelers were already down substantially and were just trying to make something happen. There were under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter and Pittsburgh was in a must-score situation. Instead of scoring, Finney humiliated everyone when he forgot to snap the ball on a 2nd-and-10 play. Everyone on the offense moved except for the backup center. Finney stayed in his stance, waiting to snap the ball. 

The penalty flags flew and almost everyone but him took a penalty for moving when he was the one who screwed up. The Steelers wouldn't score on that drive, nor would they score that game except for a single field goal. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a terrible game and was clearly missing Pouncey, along with other key starters. He only completed 27 of 47 passes for 276 yards and one interception. They lost 33-3. Foster said the linemen do hold the other guys accountable and they expect even backups to take the job seriously. 

"It's usually the O-line go after guys like that because it's five that has got to work as one. There's been other young guys come in the huddle and you got to kinda straighten them out. Like we take this crap seriously. So, if you're going to be a starter, we need you to be as serious as we are."

Foster said a mistake as ridiculous as that one had the veterans feeling like Finney wasn't prepared to play. It was as if he expected to be on the bench that week and didn't mentally prep by studying the playbook. 

Steelers Need A Strong Center To Make It In 2023

The Steelers are currently prepping to play the Cleveland Browns during Week 10 and through the first half of the season, Cole has not inspired confidence in fans. During 2022, the offensive line's progress improved as the season went on and now all of those same players, save one, Isaac Seumalo, have returned in 2023.  

However, Cole seems to be struggling a bit to find his footing and the offense is paying for it. He recently told the media that big changes weren't needed, that the offense just needed to make small "tweaks." Cole and running back Najee Harris are apparently committed to helping to improve this offense. They stayed an extra day during the bye week to dissect plays together and take their suggestions to Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada. 

It seems that fans are getting frustrated with Cole, but maybe they should just be grateful he remembers to snap the ball. 

Do you remember that game against the Patriots? How do you think Cole is doing this season? Click to comment below. 

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