The Pittsburgh Steelers are at a low point that might be one of the worst in the tenure of Mike Tomlin's head coaching career. After starting the season clawing out victories to get to a 7-4 record, the team dropped consecutive games to two-win teams in the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots. That sunk them to 7-6 and are now without starting quarterback Kenny Pickett, who is out multiple weeks with an ankle injury. One reporter who covers the team very closely questioned the attitude in the locker room following the 21-18 loss to the Patriots on Thursday night in Week 14.
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Steelers captain Cameron Heyward (left) and Head Coach Mike Tomlin (right) talk to one another during a 2022 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette joined Donny Football on his show on 93.7 The Fan on Sunday afternoon and was asked about the vibes in the locker room following the team's failure to come with a win against the floundering Patriots, who had scored more than 20 points just twice before putting up 21 on Pittsburgh. The team had plenty of excuses for underperforming for a second straight week on their home field, but Batko said, aside from a select few players, he didn't really hear what he thought he would in the locker room postgame or from Tomlin.
"Surprised it wasn't more livid, to be honest," Batko said. "I thought there would be snippy answers to us in the press. It seemed like more dejection and they were resigned to it."
From his standpoint, Tomlin tried to cover the loss by going into schematic and logistical explanations, like his answer about the team's struggles to defend the tight end position against the Patriots and Cardinals.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation.com (Twitter/ X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin yells in the direction of one of his players during warmups before a 2022 preseason game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
Batko said he was waiting for Tomlin to utter something about wallowing in the stench of the losses or other platitudes about how the team would use these losses as fuel for turning the season back around. Instead, there was almost none of that from the head coach or most of his players.
"At least pretend you're angry," Batko said of the players and coach's responses. "It's mildly concerning from the standpoint of if these guys are checked out, this is a bad sign."
The Post-Gazette scribe said he was expecting to get some kind of an impassioned raw-raw speech from a leader like Cameron Heyward to try and rally the troops and the fan base into believing again, but that didn't happen. He said Heyward did take accountability, which is a good sign, but the lack of fire was evident after a second concerning loss in a row.
Steelers' Heyward And Minkah Fitzpatrick Some Of The "Few Guys" Upholding The Steeler Way
Minkah Fitzpatrick, who played through a broken hand against the Cardinals, made an emotional speech to the media, questioning a lack of effort from his teammates following the loss to the Patriots. He called out the mentality of the group to go back to work without questioning the way they are working and how it's led to the position the team is in. Fitzpatrick is often soft-spoken, but has a desire to light a fire under his teammates to try and make things better.
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Steelers Cameron Heyward, TJ Watt, and Minkah Fitzpatrick celebrate after a big play.
Heyward, like Fitzpatrick, called for more accountability and getting players out if they aren't playing up to the standards they need to. That's tough with the number of injuries the team has sustained, but the point of his speech still rings true. Fitzpatrick and Heyward are leaders on the team for a reason, but Batko said it's starting to feel like they're upholding the values of the franchise by themselves.
"He is one of the few guys that is still trying to uphold what Steelers' football means," Batko said. "Players like him and Minkah Fitzpatrick are maybe more of the exception than the rule right now and that's a problem."
The offense had been called out for a lack of leadership earlier in the year. It's clear the defense has some, but the overall lack of fire from the locker room after two despicable losses is a cause for concern that Tomlin needs to nip in the bud, or the collapse of the 2023 Steelers could be even worse.
What do you think of Batko's comments? Does Pittsburgh have a leadership problem? Comment below!
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