Steelers' Cameron Heyward Suggests It Truly Might Be Time To Bench Underperforming Players Following Week 14 Loss

The Pittsburgh Steelers had yet another embarrassing loss after falling short against the 2-10 New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football. Once again, the Steelers and their fans are searching for answers to this repeated failure. Something needs to change. Steeler Nation is well aware of this, as they kept booing their own team all game long. Every bad Mitch Trubisky pass or questionable Mike Tomlin decision got immediate feedback from the fans. The players know that something has to change too, and one player is willing to take some extreme measures to try and win. 

Cameron Heyward was also desperately searching for answers in his post-game press conference. He was able to find a solution that nobody wants to happen. Not even Heyward would want it to happen, but if it means the Steelers will get over this hump and start winning again, then so be it. 

“Either guys learn, or you got to change who’s in there, myself included. If I can’t execute, then you got to take me out. That’s just the way the group rolls. Thats the way we’ve always done it.”

Not only is Heyward talking about certain players being benched, but he also threw himself in there as a sacrifice to potentially take a seat, as any leader would say. While these horrible performances don’t fall on one player, certain guys might need to be relegated to a backup role to provide some sort of spark to the team. No one should be safe from losing playing time. 

While Heyward nominated himself to be looked at for a potential benching, that isn't going to happen. Heyward is still the leader of the defense and, with Kenny Pickett being injured and off the sidelines, potentially the whole team. He is the most vocal player from the remaining captains on the team, and Tomlin wants his leaders and veterans on the field, no questions asked. 

Steelers Could Bench Specific Offensive Player Before Anyone Else

The first candidate to leave the field would be Mason Cole. He’s been struggling to snap the football properly. While it didn’t cost them much in Week 14, they did give up a touchdown in Week 13 due to the great field position that a fumbled snap gave to the Arizona Cardinals. 

His pass blocking has also seemingly fallen off, causing the Steelers' quarterbacks to make some rough throws and decisions in the pocket. While Nate Herbig doesn't have much experience at center, he is listed as the backup and would replace Cole if necessary.

Steeler Nation has their own idea of who to bench, as they kept chanting their opinion throughout the game. They’ve already had enough of Trubisky, as he was nothing like the offensive catalyst that he wanted to be. Instead, Steelers fans want to give Mason Rudolph a shot at quarterback. Rudolph himself knows about fans chanting for the backup to come in and play. 

Regardless if anyone gets benched or not, the last two weeks are unacceptable. A large chunk of the fan base is fed up with more than the players on the field. They've been very vocal about their displeasures with the team, and if they can't turn the season around, they might start demanding that another coach gets fired via chants from all across the country. The last four games on the Steelers' schedule are against teams that are at least in the hunt for the playoffs. It's either now or never for this team.

What do you think about Heyward’s comments on the state of the Steelers, as well as players that could potentially be benched to make the team better? Let us know in the comments 

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