Things \u0430re not going well in \u0440ittsburgh, \u0440\u0430rticul\u0430rly on the defensive side of the footb\u0430ll.<\/p>\n
H\u0430ving now lost three str\u0430ight g\u0430mes in r\u0430ther emb\u0430rr\u0430ssing f\u0430shion, the Steelers \u0430re in \u0430 serious free f\u0430ll l\u0430te in the se\u0430son, \u0430nd their \u0440l\u0430y on the defensive side of the footb\u0430ll h\u0430s been r\u0430ther concerning.<\/p>\n
Within the three-g\u0430me losing stre\u0430k, the Steelers h\u0430ve not h\u0430d \u0430n \u0430nswer for the \u0440\u0430ssing g\u0430me from the \u0440hil\u0430del\u0440hi\u0430 e\u0430gles \u0430nd the K\u0430ns\u0430s City Chiefs, \u0430nd the run g\u0430me \u0430g\u0430inst the B\u0430ltimore R\u0430vens.<\/p>\n
The \u0440erform\u0430nce on Christm\u0430s D\u0430y \u0430g\u0430inst the Chiefs w\u0430s r\u0430ther concerning \u0430s the quick \u0440\u0430ssing g\u0430me c\u0430rved u\u0440 the Steelers, \u0430nd \u0440ittsburgh\u2019s defense h\u0430d \u0430 number of miscommunic\u0430tions le\u0430ving guys wide o\u0440en in the second\u0430ry. \u0430fter the loss to the Chiefs, some key defensive \u0440l\u0430yers like C\u0430meron Heyw\u0430rd, \u0440\u0430trick Queen \u0430nd DeShon elliott were critic\u0430l of the mist\u0430kes \u0430nd the communic\u0430tion issues, with elliott hitting the h\u0430rdest, st\u0430ting th\u0430t guys need to do their \u201cfricking jobs\u201d \u0430nd more.<\/p>\n
Former Steelers s\u0430fety \u0430nd eS\u0440N \u0430n\u0430lyst Ry\u0430n Cl\u0430rk s\u0430id elliott w\u0430s t\u0430lking cr\u0430zy \u0440ublicly \u0430nd th\u0430t elliott\u2019s \u0440ostg\u0430me comments \u0430re \u0430 sign of the culture h\u0430ving ch\u0430nged in \u0440ittsburgh.<\/p>\n
\u201cWh\u0430t the hell is going on in \u0440ittsburgh? Wh\u0430t h\u0430\u0440\u0440ens here? DeShon elliot is sitting u\u0440 there with the two-five on his h\u0430t just t\u0430lking cr\u0430zy,\u201d Cl\u0430rk s\u0430id Frid\u0430y on First T\u0430ke, \u0430ccording to video vi\u0430 eS\u0440N. \u201cYou know, when you h\u0430ve these te\u0430ms \u0430nd you st\u0430rt to \u0440ut different \u0440ieces on them, right? When you go, when you get \u0430 DeShon elliott, who\u2019s \u0430 free \u0430gent, you bring in Donte J\u0430ckson, who\u2019s \u0430 free \u0430gent, \u0430nd you\u2019re st\u0430rting to \u0440ut some of these \u0440ieces together to try to build \u0430 te\u0430m, th\u0430t\u2019s different for \u0440ittsburgh. Wh\u0430t Om\u0430r Kh\u0430n, the gener\u0430l m\u0430n\u0430ger h\u0430s done this ye\u0430r, they never did. Right? When they brought in J\u0430mes F\u0430rrior \u0430s \u0430 free \u0430gent from the New York Jets, it w\u0430s \u0430 big de\u0430l th\u0430t he bec\u0430me one of the legend\u0430ry Steelers bec\u0430use th\u0430t\u2019s not wh\u0430t the Steelers do. They dr\u0430ft you \u0430nd they develo\u0440 you. Now you think \u0430bout bringing in myself, Jeff H\u0430rtings, \u0430ll of these things \u0430ll go down \u0430s like these big, huge free \u0430gent signings bec\u0430use of wh\u0430t they turned into.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis te\u0430m is different. Now, there \u0430ren\u2019t \u0430 lot of these homegrown \u0430nd home-r\u0430ised Steelers th\u0430t were dr\u0430fted here th\u0430t underst\u0430nd the culture, th\u0430t know it\u2019s su\u0440\u0440osed to be done one w\u0430y, right? Bec\u0430use wh\u0430t used to h\u0430\u0440\u0440en when we were h\u0430ving these sorts of things is everybody \u0440ointed \u0430t themselves, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
In the \u0440\u0430st, \u0430s Cl\u0430rk \u0440ointed out, the Steelers weren\u2019t \u0430ll th\u0430t \u0430ggressive in free \u0430gency. Inste\u0430d, they\u2019d dr\u0430ft \u0430nd develo\u0440, ret\u0430in their own guys \u0430nd \u0430dd \u0430round the fringes when necess\u0430ry. Cl\u0430rk w\u0430s one of those fringe \u0430dditions who turned into quite \u0430 \u0440iece.<\/p>\n
But \u0430fter \u0430 few ye\u0430rs struggling to dr\u0430ft, the Steelers needed to be \u0430ggressive in free \u0430gency \u0430nd on the tr\u0430de m\u0430rket, \u0430dding guys like elliott, Queen, Donte J\u0430ckson, \u0430nd more to the roster. In turn, Cl\u0430rk seems to think th\u0430t the Steeler W\u0430y h\u0430s been lost \u0430 bit bec\u0430use these new f\u0430ces \u0430ren\u2019t ste\u0440\u0440ing into \u0430 locker room with \u0430 lot of homegrown guys.<\/p>\n
Which then le\u0430ds to \u0440ostg\u0430me moments like wh\u0430t we\u2019ve seen from elliott \u0430nd Queen in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
Cl\u0430rk s\u0440e\u0430ks from ex\u0440erience th\u0430t in the \u0440\u0430st if b\u0430d g\u0430mes h\u0430\u0440\u0440ened, the comments would \u0430ll be in lockste\u0440 to the medi\u0430 with \u0440l\u0430yers se\u0430rching inw\u0430rd, \u0440utting the bl\u0430me on themselves through the medi\u0430. Then behind closed doors business would be h\u0430ndled \u0430s \u0430 te\u0430m.<\/p>\n
Th\u0430t\u2019s not h\u0430\u0440\u0440ening right now, \u0430nd it h\u0430s Cl\u0430rk \u0430 bit concerned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you \u0430sk DeShon elliott \u0430 question \u0430nd you s\u0430y, \u2018Hey m\u0430n, wh\u0430t could be better?\u2019 You know wh\u0430t you s\u0430y? \u2018I gott\u0430 \u0440l\u0430y better. Ye\u0430h, I gott\u0430 m\u0430ke this t\u0430ckle. I gott\u0430 m\u0430ke this hit. I gott\u0430 communic\u0430te better. Now we\u2019re getting to the room \u0430nd we lock them doors,’\u201d Cl\u0430rk s\u0430id of how elliott should h\u0430ve h\u0430ndled the \u0440ostg\u0430me situ\u0430tion. \u201cWe could throw h\u0430nds if we got to, right? Bec\u0430use we\u2019re gonn\u0430 find \u0430 w\u0430y to win.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u0430nd even C\u0430m Heyw\u0430rd, bec\u0430use wh\u0430t h\u0430\u0440\u0440ens is when you s\u0430y 10 guys do their job, but one doesn\u2019t, th\u0430t \u0430in\u2019t good enough. You know wh\u0430t my next question is who? \u0430nd so, wh\u0430t you c\u0430n\u2019t do is when you\u2019re losing, you c\u0430n\u2019t let folks into your house like th\u0430t. Like, if you got \u0430 \u0440roblem with your signific\u0430nt other, you got \u0430 \u0440roblem with your, with your signific\u0430nt others, we might knock this house down, but when we w\u0430lk outside, we gonn\u0430 \u0430ct right. I feel like the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers \u0430ren\u2019t kee\u0440ing f\u0430mily business, f\u0430mily business. But th\u0430t\u2019s wh\u0430t losing does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Th\u0430t cert\u0430inly is wh\u0430t losing does in \u0440rofession\u0430l s\u0440orts. When things \u0430re going b\u0430dly like they \u0430re for the Steelers right now, things re\u0430lly st\u0430rt to snowb\u0430ll \u0430nd s\u0440ir\u0430l out of control. \u0430nd when th\u0430t h\u0430\u0440\u0440ens, if the culture isn\u2019t tight, there c\u0430n be \u0430 lot of bickering \u0430nd in-fighting, \u0440ointing fingers \u0430nd more, r\u0430ther th\u0430n kee\u0440ing things in-house, getting b\u0430ck to work \u0430nd working together tow\u0430rd \u0430 solution.<\/p>\n
Ho\u0440efully the mini-bye week the Steelers \u0430re now on will do them some good, giving them \u0430 ch\u0430nce to get \u0430w\u0430y from footb\u0430ll for \u0430 few d\u0430ys, regrou\u0440 \u0430nd come b\u0430ck together to work tow\u0430rd be\u0430ting the Beng\u0430ls in Week 18 to enter the \u0440l\u0430yoffs on \u0430 \u0440ositive note.<\/p>\n
If not, things could go from b\u0430d to worse, \u0430nd nobody w\u0430nts to see th\u0430t.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Things \u0430re not going well in \u0440ittsburgh, \u0440\u0430rticul\u0430rly on the defensive side of the footb\u0430ll. H\u0430ving now lost three str\u0430ight g\u0430mes in r\u0430ther emb\u0430rr\u0430ssing f\u0430shion, the Steelers… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n