Halfway through the NFL season, fans are still working to evaluate the field. But Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward has a message for those who consider the Steelers “fraudulent.”
The criticism seems to be that head coach Mike Tomlin’s ability to lead his team to a 6-3 record is a fluke that won’t hold up in the playoffs. This outlook could potentially be bolstered by Pittsburgh’s offense, which is ranked 28th in the league. Through the first nine games of the season, the Steelers have a minus-26 point differential.
On his Podcast “Not just football”Heyward fired back:
“Who do they judge?” Heyward said. ” They are not there. Smoke and mirrors? Fuck off. We worked too hard for this. These guys dedicate their lives. We try to be a good defense. Smoke and mirrors, I think it’s a cloud of smoke.
His defense began with a response to the Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who compared his team to the Steelers after a 120-101 loss to the Magic of Orlando earlier this month.
“We’re like the Pittsburgh Steelers right now,” James said. “The Pittsburgh Steelers, as of right now, have not outscored or dominated any of their opponents this season and yet they have a winning record.”
The NBA star was trying to quote Elias Sports Officewho said the Steelers’ 20-16 win over the Tennessee Titans It was only the 34th time in NFL history that a team was dominated in each of the first eight weeks while holding a winning record.
“I love LeBron but man, stay away from football, man,” Heyward said. “6-3 is 6-3.”
Heyward, a six-time Pro Bowler, also refuted the notion that the Steelers are having ugly wins.
“What’s pretty?” For me personally, ‘pretty’ is overrated,” he said. “People say ‘pretty’ gets a lot of points, right? Isn’t it a “nice” defense that dominates and makes sure we can make the right plays at the right time? And your attack plays accordingly? I hate that we’ve gotten to a point where, “Oh, we’re not blowing up teams, so we’re going to dice these people and disagree on how they win.” ” It does not matter. You play football to win the game. Nothing else. Win the game. Leave the field. Keep moving.
He’s not the only Steeler to address the subject. Star linebacker TJ Watt said that people focus on things that don’t matter in the long run.
“No one will remember the scores in 10 years. It’s all about wins and losses,” TJ Watt said. said. “Every week we just try to get the job done. That’s not to say we don’t try to get style points, but we understand we have so much good football left in the tank. We are We We’re not trying to peak at the moment, but we’re continually trying to move in the right direction.
It looks like the path to more wins will be a little easier for the Steelers, as the team is expected to face backup quarterbacks for the next two games.
On Sunday, they will face the Cleveland Brownswho lost Deshaun Watson at the end of the season shoulder injury. Rookie Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start in its place.
THE Cincinnati Bengals are Pittsburgh’s opponent for Week 12. The Bengals saw Joe Burrow leave Thursday night’s defeat to the Baltimore Ravens with a torn ligament in wrist that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign.
